Thursday, December 22, 2011
My Story About Alvino Siva, Cahuilla Elder and Bird-Singer
In 1997 and '98, a Native American Cowboy Jubilee was held in the San Jacinto Mountains town of Idyllwild in Southern California with both Native American and cowboy performers on stages all over town. The first year, I was asked to perform in the jubilee by Alvino Siva, an elder of the Cahuilla people for whom Idyllwild was ancestral land. Alvino was a storyteller, a teacher, a leader of the bird-singing tradition of the Cahuilla, one of the last of the Cahuilla-speaking people. His sister, Katherine Siva Saubel, a tremendously-respected elder, founded the Malki Museum on the Morongo reservation in Cabazon and authored books on the Cahuilla language and their ethno-botany. Their nephew, Ernest Siva, carries on their work and their tradition today with the Ushkana Press and the Ushkana Foundation. I was very honored to be invited by Alvino to play my flutes and tell my stories - himself a storyteller, Alvino could be fierce in his critique of the latter-day inhabitants of California. Before the first jubilee began, Alvino approached me and asked me for a favor - he held in his safe-keeping a 100 year-old Crow war-bonnet that was passed to him by the son of a man who was gifted with the bonnet by its original bearer - or at least that is what was explained to me by Alvino. After consulting with a spiritual leader of their people, Alvino had been told that, once a year, the bonnet needed to be brought out and worn by a suitable person so that it would not lose its power. So, he asked me to wear it while I performed - me! I was at once struck by a sense of pride in the honor being bestowed on me by Alvino and also by a huge sense of trepidation since I had not earned the right to wear those feathers, nor were war-bonnets a tradition of the people of my ancestry, the Cherokee. I might be accused of 'chiefing' like the Lakota-style buckskin-clad bonnet-wearers who haunted the sidewalks of the Cherokee tourist town of Cherokee, North Carolina, at Qualla Boundary - to be paid for having their pictures taken with unwitting tourists. I didn't want that to happen.
When the day came, I wore the bonnet as briefly as possible without offending Alvino. When a wind came up and it became difficult to wear the bonnet correctly, I removed it with as much respect as it deserved, hopefully before any photos were taken - but I was too late. Some years later, a painting surfaced on the internet, prints of the painting being sold on various fine art websites. It was titled "Elk Whistle" and was obviously painted from a photograph of me in my regalia, holding one of my flutes, and wearing the 100 year-old Crow bonnet. That is the story of the painting that graces my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BillNealElkWhistle and my blog page at elkwhistlebillneal.blogspot.com/. About two years ago I attended the memorial service for Alvino at the Malki Museum with all the others who came to pay their final respect for a man who had a long, meaningful life of work on behalf of his people and I wondered to whom that war-bonnet had been passed again for safe-keeping. I hoped that it had found its way back to the Crow people where it was meant to be.
December Solstice Traditions and Customs
The December solstice has influenced the lives of many people over the centuries, particularly through art, literature, mythology and religion. The December solstice is also known as the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere.
In the northern hemisphere, the December solstice occurs during the coldest season of the year. Although winter was regarded as the season of dormancy, darkness and cold, the coming of lighter days after the winter solstice brought on a more festive mood. To many people, this return of the light was a reason to celebrate that nature’s cycle was continuing.
Solstice’s influence on Christmas
In modern times Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas, which falls on December 25. However, it is believed that this date was chosen to offset pagan celebrations of Saturnalia and Natalis Invicti. Some believe that celebrating the birth of the “true light of the world” was set in synchronization with the December solstice because from that point onwards, the days began to have more daylight in the northern hemisphere.
Christmas is also referred to as Yule, which may have derived from the Norse word jól, referring to the pre-Christian winter solstice festival. Yule is also known as Alban Arthan and was one of the “Lesser Sabbats” of the Wiccan year in a time when ancient believers celebrated the rebirth of the Sun God and days with more light. This took place annually around the time of the December solstice and lasted for 12 days. The Lesser Sabbats fall on the solstices and equinoxes.
The Feast of Juul was a pre-Christian festival observed in Scandinavia at the time of the December solstice. Fires were lit to symbolize the heat, light and life-giving properties of the returning sun. A Yule or Juul log was brought in and burned on the hearth in honor of the Scandinavian god Thor.
