http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/blog/ Latest Blogs http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/Twytwy/blog/to-all-motherz/ ]]> ]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/Twytwy/blog/to-all-motherz/ Fri, 11 May 2012 20:56:42 +0000 TwyTwy http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/WaywardSon1/blog/so-what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-american-indian/ Recently I have heard this question, and read about it online in the powwows.com forums. So what does it mean to be an American Indian? Do both of yo...
I am going out on a limb here and saying no, and yes to all of the above. I think every family, and tribe has a different understanding of what it is to be an American Indian, and most of us consider ourselves from a specific tribal perspective and do not really relate to the racial designation given to us by the US government. I would say your family’s culture has a large part in defining ones Indianess.

If you were raised within a Native American community and culture than you are an American Indian regardless of how you look. I have seen extremely traditional Cherokee who have next to no blood quantum to speak of, and do not live on a reservation but are enrolled members of their tribe. I have also seen a room full of young Indians living on a Rez who scoffed at their own tribal traditions. Both of the above examples are of real American Indians.

The real questions everyone seems to be tiptoeing around is……. Are those people who have tribal ancestors, but are not federally recognized as American Indian, really an American Indian? Are they ‘Want-to-Bees’ if they seek their tribal roots? Are they worthy of learning their ancestor’s culture and ways and participating in events like Pow Wows with American Indians that are enrolled members of federally recognized tribes?

I have heard these questions being talked about for over 20 years now at Pow Wows and the answers and the source of those answers never seems to change. There is always the angry young guy telling the ‘white’ tourist to “just go away”, or better yet, if someone takes their picture they think they should get money! How about just don’t take pictures unless you ask the person first. And if you are at a Pow Wow and asked by a tourist for your picture, and you don’t mind, then so be it. But DO NOT ask for money, nor expect it, that is just demeaning. Taking money from a visitor is saying you can be bought, or willing to sell yourself. And there is nothing worse than teaching an outsider that an American Indian can be bought for any price. The tribes have been fighting that mind set for over 500 years. There is also always the voice of reason from a headman, MC, or elder that says “calm down” and learn from one another in a respectful way.

These same answers have been with the tribes since the beginning. We are lucky that today this question is often only related to a social event and not a matter of life and death like it was for our ancestors.

For me it is simple. I am of European, Cherokee, and Oglala Lakota descent. I grew up in Texas with a Southern culture, and I am Former US Marine. Those were the only cultures I knew till I sought out my ancestor’s tribes and learned from them myself.

As an adult I self-identified as an American of Cherokee descent and learned many of my mother’s ancestor’s traditional ways. While in the Marines I was taken under the wing of a First Nation brother from back East and we watched out for one another. I have always considered myself more Indian than white, but that is because I have known about it from early childhood through my mother’s stories, told to her by her father
and his father before him on back. There were no stories of princesses, or chiefs, just hard living, loss, and a lot of resentment for the government. When my ancestors left the Trail of Tears they lived in the Chickasaw Nation in the Indian Territory and they were denied tribal reinstatement in 1896 because they were not living with the Cherokee at that time. However, the government considered these same people Cherokee, and they could not own land, or vote. Only after a few generations did my family start passing for White, and by then our family, like many had been separated from their people by that silent killer called the Dawes Commission. I am not enrolled but I have made contacts with my tribe back East and talk to an elder often asking his advice on cultural, and family matters. I have tried to raise my sons to be aware of where they came from on both sides of the family as my wife is 1/8th Cherokee as well. I guess mine is an odd case for a non-federally recognized Indian, as I know exactly where my Cherokee family lived before the removal, down to the log Inn at Brown’s Ferry that still stands in Moccasin Bend in Tennessee. I have visited both of my tribal ancestral homes, and will visit them again I am sure.

So what makes someone and American Indian? I am not asking for myself, as I know what I am, but it seems like a question that comes up at Pow Wows more often than not when someone of less than dark
complexion wins a competition, or gets noticed. Then there are the many messages on the PowWows.com forum as well.

Is anyone listening?

Does anyone read these things?]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/WaywardSon1/blog/so-what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-american-indian/ Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:52:31 +0000 Wayward Son http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/panyonbin/blog/ralph-lauren-polo-office-through-the/
All eyeball lids are intended in Nigeria these days, on the grounds that from at this point, the world will aga
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]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/panyonbin/blog/ralph-lauren-polo-office-through-the/ Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:46:43 +0000 panyonbin http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/WaywardSon1/blog/war-crimes-whiped-from-memory-at-the-bottom-of-a-lake/
Unlike famous Revolutionary War sights in the East you will not find the battle grounds of the Middle and Lower Cherokee towns to pay your respects today. Almost all are now covered by a man made lake caused by dams built by the TVA. Not one kilowatt is generated by this sacrifice. The only thing is, people know, and we will not let these war crimes, and tragedies be forgotten and covered up by lies, or the ravaged waters of our once beloved rivers and creeks. I remember, and I will keep my elders memory alive.

