Image by Mutha-Wit
Making cornmeal and tobacco prayer offerings to the rising sun this morning... from the language of Spirit that is an energetic Breath of Lifeflow, like Water, that gives shape to culture and is inner relational with All Life.
Praying about the Prophecies, about the future generations ...what does this mean when the Prophecies of the Hopi say that "we will live as One People again and have a common language"?
My Hopi dad said to me "There is only one language of Massau (Great Mystery), and everyone can speak it." This is what I was praying about this morning... and praying about loving someone who speaks a different language than my People …we are from different tribes ...what is this language of Spirit? How do we cross this bridge? I was raised with my culture and language, he was raised with his culture and language ...so we learn learn little by little through going to ceremony together, sharing feasts and cultural activities, and learning words and phrases of each other's languages ...these "doings" that speak the language of prayer, song, Life Ways that guide us to live a good life with All Life and each other....my Heart has no boundary for the love I feel ... so while we speak the bridge language of english for common things to get done... what is this culture and language that we are learning from each other?
Spirit does not see you as color, shape, size, gender, language, money, property, prestige....Spirit only sees and feels the Beauty in how Great Mystery creates you. While we cry for the preservation of our languages, we also create divisions in our minds separating who can understand and who can not, because we only listen with our human ears ... I remember my Lakota Uncle who said, "Learn the songs and prayers in the old way - by showing up for the ceremonies. We have no books, or tapes, so you show up and participate".
When I was growing up anyone who showed up, willing to learn, with a good heart, was taught by listening, observing, experiencing and participating. After a while the Elders would ask the youngers, to sing a song, take care of some part of the doing, or take time to talk with us, answer questions, give guidance. The Elders were generous, protective before and after the "1978 American Indian Freedom of Religion Act", and never turned anyone away… yet these Life ways were and are not a "religion", they are Life Ways.
I remember one time some men showed up from the village and they were drunk and angry and hurting. We were clearing the area for a new Sweatlodge, Ceremonial arbor and camp area. These men said we could not be there, it wasn't our land, they did not care if the Tribal Council said it was ok to be there, and to leave. Our Elder at the moment was somewhere else getting some more tools. These men were very angry. Our small group of youngers, immediately laid down our shovels and rakes, and formed a circle. I could feel the tension rising in the young men of our circle, in response to the angry words of exclusivity that the other men were saying. So I began to pray. The angry men, hushed …it did not matter what language I was praying in, it was the same language spoken to the trees, the animals, All Life, the Water, Air, Fire and Mother Earth and Father Sky. Then after my Prayer, another person in our circle prayed, and then another, and so on. When the prayers were all made, our Elder "appeared", and went over to the the angry men, and told them they were welcome to come to help prepare for Ceremony, however they would need to sober up. The angry men left. After everything was prepared for Ceremony, only one returned to come watch, as we sang, danced and prayed for four days without food or water.
If we are to continue like my Elders, to teach others, language, Ceremony, Life Ways to anyone who is willing to learn, and to show up to participate, will this make us weaker or able to understand one another better, or know that we are more the same than different? Or that maybe we teach others so that they can remember who they are. Imagine if, like my Elders we do not care anymore what they "look" like, because we are not Great Mystery, we do not know where our ancestors decide to be born, or to what family, or color, or gender. Colonialism has destroyed so many matrilineal linages because of trading women and girls, and then there were boarding schools, and imaginary boarders and enforced prisoner of war camps, keeping us apart from one another...arranged marriages, or marriages made because it was thought the children might have a better chance of surviving. Will the pain and suffering from loss of language and culture be healed? .... in the end when Mother Earth decides the beginning - end - and beginning of her cycles...who will be the children of the future generations that will be able to "recognize" each other beyond stereotypes, and colonialism that has torn the fabric of how we once were relationally?
Will they know and choose to be Mitakuye Oyasin?
Will they know this language of Spirit?
Will they listen and see each other in Spirit and who they are beyond the ordinary senses?
Will they no longer acquiesce their spiritual and cultural sovranty to politicians and ideas about what is means to be made as a two-legged?
With gratitude for listening to my musings and prayers this morning about language, culture and loving someone who does not speak my People's language, nor I his...yet somewhere in the Spirit of Ceremony, Life Ways and Heart, is a prayer for the One Great Peace to be realized.
~ Alis-Itlatol 9.29.2013
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