Native American programs in Genesee County search for students amidst complaints heritage is ignored

by RoNeisha Mullen | The Flint Journal

Thursday February 21, 2008, 4:21 PM

FLINT TWP. — Local Native American education programs are seeing declining numbers, a sad statement on families rejecting their heritage, some educators say.

"For so long, Native Americans had been taught to deny their culture because they’d be tormented," said Jean Keen, a Native American specialist with the Carman-Ainsworth/Westwood Heights program.

"Now, we’re having a hard time getting them to embrace it. They don’t understand the point. Schools spend a lot of time chasing families they know are eligible."

Such local programs are trying to find more students but that can be difficult in the face of the cultural apathy, not to mention declining Native American numbers.

"A lot of our students don’t know that they are of Native American heritage," said Sue Diebel, a Carman-Ainsworth teacher who’s part of an advisory group over the program. "Tribes are becoming extinct because the older people are dying and the young people don’t know their culture."

At least six districts in Genesee County have federally funded Native American education programs, offering free tutoring, after-school activities that focus on culture and awareness, and summer day camp.

The Carman-Ainsworth/Westwood program expects to see a drop of 30 students next school year, from about 525 to 495. That means a loss in cash for the program, which receives about $250 per student.

Keen is looking to reduce the $132,973 annual budget by $7,000.

In order to enroll, parents of students must verify their Indian heritage and youngsters must identify their tribe and family background.

According to the 2000 census, 6,870 people in Genesee County define themselves as at least part Native American. Flint Township was home to 556 of them.

Enrollment also is dropping for the Flint School District’s Native American program, but not necessarily over cultural issues, one official says.

"People are leaving public schools," said Veda Balla, program officer of Indian Education for Flint. "Also, people of mixed ancestry are only reporting one race, which means we don’t know that they’re Native American because they didn’t report it."

Balla who’s been with the district since 1992, said she’s had as many as 700 students enrolled in the program at one time. This year there are 311 and next year only 226 are expected.

Balla said she’s pretty good at scaling back, but "worse-case scenario I’d cut my own hours to save money."

Proponents say those kind of reductions are too bad, given the obvious benefits of the program and one-on-one time that students get.

Antoinette Aubrey, parent member and chairwoman of the Carman/Westwood program, has three children in Westwood, including two in special education. Aubrey said the program helps her children academically.

"If you read something to him, he doesn’t comprehend it," Aubrey said of her son who attends McMonagle Elementary.

"But if you put it in front of him and show it to him, he understands it better. He’s almost up to his grade because through the tutoring and this program, he gets the help he needs."

Diebel said the after-school cultural programs can only introduce heritage, not teach it. She said parents should teach their children to embrace their culture.

"If you have even one drop of Native American blood take pride in that because those are the people who were here first," Diebel said. "You are the ones who can keep what is left of your tribe alive."

Cultural Council funds Native American program

House to vote on proposed Native American Affairs Committee

By Travis Coleman Journal staff writer

SIOUX CITY — The proposed creation of a Commission on Native American Affairs is up for a vote in the Iowa House of Representatives after being unanimously approved by the House State Government Committee this week.

The commission aims to work with tribal governments, groups and members in the areas of human rights, access to justice, economic equality and the elimination of discrimination.

Gov. Chet Culver will appoint an 11-person committee with four people representing the land-holding tribes in Iowa: Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and Ponca Tribe of Nebraska.

Of seven other appointed members, at least one must be a tribal member living on a tribal settlement or reservation in Iowa. Five members will serve two-year terms and six will serve four-year terms.

"There are over 115,000 Native Americans in Iowa, and they deserve the same respect and protections that other Iowans enjoy every day," said Rep. Wes Whitead of Sioux City.

Whitead serves on the State Government Committee and supported the measure. The commission would be under the Department of Human Rights along with the commissions on African Americans, Latino Affairs and Asian and Pacific Islanders.

Appointment of members is set for completion by Sept. 1.

TSTC Powwow to highlight Native American culture

Texas State Technical College Waco
Reporter: Mary Drennon
Email Address: mary.drennon@tstc.edu

WACO) - Colorful costumes, social Native American dance and song and much more will be on tap this spring at Texas State Technical College Waco.

The Native American Student Association of TSTC will host the 2008 Waco Intertribal Powwow from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, in the gym of the Murray Watson Jr. Recreation Center on Campus Drive. The event is sponsored by the Four Winds Intertribal Society Inc.

The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

Highlights of the event include a traditional Gourd Dance with Head Gourd Dancer Bobby Cazares at noon and again at 5 p.m. Grand Entry will be 1 p.m. and again at 6 p.m. Ray Duncan will serve as Master of Ceremony, with Phil Stucker as Head Man and Rita Deer Sky as Head Lady. Drum group is Lodge Pole Singers and Arena Director is Steve Zavala.

There are no drugs, alcohol, firearms or pets allowed at the event. Spectators are welcome to bring lawn chairs, as seating will be limited.

Vendors or dancers interested in participating in the 2008 Powwow can contact Leah Williams via e-mail at waconasa@tstc.edu or call, toll-free, 800-792-8784, ext. 3622.

For more information, visit the NASA Club Web Site.

House to vote on proposed Native American Affairs Committee

By Travis Coleman Journal staff writer

SIOUX CITY — The proposed creation of a Commission on Native American Affairs is up for a vote in the Iowa House of Representatives after being unanimously approved by the House State Government Committee this week.

The commission aims to work with tribal governments, groups and members in the areas of human rights, access to justice, economic equality and the elimination of discrimination.

Gov. Chet Culver will appoint an 11-person committee with four people representing the land-holding tribes in Iowa: Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and Ponca Tribe of Nebraska.

Of seven other appointed members, at least one must be a tribal member living on a tribal settlement or reservation in Iowa. Five members will serve two-year terms and six will serve four-year terms.

"There are over 115,000 Native Americans in Iowa, and they deserve the same respect and protections that other Iowans enjoy every day," said Rep. Wes Whitead of Sioux City.

Whitead serves on the State Government Committee and supported the measure. The commission would be under the Department of Human Rights along with the commissions on African Americans, Latino Affairs and Asian and Pacific Islanders.

Appointment of members is set for completion by Sept. 1.

The return of Turok, a Native American comic-book hero

By Blaine Kyllo

Propaganda Games was formed three years ago by a group of former Electronic Arts staffers. Within months, it was acquired by Buena Vista Games, now Disney Interactive Studios. In an interview with the Georgia Straight at Propaganda’s Vancouver offices, general manager and vice president Josh Holmes said the company had been working on an original concept for a third-person action game, but scrapped it when it won the right to develop the new Turok video game for Touchstone, a Disney brand.

The first Turok game—1997’s Turok: Dinosaur Hunter for the Nintendo 64—was one of the earliest first-person shooters produced for console gaming systems. Turok first appeared in a 1954 comic book in a story by Gaylord DuBois, who was known for writing outdoor-adventure comics about such characters as Tarzan, Roy Rogers, and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. Turok changed over the years, depending on who was using him and for what purpose, but one thing has remained constant: Turok is a Native American.