A piece of the log was kept as both a token of good luck and as kindling for the following year’s log. In England, Germany, France and other European countries, the Yule log was burned until nothing but ash remained. The ashes were then collected and either strewn on the fields as fertilizer every night until Twelfth Night or kept as a charm and or as medicine.
French peasants believed that if the ashes were kept under the bed, they would protect the house against thunder and lightning. The present-day custom of lighting a Yule log at Christmas is believed to have originated in the bonfires associated with the feast of Juul.
Saturnalia in Ancient Rome
In Ancient Rome the winter (December) solstice festival Saturnalia began on December 17 and lasted for seven days. It was held to honor Saturn, the father of the gods and was characterized by the suspension of discipline and reversal of the usual order. Grudges and quarrels were forgotten while businesses, courts and schools were closed. Wars were interrupted or postponed and slaves were served by their masters. Masquerades often occurred during this time.
It was traditional to offer gifts of imitation fruit (a symbol of fertility), dolls (symbolic of the custom of human sacrifice), and candles (reminiscent of the bonfires traditionally associated with pagan solstice celebrations). A mock king was chosen, usually from a group of slaves or criminals, and although he was permitted to behave in an unrestrained manner for seven days of the festival, he was usually killed at the end. The Saturnalia eventually degenerated into a week-long spree of debauchery and crime – giving rise to the modern use of the term 'saturnalia', meaning a period of unrestrained license and revelry.
Other Cultures and Modern Day Celebrations
In Poland the ancient December solstice observance prior to Christianity involved people showing forgiveness and sharing food. It was a tradition that can still be seen in what is known as Gody. In the northwestern corner of Pakistan, a festival called Chaomos, takes place among the Kalasha or Kalash Kafir people. It lasts for at least seven days, including the day of the December solstice. It involves ritual baths as part of a purification process, as well as singing and chanting, a torchlight procession, dancing, bonfires and festive eating.
Many Christians celebrate St Thomas’ Day in honor of St Thomas the Apostle on December 21. In Guatemala on this day, Mayan Indians honor the sun god they worshipped long before they became Christians with a dangerous ritual known as the polo voladore, or “flying pole dance”. Three men climb on top of a 50-foot pole. As one of them beats a drum and plays a flute, the other two men wind a rope attached to the pole around one foot and jump. If they land on their feet, it is believed that the sun god will be pleased and that the days will start getting longer. Some churches celebrate St Thomas’ Day on other days in the year.
The ancient Incas celebrated a special festival to honor the sun god at the time of the December solstice. In the 16th century ceremonies were banned by the Roman Catholics in their bid to convert the Inca people to Christianity. A local group of Quecia Indians in Cusco, Peru, revived the festival in the 1950s. It is now a major festival that begins in Cusco and proceeds to an ancient amphitheater a few miles away.
Native American Ceremony
The winter solstice to Native Americans is a time of transition, of looking back at the old year and looking forward to the new. Like many cultures around the world, they have celebrated the winter solstice for hundreds, even thousands of years as they watched the days grow shorter and waited for the sun to return. In their own ways, Native Americans honor the cycle of life, endings and new beginnings as their ancestors did before them.
Some Native American tribes saw this unique celestial event in a different light. Among the Iroquois, it was a time of dreaming. Rather than staying up all night to celebrate the dawn, the People of the Longhouse turned in early, to sleep, to dream. As Mother Night reigned supreme, in dreaming they walked between the worlds of light and darkness, gathering great meaning from what The Great Mystery illuminated for them.
At first light, the entire tribe would gather and each tribal member -- men, women, to the smallest child -- would stand and relate what visions they saw on this special night. The dreams would be discussed at length by the entire tribe for each vision's meaning -- for the individual, about the world, for the tribe. Sigmund Freud wasn't the first to explore or discover the importance of nightly dreaming any more than Columbus "discovered" the New World. The Iroquois practiced this annual event for 1,000 years before the first European set foot on these shores. French Jesuit missionaries in the 1600s marveled at the Iroquois' annual event, writing about them in letters and journals, especially the aspect of the tribe "acting out" various dreams.
It is a powerful awakening each year, this night of dreams, to be approached in sacred manner. In shamanism, the "gift" of a vision is not realized until acted upon, manifested or "danced" into this reality. That is the Great Truth of our walking between the worlds, at any time of the year, but especially during this time.
