Upcoming Purification Ceremony

Kwai kwai nidobak,

I have never done a lodge in which there were only newbies. Several Indians, along with several non-Indians will be coming. However none of them have ever been to a Purification ceremony. It's kinda funny but two of the Indians took a college class at Cuyamaca College in which the professor taught them about the Inipi ceremony - yet he did not every bring them to a Sweat lodge so they could experience it firsthand. I was talking with these two guys and they had some pretty weird ideas. I don't know who this professor was but he obviously did not really know anything about the Inipi ceremony. These two guys were attempting to teach me the proper way of setting up the lodge, alter and fire pit. They thought that because they had taken a class that they were somehow experts. I had a great time just watching and listening to them argue with each other about proper protocol and so forth. I guess the professor had told them that the people go into the lodge nude since this was the only way to make contact with Mother Earth. They tried to tell me that I had to take the carpet pieces off the ground inside the lodge because that was sacred ground and should not be covered with anything man made. They wanted me to move the alter off to the side of the lodge because it would get in the way of the person carrying the rocks into the lodge. They also informed me that the rocks I had selected (volcanic) were not the right type of rock and that I should be using granite. Then they wanted me to rebuild the lodge so that people could completely stand upright inside the lodge. They wanted to know if I was going to have peyote, marijuana, mushrooms, or jimsonweed as part of the ceremony. They asked me if I was a Roadman or a Medicine Man. I guess their professor did not know the difference between the Teepee ceremony and the Inipi ceremony. I was very patient with these guys and told them to just come to the ceremony so they could experience it for themselves firsthand. That seemed to satisfy them and I am looking forward to teaching them what their books and professor could not.

I do have one friend who is going to be my assistant who does know the ceremony very well. Other than that we are going to have to teach everyone everything. This is OK, because I am a professor by vocation so I have the ability to teach people. I know the proper way to conduct the Inipi ceremony and have been given permission by my tribal elders to conduct the ceremony. I have a young man who has volunteered to be the fireman. I will have to spend a lot of time with him to ensure he knows proper protocol. I told him it was a four year commitment and this did not seem to phase him, so I probably have someone I can depend upon. We will be having our first sweat in this new lodge this coming Saturday, and I am looking forward to it.

Walk in peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

All Kinds of Flak

Kwai kwai nidobak,

OK, I'm going to rant and rave for a while - please bear with me for a short while. Lots of folks have questioned me over the years as to whether I have permission or the right to pour water for the sweat lodge. It seems that every Indian has an opinion as to who should do ceremony and who should not. Some say you must be a medicine man to do so. Others say you must be a pipe carrier, or have done four Sun Dances, or done four Hanbleceya (Vision Quest) ceremonies. There are some Indians who claim the sweat lodge belongs to their nation alone and only members of their nation can conduct ceremony. Or any of a number of other reasons. Some Indians also have the same requirements of Pipe Carriers. To all of these people, I would like to kindly and gently remind them of a few of facts.

1.) Pipestone, which is commonly used to make sacred pipes, has always been considered neutral ground and any Indian has always been allowed to quarry there so as to carve a pipe for ceremony as prescribed by their particular nation. Further, the pipe ceremony is so old that no one single nation can claim it as their own. Those Indians who claim the Pipe Ceremony as their own are either ignorant of the oral traditions of many other nations, or have been brainwashed by others around them to ignore the facts.

2.) The Sweat Lodge ceremony is nearly universal among aboriginal peoples all over the world since time immemorial. Again, no one single nation can claim the Sweat Lodge as their own.

3.) Indians have always shared ceremony and customs with family, friends, relatives, and visitors of good heart. Many Lakota medicine men have white sage only because I personally gift it to them (and most of them don't know it is coming from me). It only grows here in Southern California/Mexico. I have been doing so for over ten years. I have never asked anyone for a single cent.

4.) When it started to become obvious that most Indian nations were losing their ceremonies and their heritage, Chief American Horse felt compassion for them and said "Anyone may dance the sun dance if he will do as the Oglalas do," - Chief American Horse (Sept. 14, 1896). My Kumeyaay Indian elders, Mikmaq Indian elders, and Abenaki Indian elders, as well as many other medicine people, have interpreted this to also apply to the Lakota Style sweat lodge and Lakota style Pipe Ceremony.