“Reimagining is in vogue in entertainment today,” game director Joel Manners told the Straight. He cited Batman Begins and Battlestar Galactica as good examples of how characters have been reinvented. “There are really good stories that need to be retold in a way that is relevant to today,” Manners said. “There’s nothing irrelevant about dinosaurs,” which feature prominently in the new Turok game.

The development team was acutely aware that its protagonist was aboriginal. “It means a lot,” admitted Manners, “and it doesn’t mean anything.” The game, he explained, doesn’t make a point about heritage; it makes a point about heroism. In an effort to avoid clichés and stereotypes, Manners said, they simply treated the characters and the story with respect. “When you justify a character because of their heritage,” he said, “you have to be cautious.

“The fact that Turok is of one heritage or another is not important,” Manners continued. “He’s a hero. The heroism that he is displaying comes from his heritage, but it’s something anyone is capable of.”

Manners said the development group talked about other game genres in early meetings, but never seriously considered them. “The first-person perspective lends an intimacy. Having dinosaurs coming at you is central to the feeling of terror. It’s not as scary when you see creatures jumping on someone else.”

Propaganda, which increased its staff as it developed Turok, now employs about 150 people. Holmes said that in recent months, they’ve been organizing the company into two teams, and they’re already in preproduction on their next two titles, one of which is an action role-playing game. “We’d like to get to a point where we’ve got two games in production and one in concept,” he said. Propaganda won’t get much bigger than 200 employees, though, an optimal size for the studio, according to Holmes.

Last of Lakota Sioux Code Talkers Recalls WWII Service

By Greg Flakus, VoA News

They have been called the Greatest Generation for what they did to stop the Nazis in Europe and the Imperialist Japanese army in Asia and the Pacific. Veterans of World War II are said to be dying at the rate of 1,000 a day. Among those still with us are a few members of Native American Indian tribes, whose unique languages played a crucial role in the war effort. VOA correspondent Greg Flakus sought out one of them in Pine Ridge, South Dakota recently and filed this report about the last of the Lakota Code Talkers

September 27, 2007 - Pine Ridge, South Dakota - The language is Lakota, one of three dialects of the people collectively called Sioux, a tribe of hunters and warriors that once roamed all over the northern plains. The language is divided into three dialects - Dakota, Nakota and Lakota - but any person who speaks one dialect can understand the others.

Clarence Wolf Guts is an 83-year-old Lakota warrior whose ability to speak his native language played a role in defeating the Japanese in World War II.

“I helped win the war, I helped, me and my buddies,” he said.

With a surname that many non-Indians in the US military found amusing, Clarence Wolf Guts took his fair share of teasing, but he soon found himself assigned with other Lakota speakers to a special unit. The so-called code talkers would send and receive messages in their language. Similar programs were operated by the U.S. Marines using mainly Navajo speakers. The Japanese were never able to understand the messages.

It was dangerous work, often carried out near the front lines, where Clarence says he saw plenty of combat.

“We got shot at and we did some shooting ourselves. You know it is not easy shooting at another human being,” he said.

Until a couple of years ago most people who knew Clarence Wolf Guts on the Pine Ridge reservation had no idea that he had been a code talker because he seldom spoke about it. Former Pine Ridge neighbor Charles Trimble now directs the Institute of American Indian Studies at the University of South Dakota.

“We did not know it,” he said. “I did not know until a couple of years ago when I was reading something. He never talked about it. A lot of times veterans would come home, especially during World War II and you would very seldom, except when two or three got together, hear them talk about that-about the horrible things that happened around them or anything else.”

It would be difficult to form a Lakota code-talker unit today because most of the estimated 8,000 speakers are elderly people and few young Lakotas can speak the language fluently. But the university offers classes in Lakota for both Indian and non-Indian students and Trimble says this helps keep the language alive.

“I think it is important,” he said. “I think it is beautiful and I think it helps a person and, certainly, it keeps the tribe alive, as a tribe.”

Trimble says the story of the Lakota code talkers is an important part of the heritage that binds tribal members together.

“There are benefits to knowing you are an Indian and accepting it, being an Indian and being proud of it and understanding it,” he said.

Clarence Wolf Guts now lives in a retirement home in Pine Ridge. He says seeing the people of his country healthy and happy is the greatest reward he gained from his service in the war.

“When I see people laughing and having a good time I realize why we were over there,” he said. “We done it for the people and if they are happy, then I am the happiest person alive.”

For many years after the war the code talkers were largely forgotten. But after military documents were declassified in the 1990s and a book came out about the Navajo code talkers, historians and news reporters sought out the surviving code talkers. There had been over a 100 of them from 17 tribes. Most of them have passed on now, but a few like Clarence Wolf Guts remain to tell the story of how they used their native tongue to help win a war.

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Schooling, Immersion Programs Help Save Endangered Languages

__________________________ 

Science Conference Addresses Importance of Preservation

By Art Chimes, VoA News

 San Francisco, CA - February 28, 2007 - There are nearly 7,000 languages on Earth, but experts say about half of them are endangered, meaning only a small and declining number of often elderly people speak the language. Major world and national languages crowd out indigenous ones, and it’s estimated that more languages became extinct in the 20th century than at any other time in history.

For scientists, the loss of a language represents a very real loss of knowledge. And that knowledge could save lives at a time when drug companies search tropical forests for biologically-based medical breakthroughs, and many if not most plant and animal species remain unknown to Western science.

Professor David Harrison of Swarthmore College decries the loss of scientific knowledge when languages die

At last week’s meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, David Harrison of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania said saving endangered languages could help scientists harness knowledge that might otherwise be lost.

“Vast domains of knowledge about meteorology, mathematics, weather cycles, plant and animal behavior, how to domesticate plants and animals, how to control genetic stocks exists,” Harrison stressed. “It is out there, it is fragile, it is very rapidly eroding.”

Revitalizing a dying language can help heal a community according to Daryl Baldwin, an expert on the Myaamia language and culture that once thrived in the American Midwest

When a language goes, so does culture. The Miami are a native people that once thrived in the American Midwest. Three centuries ago, their Myaamia language was widely spoken. But the language began to die out as the tribe was forced from its ancestral homeland and its members became more assimilated in mainstream America. It was essentially extinct by the 1960s. However, the language had been well documented, and Daryl Baldwin and his Myaamia Project have been working to revitalize both the language and the culture it represents. 

“For communities that have been socially disrupted, the language provides an avenue by which they can mend and heal,” said Baldwin, “because embodied in that language is a great deal of information about how we relate to each other and how we relate to our landscape. And so language revitalization has been incredibly enriching. It’s been daunting. Language loss is about social change; language reclamation is also about social change.”

Hawaiian culture thrives but the language is threatened says William Wilson of the University of Hawaii

Revitalizing an endangered language is never easy. In Hawaii, the U.S. state that was an independent monarchy until 1893, the culture is strong, but the language has faced severe challenges, such as a law that prohibited teaching it in schools until two decades ago. William Wilson of the University of Hawaii says it is important to expose young Hawaiians to the language, and the subject now is taught to school children. 