What the Iroquois knew, and Westerners would not "discover" for hundreds of years, is that the line between waking "reality" and nightly dreaming is not so impermeable. What the Creator instructs in dreams can be the very "reality" of health, insights, group dynamics, and individuality within a community, revealing not only the dreamer's world, but the shared vision -- and lessons -- for a people.
The Pueblo tribes celebrate the Winter Solstice with rites focusing on Spring and rebirth. The Hopi Indians' Soyal ceremony lasts for 20 days and includes purification rituals, blessings and feasting. Other Native American winter celebrations include the Bear Dance, the Feather Dance and the Navajo Night Chant.
In the northern hemisphere, the December solstice occurs during the coldest season of the year. Although winter was regarded as the season of dormancy, darkness and cold, the coming of lighter days after the winter solstice brought on a more festive mood. To many people, this return of the light was a reason to celebrate that nature’s cycle was continuing.
Solstice’s influence on Christmas
In modern times Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas, which falls on December 25. However, it is believed that this date was chosen to offset pagan celebrations of Saturnalia and Natalis Invicti. Some believe that celebrating the birth of the “true light of the world” was set in synchronization with the December solstice because from that point onwards, the days began to have more daylight in the northern hemisphere.
Christmas is also referred to as Yule, which may have derived from the Norse word jól, referring to the pre-Christian winter solstice festival. Yule is also known as Alban Arthan and was one of the “Lesser Sabbats” of the Wiccan year in a time when ancient believers celebrated the rebirth of the Sun God and days with more light. This took place annually around the time of the December solstice and lasted for 12 days. The Lesser Sabbats fall on the solstices and equinoxes.
The Feast of Juul was a pre-Christian festival observed in Scandinavia at the time of the December solstice. Fires were lit to symbolize the heat, light and life-giving properties of the returning sun. A Yule or Juul log was brought in and burned on the hearth in honor of the Scandinavian god Thor.
A piece of the log was kept as both a token of good luck and as kindling for the following year’s log. In England, Germany, France and other European countries, the Yule log was burned until nothing but ash remained. The ashes were then collected and either strewn on the fields as fertilizer every night until Twelfth Night or kept as a charm and or as medicine.
French peasants believed that if the ashes were kept under the bed, they would protect the house against thunder and lightning. The present-day custom of lighting a Yule log at Christmas is believed to have originated in the bonfires associated with the feast of Juul.
Saturnalia in Ancient Rome
In Ancient Rome the winter (December) solstice festival Saturnalia began on December 17 and lasted for seven days. It was held to honor Saturn, the father of the gods and was characterized by the suspension of discipline and reversal of the usual order. Grudges and quarrels were forgotten while businesses, courts and schools were closed. Wars were interrupted or postponed and slaves were served by their masters. Masquerades often occurred during this time.
It was traditional to offer gifts of imitation fruit (a symbol of fertility), dolls (symbolic of the custom of human sacrifice), and candles (reminiscent of the bonfires traditionally associated with pagan solstice celebrations). A mock king was chosen, usually from a group of slaves or criminals, and although he was permitted to behave in an unrestrained manner for seven days of the festival, he was usually killed at the end. The Saturnalia eventually degenerated into a week-long spree of debauchery and crime – giving rise to the modern use of the term 'saturnalia', meaning a period of unrestrained license and revelry.
Other Cultures and Modern Day Celebrations
In Poland the ancient December solstice observance prior to Christianity involved people showing forgiveness and sharing food. It was a tradition that can still be seen in what is known as Gody. In the northwestern corner of Pakistan, a festival called Chaomos, takes place among the Kalasha or Kalash Kafir people. It lasts for at least seven days, including the day of the December solstice. It involves ritual baths as part of a purification process, as well as singing and chanting, a torchlight procession, dancing, bonfires and festive eating.
Many Christians celebrate St Thomas’ Day in honor of St Thomas the Apostle on December 21. In Guatemala on this day, Mayan Indians honor the sun god they worshipped long before they became Christians with a dangerous ritual known as the polo voladore, or “flying pole dance”. Three men climb on top of a 50-foot pole. As one of them beats a drum and plays a flute, the other two men wind a rope attached to the pole around one foot and jump. If they land on their feet, it is believed that the sun god will be pleased and that the days will start getting longer. Some churches celebrate St Thomas’ Day on other days in the year.