5.) Arvol Looking Horse has said, "*I-ni-pi (Purification Ceremony): Those that run this sacred rite should be able to communicate with Tun-ca-s'i-la (our Sacred Grandfathers) in their Native Plains tongue. They should also have earned this rite by completing Han-ble-c'i-ya and the four days and four years of the Wi-wanyang wa-c'i-pi." - March 13, 2003

6.) Arvol Looking Horse also said, "They must have a calling that is interpreted in ceremony, to at least begin to learn the language and not give in to English. The language is very important in communicating with the Grandfathers. When I attended the UN Indigenous Day with representatives from indigenous nations from around the world, they discussed the criteria to maintain our voice in the protection of our sacred sites and cultural identities. All agreed it was to maintain the language. Don't give up your ways because you don't know how to speak yet. You can learn as you go along and this sacred language will come back for your Tiospaye." - Posted: July 07, 2003

7.) Arvol Looking Horse also said, "We are the only indigenous nation in the world that has opened our sacred ceremonials, of the altar, out to the public. Now we are seeing the abuses and violations. Anyone can read a book or get close to our ceremonial people, then go out and practice our ways without proper protocols." - Posted: July 07, 2003

As I have told you many times before, I am Indian, specifically I am Wobanaki Metis. I was taught to do Lakota style sweat lodge by my elders here. I have been firekeper for over five years at four different lodges for several lodge leaders and medicine men. I have done Hanbleceya, and Sundance for six years. I was not given a vision to dance but I was a singer and drummer on the big drum. Since I only lived a few miles from the Manzanita Sun Dance, I was one of the primary people all four years to set up the arbor, sweat lodges and all other grounds preparations. This would all start several months before each Sun Dance. I also poured water in the Sweat Lodges we had built for the Sun Dancers several times a day. I also went to the Casa Blanca Sun Dance for several years and sang on the drum in support of the dancers, and again poured water for the dancers there. I know the Lakota sacred songs and their meaning, and am doing my best to learn the Lakota language. I have been given permission to pour water by my elders both here and in eastern Canada, and have been doing so for almost ten years. I know the sacred medicines, regularly gift them to medicine men, and teach the medicine plants to the local Indians. I carved my own sacred pipe, which was blessed by my medicine man, and carried it with me on all of my Hanbleceyas and Sundances. I was gifted the chanupa for the healing of the people and given permission to conduct sweat lodge and the pipe ceremony in visions. These visions have been interpreted by my elders and medicine man. I am alcohol and drug free and enforce this of the participants in the lodge. I have never charged for ceremony and never will. I have learned the sweat lodge ceremony and pipe ceremony through direct participation and the teachings of my elders and medicine man. I am not a medicine man nor am I a plastic shaman. I am just a common ordinary man - ikce wicasa - who happens to know the medicines as taught to me in the traditional way by my mother. I am also an old man - wichahcala - who happens to know the songs and how to properly conduct the sweat lodge ceremony. I carry a chunupa not because I am a great man but because Wakan Tanka has gifted it to me in vision so He can use me to minister to the sick - wowakangle.

Walk in Peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Another Lodge in San Diego

Kwai kwai nidobak,

It has been quite some time since I last posted, so I wanted to give everyone a little update. We are in the process of building a new lodge in La Mesa in a friend's back yard. This will be the 23rd lodge I have built. This one is a little weird because it is essentially in the middle of town, so we have had to make a few modifications. Since we can't have an open fire due to regulations and nearby houses, we are going to be using a 55 gallon drum (it used to be a BBQ) to build the fire. Other than that everything else is totally traditional. I talked with my elders about it and they said that Indians are famous for improvisation. Heck, we know that Indians often used US flags as clothing and to cover their sweat lodges. Today, pow wow dancers use CDs as part of their regalia. My elders also reminded me that we no longer live in tepees, longhouses or wigwams. I am reading a book entitled, "The Spiritual Legacy of the American Indian (With Letters While Living With Black Elk" by Joseph Epes Brown. Here is a quote from that book, "He (Black Elk) proceeded to make a Sweat Lodge right there in the middle of the shabby room. He reached under the back of the brick chimney and found some loose bricks. He heated them in a pan of coals, and we had our swear ceremony under the table with a blanket over it."

Ha ha ha. Black Elk, one of the greatest medicine men of all times - and even he knew that it was OK to be able to be flexible when required.

The other thing that is a little weird about this lodge is that most of the attendees are not Indians. Again, my elders reminded me that, just as in my vision, the lodge is meant to be a family lodge. Mitakuye oyasin, all my relations - the entire family of the human race. "Anyone may dance the sun dance if he will do as the Oglalas do," - Chief American Horse (Sept. 14, 1896). Many elders and spiritual leaders have interpreted this to extend to all sacred ceremonies. Again, my elders have given me permission to do so. I have been walking in this way since I was 5 years old, I am now 55. During this time I have worked with elders, youth, criminals, people with mental illnesses, and alcoholics and drug addicts. Some were Indians, many were not. Some were just folks.