“So that’s increasing the numbers of speakers,” Wilson said. “In 1986, when we started, there were less than 50 children in all of Hawaii that could speak Hawaiian fluently. Now we have about 2,000 in our school system. More importantly, there are actually families that speak Hawaiian at home. And so we’ve started infant-toddler programs, where those children can come together before they go to preschool.”

Leanne Hinton of the University of California says 1:1 intensive programs are preserving native languages in her state

On the mainland, California has a tremendous heritage of language diversity, with as many as 100 native languages having been spoken there. Many are now endangered or gone entirely. Leanne Hinton of the University of California says one-on-one intensive programs are helping sustain threatened languages. 

“One of them is the master-apprentice language learning program, which pairs the last speakers of native languages with younger members of the tribe who want to learn it. And we teach them the fundamentals of language immersion, and they are supposed to spend 10 or 20 hours a week just living their lives together in the language and without recourse to English,” Hinton explained.

Despite efforts like these, indigenous and other minority languages will continue to be threatened, and many likely will die off. But aggressive programs can help ensure the survival of other languages, along with the knowledge and culture they embody.

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This report originally appeared on VoA News.

Race and Other Tricky Online Application Questions

Race and Other Tricky Online Application Questions:

When Applying for Jobs Online, You Can Skip Certain Questions, Benefit from Others
By Perri Capell, CareerJournal.com

Question: When completing online job applications, I’m asked to provide my college graduation date and Social Security number. Does this give the HR department an opportunity to discriminate against me? Also, if I don’t answer the voluntary question about my ethnicity, will my application be excluded?

Answer: Good questions. With so many companies requiring job seekers to complete online employment applications, many other candidates probably wonder the same things.I’ll address the ethnicity question first. Federal law prohibits discriminating against job seekers because of race or gender, so being asked to volunteer such information in a job application may seem odd. However, companies ask the questions to collect data for the government showing they are attempting to interview and hire diverse candidates.If a company’s data-collection system is designed correctly, these details go into a database used to track sources of diversity and not to recruiters, says Mark Mehler, co-founder of CareerXroads, a Kendall Park, N.J., staffing-strategy consulting firm. Since recruiters aren’t supposed to receive this information, it shouldn’t affect your interview chances, he says.

“The recruiter doesn’t see it, so it can’t be used to discriminate,” Mr. Mehler says.

On the other hand, many recruiters still can detect race and gender from other information you may voluntarily provide. For example, the college you attended or organizations you have joined can be giveaways.

As for providing the year of your college graduation, it’s fine to omit this information if you believe it might be used to screen you out for age reasons. If you have the experience and skills the company is seeking, you’ll still be contacted despite not answering that question, says Patrick Dailey, director of human resources for TXU Energy, a unit of TXU Corp., in Dallas.

However, if it’s a question that you must answer be able to submit the application, don’t assume the company is biased against older candidates, Mr. Dailey says. Instead, view the question as a way for employers to find the best candidates, not to eliminate them.

“Recruiters use graduation dates more to determine the number of years of experience, not necessarily age,” says Mr. Dailey. “It’s to be discriminating, not discriminatory.”

Still, Mr. Mehler agrees that some older candidates should omit college graduation dates from online job applications. He also suggests that they include only their last several jobs on the electronic form. “Just list the last 20 years of your work experience,” he advises.

Your question about supplying a Social Security number concerns me most. Companies typically ask for the number so they can use it later to conduct background checks on serious contenders. But requesting Social Security numbers at the application stage is premature and threatens your privacy, says Mr. Mehler. I advise leaving the space blank if it isn’t mandatory. If you need to fill in the blank to submit the application, make up a number, Mr. Mehler suggests. Let the company know in a cover note that you supplied a false Social Security number due to concerns about your privacy and that you’ll gladly provide the correct number later in the process.

Since truthfulness is so critical in job applications, I questioned Mr. Mehler’s advice on this. He recently conducted a seminar for company human-resources and staffing professionals, and I asked him to poll attendees on the issue. He asked them if they objected to candidates supplying fictitious Social Security numbers on electronic job applications. No one he polled had a problem with it, Mr. Mehler said.

While some people find jobs by applying for them electronically, more often candidates are hired by talking with others and getting referrals. It’s possible that you’d find a new position more quickly by meeting people who will refer you for openings than by completing online applications.

Readings of Related Interest

• How a Resume Can Catch the Eye of Diversity-Minded Employers
  By Perri Capell, CareerJournal.com
  Is there a way to let an organization know that I can contribute to its diversity needs without appearing to ask for special treatment?

• Does Your “Name” Keep You From Getting Hired?
  By Jennifer Hicks
  Study shows that people with “white-sounding” names are 50 percent more likely to get a response to their resume than are those with “black-sounding” names

NCAI Empowers Native Youth through New Program

NCAI Empowers Native Youth through New Youth Ambassador Leadership Program

 

Release by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)

In an effort to expand youth leadership in  Indian Country, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) has created the Youth Ambassador Leadership Program (YALP) to acknowledge the strong leadership capabilities and skills present within both Native youth.

“Native youth are collaborating in ways that will benefit all of us in the future and this program will only enhance the way in which they coordinate their efforts to improve the lives of their peers,” said NCAI President Joe Garcia.

The two Ambassadors (male and female) and two Under-Ambassadors (male and female) will serve as spokespersons for the NCAI Youth Commission to raise public awareness about the many important issues impacting American Indians and Alaska Native youth throughout Indian County.

The competition to become YALP Ambassadors included an oration, contemporary dress, extemporaneous question, cultural presentation and debate. Contestants were also judged recommendations and grade point average. The top male and female candidates each receive an academic scholarship for $2,500.

Ambassadors:

Patricia Carter, Nez Perce Tribe, Sophomore at Northwest Indian College studying Native American Studies

“The implementation of this new program is exciting. Our strength is our diversity within the leadership program. We all have various ideas and have the drive and passion to implement new initiatives such as creating a multimedia campaign to fight drug and alcohol abuse and push for stronger possession laws. We can educate other youth about NCAI and Indian Country Initiatives.

Quintin Lopez, Tohono O’odham Nation, senior at Hasan Preparatory and Leadership School

“For the next two years as a representative, I will express my true feelings and those of the youth. They should be heard. I will do more with Native youth and have them be more outspoken about who they are and where they come from.”

Under-Ambassadors:

Marrisa Corpuz, Tlingit-Haida, freshman at the University of Alaska Southeast

“This is a wonderful opportunity for me to reach out to youth on a national level and a personal level. I am very excited to see the issues that we will be dealing with and to assist in creating solutions. I know that I am working with three wonderful Native youth and with the mergence all of our individual strengths we will make a difference and impact on Indian Nations. I can’t wait to get out and hear the voices of the Indian youth of America. I can assure you that we will represent Indian Youth across the nation to the best of our capabilities.”

Nick Stranger, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Senior at Lake Roosevelt High School

“I look forward to this opportunity to learn more about politics and the political process in Indian Country. I’ve always been active in sports so this is something new that I can do. I’m Interested  to learn more about Native issues.”