The ancient Incas celebrated a special festival to honor the sun god at the time of the December solstice. In the 16th century ceremonies were banned by the Roman Catholics in their bid to convert the Inca people to Christianity. A local group of Quecia Indians in Cusco, Peru, revived the festival in the 1950s. It is now a major festival that begins in Cusco and proceeds to an ancient amphitheater a few miles away.
Native American Ceremony
The winter solstice to Native Americans is a time of transition, of looking back at the old year and looking forward to the new. Like many cultures around the world, they have celebrated the winter solstice for hundreds, even thousands of years as they watched the days grow shorter and waited for the sun to return. In their own ways, Native Americans honor the cycle of life, endings and new beginnings as their ancestors did before them.
Some Native American tribes saw this unique celestial event in a different light. Among the Iroquois, it was a time of dreaming. Rather than staying up all night to celebrate the dawn, the People of the Longhouse turned in early, to sleep, to dream. As Mother Night reigned supreme, in dreaming they walked between the worlds of light and darkness, gathering great meaning from what The Great Mystery illuminated for them.
At first light, the entire tribe would gather and each tribal member -- men, women, to the smallest child -- would stand and relate what visions they saw on this special night. The dreams would be discussed at length by the entire tribe for each vision's meaning -- for the individual, about the world, for the tribe. Sigmund Freud wasn't the first to explore or discover the importance of nightly dreaming any more than Columbus "discovered" the New World. The Iroquois practiced this annual event for 1,000 years before the first European set foot on these shores. French Jesuit missionaries in the 1600s marveled at the Iroquois' annual event, writing about them in letters and journals, especially the aspect of the tribe "acting out" various dreams.
It is a powerful awakening each year, this night of dreams, to be approached in sacred manner. In shamanism, the "gift" of a vision is not realized until acted upon, manifested or "danced" into this reality. That is the Great Truth of our walking between the worlds, at any time of the year, but especially during this time.
What the Iroquois knew, and Westerners would not "discover" for hundreds of years, is that the line between waking "reality" and nightly dreaming is not so impermeable. What the Creator instructs in dreams can be the very "reality" of health, insights, group dynamics, and individuality within a community, revealing not only the dreamer's world, but the shared vision -- and lessons -- for a people.
The Pueblo tribes celebrate the Winter Solstice with rites focusing on Spring and rebirth. The Hopi Indians' Soyal ceremony lasts for 20 days and includes purification rituals, blessings and feasting. Other Native American winter celebrations include the Bear Dance, the Feather Dance and the Navajo Night Chant.
December Solstice 2011
This day is the December solstice - the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere. The December solstice will occur at 05:30 UTC on Thursday, December 22, 2011. Copy and paste this URL address into your browser to use the World Clock to determine when it takes place where you are: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=Time+of+the+December+Solstice&iso=20111222T0530.
Native American Dream Analysis: Iroquois
by Libby Pelham
Most Native American tribes have always held dreams in high regard and given them much respect. To them, dreams are very spiritual and a way of gaining great insight and wisdom as well as guidance for day-to-day life. Most Native Americans believed ancestral spirits would visit them between the hours of midnight and 2:00 a.m. (which may have been during the deepest stages of sleep) to offer them guidance.
A Strong Influence
The Iroquois felt very strongly that dreams guided all aspects of their lives – hunting, fighting, even marriage. Dreaming had a big affect on their proceedings during war. If one person had a dream of failure before a battle, they would retreat, viewing the dream as an omen. French missionaries noted that the Iroquois totally submitted themselves to their dreams. Believing the dreams were concealed instructions from their soul, they felt obligated to live out what they dreamed or feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. Through their dreams, they felt they could contact their highest sacred power, Orenda.
To ignore their dreams was madness to them, sure to result in disaster. It also went against the wishes of the god within. They felt dreams could heal them, curing both physical diseases and mental illnesses. The Iroquois would often act out their dreams with those involved in the dream. They would tell others about their dreams, known as dreamsharing, as a way to understand and interpret the dream.