So, since most of the attendees at this lodge have never been to a lodge, we faced the door to the east. This is the way I have always faced the lodges I personally built - because of my visions. However, especially at Sun Dance, they face the central fire which may not always be in any particular direction. The ones I personally build are always teaching lodges. I am a college professor and have been a teacher most of my life. While this will be a teaching lodge that does NOT mean healing won't happen, as it most certainly will occur. However, since these people are all new I first must teach them the Medicine Way and the meaning of the lodge. This alone will be a four year commitment on my part.

I went cycling (singletrack) on my Trek 920 yesterday to an area in which I knew white sage grew. After praying, I picked some sage for the upcoming ceremony. I think we will start next Saturday.

I explain to people that the lodge is an altruistic healing ceremony. The work altruistic is defined as "the unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness". This is quite different than modern medicine; mind-body healing; and holistic healing. In all of these other methods, only one or two parts of the person is dealt with. Only altruistic healing deals with the entire person - physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional.

I often tell people to think of the lodge like this. Say a person is an alcoholic and goes to a Physician for treatment. The doctor will say, "You have a physical illness" and may prescribe Antabuse to the person. When that doesn't work, he may tell the person he needs to go to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist will say, "You have a mental illness" and will prescribe psychotropic medication such as Naltrexone. When that doesn't work he will send the person to see a priest, rabbi, pastor or other such spiritual healer. The priest will say, "You have a spiritual illness" and will recommend prayer, confession, or some such spiritual remedy. When that doesn't work, the priest will send the person to see a psychologist. The psychologist will say, "You have an emotional illness" and will prescribe group therapy. So now the person has seen four different healers and not one of them has been able to help the alcoholic.

The sweat lodge can deal with all these aspects of the person since it is an altruistic healing ceremony. We must remember that we cannot separate the various aspects of the human being (physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional). These aspects all affect each other. Physical healing can affect mental healing - spiritual healing can affect emotional healing. This has been the problem with traditional modern medicine - trying to treat only one aspect at a time. Fortunately, most doctors now recognize this reality and are treating people with a Team Approach method.

PLEASE NOTE: I am NOT recommending that anyone stop taking their medications, or stop going to see their physician, therapist or spiritual adviser. Rather, I am saying that the Sweat Lodge can be an integral component of the healing process. Further, ALWAYS consult with your physician to see if you are healthy enough to attend a Sweat Lodge ceremony.

Physical healing - This occurs because of the physical components of the lodge - earth, air, fire, and water. Earth, the rocks (grandfathers) which have been heated to red-hot in the fire. Air (which has been purified by the hot rocks and sacred medicines), which we breath inside the lodge. Fire, which heats the rocks and produces negative ions which we breath inside the lodge. Water, which we sprinkle on the hot rocks to produce steam, causing us to sweat the toxins out of our systems. Other physical healing components include the drum, rattles, and the lodge (which is a Medicine Wheel) itself.

Mental Healing - The lodge and songs and heat, all experienced in the complete darkness of the lodge, produces an extreme calming effect and sense of tranquility. When we are in the lodge we are centered in the womb of Mother Earth. The healing affects on our mind is profound!

Spiritual Healing - The lodge is actually in the form of the Medicine Wheel. We are protected spiritually in the lodge and the sweat lodge leader invites Great Spirit, spirit helpers, and the ancestors to assist with the spiritual well-being of all participants. The prayers, songs, and drum also aid in spiritual healing. We also use the Chanupa Wakan (Sacred Pipe) in our ceremony along with the four sacred medicines (white sage, cedar, sweetgrass, and tobacco). The Chanupa is filled with these four sacred medicines and smoked during the ceremony. The Chanupa is the connection between people and Great Spirit. It is the way we pray. My visions have shown me that I am to use all four sacred medicined in my Chanupa. White sage is used to smudge the people before the ceremony. It drives away negative energies, negative influences, negative thoughts and negative spirits. Sweetgrass and cedar are both used to attract positive energies, positive thoughts, positive influences, and positive spirits. Whenever we smudge with sage we should shortly thereafter burn either sweetgrass or cedar (or both) to fill the void - otherwise the spirits we drove away with the sage may return. Tobacco is used to create a connection with Great Spirit because s/he has given it to us for that specific purpose. As we pray, the smoke of the tobacco carries our prayers to Great Spirit.