For more information about YALP, contact Jennifer Rackliff at 202-466-7767.

###

Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country.  NCAI advocates on behalf of more than 250 tribal governments, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights. Learn more at http://www.ncai.org.

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RANDOM NATIVE WEBSITE: NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY; CULTURE

NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY & CULTURE

Thsi page has Native American timelimes, documents, treaties, etc.

It also has information that is important and impacting to Native Americans.

It contains many good links to other Native American themed websites, including Native American art, history and  poetry

check it out here: http://www.teacheroz.com/Native_Americans.htm

indigenouspeople.net great videos & info!

Here is a great site with much information, original hard to find documents, great videos and a multilingual mailing list.

Some fo the sections of this site I found useful were the complete list of tribes and the listing Native leaders.

Thanks for offering such a great site!

Check them out at http://www.indigenouspeople.net/

NATIVE QUOTES: Old Cherokee Saying, Author unknown

“The world is full of stories, and from time to time they permit themselves to be told.”

 

Native American Indian Ceremonies

Native American Ceremonies

Ceremony plays a vital, essential role in Native American religions. Whereas western religions typically consider ceremony the servant of theology, Native American religions barely recognize the distinction between myth and ritual.Often the ritual proves to be established and secure while the myth is vague and unclear. Indian ceremonies grew up within local groups; some elements of Indian ceremonials have been traced back to the Old World. The ceremonies were adapted locally, using both traditional and borrowed elements, to suit local needs. These ceremonies often began as practical actions.

Indians were eager to embrace ceremonies or portions of ceremonies that provided power to conquer the difficulties of life. As these practices developed, they were modified and imbued with additional meanings and purposes.

Apache:

• Ceremonial Dances
  • Rain Dance
  • Good Crop Dance
  • Harvest Dance
  • Spirit Dance

• Life Cycle Rites
  • Na’ii’es - Sunrise Ceremony (Female Puberty Rite)
    • The most important and frequent community ceremony. It normally takes place in the summer months of the year after a girl’s first menstruation.
  • First Steps Rite

Cherokee:

• Ceremonial Dances
  • Stomp Dance

Diegueño Indians (California)

• Ceremonial Dances
  • Awikunchi - A fair weather making ceremonial dance and song.

Lakota:

• The Seven Sacred Rites
  • The Sweat Lodge
  • The Vision Quest
  • Ghost Keeping
  • The Sun Dance
  • Making Relatives
  • Puberty Ceremony
  • Throwing the Ball

Life Cycle Rites

Life Renewal Rites

• Summer Solstice Ceremony

CLICK HERE FOR Native American Religions

Gods, Goddesses, Religions & Beliefs of the Native Americans

Gods, Goddesses, Religions & Beliefs of the Native Americans

Native Beliefs share some common tendencies. Religion tends to be closely related to the natural world. The local terrain is elevated with supernatural meaning, and natural objects are imbued with sacred presences. Ceremonial rituals involving these supernatural-natural objects are meant to ensure communal and individual prosperity. These common underlying features unite a diversity of contemporary Native American sects.

 

Various

• Manitou - Supreme ruler and master of life

 

Various

• Thunderbird - God of thunder

 

Various (Northwest Coast tribes)

• Kaiti - Bear god

 

Various (Plains tribes)

• Wahanda - Great spirit and creator god

 

Acoma (Southwestern US)

• Masewi - One of the twin gods of war

 

Ahta (Western Canada)

• Quawteaht - Creator god

 

Aleut (Alaska)

• Agugux’ - Supreme and creator god

 

Algonquin (Central Canada and Northeastern US)

• Chebbeniathan - Supreme being and sky god

• Gitche Manitou - The great spirit who made the world

• Glooskap - Creator of the sun, moon, plants, animals, and people

• Kiehton - Great spirit and creator

• Manibozho - Creator of the earth and of mortals

• Michabo - Creator god

• Nokomis - Goddess of the earth

 

Apache (Southwestern US)

• • gaan (Ganhs) - Mountain Spirits

    • Associated with mountain caves, appear as masked dancers during puberty ceremonies and are important in curing.

  • ? -The White Painted Woman

  • ? -Child of the Water

  • Naiyenesgani - Role:Creator god

  • Tlehanoai - ??

  • Tobadzistsini - God of war

  • Apache (Jicarilla) - Yi-na-yes-gon-i - Supreme god

  • Apache (Mescalero) - Yusan - God of the beginning and creator god

Six separate Apache tribes ranged over the American southwest. Their religion centered on the conception of a supernatural power that manifested itself in almost every facet of the Apache world. They believe that they can develop a healthy and cooperative relationship with this power. The power is believed to offer its services to the Apache through visionary experiences. In shamanistic ceremonies, the practitioner interacts with his particular power alone. But other rituals require a priest to officiate. Both shamanistic and priestly rituals are patterned. Four is the sacred number; songs and prayers occurred in quartets. The ceremonial circuit moves clockwise. And rites last four successive nights. The Apache perform life-cycle rites, including the rite for a child who takes his first steps and a girl’s puberty rite.

 

Arikara (Plains of US)

• Nesaru - Creator god

 

Assiniboin (Northern plains of US)

• Wah-con-tun-ga - Creator god

 

Athapascan (Northwestern US)

• Qawaneca - Creator god

• Yakista - Omnipresent supreme being and god of the universe

 

Aztec (Central Mexico - Ancient Civilization)

• Camaxtli - God of war and one of four creator gods

• Centeotl - Corn god

• Chalchuiuhtlicue - Goddess of the East, sea, and running water and 1 of 13 lords of the day

• Chalmecatecuhtli - God of sacrifice and 1 of 13 lords of the day

• Chantico - Goddess of hearth fires and volcanoes

• Chicomecoatl - Goddess of maize

• Cihuacoatl - Earth goddess

• Cinteotl - Corn goddess and 1 of 13 lords of the day

• Citlalincue - Goddess of the heavens and 1 of 13 lords of the day

• Coatlicue - Mother and earth goddess

• Coyolxauhqui - Goddess of the moon

• Ehecatl - God of the wind

• Huehuecoyotl - God of mischief-making

• Huehueteotl - Fire god

• Huitzilopochtli - God of war

• Huixtocihuatl - Goddess of salt

• Ixcuina - Goddess of carnality, prostitutes, and adulterers

• Ixtlilton - God of healing, feasting, and games

• Macuilxochitl - God of music and dance

• Mayahuel - Goddess of the maguey plant

• Metztli - Goddess of moon, love, marriage, and childbirth

• Mictlantecuhtli - God of the dead and 1 of 13 lords of the day

• Mixcoatl - Star god and god of the hunt

• Nanahuatzin - Father of the sun and god of corage and bravery

• Ometecutli - God of fire

• Ometéotl - Supreme god

• Patecatl - God of medicine

• Paynal - The messenger to Huitzilopochtli

• Tacatecutli - God of merchants and adventurers

• Teccuciztecatl - God of the moon

• Teoyaomqui - God of dead warriors

• Tezcatlipoca - Supreme god; god of rulers, of the north, of cold, and of darkness; and god of pleasure and sin