Festivals
The Iroquois also held several festivals related to dreams and the dream world. The False Face Society festival was an important healing ritual in which the members wore wooden masks in order to invoke the dream world. Members were either those healed by the society or those who dreamed they should be a member. Another important Iroquois festival that focused on dreams was the Midwinter Festival. The Midwinter Festival was held around New Years and featured dreamsharing, dream interpretation, and dream renewal. The men of the Iroquois tribe often ventured out themselves in search of particularly powerful dreams. The men would fast for a period of time, sometimes as long as thirty days, in hopes of having a powerful vision or dream.
Making Note
The importance of dreams to the Iroquois has oft been documented through the years. One example is that of Chief Cornplanter of the Seneca Iroquois. He had a dream that he did not quite understand, so he asked members of his community for interpretation. One such interpreter told Cornplanter that his name was now Onono and he was to give up his position as chief. Chief Cornplanter was convinced this was the correct interpretation and handed his tomahawk and wampum to a friend, thus making him chief. It is said that Cornplanter never regretted his decision, feeling it restored harmony with the Great Spirit.
Another documented case of dream importance to the Iroquois was the dream of Ely Parker’s mother, Elizabeth. Ely Parker was an Iroquois chief who ended up drafting the final terms of surrender for the Civil War. When Elizabeth was still pregnant with Ely, the young Iroquois woman had a dream that she did not understand. It was that of a broken rainbow. She visited a dream interpreter who told her she was pregnant with a son and that son would be a very wise and great peacemaker.
Native Americans such as the Iroquois saw dreams as real and felt real life was often the illusion. Perhaps it would be in our best interest to take note of their beliefs and give our dreams more credit in helping guide our lives to a healthier place.
A Strong Influence
The Iroquois felt very strongly that dreams guided all aspects of their lives – hunting, fighting, even marriage. Dreaming had a big affect on their proceedings during war. If one person had a dream of failure before a battle, they would retreat, viewing the dream as an omen. French missionaries noted that the Iroquois totally submitted themselves to their dreams. Believing the dreams were concealed instructions from their soul, they felt obligated to live out what they dreamed or feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. Through their dreams, they felt they could contact their highest sacred power, Orenda.
To ignore their dreams was madness to them, sure to result in disaster. It also went against the wishes of the god within. They felt dreams could heal them, curing both physical diseases and mental illnesses. The Iroquois would often act out their dreams with those involved in the dream. They would tell others about their dreams, known as dreamsharing, as a way to understand and interpret the dream.
Festivals
The Iroquois also held several festivals related to dreams and the dream world. The False Face Society festival was an important healing ritual in which the members wore wooden masks in order to invoke the dream world. Members were either those healed by the society or those who dreamed they should be a member. Another important Iroquois festival that focused on dreams was the Midwinter Festival. The Midwinter Festival was held around New Years and featured dreamsharing, dream interpretation, and dream renewal. The men of the Iroquois tribe often ventured out themselves in search of particularly powerful dreams. The men would fast for a period of time, sometimes as long as thirty days, in hopes of having a powerful vision or dream.
Making Note
The importance of dreams to the Iroquois has oft been documented through the years. One example is that of Chief Cornplanter of the Seneca Iroquois. He had a dream that he did not quite understand, so he asked members of his community for interpretation. One such interpreter told Cornplanter that his name was now Onono and he was to give up his position as chief. Chief Cornplanter was convinced this was the correct interpretation and handed his tomahawk and wampum to a friend, thus making him chief. It is said that Cornplanter never regretted his decision, feeling it restored harmony with the Great Spirit.
Another documented case of dream importance to the Iroquois was the dream of Ely Parker’s mother, Elizabeth. Ely Parker was an Iroquois chief who ended up drafting the final terms of surrender for the Civil War. When Elizabeth was still pregnant with Ely, the young Iroquois woman had a dream that she did not understand. It was that of a broken rainbow. She visited a dream interpreter who told her she was pregnant with a son and that son would be a very wise and great peacemaker.
Native Americans such as the Iroquois saw dreams as real and felt real life was often the illusion. Perhaps it would be in our best interest to take note of their beliefs and give our dreams more credit in helping guide our lives to a healthier place.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Gifting and Give-Aways: Compassionate Intention
"At this time of year, it’s especially clear that how and where we direct our intentions—and our dollars—has immediate impacts on ourselves and the causes we support.
Researchers in the field of consciousness studies have found that giving is good for you—for your health, your happiness, and your sense of purpose!
