12/29/07

Ghosts, Silence and Talk of Many Things

In an unimaginative bistro of this overpriced tourist hotel I saw the double of an ex who has been lost to all of us.
I thought I had seen a ghost.
There they were again, vibrant, where they left off before being taken over by the alcohol spirit.
I didn't take a photo. I remembered why I fell in love.

Heard a few panelists on Tillie Olsen. A tribute. Silences. Yes, I understand silences. What happens between event and word? Between ancestor and grandchild? Between now and now?
It might look something like this:



Back in the room.
Talk of the island of trash, mostly plastic, that is larger than the state of Texas (or is it State of Texas) and has been floating around the Pacific, from China; the number of native women writers who have worked for Mary Kay Cosmetics; thinking of all the names of those who are being left out of the story of native american literature (the silences), hearing of how one of our beloved native poets teaching in a Wisconsin university is being undermined and openly attacked by a colleague who believes that native or black poetry is inferior, or non-existent, and a native woman professor? How do you put that in your images of Indians? And the waters are full of drugs, chemicals, and

I am thankful for the laughter and love of good friends, for the persistence of poetry, despite the silencing by the greedy ones who have found no way to make billions from it.

"May it be beautiful above us, may it be beautiful below us, may it be beautiful inside us, may it be beautiful all around us..."
from the Navajo

So, reporting here, from the thirty-third floor of the Hyatt Regency, downtown Chicago, the end of another end.



Photos c Joy Harjo 2007 11/12th's

12/23/07

MNN Column: The New Year

And this column either will or will not be in the January 2008 Muscogee Nation News. I sent it, didn't hear back. Squeezed in within minutes of the deadline. So, here it is.

Tonight, I went down to Hui Nalu Canoe Club for a late afternoon paddle. The winds have been up, carrying squalls of rain. The ocean, like tears, carries away sadness, anger, and fears. And, as I have many times before, entered into the ritual of gathering together, carrying the canoes out to the water's edge, lining up for seats, getting in, acknowledging the canoe, the water, each other and setting out, together. We didn't paddle far, nor were we in race training mode. Because of the winds instead of going out we headed up into the marina. We went for a while, then turned around and came back out in time to see the sun disappear into water. This is part of the ritual. Then we headed in. We carried the canoes back up, gathered together for the closing chant, then we parted into the dark. When I arrived I was in my cluttered mind. When I left I was back in my ocean mind. Tonight the ocean mind reminded me of forgiveness. And told me to be kind, even to those who test me. I am also reminded of our people’s tradition of going to the water every morning. The water cleans us, not just physically. The ritual marks a new beginning.

January marks the beginning of a new year, in the ‘na-hvtke tradition. Each sunrise marks a new beginning, so does each breath. Each marks a renewal. So as we begin again why not let ourselves shine with joy, kindness, the resolve to do the best we can in all things?

There’s a Hawaiian story that says it like this: we have a bowl of light. Each stone of anger, each stone of jealousy (we have lots of these in the nation) each stone of fear, of envy, of greed fills up the bowl, obscures the light. We can turn the bowl over, empty out the stones and restore the light.

The bowl is our fekce, where our spirit lives.

So, let it shine. Thanks to Rosemary McCombs Maxey for this version of
Kul-ku-ce cv-na-ke, or This Little Light of Mine.

This lit-tle light of mine, I’m gon-na let it shine.
Kul-ku-ce cv-na-kē, hv-ya-yi-ca-res,

This lit-tle light of mine, I’m gon-na let it shine.
Kul-ku-ce cv-na-kē, hv-ya-yi-ca-res,

This lit-tle light of mine, I’m gon-na let it shine.
Kul-ku-ce cv-na-kē, hv-ya-yi-ca-res,

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Kul-ke-kvs, kul-ke-kvs, kul-ke-kvs.

The stanzas in the hymnal continue:
Every where I go….
All-through the night …

This love I have… 
This hope I have… 
This faith I have…
This peace I have…

I want to acknowledge two young Mvskoke filmmakers who are doing good work out there. Jason Asenap’s short film “Two Hearts” was just featured in the Santa Fe Film Festival. His mother is Marsha Asenap, her maiden name is Marsha Deer. His Creek grandparents are Alfred and Munna Deer. His father is Comanche. And Sterlin Harjo came to the University of New Mexico from Tulsa to speak to show his wonderful full-length feature film, “Four Sheets to the Wind”, which also featured one of our citizens, Richard Ray Whitman. Harjo’s film was featured at Sundance and is getting some deserved critical acclaim. He is both Creek and Seminole. His grandfather was Arthur Brunner on his mother’s side. His parents are Brownie and Nan Harjo.

Let it shine, Jason and Sterlin. Let it shine everyone. May it be a good year, full of fresh beginnings.

Focus


c Joy Harjo 2007 iPhone image

About to venture out into crazy two-days-before Christmas holiday traffic.
So I will keep this image in mind.
And how beauty can be present despite the wreck of culture.

12/18/07

Getting the News in Indian Country

When word gets around fast in Indian country it does so via the "moccasin telegraph". Maybe it's not the "moccasin telegraph" anymore, but the "moccasin satellite".

Hawaiians call it the "Coconut wireless."

Moccasin wireless?