• Tlaloc - God of rain, of agriculture, of fire, and of the south; and 1 of 13 lords of the day

• Tlaltecuhtli - 1 of 13 lords of the day

• Tlazoltéotl - Goddess of purification and of love; and 1 of 13 lords of - Tloquenahuaque - The unknown god

• Tochtli - God of the south

• Toci - Mother of the gods

• Toci - Mother goddess of the the earth and of curing

• Tonacacihuatl - Mother of the gods

• Tonacatecuhtli - The creator and the provider of food

• Tonacatecuhtli - Creator and food provider

• Tonantzin - The mother-goddess

• Tonatiuh - God of the sun and of warriors; and 1 of 13 lords of the day

• Ueuecoytl (Coyote) - God of fecundity

• Uixtochihuatl - Goddess of salt

• Xilonen - Goddess of young maize and a wife of Tezcatlipoca

• Xiuhtecuhtli - God of fire and time; and 1 of 13 lords of the day

• Xochiquetzal - Goddess of flowers, of fruit, and of music; and of female sexual power

• Xoloth - God of monsters, of magicians, of twins, of double ears, of maize

• Yacatecuhtli - God of merchant adventurers

 

Bella Coola (Western Canada)

• Aelguntam - Supreme god

• Alkuntam - Great sky god

• Qamaits - Goddess of an upper heaven

• S’anolxmulalt - God of kusuit dances

• Senx - Creator god

 

Blackfoot (Canadian prairies)

• Apistotoke - Creator god

• Kokomikeis - Moon goddess

• Na’pi - Creator god

• Notos - Supreme god and sun god

• Omuqkatos - Great spirit

 

Caddo (Southern plains of US)

• Caddi Ayo - Sky god

 

Cahroc (Southwestern US)

• Chareya - Creator and sky god

 

Cahuilla (Southwestern US)

• Mukot - Joint creator god

• Tamaioit - Joint creator god

 

Carrier (Western Canada)

• Utakke - Sky god

• Yuttoere - Supreme god who governs weather

 

Chemehuevis

• Hutsipamamau?u - Primal creator goddess

 

Cherokee (Southeastern US)

• Asgaya Gigagei - Originally god of thunder; later god of healing

• Unelanuki - Sun goddess

 

Cheyenne (Northern plains of US)

• Heammawihio - The great spirit

• Maheo - Supreme god or great spirit and creator

• Maiyun - The great spirit

 

Chickasaw (Southeastern US)

• Luak Ishto Holo Aba - Supreme god

 

Chinook (Northwestern US)

• Ikanam - Creator god

• Saghalie Tyee - Supreme god

 

Chipewyan (Central Canada and Canadian prairies)

• Yeddariye - Omniscient, omnipotent supreme god

 

Chitimacha (Southeastern US)

• Kumokums - Supreme god

 

Choctaw (Southeastern US)

• Aba - The great spirit

• Esaugetuh Emisse - Pre-existent supreme god

• Nanih Waiya - Creator god

• Shahli Milo - God of fire

• Shilup Chito Osh - Great spirit

 

Coeur d’Alene (Northwestern US)

• Amotken - The great spirit who created the world

 

Cree (Central Canada and Canadian prairies)

• Notawinan - Supreme god

 

Creek (Southeastern US)

• Esaugetuh Emisse - Pre-existent supreme god

• Hisakitaimisi - Supreme god

• Ibofanga - Supreme god and creator

 

Crow (Northern plains of US)

• Akbatekdia - Supreme god

• Coyote - God of creation

• Isakakate - The great spirit

 

Cupeño (Southwestern US)

• Mukot - Joint creator god

• Tamaioit - Joint creator god

 

Dakota (Northern plains of US)

• Tunkan Ingan - God of sex

• Wahkeegan - Great spirit

  Wakonda - Great mystery or power above

 

Delaware (Northeastern US)

• Gicelemuhkaong - Great spirit and creator

• Tammanend - Benevolent god who gacve knowledge

 

Déné (Western Canada)

• Inkfivin-wetay - Creator god and ruler of the universe

• Yuttoere - Supreme god who governs weather

 

Diegueño (Southwestern US)

• Tuchaipa - Joint creator god

• Yokomatis - Joint creator god

 

Durango (Southwestern US)

• Mayuncame - Creator god

 

Eskimo / Inuit (Northern Canada and Alaska)

• Aipaloovik - Evil sea-living god who attacked marines

• Akna - Goddess of childbirth

• Alignak - God of the moon and protector of orphans, animals, and the disinherited

• Anguta - Supreme god

• Asiaq - Goddess of the weather

• Ataksak - Sky god and god of joy

• Aulanerk - Friendly god who lived in the sea and brought men joy

• Issitoq - The god who seeks out those who break the rules

• Nigsillik - Sky god

• Nujalik - Goddess of the land-hunt

• Oluksak - God of lakes

• Pinga - Goddess who guards souls of the living, guardian of the game, and healer of the sick

• Pukkeenegak - Goddess of clothes-making and childbirth

• Sedna - Goddess of the creatures of the sea

• Sequinet - God of the sun

• Sila - God of energy, air, movement, and curing

• Tekkeitaertok - God of the earth

• Toodlayoeetok - Sky god

• Tootega - Goddess who could walk on top of the water

• Torngasoak - The good being god

• Tulangusaq - God of creation

 

Flathead (Northwestern US)

• Amotken - The great spirit who created the world

 

Fox (Midwest US)

• Ketchimanetowa - Great spirit

• Wisakaa - Creator god

 

Gabrielino (Southwestern US)

• Kwawar - Creator god

 

Gros Ventres (Northern plains of US)

• Ixtcibenihehat - Supreme being and creator god

• Ne Nanatch - Supreme god

 

Haida (Western Canada)

• Komokwa - Sea god

• Nekilstlas - Creator god, always existent

• Sins-sganagwai - Supreme, omniscient god

 

Hopi (Southwestern US)

• Ahul - Sky god

• Cotokinunwu - Sky god

• Huruing Wuhti - Two creator gods

• Mosau’u - God of death, the underworld, and fire

• Muyinwu - Sky god

• Pautiwa - Sky god

• Ragno - Old mother goddess

• Shotokunungwa - God of sky, lightning, war, the hunt, and fertility

 

Huchnon (Western North America)

Taikomol - Creator god

 

 

Hupa (Southwestern US)

• Yimantuwinyai - Creator god

 

Huron (Central Canada)

• Ahone - Creator god

• Airsekui - The great spirit

• Ataensic - Sky woman and mother earth

• Hamedicu - Supreme god

• Heng - Thunder god

• Ioskeha - Creator god

• Ondoutaete - God of war

• Taweskare - Malicious creator god

• Tsenta - Creator god

 

Iowa (Northern plains of US)

• Ictinike - War god

 

Iroquois (Northeastern US)

• Ataensic - Sky woman and mother earth

• Eithinoha - Earth goddess

• Ga-Oh - God of the winds

• Gendenwitha - Goddess of the morning star

• Ha Wen Neyu - The great spirit

• Hahgwehdiyu - A creator god

• Hawgwehdaetgah - A creator god

• Hino - God of the sky

• Hodianokdoo Hediohe - Omnipotent and incomprehensible creator god

• Ioskeha - Creator god

• Neo - Supreme god

• Oki - God of oaths and agreements

• Onatha - Goddess of wheat

• Sky-holder - Creator

• Sone-yah-tis-sa-ye - Great spirit and creator of the Indians

• Taweskare - Malicious creator god

 

Joshua (Northwestern US)

• Xovalasi - Creator god

 

Juaneño (Southwestern US)

• Tukma - Creator god

• Wiyot - Creator god

 

Kato (Southwestern US)

• Nagaitco - Creator god

 

Klallam (Northwestern US and Western Canada)

• Mikimatt - Sun goddess and creatress

• Nukimatt - Creator goddess

• Tsiltsi - Supreme god

 

Kwatiutl (Western Canada)

• Kané - ??