Emotional Healing - Even though it is completely dark and we can often feel alone. Yet we are still aware that we are in the presence of and Great Spirit, and in communion with Great Spirit. Additionally, we know we are not alone - we know that there are others in the lodge with us. We are all together as one family in this experience. We all provide each other emotional support. Further, we can discuss our problems and others in the lodge which provides insight much like group therapy. The lodge is filled with the love of Great Spirit and of our fellow human beings. This is true agape love. After the lodge we all have a feast together as one big family.

Well, enough for now. I will tell you how the Sweat Lodge is progressing in a later blog.

Walk in Peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Medicine Wheel Teachings

Kwai kwai nidobak,

OK, here is the portion of the Mi'kmaq Pipe Vision regarding the teachings of the Medicine Wheel.

The elder is talking to Alex and I about the Medicine Wheel. He explains that the wheel represents our life in which we start out our life in the east with the rising sun. We are young children, like Alex. He explains that when we are young, we sit by the fire with our elders to listen to stories and learn our traditions. At this time in our lives everything is new and we are full of curiosity, and that we need to be gently guided in the proper path. The elder explains that this is my job at this time.

As the elder is speaking of these things, much time passes - years go by and Alex grows up and is now a teenager. The elder is still talking and says that as we age we move to the south in the Medicine Wheel. He says that during this time we have learned the lessons, but are now starting to put those lessons into practice in our lives. They become a part of our nature. He looks at me and says that this is why I am sitting to the south all of these years as Alex is growing up. He says that it is my job to see to it that Alex learns the proper lessons.

Again, many years pass, and Alex is now a young man about to enter the world on his own. The elder explains that when we get older and our children are grown, we are ready to move to the west on the Medicine Wheel. He explains that at this time of our lives we have the leisure to do those things we have put off doing. The lessons we learned in our youth are now fully integrated into our spirits and it is now our job to pass on these lessons to the young children.

At this time in the vision we all move positions. I move to the west with the black bear, and Alex moves to the south. A young child enters the circle and now sits in the east. I do not know who this child is. The elder explains that as we get older we are ready to make the passage to the next world and move to the north, the spirit world, which is where he is in the Medicine wheel.

The elder tells me that when we smoke the Pipe, we pass the stem to the four directions then above and then below. In so doing we complete a Circle in which we place ourselves in the center. This is also known as the Medicine Wheel, at the center of which resides Grandfather Great Spirit. We place ourselves there with Grandfather and bind that connection with the smoke passing through the channel in the stem. All of creation is invited to share this space with us when we fill the stone bowl of the pipe. The stone may be red, grey, or black but all stones come from the Earth. We are the Red People and we come from the Earth. The stem is wood and represents the temporal world and all things that grow on the Earth. All the people, the ancestors, all the creatures of the earth and all the things of the universe are joined to you when you join the stone to the stem and smoke the pipe.

He says the teaching of the Medicine Wheel can give us an understanding of the various stages of our life. In our early life, we sit to the East, as this is the direction from which all knowledge emanates. The animal spirit that sits at the east is the turtle - he is there because he possesses much knowledge. Our ancestors used to use his shell to foretell the future. The shell of the eastern box turtle is very colorful with many lines in it. Because of this we say that this continent of North America is called Turtle Island. We sit to the East in our early years as children so that we may learn the ways and traditions from our elders.

He explains that as we grow older, we eventually will be old enough and mature enough to move away from our parents and live our lives on our own. This is when we move to the South on the Medicine Wheel. The South is the direction of clarity and the direction in which we move towards maturity. It is where we take the teachings of our youth and we apply them in our lives. Thus, they are integrated into our spirit. The animal spirit sitting at the South is the eagle and the hawk. They soar to great heights yet can see even the smallest details on the ground with great clarity. As they soar they carry our prayers with them to Great Spirit. Thus, the teachings of our youth are no longer only intellectual knowledge, but they now become the essence of our soul and our way of life. At this time many people say they are "walking the good red road". It is also during this time that we normally marry, have children and raise them to maturity and help them learn the teaching of our ancestors, with the assistance of the elders in our community.

As we mature, our children will eventually grow up and move out and live on their own. It is at this time that we usually move to the West on the Medicine wheel. The West is the place of wisdom in the Mi'kmaq Medicine Wheel. It is also the direction of dreams and visions. In other words, the knowledge we received while we were children (sitting at the East) has been integrated into our being (when we were sitting at the South) and has thus been matured into wisdom. At this time we are in our middle age (and older) and may be considered an elder or leader in the community. The animal spirits that sit to the West are the buffalo, wolf, and the black bear. Indians know the buffalo as the source of everything. All parts of the buffalo can be used for the good of the people. The buffalo helps us at this time in our lives to take all the teachings of our life and use them all. The wolf is an extremely good parent, but also a very good guardian. Wolves live in communities called packs. They know that the community is most important for hunting and survival. So as we sit at the West as elders we use all of our teachings and wisdom for the survival of the people and the community.

