Menu



error This forum is not active, and new posts may not be made in it.
Promote
Phillip Black

7331
5931 Posts
5931
Invite Me as a Friend
Top 50 Poster
Person Of The Week
RE: Great announcement for Native Americans
2/16/2010 10:38:45 PM

Hi Myrna,

So glad you liked the Graphic. Yes, Love is quite often the answer to most of the ills of this world.

The Thunder and Lightning Men

A Passamaquoddy Legend

This is truly an old Indian story of old time. Once an Indian was whirled up by the roaring wind: he was taken up in a thunder-storm, and set down again in the village of the Thunders. In after-times he described them as very like human beings: they used bows and arrows (tah-bokque), and had wings.

But these wings can be laid aside, and kept for use. And from time to time their chief gives these Thunders orders to put them on, and tells them where to go. He also tells them how long they are to be gone, and warns them not to go too low, for it is sure death for them to be caught in the crotch of a tree.

The great chief of the Thunders, bearing of the stranger's arrival, sent for him, and received him very kindly, and told him that he would do well to become one of them. To which the man being willing, the chief soon after called all his people together to see the ceremony of thunderifying the Indian.

Then they bade him go into a square thing, or box, and while in it he lost his senses and became a Thunder. Then they brought him a pair of wings, and he put them on. So he flew about like the rest of the Thunders; he became quite like them, and followed all their ways. And he said that they always flew towards the sou' n' snook, or, south, and that the roar and crash of the thunder was the sound of their wings. Their great amusement is to play at ball across the sky.When they return they carefully put away their wings for their next flight. There is a big bird in the south, and this they are always trying to kill, but never succeed in doing so.

They made long journeys, and always took him with them. So it went on for a long time, but it came to pass that the Indian began to tire of his strange friends. Then he told the chief that he wished to see his family on earth, and the sagamore listened to him and was very kind. Then he called all his people together, and said that their brother from the other world was very lonesome, and wished to return. They were all very sorry indeed to lose him, but because they loved him they let him have his own way, and decided to carry him back again. So bidding him close his eyes till he should be on earth, they carried him down.

The Indians saw a great thunder-storm drawing near; they heard such thunder as they never knew before, and then something in the shape of a human being coming down with lightning; then they ran to the spot where he sat, and it was their long-lost brother, who had been gone seven years.

He had been in the Thunder-world. He told them how he had been playing ball with the Thunder-boys: yes, how he had been turned into a real Thunder himself.

This is why the Indians to this very day have a firm belief that the thunder and lightning we hear and see are caused by (beings or spirits) (called) in Indian Bed-day yek (or thunder), because they see them, and have, moreover, actually picked up the bed-dags k'chisousan, or thunder-bullet. It is of many different kinds of stone, but always of the same shape. The last was picked up by Peter Sabattis, one of the Passamaquoddy tribe. He has it yet. He found it in a crotch-root of a spruce-tree at Head Harbor, on the island of Campobello. This stone is a sign of good-luck to him who finds it.

The thunder is the sound of the wings of the men who fly above. The lightning we see is the fire and smoke of their pipes.

Have A Peaceful & Relaxing Evening My Friend,

Phil

“There may be trouble all around, but I am calling you to a place of peace. Be still and know that I am God. Come to Me, and I will give you wisdom, strength, and grace for everything you face." Psalm 46:10
+0
Myrna Ferguson

6311
16559 Posts
16559
Invite Me as a Friend
Top 25 Poster
Person Of The Week
RE: Great announcement for Native Americans
2/17/2010 3:42:22 AM
Hi Phil,

Love the story of the thunder. The Native Americans are so in tune with nature, everything has a special meaning to them.
I have been searching for different things and I found a neat story

Below is a short story from Navajo Spaceships.

Old Ned...

by Johnny Rustywire

He came to this country from a place no one can remember, not even him. I spoke with him from time to time, he was an old man and often times I would see him with his grandchildren. They would run around at his feet.

He was skinny and tall, though bent with age and his hair was black with flecks of gray. He had a wistful smile and liked to laugh. His name in the traditional way of talking was the Tall Red One. I never heard anyone say it, maybe because it was in Navajo.

He moved away from there a long time ago, maybe in the 1920's. His family may have been migrant farmers, or followed the railroad work with the Union Pacific. He was a young boy then and found his way up north to another country and it was in this place of mountain tops, and high valleys he came to live.

He met a young woman with a willingness to follow him wherever he would want to go. It was in the valleys of her land, her reservation he called home.

Today I saw 12 great grandchildren, and seven of his own. His wife passed on a few years ago and it took a little out of him, he was not as spry as he used to be. I saw him some time ago at the VA hospital he had lost his legs to diabetes.

He spoke to me in Navajo, and though he was an old man he still had all his own teeth and they glistened when he talked. I used to call him the Tall Red One and he laughed to hear his name in English. One time he came to me maybe fifteen years ago or so and sat down. He was with some of his grandchildren and he wanted some help to find out where he was born and where he came from.

I looked into his eyes, they were like a deer's eyes, they hid nothing. He quietly told me he had forgotten where he came from, who his people were. That in the many years since he left Navajoland he did not have any contact with them, nor did they remember him. They never visited him or sent him a letter.

I sat there and thought maybe he comes from a past you want to forget, to walk away from a life down there for whatever reason, sometimes it is that way. You move to get away from such things.