• Komokwa - Sea god

 

Lakota (Northern plains of US)

• • Hu Nonp - God of wisdom

  • Mahpiyato - Sky god, judge over all, and god of wisdom and power

  • Skan - Omnipotent, omnipresent great spirit

  • Wakan Tanka - Creator god and great spirit

  • Yum - God of love and pleasures

The Lakota were the “typical” nomadic, equestrian Plains Indians who lived in tipis and hunted buffalo. They were notable, historically, for destroying Custer’s forces at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. Their religious system is dominated by cosmology and the appeasement of supernaturals to ensure successful buffalo hunts. The “Seven Sacred Rites” forms the basis of Lakota religion. These seven rites incude: The Sweat Lodge, The Vision Quest, Ghost Keeping, The Sun Dance, Making Relatives, Puberty Ceremony, and Throwing the Ball. The seven rites have endured in contemporary worship, except for the Throwing the Ball ceremony. A practice known as Yuwipi has become prominent in this century. Yuwipi unites concepts of buffalo hunting culture and contemporary reservation life.

 

Lenape (Northeastern US)

• Gicelemuhkaong - Great spirit and creator

• Kaunzhe Pah-tum-owans - Great spirit and creator of the Indians

• Pahtumawas - Great spirit

• Welsit Manatu - Creator of all things in the world

 

Mahikan (Northeastern US)

• Wauntht Mennitoow - Supreme being

 

Maidu (Southwestern US)

• Wonomi - Sky father and supreme god

 

Mandan (Northern plains of US)

• Maho Peneta - Great Spirit

• Omahank Numakchi - Creator god

 

Menominee (Midwest US)

• Manibush - Creator god

 

Micmac (Eastern Canada)

• Naguset - Creator god

• Nishkam - Great spirit

 

Modoc (Southwestern US)

• Kumush - Creator god

 

Mohawk (Northeastern US)

• Tareya-Wagon - God who liberated Mohawks from below the surface of the earth and led them to the Valley of the Mohawk on the surface

 

Mojave (Southwestern US)

• Ca-the-ña - Goddess of love and promiscuity

• Matevil - Creator god

 

Montagnais (Eastern Canada)

• Atahocan - Creator god

 

Narragansett (Northeastern US)

• Yota-anit - God of fire

 

Naskapi (Eastern Canada)

• Tcementu - Creator god

 

Navajo (Southwestern US)

• Estsanatlehi - Chief goddess

• Hastsehogan - House god

• Hastseltsi - God of racing

• Hastsezini - Fire god

• Iyatiku - Mother of humans and corn goddess

• Nayenezgani - God of war

• Nltci - God of wind instruments and wind

• Tlehanoai - ??

• Tobadzistsini - God of war

• Tonenili - Rain god

• Tsohanoai - Sun god and creator

• Yei - Creator gods

• Yolkai Estan - Sea goddess

 

Nisqually (Northwestern US)

• Dokibatt - Creator god

• Shuksiab - Supreme god

 

Nootka (Northwestern US, Western Canada)

• Ha-tartstl Cha-batt-a - Great spirit whose real name is a secret among the uninitiated

• Quawteaht - Creator god

 

Olmec (Ancient Civilization)

• Jaguar -Principal God, Earth God, Rain God, Fertility God

• Oglala (Northern plains of US)

• Hu Nonp - God of wisdom

• Nagi Tanka - Powerful great spirit

• Skan - Omnipotent, omnipresent great spirit

 

Ojibwa (Central Canada)

• Kadebenjit - Supreme being

 

Okanagan (Northwestern US)

• Qoluncotun - Supreme being and creator

 

Onandaga (Northeastern US)

• Taronhiawagon - Supreme god

 

Ottawa (Central Canada)

• Michalon - God who created mortals from animals

• Mirabichi - God of the water

 

Papago (Southwestern US)

• Tlehanoai - ??

• Tobadzistsini - God of war

 

Pawnee (Southern plains of US)

• Pah - God of the moon

• Shakuru - Sun god

• Tirawa - The great father and creator

 

Penobscot (Northeastern US)

• Ketci Niweskwe - Omnipresent great spirit and creator

 

Pericu (Southwestern US)

• Niparaya - Creator of heaven and earth

 

Piute (Southwestern US)

• Pah-ah - Great spirit

 

Pomo (Southwestern US)

• Cha-kal-le - Supreme god

• Madumda - Remote and wise sky god

• Makila - Thunder god

 

Powhatan (Southeastern US)

• Ahone - Creator god

• Okeus - Chief and creator god

 

Pueblo (Southwestern US)

• Bitsis Lizin - God of fire

• Iyatiku - Mother of humans and corn goddess

• Kokopelli - God of fertility

• Oshats - Sky god

• Sitchtchenako - Creator god

• Tinami - God of the heavens

 

Salishan (Northwestern US)

• Sahale - Creator god

 

Selish (Northwestern US)

• Amotken - The great spirit who created the world

 

Seminole (Southeastern US)

• Hisakitaimisi - Supreme god

 

Shawnee (Southern plains of US)

• Kohkomhthena - Supreme goddess and creatress

• Pabothkew - Great spirit and creator

 

Sinkyone (Southwestern US)

• Kyoi - Creator god

• Nagaitco - Creator god

 

Sioux (Northern plains of US)

• Maianwatahe - God of plenty and prosperous hunting

• Wakonda - Great mystery or power above

 

Tahltan (Western Canada)

• Yekaside - Beneficial god of the sky

 

Takelma (Northwestern US)

• Haap’k!emnas - Creator god

 

Teton (Northern plains of US)

• Skan - Omnipotent, omnipresent great spirit

 

Tlingit (Alaska)

• Nascakiyel - Supreme god and judge of the dead

 

Tolowa (Northwestern US)

• Kwoelecun - Creator god

 

Tsimshian (Western Canada)

• Caugh - Creator god

• Laha - Supreme heaven-god

• Shimayet Lakkah - Supreme being and sky god

 

Twana (Northwestern US)

• Dokibatt - Creator god

• Wisoulus - Supreme being

 

Ute (Southwestern US)

• Sunawavi - Primordial creator god

 

Wichita (Southern plains of US)

• Kinnekasus - Creator and chief god

 