The Hawk always is an acknowledgement of good from above, from Creator who shines on you for having a good heart in distributing and sharing your gifts that were passed on from above. Always remember this, because true power comes from within, given byCreator. Creator will guide you in the Medicine duties as your path. This path was chosen for you by your mother when she taught you the medicines.

The Eagle is your contact with the Great Spirit and the hawk is the medicine going with the vision from your ancestor. The Eagle carries our prayers to the Great Spirit. The Hawk carries Great Spirit's answers back to the people. The bear is a powerful medicine and is the symbol of the dream world or spirit world from the ancestor’s land. The bear is also a symbol of wisdom, strength and bravery. He dances in sky with all our past ancestors. Specifically, the black bear is sacred to the Mi’kmaq peoples and is known as the keeper of the medicines as taught to you by your mother. Keep the medicine herbs in a good way. Your medicines for the healing of the people are tobacco, cedar, sweetgrass and sage. The pipe is the way to talk and be with the spirit world. The chief is the leader symbol. In the old times our ancestors did not actually have chiefs, but rather had just elders who acted for the good of the people. You are a leader when the spirit tells you what you are. A leader should not be shy or ashamed of being a leader. You are the sachem or familial chief for your clan or family. Being a great leader carries great responsibility, great hardship, great suffering, and great joy. Fortunately and unfortunately this is true. We are Great Chiefs in the eyes of our children. Being in the Medicines, people rely on you for guidance from what you have learned. If your Medicines are bad, you will hurt someone, but if you've learned from wisdom and teachings, then you also learn how to be a keeper of good Medicines and this will reflect on you as well. This is where the leadership is. Remember that we have the spirits of our ancestors within us.

Eventually, we have given back to the community all that we have learned and have served the community well. We are now ready to move on to the North on the Medicine Wheel. This is the time of extreme old age and the time when we are ready to pass on to the next realm and be with our ancestors. We have completed the cycle of the wheel and are ready to move on. You will start a new Medicine Wheel journey in the afterworld, again starting in the East. The animal spirit that sits at the north is the white bear and the elders who have passed on.

As for the Sacred Pipe which I kept for last, yours is Mik'maq, representing your roots where you come from. It is also an acknowledgement from your ancestors to share these teachings of respect and wisdom through the Pipe Ceremony as the Black Bear and I have taught you. When you use the Pipe Ceremony acknowledge your great thanks to Creator for giving to his people all the medicines. Same goes for whenever you see an Elder in your area. Share the medicines with them, and offer them tobacco and ask them to share their wisdom. Share the Pipe Ceremony with them. This is a People’s Pipe which is different that a personal pipe. This is a very sacred and serious calling, responsibility, and commitment. People do not seek out this calling as a pipe carrier, but rather the pipe seeks out the person.

You mother taught you how to talk with the plants and the animals. You carry a powerful medicine in your being. Your ancestors live within you. It will be your choice whether to answer the call, but if you do not, Spirit will continue to tug on your sleeve.


Well enough for now.

Walk in Peace,
Steve


Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Mi'kmaq Pipe Vision

Kwai kwai nidobak,

OK, so back to my story. I had that first vision of The Seven Fires in July of 1997. This prompted me to find out more about the inipi and commit myself as a Fire Keeper. I started going to Uncle Nick’s lodge, Dennis’s lodge, and attending the Sun Dances being conducted by Uncle Indio. I started to learn the songs and sang at the big drum during the Sun Dance ceremony.

I now wish to tell you about another series of dreams/visions I have had regards the Mi'kmaq Pipe. This vision started around September of 1998. I wish to make it clear that before this series of visions, I had not ever heard of the Mi'kmaq pipe, nor ever seen any pictures of it. I did not even know such a pipe existed. All I had ever seen was the Lakota chanupa pipe from the book, The Sacred Pipe by Black Elk and smoked the chanupa wakan for the first time at the Manzanita Sun Dance Ceremony of 1998.

Additionally, before these series of dreams, although I had heard and seen the Medicine Wheel, I really knew nothing about the symbolism of the colors, directions, spirits, medicines and life stages. Furthermore, up until these visions, I was not certain if the Wôbanaki had the sweat lodge ceremony prior to the European invasion.

As I said, this was a series of dreams/visions that I had over a couple of years time. I have condensed all of them into the following narative.