Wado]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/WaywardSon1/blog/war-crimes-whiped-from-memory-at-the-bottom-of-a-lake/ Sat, 14 Apr 2012 05:12:52 +0000 Wayward Son http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/RosettaWildthorne/blog/over-observative/ Have you ever compared people to nature? First of all, I notice something peculiar about some people what comparing, just like nature has its natural ... ]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/RosettaWildthorne/blog/over-observative/ Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:52:08 +0000 Tsua Tsiska :) http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/WaywardSon1/blog/in-memory-of-amoneeta-sequoyah/ In the long ago days there lived men who were great healers, shape-shifters, and conjurers of immense power. Today some call these servants of their ...
A small, thin man in an oversized cowboy hat with an eagle plume stuck loosely in its band. This was the last of the old ones. He had known the last powerful old ones that could shape-shift, and perform all manner of magic. He knew them in his youth, as they were long gone too the next great place even before the 1970s. He was the last Medicine Man to have been born along a mountain path surrounded by forest.

He past back in 1987 being over 80 years old and beloved of his people. He never turned those in need away, no matter the color of their skin, or status. Some say we will never see his like again, some say he will come back to his people in the end of days. Regardless, there are still those who studied under him amongst his people today. So the next time you find yourself in the Boundary, you may ask about Amoneeta Sequoyah, and if you ask the right person in the right way you may be gifted with a story, and thus blessed by his medicine even now even after he has long been asleep with his creator.

Wado,]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/WaywardSon1/blog/in-memory-of-amoneeta-sequoyah/ Fri, 30 Mar 2012 04:10:18 +0000 Wayward Son http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/WaywardSon1/blog/return-to-the-water-my-sons/ In the long ago days my Cherokee ancestors would Go-to-Water before any undertaking of importance. If you were going out on a hunt, you Go-to-Water. ...
The elders teach us that when a Cherokee Goes-to-Water, they are going to clean the body which in turn cleans the spirit, for our bodies and spirits are connected(2). When we are in the water the creator comes down and fills, and washes over us, purifying our spirit. When we leave the water we leave all that is bad or troubling behind and enter the world purified once again.

I have heard it said that the Sweat Lodge is not a Cherokee tradition by some, and I would invite whoever believes that to talk to an elder, or healer from The Eastern Band of Cherokee,ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ . Going from water to the Sweat Lodge on the river bank and then back to water seven times is part of preparing for the hunt and for war. So much has been lost due to greed, and craziness that so often accompanies it. Most participants only dunk themselves seven times when they Go-to-Water these days because setting up a sweat lodge requires someone trained to lead such a ceremony, and we are not always with a holy healer, or elder who is trained to run a sweat. This is fine, for Going-to-Water does not mean one needs to sweat also.

This is what I tell my sons, and what I would tell others if they wished to listen. Do not forget the old ways of your Cherokee ancestors. Do not keep the ways of those that would dam up our rivers, and flood our burial sites in the pursuit of the illusion of power, or owning something that will be here when we are all dust. Return to the Water my Sons. If your heart is troubled, and the world weighs heavy on your soul, return to the Water my Sons.

So do I practice what I teach my sons? Yes I do. Each year I go Black Tail Deer hunting, and may even go Elk hunting. Before each hunt I Go-To-Water, pray to the seven directions and ask my ancestors to aid me on my hunt so I may provide for my family and honor my ancestor’s ways. If you are rolling your eyes, or saying, gosh what a weirdo, than so be it. I believe that we must respect the animals we hunt, and approach such a task in a sacred way with respect, and humility.

This is my first blog, and I am sorry if it seems a little odd. But the only way my brothers and sisters online will get to know me is through me sharing thoughts I feel are important to me. Is this not what we do when we talk to a friend on the porch, or on the phone. We talk of life and those things we feel are most important. Be well, and remember, you can always Go-to-Water.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: I have noted some sources for the message I impart so those that read it will know I am not trying to say I am a teacher, or elder, or even a resource. I claim no such lofty titles, or responsibility. I am just a father who teaches his sons what he can from what I have learned of my ancestors, and I try to get my information from sources that are respected and proven such as enrolled tribal members, and elders of one of the federally recognized Cherokee tribes.