Consciousness research, which has been studying the science of giving for decades, has taught us that giving and receiving are among the most healing expressions that humans can make. They can help heal the separateness we often feel from ourselves, each other, and the environment.
According to IONS-sponsored research [Institute of Noetic Science], acts of altruism can elicit a positive immune system response:
• Dr. Jeff Levin, an epidemiologist, found that a correlation exists between almost every dimension of love and patients’ descriptions of better health, more positive emotional well–being, higher self–esteem, and a sense of personal control in their lives.
• Results of IONS’ Compassionate Intention Study suggest that loving or compassionate intention can influence a person’s physiology, ranging from brain activity measurements to skin conductance.
Research by IONS colleague Dr. Stephen Post, professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University and president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, suggests a strong correlation between a person’s well-being and their inclination toward altruistic acts.
An especially compelling study conducted by Dr. Dean Ornish demonstrated that feelings of increased interconnectedness with others can change gene expression, making relationships critical to health and well–being."
- from the email newsletter of the Institute of Noetic Science, December 18, 2011
Researchers in the field of consciousness studies have found that giving is good for you—for your health, your happiness, and your sense of purpose!
Consciousness research, which has been studying the science of giving for decades, has taught us that giving and receiving are among the most healing expressions that humans can make. They can help heal the separateness we often feel from ourselves, each other, and the environment.
According to IONS-sponsored research [Institute of Noetic Science], acts of altruism can elicit a positive immune system response:
• Dr. Jeff Levin, an epidemiologist, found that a correlation exists between almost every dimension of love and patients’ descriptions of better health, more positive emotional well–being, higher self–esteem, and a sense of personal control in their lives.
• Results of IONS’ Compassionate Intention Study suggest that loving or compassionate intention can influence a person’s physiology, ranging from brain activity measurements to skin conductance.
Research by IONS colleague Dr. Stephen Post, professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University and president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, suggests a strong correlation between a person’s well-being and their inclination toward altruistic acts.
An especially compelling study conducted by Dr. Dean Ornish demonstrated that feelings of increased interconnectedness with others can change gene expression, making relationships critical to health and well–being."
- from the email newsletter of the Institute of Noetic Science, December 18, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Give-Aways Aren't Enough
Within the next few hours, I will be connected to over a thousand professional folks in various fields on the LinkedIn social media. More than my other social media pages including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Blogger, Iparte, The Red Nation Society, and the Native Spirit Tribal Community, the intrinsic value of these professional connections on LinkedIn is still somewhat ambiguous to me. There are reasons for that. My purpose on other pages like FB, etc., is very clear to me - to communicate with as many like-hearted and like-minded spirits as possible, to sound a call, to help move us into a changed world that is unlike what has so far taken place on this earth. Most of what I post, especially my blog posts, have this recurring theme.
But on LinkedIn I am connected to chairpersons and councilmembers of Indian nations across Turtle Island, plus those who work for them and with whom they do business, as well as media moguls, arts presenters, and performing, graphics, and fine artists. This is different than on the other social media pages.
I have several purposes and several means of achieving those purposes. My dilemma on LinkedIn is more a matter of having too many directions in which to communicate with the professionals with whom I've connected. I hope you can help me with your perspective.
As a performing artist and musician, storyteller, teacher, writer, actor, and activist, I use my talents for education, for social, environmental, and economic justice, and I hope along the way that my efforts are recognized enough to be supported in what I try to do, that I can stay busy and, through that busyness, also manage to pay my bills.
I have also been a Native American Spiritual leader in a women's prison who has tried to help deal with many of the issues that brought many of those women to prison - issues like substance abuse and domestic violence, especially against Native women, issues like low self-esteem, intergenerational trauma, and the historical residues of the cultural genocide of Native Americans. I have worked with the White Bison Wellbriety training programs to improve my skills in doing so and to help others gain those skills. I still work to apply that experience where it is needed.