In this vision, again the hawk lead me to the same elder of my first vision. By this time I knew he was one of my Mi’kmaq ancestors. The elder is wearing a peaked cap Mi'kmaq robe. The language he speaks is strange yet familiar - it is not english, but I understand what he is saying. I fell warm--the fire is taking away the chill of the early evening and the chill of the fall season. There are many herbs burning - sage, sweetgrass, ceder and tobacco - the four sacred herbs. We are sitting around a sacred fire. I am sitting at the south. My son, Alex (age 5 at the time), is sitting at the east, a black bear is in the west and the elder is sitting in the north. A hawk and and eagle are circling clockwise above and praying with their shrill voices - their flight is a prayer. The time of day is evening and the season is fall. The color is of the forest, leaves are starting to turn colors - the many colors of fall - red, yellow, and very dark brown (almost black) - all of the sacred colors - except white (I think to myself that I represent the white as I am Metis). We are in a forest clearing. The bear is a black bear. The hawk is a red-tail, and the eagle is golden-brown. The elder is explaining the medicine wheel that we are all sitting around (I will talk more about the medicine wheel as he explained it to me in a later post). The black bear is holding a sacred pipe. It was not a typical Lakota style chanupa wakan, but is a style I had never seen before. As the elder talks the black bear filled the pipe with a mixture of tobacco, sage, sweetgrass, and cedar. I then sometimes become the bear, at other times I become the eagle, or other times I become the hawk. The dream then ends.

Many times over a series of a couple of years I have the same dream, with minor additions for clarification added by the elder. The dream evolves over time and soon, in the dream, several years had passed. This time, Alex was a young man and is now sitting at the south. A young boy (who I did not recognize) has replaced him at the east. I am at the west with the bear, and again the elder is in the north. The elder explains the reason we have moved on the wheel. The bear fills the pipe with the sacred herbs. When the bear had finished he lights it and passes it clockwise around the circle. When it gets to the young boy at the east, he smells it, and makes a face and says it stinks. When it gets to me the elder asked me, “Will you accept this pipe for the healing of the people?” I said yes and the elder says, "Use this--you are going to be a great chief" (I know this sounds real egotistical--but this was what he said in my dream). As this is happening I hear the thoughts of the bear, hawk and eagle. They are praying "Great Spirit, this is how we honor you. We do this for the good of the people". During this time eagle and hawk soar ever higher to carry the smoke and our prayers to Great Spirit. I then become the bear. This is the end of the dream and I wake up.

I drew a picture of the pipe and emailed it to one of my eastern elders. My drawing looked just like the one on the following website:

http://www.myezstreet.com/Shop/Shop.cfm?StoreID=124989&content=Details&ItemID=1020

My elder immediately emailed me back and told me that what I had been offered was a Mi’kmaq pipe. Boy did I freak out to find out that such a pipe did indeed exist. My elder asked me about how I had seen this pipe and I told him my vision. He and I consulted with many other of our elders and they subsequently interpreted the vision for me.

Well enough for now, I will finish this story later.


Walk in Peace,
Steve



Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Off to the Big City

Greetings Relatives,

O.K., so there aren’t any Full-Blooded Indians left because of the BIA’s blood quantum requirements. In fact Indians are in reality mixed-blood Métis (some may not know they are Métis and some are not willing to admit it).

If you have never been to an Indian reservation, you may not know that they are some of the poorest people on earth. When the US government was deciding what lands to assign to the Indians, they selected the most desolate, worthless land possible. They can’t grow crops, or raise cattle. Even the nearby towns are impoverished, with poor educational facilities or anything else for that matter. Crime is rampant, as are drugs, gangs, and alcohol. Indian reservations have been compared to federal penitentiaries for good reasons.

So what’s a poor Indian to do? They are moving away from the reservations by the droves. So there are fewer and fewer Indians living on the reservation all the time. This creates additional problems due to a swallowing of the gene pool. The restrictions against intermarriage within the family unit provide further incentive to move away from the reservation. This provides even less of an opportunity for Indians to meet other Indians for marriage purposes; so again, there are intermarriages which produces even more mixed-blood Indians. According to the BIA, these children are not considered to be Indians if their blood quantum falls below some arbitrary pre-determined level.

This is a Catch-22 style trap with no way out. You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t. If an Indian decides to stay on the reservation, their children’s blood quantum drops and if they move to the city their children’s blood quantum drops. About the only reservations with any hope of survival are the ones that have Indian Gaming. Indian Gaming is a trap which I will talk about in a future blog.

‘Till next time.