12/17/07

Ocean Mind

Tonight I went down to Hui Nalu for a Monday late afternoon, a few hours before sundown, paddle. The winds have been up, carrying squalls of rain. It's been too long since I've been out on the water. The ocean, like tears, carries away sadness, anger, fears. And, as I have many times before, entered into the ritual of gathering together, carrying the canoes out to the water's edge, lining up for seats, getting in, acknowledging the canoe, the water, each other (there are six to an outrigger, and tonight we had a double-hull, and three single six-man canoes) and setting out, together. We didn't paddle far, nor were we in race training mode. Because of the winds instead of going out we headed up into the marina. We went for awhile, turned around and came back out in time to see the sun disappear into water. This is part of the ritual. Then we headed in. We carried the canoes back up, gathered together for the closing chant, then parted into the dark. When I arrived I was in my cluttered mind. When I left I was back in my ocean mind. On the drive back I remembered how many of my blogs were derived from what came to me out there, in the water. Tonight the ocean mind reminded me of forgiveness. And told me to be kind, even to those who test me. Every thought is a wave.

Mvto.

12/14/07

More on Floyd Red Crow Westerman

Thanks to Candy Jones for forwarding this.

Dec. 13, 2007 - Renowned musician, activist, and elder, Floyd Red Crow
Westerman passed on to the spirit world at 5:00 a.m. PST this morning
at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after an extended illness and
complications from Leukemia as reported today by the Native American
Times and News From Indian Country.

Floyd Red Crow Westerman participated and performed in the First
Annual Native American Music Awards in 1998, was the recipient of
NAMA's Living Legend Award in 2002, and was recently awarded Best
Country Recording for his recording, "A Tribute To Johnny Cash" at the
Ninth Annual Native American Music Awards in October 2006.

With music as his first love, Westerman left his home on the Lake
Traverse reservation in South Dakota with a suitcase and an old guitar
as a young man. He traveled across the country playing country music
and his own original songs.

In 1969, he signed his first recording contract and released his first
album, the highly acclaimed, "Custer Died for Your Sins" which
captured the Indian movement's pathos and ethos during its formative
years. In 1970 he released his second recording, "Indian Country".

As a member of the American Indian Movement, and spokesman for the
International Indian Treaty Council, he traveled around the world to
improve social conditions for indigenous peoples. In 1982, he
reflected those sentiments in his third recording, "This Land Is Your
Mother."

In 1996, he attended the first Native American Music Awards and
performed with Joanne Shenandoah in a tribute performance for Hall of
Fame Inductee, the late Buddy Red Bow.

In 2002 he was awarded the NAMA Living Legend Award at the Fifth
Annual Native American Music Awards with Keith Secola accepting on his
behalf.

In 2006, he was won Best Country Recording at the Native American
Music Awards for his last full length recording, "A Tribute To Johnny
Cash" released by Henhouse Studios.

During his music career and before his entrance into many films and
television shows, he played and collaborated with a number of notable
musicians, including; Willie Nelson, Kris Kristopherson, Buffy St.
Marie, Joni Mitchell, Willie Nelsonm Jackson Browne, Harry Belafonte,
and Sting.

Westerman's film and television appearances include the role of the
Shaman for Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's "The Doors" and a Ten Bears
in "Dances With Wolves" His television roles have included playing
Uncle Ray on "Walker, Texas Ranger", One Who Waits, on "Northern
Exposure" and multiple appearances as Albert Hosteen on the "X-Files".

Westerman has received numerous other awards including; a
Congressional Certificate of Special Recognition, the Award for
Generosity by the Americans for Indian Opportunity, Cultural
Ambassador by the International Treaty Council, Lifetime Achievement
from the City of Los Angeles and the Integrity Award from the
Multi-Cultural Motion Picture Association.

The Native American Music Awards has been honored by Floyd Red Crow
Westerman's participation and contributions over the years and he will
always be remembered with great fondness, admiration and respect.

The Native American Music Awards & Association
www.nativeamericanmusicawards.com

12/13/07

Services for Floyd Red Crow Westerman

will be held at Tiospa Zina School Gym in Sisseton, South Dakota.

Wake on Saturday and Sunday, December 15 and 16.

Funeral services Monday, December 17, at 10:00 a.m.

Flowers may be sent to the Sisseton Flower Shop,

Sisseton, South Dakota.

Gwen Westerman Griffin

A note from Adriana Lisboa,re Brazilian natives

Hey, Joy, I never met Floyd but your post is beautiful and I’m sure he will travel well.
I just wanted, as a Brazilian (citizen, writer), to say that I never heard of such a thing as businessmen engaging hunting expeditions to kill native people.
Native Brazilians were killed mostly during the Portuguese colonization. They died from disease, slavery, massacre, were banished, exiled and “assimilated”. There were 5 million of them back in 1500. Today they are less than 300,000 – living in pieces of land that the government established for them. 60% of these are in the Amazon region.
They have a miserable life and struggle to keep alive traditions that are fading away (including their 165 different languages).
Sometimes fights occur between farmers and some of the tribes, concering the possession of lands, and many of these native Brazilians die. But, again, I never heard of businessmen expeditions to hunt and kill these people.
All the best,

Adriana Lisboa
www.adrianalisboa.com.br
http://caquiscaidos.blogspot.com/

Floyd Red Crow Westerman

Floyd left us this morning.
He left a trail of music, friendship, support for Indian people, inspiration--
Charlie Hill reminded me this morning, that every time Floyd spoke into a mic, he stood up for us.
True.
When I taught at UC Boulder in the mid-eighties, Floyd agreed to visit my class. He had just come from Brazil where he had heard that business men often engaged hunting expeditions to kill native people.
He was generous, funny and always there when you needed him, his words, his songs.
Travel well.
Don't forget us.
We won't forget you.
Mvto.

December 13, 2007

12/2/07

Blue Star Hopi Kachina Prophecy



Thank you Skydancer for this link that gives a fuller sense of the prophecy:

http://predicto.blogspot.com/2007/11/is-comet-holmes-blue-kachina.html

Does anyone out there know of other prophecies, from other tribes, peoples?