Before all this, I worked for 22 years as an environmental professional, gaining a great deal of experience that's especially useful in today's push toward a green and sustainable future - experience that includes:
* wildland and urban forest management for multiple uses including silvicultural reforestation and fire hazard reduction through various means including prescribed and controlled burning, computerized inventories of street and park trees and long-range management planning for urban trees;
* handling and processing of biomass materials for energy production and nursery plant production from sawmill residues, industrial agriculture, urban green waste including tree-trimming and removal, large-scale land-clearing, and construction and demolition debris;
* siting, design, and permitting of solid waste materials recovery facilities, transfer stations and landfills;
* hazardous materials inventories for hazardous materials management planning;
* conduct of phase I environmental site assessments for property transfers;
* preparation of industrial stormwater run-off pollution prevention plans:
* co-founding and management as vice-president and general manager of a biomass fuels processing company;
* preparation of environmental documents including environmental assessments, environmental impact reports, and environmental impact statements according to CEQA, NEPA, and the federal Clean Water Act including the first EIR ever written in the state of California for a billboard; and the
* establishment and management of various recycling and composting programs including biomass, waste paper, and beverage container redemption.
I guess that, environmentally, I think of myself as a sustainability advocate and consultant.
But, when I communicate with professionals on LinkedIn in all these fields, which do I pursue? Where are my skills and experience most needed and most effectively applied and in what area am I most likely to be able to be financially successful enough to continue to work and my family to thrive? I provide as much support as I am able to worthwhile causes, hopefully without my family having to sacrifice more than it already has - but give-aways have to have a limit, and my give-aways are consistent across the board. I do need to be practical. Tell me what you think I should do.
But on LinkedIn I am connected to chairpersons and councilmembers of Indian nations across Turtle Island, plus those who work for them and with whom they do business, as well as media moguls, arts presenters, and performing, graphics, and fine artists. This is different than on the other social media pages.
I have several purposes and several means of achieving those purposes. My dilemma on LinkedIn is more a matter of having too many directions in which to communicate with the professionals with whom I've connected. I hope you can help me with your perspective.
As a performing artist and musician, storyteller, teacher, writer, actor, and activist, I use my talents for education, for social, environmental, and economic justice, and I hope along the way that my efforts are recognized enough to be supported in what I try to do, that I can stay busy and, through that busyness, also manage to pay my bills.
I have also been a Native American Spiritual leader in a women's prison who has tried to help deal with many of the issues that brought many of those women to prison - issues like substance abuse and domestic violence, especially against Native women, issues like low self-esteem, intergenerational trauma, and the historical residues of the cultural genocide of Native Americans. I have worked with the White Bison Wellbriety training programs to improve my skills in doing so and to help others gain those skills. I still work to apply that experience where it is needed.
Before all this, I worked for 22 years as an environmental professional, gaining a great deal of experience that's especially useful in today's push toward a green and sustainable future - experience that includes:
* wildland and urban forest management for multiple uses including silvicultural reforestation and fire hazard reduction through various means including prescribed and controlled burning, computerized inventories of street and park trees and long-range management planning for urban trees;
* handling and processing of biomass materials for energy production and nursery plant production from sawmill residues, industrial agriculture, urban green waste including tree-trimming and removal, large-scale land-clearing, and construction and demolition debris;
* siting, design, and permitting of solid waste materials recovery facilities, transfer stations and landfills;
* hazardous materials inventories for hazardous materials management planning;
* conduct of phase I environmental site assessments for property transfers;
* preparation of industrial stormwater run-off pollution prevention plans:
* co-founding and management as vice-president and general manager of a biomass fuels processing company;
* preparation of environmental documents including environmental assessments, environmental impact reports, and environmental impact statements according to CEQA, NEPA, and the federal Clean Water Act including the first EIR ever written in the state of California for a billboard; and the
* establishment and management of various recycling and composting programs including biomass, waste paper, and beverage container redemption.
I guess that, environmentally, I think of myself as a sustainability advocate and consultant.
But, when I communicate with professionals on LinkedIn in all these fields, which do I pursue? Where are my skills and experience most needed and most effectively applied and in what area am I most likely to be able to be financially successful enough to continue to work and my family to thrive? I provide as much support as I am able to worthwhile causes, hopefully without my family having to sacrifice more than it already has - but give-aways have to have a limit, and my give-aways are consistent across the board. I do need to be practical. Tell me what you think I should do.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Mid-December in the Southern California Piedmont
The small city east of Los Angeles where Jane and I live is named Upland for a reason - it is at the base of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, a higher elevation than the floor of the San Gabriel Valley below us. In my native state of North Carolina, it would be said to be in the 'Piedmont' - all you French-speakers know what that means. From my backyard I have a clear view of Mount Baldy which is within the last ranger district of the U.S. Forest Service on which I worked before leaving the forest service when President Ronny and his pal James Watt took all the money away from the federal resource management agencies.