Sources:
1. Mooney, James. MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE,From Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology 1897-98, Part I. [1900]. http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/cher/motc/
(I provided this link as it is a free version of the text online, but you can try finding it at your local library if you wish. I used Mooney's text only after asking a respected Eastern Band of Cherokee storyteller if it was authintic and correct)
2. BETTY RIDGE. "Going to Water", Ryan Mackey, a Cherokee traditionalist and language instructor is her main source in the artical, TAHLEQUAH Daily Express, August 29, 2011. http://tahlequahdailypress.com/local/x975855121/-Going-to-water]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/WaywardSon1/blog/return-to-the-water-my-sons/ Sat, 24 Mar 2012 07:45:17 +0000 Wayward Son http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/siouxperwoman/blog/journal-entry-4-3/ I can always remember the day when I met Miss Farro. I was 12 and was on my way to the park hoping no one would be there,i was across the street approaching the park when i seen this brown haird girl sitting on the swings by herself. i sat on the other end of the swings,trying to think of what i can say to break the silence...
Ever since then we've been bestfiends. Until the day came that her family decided to move back up north. I was 16 and she was 14 and it was on a nice summer sunny morning...I got up extra early that day to help her pack a bag for the bus,and i kept crying that morning because I knew i would never see her again.
On my 17th birthday she sent me $40 bux in the mail and on my 18th birthday she called me and we made plans for me to go up north and visit....thats the last phone call i got from her. And her last words i remember was I LOVE YOU.
My bestfriend got shot in 2005,her and two other people died instantley. Im guessing it was a drug deal gone bad. I never knew that my friend was into drugs at all,im not exactley sure how it went down but thats all i kno. I cant remember how i found out because i think when i did find out i was drinking at the time and things were a blurr.

I was 21 when my friend passed away. She came to visit me in a dream once,the dream felt so real,it was like i can feel my own feelings. In my dream it started with me walking up to the backyard of the house she moved out of,the back door was open and I walked right in because her kitchen table was just two steps up and she was sitting there with her favorite coffee and toast and i said "Farro what are u doing here?" but she was silent,She had this worried look in her face" like it felt as if she wanted to tell me something,but then I woke up and it felt as if I came out from another world.

I think about her and that dream all the time. I always wonder about her daughter Montana,her family & her babys daddy. At the time I wasnt able to attend the funeral because I havent seen or heard from her in along time. Grief was spent quietly,I would cry for her sometimes because there was just no one out there that i could reach out to.