Winnebago (Midwest US)

• Man’una - Remote creator god

• Wahhahnah - Supreme spirit

 

Wintun (Southwestern US)

• Hawt - God of music, flute, water

• Kahit - Wind god

• Mem Loimis - Goddess of waters

• Olelbis - Chief god

 

Wishosk (Southwestern US)

• Guadatrigakwitl - Pre-existent supreme and creator god

 

Witotoana (Southwestern US)

• Moma - Creator and god of the dead

 

Wiyot (Southwestern US)

• Guadatrigakwitl - Pre-existent supreme and creator god

 

Yahi (Southwestern US)

• Jupka - Creator god and teacher of the people

 

Yakima (Northern plains of US)

• Wheemeemeowah - Creator and supreme god

 

Yavapai (Southwestern US)

• Komwidapokuwia - Creator goddess and patroness of shamans

• Miamakwa - Sky god

 

Yoruk (Southwestern US)

• Gard - Supreme and creator god

• Wah-pec-wah-mow - Omnipotent and omnipresent ruler of the heavens and creator god

 

Yuki (Western North America)

• Taikomol - Creator god

 

Yuma (Southwestern US)

• Kwikumat - Creator god

Zuni (Southwestern US)

• Apoyan Tachu - Sky father

• Awonawilona - Creator and supreme god

• Pautiwa - God of ceremonials

• Poshaiyanki - God of riches

• Shiwanni - Creator god

• Shiwoka - Creator goddess

• Shulawitsi - God of fire, maize, and hunting

CLICK HERE FOR NATIVE CEREMONIES

 

NATIVE POEM: The Last Warrior

~ The Last Warrior ~ 

 

High on bleak, stony rag,

Unmoving, he sits astride

His ragged coated pony.

Only telltale frozen breaths,

Separate them from

The still, winter black boles

Of ancient leafless trees.

The pony, blown and lame,

Stands with lowered head,

Ears flattened to the sound

Of a distant wolf pack.

The man on his back,

All weapons lost,

Ignores the trickling blood

From savage wounds,

Mingling his war paint.

Eyes burning fiercely

He strains to find

The sign he seeks:

Behind, the sound of enemy

Draws ever closer.

At last, faith rewarded,

He sees far below

In the deep valley,

Arriving at the edge

Of the fast flowing river,

The great she bear

With two gamboling cubs:

To fish the racing salmon,

Drawn relentlessly toward

Their age-old spawning ground.

Silently, the wounded brave

Offers his final prayer

To the eternal clan bear;

Totem and guardian

Of his battle slain tribe.

The enemy, exultant,

Are almost upon him,

Yet he looks not behind:

He sees only the Great Spirit,

Surrounding him kindly

In loving, firm embrace.

While the enemy closes in,

He straightens himself;

His voice rings loud and clear,

Echoing across the land

To the distant cloudless sky.

One last defiant war cry

As he spurs on his pony,

And leaps…

Into the world of his ancestors.

 

W.J. Bruce

Martin Gambee, Wind God

NATIVE STORIES: Iroquois, How Fire Came To The Six Nations

Often, around the fire in the long house of the Iroquois, during the Moon of the Long Nights, this tale is told.

Three Arrows was a boy of the Mohawk tribe. Although he had not yet seen fourteen winters he was already known among the Iroquois for his skill and daring. His arrows sped true to their mark. His name was given him when with three bone-tipped arrows he brought down three flying wild geese from the same flock. He could travel in the forest as softly as the south wind and he was a skillful hunter, but he never killed a bird or animal unless his clan needed food. He was well-versed in woodcraft, fleet of foot, and a clever wrestler. His people said, ‘Soon he will be a chief like his father.’

The sun shone strong in the heart of Three Arrows, because soon he would have to meet the test of strength and endurance through which the boys of his clan attained manhood. He had no fear of the outcome of the dream fast which was so soon to take. (to fast means to go without food or water)

Three Arrow’s father was a great chief and a good man, and the boy’s life had been patterned after that of his father.

When the grass was knee-high, Three Arrows left his village with his father. They climbed to a sacred place in the mountains. They found a narrow cave at the back of a little plateau. Here Three Arrows decided to live for his few days of prayer and vigil. He was not permitted to eat anything during the days and nights of his dream fast. He had no weapons, and his only clothing was a breechclout and moccasins. His father left the boy with the promise that he would visit him each day that the ceremony lasted, at dawn.

Three Arrows prayed to the Great Spirit. He begged that his clan spirit would soon appear in a dream and tell him what his guardian animal or bird was to be. When he knew this, he would adopt that bird or animal as his special guardian for the rest of his life. When the dream came he would be free to return to his people, his dream fast successfully achieved.

For five suns Three Arrows spent his days and nights on the rocky plateau, only climbing down to the little spring for water after each sunset. His heart was filled with a dark cloud because that morning his father had sadly warned him that the next day, the sixth sun, he must return to his village even if no dream had come to him in the night. This meant returning to his people in disgrace without the chance of taking another dream fast.

That night Tree Arrows, weak from hunger and weary from ceaseless watch, cried out to the Great Mystery. ‘O Great Spirit, have pity on him who stands humbly before Thee. Let his clan spirit or a sign from beyond the thunderbird come to him before tomorrow’s sunrise, if it be Thy will.’

As he prayed, the wind suddenly veered from east too north. This cheered Three Arrows because the wind was now the wind of the great bear, and the bear was the totem of his clan. When he entered the cavern he smelled for the first time the unmistakable odour of a bear. This was strong medicine.

He crouched at the opening of the cave, too excited to lie down although his tire body craved rest. As he gazed out into the night he heard the rumble of thunder, saw the lightning flash, and felt the fierce breath of the wind from the north. Suddenly a vision came to him, and a gigantic bear stood beside him in the cave. Then Three Arrows heard it say, ‘Listen well, Mohawk. Your clan spirit has heard your prayer. Tonight you will learn a great mystery which will bring help and gladness to all your people.’

A terrible clash of thunder brought the dazed boy to his feet as the bear disappeared. He looked from the cave just as a streak of lightning flashed across the sky in the form of a blazing arrow. Was this the sign from the thunderbird ?

Suddenly the air was filled with a fearful sound. A shrill shrieking came from the ledge just above the cave. It sounded as though mountain lions fought in the storm; yet Three Arrows felt no fear as he climbed toward the ledge. As his keen eyes grew accustomed to the dim light he saw that the force of the wind was causing two young balsam trees to rub violently against each other. The strange noise was caused by friction, and as he listened and watched fear filled his heart, for, from where the two trees rubbed together a flash of lightning show smoke. Fascinated, he watched until flickers of flames followed the smoke.

Three Arrows had never seen fire of any kind at close range nor had any of his people. He scrambled down to the cave and covered his eyes in dread of this strange magic. Then he smelt bear again and he thought of his vision, his clan spirit, the bear, and its message. This was the mystery which he was to reveal to his people. The blazing arrow in the sky was to be his totem, and his new name - Blazing Arrow.