Walk in Peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

A New People

Greetings Relatives,

"At the time of the Seventh Fire, a new people will emerge. They will retrace the footsteps of their ancestors and will try to find those things which have been lost along the way.”

Remember, I have already told you that Grandfather William Commanda, the keeper of the Sacred Seven Fires Wampum Belt, lit the Eight Fire on Sept. 27, 1997. So the “new people” spoken about are among us. Who are they and how can they be identified. If they are the ones who are going to save our Mother Earth, this becomes a very important question.

The answer is in the meaning of the eighth fire. If you remember it symbolizes, “the fire of the brotherhood of all peoples of all colors - the entire family of the human race.” And again, I will remind you that in my vision the very same meaning (family – nguejigamigzo) was associates with the eighth fire. The Seven Fires Prophecy was not for just the Indian people, it was meant for the entire family of humankind – all the colors of all the races of the whole world.

In my introduction, I told you I was Wobanaki Metis, but I have never told you what the word Metis actually means. Basically, it means mixed-blood. In my case, I am a mixture of Abenaki, Mi’kmaq, Malaseet, German, French, English, Irish, Scot, and African-American. Don’t ask me about blood quantum of any of these as it would be extremely difficult for me to isolate the specific genes associated with which ancestors if I looked at my blood. I guess DNA genetic testing could do it for me.

I am retracing the footsteps of my ancestors and I have found some of those things which have been lost along the way.

Good night,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Mixed Blood

Greetings Relatives,

Today I am going to tell you some things that many Indians either refuse to admit or don’t acknowledge are actually happening. The war of genocide against our Native American Indian ancestors, which started with the early colonization of this Turtle Island, is still going on today. It never ended – it merely took on a different face. The United States is still determined to “assimilate” all Indians into the mainstream culture until there are no more Indians. It seems the “solution to the Indian problem” is to define them out of existence.

One of the most insidious methods the USA ever devised to define Indians out of existence is the CDIB (Certified Degree of Indian Blood) card. That’s right – to “prove” that I am an Indian I must carry a CDIB card. It identifies the cardholder’s Indian nation and percentage, or quantum (percentage) of Indian blood. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) keeps very careful records of all of this. Once the percentage drops past a certain pre-defined level (normally 25%), the person is no longer legally classified as an Indian.

Historically, Indians of one nation have traditionally married Indians of a different nation to ensure their children were not born deformed. Thus, Abenaki married Iroquois, Lakota married Crow, Kumeyaay married Hopi, and so forth. Now, according to the BIA the children of such marriages are no longer “pure-blood Indians”. The child of such a marriage would have to choose which nation they want to be affiliated with (normally the mother’s) and their CDIB card would indicate they were 50% Indian (of the mother’s nation).

But it gets worse. If an Indian were to marry a non-Indian, again the blood quantum goes down. If two such “mixed bloods” marry each other, their children would have a significantly reduced percentage of Indian blood. Since Indians have been forced to intermarry to survive, mixed blood Indians are more common than most Indians realize or are willing to admit. Thus, the blood quantum requirements cause their children to lose their heritage. Further, if some of your ancestors aren't in the records, you can be denied being an Indian. Nobody makes African-Americans prove their entire family line and apply for some governmental Certificate of Degree of African Blood before they can get a scholarship from the NAACP or put "Black-owned" on their business if they want to.

But the most disturbing consequence of blood quantum requirements for Indians is that it guarantees the extinction of the American Indian. By this standard, white is the default, and everyone is approaching whiteness. Someone who is 1/8 Indian is considered white, and that is the end of their Indianness-- they are white and their children will be white, forever. On the other hand, if an individual is 1/8 white, but that doesn't mean that's the end of whiteness in their line. It keeps sitting there, just as it has since the 19th century when my white ancestors entered my family. Eventually one of my descendants will marry a white person again and hah! We will be 1/4 white. A person can get more white, but not more Indian. Do you see what I mean? Every generation, there are fewer people this system thinks are full-bloods, and all the blood quantum gets smaller.

In fact I don’t believe there are ANY pure-blood Indians left alive anywhere. I have met numerous Indians who claim to be FBI (Full-Blooded Indian), but since I do genealogy, I have investigated many such claims – and I can ALWAYS find some other race in their ancestry. At that point it just becomes a matter of degree – how mixed are they?

The real question is: Should any of this actually matter? How should we define who is and who isn’t an Indian?

That question, and others, will be discussed in my next blog.

Till then, walk in peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

My Manitou and Programming Code

Greetings Relatives,

Let me tell you another short story involving my manitou, the red-tailed hawk, which happened to me a few years ago.