From then on i vowed not to get into the worse drugs that are out there.Its 2012 and there's thousands of different drugs out there that can fuk a person right up. Personally I DO SMOKE MARIJUANA I aint gunna lie I likes to puff puff pass. But yeah i jus thought i would say that....blog bout my bestest buddy in the whole world .My sista from anotha mista,the jelly to my peanut butter,the hip to the hop,my crime partner.]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/siouxperwoman/blog/journal-entry-4-3/ Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:17:01 +0000 siouxperwoman http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/nativepride23/blog/loe-peom/ Violets are blue
Ur heart belongs to me
If we broke up I would loose my life
And ur love you would break my heart
You are the love of m...]]> Violets are blue
Ur heart belongs to me
If we broke up I would loose my life
And ur love you would break my heart
You are the love of my life
When I close my eyes all I think about is you and me.
I say love is like a rose and a seed
Love is like a dancer that has a passion for music.
Some people says that love is like when you are going to spend the rest of your life with the same person.
Love never dies.
]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/nativepride23/blog/loe-peom/ Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:53:32 +0000 katysha holliday http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/silvermoon2012/blog/first-blog-3/ http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/silvermoon2012/blog/first-blog-3/ Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:53:25 +0000 Kristie Aten http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/kittenheels/blog/link-up/ Tonight is Link-Up para los Pachakuti-kuna!]]> Tonight is Link-Up para los Pachakuti-kuna!]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/kittenheels/blog/link-up/ Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:21:26 +0000 Yume 4 http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/siouxperwoman/blog/journal-entry-3/ Growing up,everyone thought that I would be the first in my family to have children. My mothers sisers would look down on me,they would pretend to lik... My mother has 6 sisters and out of the 6 4 looked down on me because they hated the fact that i took up after my dads side of the family. My aunts all have daughters of their own & their daughters all have kids.
I remember this one time when I was sitting at home with my dad and one my aunts came over to our house drunk,invited herself in and sat there and called me down....& at that time i was only 16 and i couldnt believe what she was saying to my face,callin me a whore a hooker & that i've got no life. I WAS SO STUNNED that i jus sat there and cried when my brother Gary walked in.
My dad said "Jr...go and get Raven". Raven was a local girl who knew the streets well,she lived near by and happened to be home.
2 minutes later Raven had my aunt in the corner apologizing to me,& then thats the day when i figured out that my mothers aunts really hated me. It was like a puzzle coming together and i just cried in relief that i now knew of how my mothers side of the family was. i now knew that they really hated the fact that i had a family and a stable home.
From then on i kept up my guard,I thought "I'M GOING TO PROVE THESE WOMEN WRONG,I'M GOING TO LIVE MY LIFE RIGHT,KEEP MY LEGS CLOSED & MY ASS IN SKOOL"
My aunts were so evil and would say anything about me,they were really jealous of me & they still are.I still see those pretend smiles and to this day i am living my life right and have no kids.They see now that I AM EVERYTHING THEY WANTED THEIR DAUGHTERS TO BE,and Karma's a biitch. I like to smile at there evil faces when i walk by.]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/siouxperwoman/blog/journal-entry-3/ Sat, 18 Feb 2012 06:35:01 +0000 siouxperwoman http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/vaneslayer/blog/baby-girl/ OMG, it's been ages. I've been so busy with motherhood and I'm loving every minute of it.
I had a baby girl on Nov. 27, 2011, in at 8lbs. 3oz. and I n...]]> OMG, it's been ages. I've been so busy with motherhood and I'm loving every minute of it.
I had a baby girl on Nov. 27, 2011, in at 8lbs. 3oz. and I named her Isabelle Rita.
She has a lot of dark hair and chubby cheeks. She very content, sweet and so cute. I love her soooo much. It's exciting watching her grow everyday.
Ya'll bahave out thur. Til next time, Much luv!!!! ]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/vaneslayer/blog/baby-girl/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:43:36 +0000 vaneslayer http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/nativej2009/blog/my-virtual-self-therapy/
nightmares,nightmares,nightmares what the heck is wrong with me, i am changing into my grandfather not a nice guy, I dont want to be like that, i made that same promise as a child running around the rez as a young buck ready and positive to get my narrow brown booty moving in the closest route out of new town, nd.
I cant sleep, I don't like eating rephrase that I don't enjoy eating, I cant even go to Walmart during a busy time, I mean come on Walmart, I have only been home for a few weeks and all I want to do is sleep, I don't sleep like this, I don't even sleep just lay there and do nothing, I have been away for 2 1/2 years and no home for the holidays for 4. they sent me to head shrinker, "it's going to go away", and apparently her way to help is to load me up with meds I don't take meds, I hate her, she doesn't understand, I don't even understand, and it's my BLOG.....WTF
then i think to myself you know what, I have land in bakken that is paying at least 6 thou a month, i am a vet with vet benefits partially educated but soon to be finished with school, have great kids that are smart, brave and polite, I have a great life.]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/nativej2009/blog/my-virtual-self-therapy/ Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:01:58 +0000 nativej2009 http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/siouxperwoman/blog/journal-entry-2/ January has been a hectic month for me & my family.My family has decided to end the year by being drunk for the whole entire month of December. My...]]> January has been a hectic month for me & my family.My family has decided to end the year by being drunk for the whole entire month of December. My mother went allout and decided to do it up hardcore this year....She probably doesnt remember the month of December....that was a hard time for me,especially being the only sober person in the house.
I have three brothers & no sisters,both my parents are still happily together & out of the 4 of us my parents only have 1 grandchild. My brothers and i are all in our twenties my eldest brother is in his early 30s. Gerald who is 31,Garry Jr who is 28,me 27 & my younger brother Elvis is 25,apparently i have two half sisters from previous relationships from my parents but i'll talk about that another time...so
January 1st comes and my mom admits herself into the hospital and finds out that she has Sclorosis to the Liver.....its been quite a month for us here,with only two of us working in this house of 6 we barley scraped up enough for rent & groceries....& to top it off the car broke down,my dad was pretty annoyed at that because he HATES asking people for rides.

Soo after all the drinking was done & everyone got it out of there system,it was time to snap back to reality for my family,my mother was feeling depressed in the hospital and i couldnt do anything but just watch here lay there & try and get better,I'd visit her every other day,bring her little things she needed,helped her when she needed it.

My mother made a good recovery,this is the second time she's done this to herself,she got home about two weeks ago and has been taking it easy,eating right & sleeping well.For while there i felt as if i was going thru this alone....there were dayz that i would just sit there and stare out the window telling myself ~You've done this before You can handle tihs~ I really didnt talk to no one about what went on at my house...
People would just say "Oh well that goes on in alot of families,its nuthing new" or "they'll quit sooner or later" without even asking HOW I,ME,MYSELF felt about it personally. But....today is a new day a new month & a new hour January has come & gone my family is healthy happy & safe & thats all that really matters,We started the year rough but good things will come through out the year. Febuary is a busy month for for America]]> http://www.mytribalspace.com/tribal/index.php?do=/siouxperwoman/blog/journal-entry-2/ Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:55:34 +0000 siouxperwoman