At daybreak, Blazing Arrow climbed onto the ledge and broke two dried sticks from what remained of one of the balsams. He rubbed them violently together, but nothing happened. ‘The magic is too powerful for me,’ he thought.

Then a picture of his clan and village formed in his mind, and he patiently rubbed the hot sticks together again. His will power took the place of his tired muscles. Soon a little wisp of smoke greeted his renewed efforts, then came a bright spark on one of the stick. Blazing Arrow waved it as he had seen the fiery arrow wave in the night sky. A resinous blister on the stick glowed, then flamed.

Fire had come to the Six Nations!

NATIVE STORIES: Hopi, Yaponcha - The Wind God

As Told By Glenn Welker  

Long, long ago, the Hopis were greatly troubled by the wind. It blew and blew and blew and blew–all the time. The Hopis planted their crops, but before the seeds could begin to sprout, the wind blew the soil and seeds away. Unhappy and worried, all the people made prayer offerings of many kinds. But they accomplished nothing.

The old men held councils in their kivas. They smoked their pipes prayerfully and asked one another, “Why do the gods turn such strong winds upon us?” After a while, they decided to ask for help from the “Little Fellows” who were the two little War Gods, two of the five grandsons of Spider Woman.

“Why did you ask us to come?” was their first question.

“We need your help,” answered the old men. “Something must be done to the Wind.”

“We will see what we can do for you,” said the Little Fellows. “You stay here and make many more prayer offerings.”

The Hopis make many kinds of prayer offerings–as many as there are prayers, and there are prayers for every occasion in life and death. They are reverently fashioned of various types of feathers, carved and painted sticks, and hand-spun cotton yarn.

The Little Fellows went first to their wise old grandmother, Spider Woman. They asked her to make some sweet cornmeal mush for them to take along on a journey. Of course they knew who the Wind God was and knew that he lived over near Sunset Mountain in the big crack of the black rock.

When Spider Woman had the cornmeal mush ready, the Little Fellows came back to the kiva where the men were holding their council. The prayer offerings were ready and also the ball that the Little Fellows like to take with them wherever they went. They liked to play catch with it.

The men made bows and arrows for them to take on their journey which seemed much like going on a war party. The arrows were tipped with bluebird feathers, thought to be more powerful than any other kinds of feathers.

The two Little Fellows started toward the San Francisco Peaks. The old men went along until they reached the Little Colorado River, and there they sat down and smoked their pipes. The smoking of tobacco among the Hopis, as among many other tribes, is strictly ceremonial. The sacred smoke carried the prayers of the Hopis to their Gods.

Continuing their journey, the two Little Fellows played catch- ball from time to time. On the fourth day they reached the home of the Wind God who lived at the foot of Sunset Crater, in a big crack in the black rock. There he breathed through the crack, as he does to this day. The Little Fellows threw the prayer offerings into the crack and hastily put their old grandmother’s sticky cornmeal mush into and over the crack, and thus sealed the Wind God’s door. Phew–he became very angry, so angry that he blew and blew and blew, but could not get out. The Little Fellows laughed and laughed and then went home, feeling very proud of themselves and of what they had done.

But after a while, the people in the villages began to feel very hot. Every day the weather became hotter and hotter. People came out of their homes and stood on housetops to look toward the San Francisco Peaks, to see if any clouds were coming their way. But they did not see even a wisp of a cloud, and they seemed not to feel a breath of air. They thought they would suffocate.

“We must do something right away,” everyone said or thought. So the men made some more prayer offerings and called the two Little Fellows again. “Please go back to the House of the Wind God at once and tell him that there must be peace between us. Then give him these prayer offerings and let him out. This heat is much worse than the wind.”

The Little Fellows replied, “We will go and see what we can do with the Wind God to make life more comfortable for you.”

After four days, they arrived at the House of Yaponcha–the House of the Wind God. The Little Fellows decided that the wisest thing to do would be to let the Wind God have a small hole open–just enough to let him breathe through but not enough for him to come out of the crack in the black rock.

So they took a little of the cornmeal mush out of the crack. Immediately, a nice cool breeze came out and a small white cloud appeared. It floated over across the desert toward the Hopi villages.

When the Little Fellows reached home, everyone was pleased. The Hopis have been grateful to the Little Fellows ever since. The winds have been perfect–just strong enough to keep the people happy but not strong enough to blow everything away.

Every since then, every year in the windy month of March, the chiefs and the high priests of the three villages on the Second Mesa give prayer offerings to the Wind God, Yaponcha.

NATIVE STORIES: Apache, The Origin of Fire

Long, long ago, animals and trees talked with each other, but there was no fire at that time.Fox was most clever and he tried to think of a way to create fire for the world. One day, he decided to visit the Geese, te-tl, whose cry he wished to learn how to imitate. They promised to teach him if he would fly with them. So they contrived a way to attach wings to Fox, but cautioned him never to open his eyes while flying.
Whenever the Geese arose in flight, Fox also flew along with them to practice their cry. On one such adventure, darkness descended suddenly as they flew over the village of the fireflies, ko-na- tcic-a. In midflight, the glare from the flickering fireflies caused Fox to forget and he opened his eyes–instantly his wings collapsed! His fall was uncontrollable. He landed within the walled area of the firefly village, where a fire constantly burned in the centre.

Two kind fireflies came to see fallen Fox, who gave each one a necklace of juniper berries, katl-te-i-tse.

Fox hoped to persuade the two fireflies to tell him where he could find a way over the wall to the outside. They led him to a cedar tree, which they explained would bend down upon command and catapult him over the wall if he so desired.
That evening, Fox found the spring where fireflies obtained their water. There also, he discovered coloured earth, which when mixed with water made paint. He decided to give himself a coat of white. Upon returning to the village, Fox suggested to the fireflies, “Let’s have a festival where we can dance and I will produce the music.”

They all agreed that would be fun and helped to gather wood to build up a greater fire. Secretly, Fox tied a piece of cedar bark to his tail. Then he made a drum, probably the first one ever constructed, and beat it vigorously with a stick for the dancing fireflies. Gradually, he moved closer and closer to the fire.

Fox pretended to tire from beating the drum. He gave it to some fireflies who wanted to help make the music. Fox quickly thrust his tail into the fire, lighting the bark, and exclaimed, “It is too warm here for me, I must find a cooler place.”

Straight to the cedar tree Fox ran, calling, “Bend down to me, my cedar tree, bend down!”
Down bent the cedar tree for Fox to catch hold, then up it carried him far over the wall. On and on he ran, with the fireflies in pursuit.
As Fox ran along, brush and wood on either side of his path were ignited from the sparks dropping from the burning bark tied to his tail.

Fox finally tired and gave the burning bark to Hawk, i-tsarl-tsu- i, who carried it to brown Crane, tsi-nes-tso-l. He flew far southward, scattering fire sparks everywhere. This is how fire first spread over the earth.

Fireflies continued chasing Fox all the way to his burrow and declared, “Forever after, Wily Fox, your punishment for stealing our fire will be that you can never make use of it for yourself.”

For the Apache nation, this too was the beginning of fire for them. Soon they learned to use it for cooking their food and to keep themselves warm in cold weather.