It was my first thought, I forgot that many of our people had many hardships, being without some things, and needing to survive we go where we have to. When you need to eat you go where to where you can survive.

We survive at any cost it seems, and for him he left, but the one thing that stayed with him was his language, the ability to talk in the proper way. Even though he was far removed from his place of birth, his Navajo was smooth and eloquent, using old words which I did not know.

It was a different time back then, there were many children born under trees, without a record, or birth certificate. Their names were given in the Navajo way of speaking describing the place born, or being the son of Silversmith, or the family area or clan where they lived. I do not know where he was born, we tried to find it, but no one seemed to know.

There was no record of him, he could have come from Comb Wash near Montezuma Creek, or White Mesa by Kaibeto, or Round Top not too far north of Ganado. He may have been born near Lupton, near Carino Canyon, or Coyote Canyon a little ways from Gallup. When he was born there was not one to write it down, and to prove it could not be done to satisfy the his own people.

Where do such men go when they can not find themselves, their family and place of birth? They stay with the their children, their families and do the things family men do. They continue on with their lives.

I knew him for a little while and could see the love he had for his grandchildren. He had a hard life working as a laborer. He was not an educated man, but he survived and so did his children.

Today he was laid to rest and as I stood there looking at his family gathered there. I could see him standing with his father and mother, and his aunts and uncles and they were saying to him. It has been a long time since we have seen you, Hosteen Nez.

He came to them with a young face, a fit body and wept at the sight of them. They came to him and began to let him know where he was from, who these people were and how he got his name.

I wondered about them, and those children left here to continue on. A part of them weren't there, those living now in Navajoland. Maybe there are none, I would rather like to think that over a winter night, someone talking in a family gathering might say....

A long time ago, way over this way, not too far from here there was this Navajo woman. She had a child and he was called the Tall Red One. I remember him and he went with her far from here. He comes from that place just over there. He is one of us, and we are him.

Blessings,
Myrna
LOVE IS THE ANSWER
+0
Myrna Ferguson

6311
16559 Posts
16559
Invite Me as a Friend
Top 25 Poster
Person Of The Week
RE: Great announcement for Native Americans
2/17/2010 4:04:10 AM
This is beautiful. Winds of Change.

I'm on a role, this is good stuff.
Myrna
LOVE IS THE ANSWER
+0
Patricia Bartch

2952
9394 Posts
9394
Invite Me as a Friend
Top 25 Poster
Person Of The Week
RE: Great announcement for Native Americans
2/17/2010 11:13:49 PM

Amazing Grace

And listen to Amazing Grace as performed by Award-Winning Recording Artist, Charles Littleleaf's newest release "Ancient Reflections" --- n, here http://www.littleleaf.com/cdsamples.htm

I'm Your AVON LADY: http://youravon.com/pbartch *Ask me how to get FREE Shipping.
+0
Phillip Black

7331
5931 Posts
5931
Invite Me as a Friend
Top 50 Poster
Person Of The Week
RE: Great announcement for Native Americans
2/18/2010 12:31:49 AM

Hi Myrna,

Yes my Friend, you are definitely on a roll. The Winds of Change was absolutely Beautiful. Amazing how closely it resembles the Ancient Prophecies of our Savior.

Thank You Pat for Amazing Grace from the Cherokees. I can claim at least a small part Cherokee Heritage and proud of it.

The Cry of The Native American

We were here first
(i-gv-ya o-gi-lu-tsv a-ha-ni)
Maybe the Cherokee cry
But we wanted their land
So they had to die

How could their rights

Have been explained?

The bow and arrow -

Against the gun ordained?

We took their homes -

(Do-ge-nv-sv do-ge-gi-gi-e-lv)

They were mostly dead - when the deeds were done

What was theirs is ours - Yes! we have won

They had to die - we had no choice

Their punishment for owning - our land first

The Indians had been the custodians of the land.

(a-ni-yv-wi-ya o-s-da i-yu-nv-na-de-ga ga-do-hi)

But the cowboy turned the pastures into sand

And buffalo herds - very soon were ****ed

Sustainability was more the Indians way

a-ni-yv-wi-ya u-nv-sv a-na-li-s-de-li-s-gv.

But luxury to excess was more our "cup of tea"

We brought the Indians smallpox, pollution and T.B.

After two Hundred years we now see our wrongs

And we begin to listen to the Indian Songs

na-quu-no a-nv-da-di-s-do-di-quu i-ga

di-ga-ka-no-gi-s-do-di a-le i-ga-da

da-ni-na-s-da-tli tsu-na-ni-gi-da.

But sadly most of their tribes are gone

Now in the souvenir shops throughout the U.S.A

Indian proverbs are on display

Pictures of Geronimo, Sitting Bull and Chief Joseph

Are sort by tourist looking for proverbs and Indian motifs

Sayings of American Presidents are not bought

But Chief Red Cloud of the Sioux is eagerly sought

Why do we see the wisdom - yet our ancestors couldn't?

Or is it that they could - but wouldn't

The American Indians say

"There is one God looking down on us all"

(sa-quu u-ne-la-nv-hi)

Has the Native American salvation come at last

And will the "Great One" now be just.

Albert Gazeley © 2003

You All Are Truly A Blessing,

Phil

“There may be trouble all around, but I am calling you to a place of peace. Be still and know that I am God. Come to Me, and I will give you wisdom, strength, and grace for everything you face." Psalm 46:10
+0


facebook
Like us on Facebook!