Mount Baldy is also named Mount San Antonio after Anthony of Padua, a patron of the Franciscan order - this is, after all, mission country - particularly the San Gabriel Mission a few miles from here. Baldy has two peaks, the highest of which is 10,068 feet in elevation. It is the highest peak in Los Angeles County and also in the San Gabriel range. There is a trail called the 'Devil's Backbone' that runs from the main peak to the west peak. Along this trail the spine of the mountain is very sharp and narrow - you can look down into the Antelope Valley on the north and into the San Gabriel Valley in the south - but be careful not to stumble while you're looking. The original people to the south of the range who came to be called 'Gabrieleno' by the Spanish because they built the San Gabriel Mission, the Tongva call this mountain 'Yoat', meaning snow. The Mohave to the north call it 'Avii Kwatiinyam'.
This morning, December 13th, when I woke up Mount Baldy was covered in snow and yet it was only sweater weather here in Upland, in the mid-40 degree range and warming to the high-50 degrees during the day. In fact, in my yard right now the roses and camellias are blooming. This is one of the incongruities of Southern California - I could drive two hours to Palm Springs in the high desert and be in balmy summer weather (but don't go there in the summer unless you are ready to roast)or drive 20 minutes up Baldy to play in the snow.
After living and working in the mountains of Southern Oregon and Northern California for 16 years, pines and firs and cedars are the standing people that I consider family. Here I am surrounded by palm trees and cactus and yet I can still look up to the snow-covered peak of Mount Baldy. I live in a city of trees, an Arbor City - right now my front yard is covered with the leaves of the Liquidambar styraciflua that some call 'sweet gum'. The Liquidambar was an eastern tree that was imported to be a street tree and to give Southern California some autumn color.
So - I guess this is all more reinforcement of the notion that all of life is a trade-off - but once in a while, maybe, just maybe, you can have your cake and eat it too. N'est-ce pas?
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Elk Whistle Interview - KPFK 90.7 Pacifica Radio
The following link is to the podcast in the archives of KPFK 90.7 of the special Thanksgiving Day program that I did with Sabrina Motley - the first 45 or so minutes is my interview. To listen to the podcast, copy the link below and paste it into your browser. I hope you enjoy it - please tell me what you think.
http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/mp3/kpfk_111124_130050special.MP3
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Message From the Iparte Newsletter
- paraphrased by Bill Neal
With all the exciting changes that are now going on in the world, it is especially important right now for all of us in the circle to stay in touch. It is time for us all to step up and take a more active role in steering positive change in the world. It is vital today to encourage all of us in the circle to take a moment to pause and think about how each of us can best serve the world during this monumental time in human history. The Occupy Movement has done a great job at capturing the world’s attention. Now it is time for US to put our heads together, pool our talents and resources, and lead the way to freedom and peace for ALL. The time has come indeed.
The time to UNITE, to SHARE, to SERVE and to see the change that needs to be, has COME.
As we awaken to the remembrance that we can heal the world, we also remember it is something that can only be achieved TOGETHER. For each one of us holds or hides inside our being, an essential part of the plan for universal peace.
From The Awakening Trilogy
“1) We, through our current motivation of self-gain, are the only engines driving our current systems and, therefore, we hold the power to stop it.
2) Our current system of self-service is unsustainable, and is presently leading us on a path of inevitable destruction.
3)The only way that we may divert our current course is to unite, and thereby to lend each other the necessary support to make the switch from living for the self, to living for the peace and harmony of all.“
The time to UNITE, to SHARE, to SERVE and to see the change that needs to be, has COME.
As we awaken to the remembrance that we can heal the world, we also remember it is something that can only be achieved TOGETHER. For each one of us holds or hides inside our being, an essential part of the plan for universal peace.
From The Awakening Trilogy
“1) We, through our current motivation of self-gain, are the only engines driving our current systems and, therefore, we hold the power to stop it.
2) Our current system of self-service is unsustainable, and is presently leading us on a path of inevitable destruction.
3)The only way that we may divert our current course is to unite, and thereby to lend each other the necessary support to make the switch from living for the self, to living for the peace and harmony of all.“
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