The job I work at now had assigned me a task of re-writing a computer program and making some modifications to it. It was a "short-fuse" project and had to be accomplished quickly. Now, I knew nothing about programming at the time, and my company knew this, so they had one of their full-time programmers assist me occasionally. My job did not really require any programming skills, as I was doing only "cutting-and-pasting".

The problem was we did not have a few pieces of code necessary to make the program work (as I said we were re-writing an old program - some of this old program code had been lost). Try as we might, neither of us could get the program to run at all, and we were both getting quite frustrated.

Well, my Manitou, the red-tailed hawk, came to me in a dream, and gave me a piece of paper on which was written what was obviously some programming code - none of which I understood. I awoke and immediately wrote down the code.

Yep, you guessed it - it resolved our problem and we were able to deliver the program on schedule.

My friend Karl, the programmer, asked me where I had gotten the code - he did not understand the code either. When I told him I received it in a dream from a red-tailed hawk he just gave me a quizzical look, but said nothing. I'm not sure if he believed me. He knew I really knew nothing about programming, so maybe he did believe me because the code indeed worked.


Walk in Peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Some Random Thoughts

Greetings Relatives,

I am going to just ramble a little today, so please bear with me. First I want to talk about visions in general. Lots of people ask me how to tell if something is a vision or not. Before I answer that question though, I want you to understand the importance of symbols – especially to Indians. Symbols, signs, and omens have always played an extremely important role in the life of the First Peoples. Further, we have always been a very visual people. Since we did not have a written language, oral traditions and storytelling were also extremely important ways of passing on the culture and teaching the traditions, songs, and rituals. In all of these things we understand the world around us through the use of symbols. Everything we see or hear has relevance and meaning. Our ancestors lived close to the land and had to know the meaning of these signs and omens as a matter of survival. These symbols were built into our culture and language. Our concept of reality was based upon these symbolic representations of our universe.

To explain this let’s travel back in time about 200 years and meet some native Samoans. They would tell us about the warm ocean water and how it was like a mother to them as it provided for many of their needs of food, clothing and adornment. They would tell about swimming and even surfing in the warm waters. If we told them that water could fall from the sky as small six-sided flakes (snow) they would not believe us, or would think we were insane since they had never experienced snow and it was not a part of their reality. Next we could visit some native Inuit peoples living above the Artic Circle. If we told them that we knew some people who swam and surfed in the warm ocean waters again they would not believe us, or would think we were insane since they had never experienced warm ocean water and it was not a part of their reality. However, they would tell us of the many words they had for snow. They had one word for sleet, another for freezing rain, another for ice, another for ice-flow, another for glacier, another for wet snow, another for dry snow, another for soft fluffy snow, another for hard-packed snow, another for hail, another for big snow flakes, another for small snow flakes, another for blizzard, another for white-out, and so forth. I have been told that some of the Inuit peoples had as many as 100 different words for the various types of snow they knew about as part of their reality. So we must ask why it was so important for the Inuit to understand the many different types of snow. Why was it so deeply ingrained into their culture that they held many ceremonies centered on the many types of frozen water? Why were they so fervent in teaching this to their children? The answer to these questions is easy. Their very survival was based upon these concepts. They had to know when they could go out hunting. It was not safe to go hunting in a blizzard or white-out. It was easier to track animal’s paw prints in soft, fluffy snow that it was in hard-packed snow.

So for both the Samoans and the Inuit these things were important for survival. Their very concept of reality was based upon their observations of the world around them. It is important to understand that spoken language is a symbol. The word snow represents something that is observed in the world. When you say the word for freezing rain to an Inuit, they immediately understand what you are saying and a mental image forms in their mind of that type of frozen water. It could be a warm, sunny summer day and they would still have that image in their mind. For people who do not have a written language, but who rely upon oral traditions, this is even more so true. The spoken language and mental images are both symbols. It goes even further and all of the thoughts, feelings, activities, rituals, songs, art, dreams, stories, dances, teachings, and so forth are imbued with these symbols. Everything about the culture becomes a symbolic representation of their understanding of the world around them, their understanding of reality.

Even their concept of the nature of man, his spirit and the spirit world is based upon these symbols. If I were raised in the Hindu culture and I had a vision, I would have one that was relevant to my culture. It might be a vision about Krishna or Shiva. If I were Muslim it might be about Allah or Muhammad. If I were Jewish it might be about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If I were Christian it might be about Jesus. Therefore, my visions would ALWAYS fit into my culture and my understanding of reality. Another way of saying this is my culture forms the basis from which my visions are created. It would be meaningless for a Hindi to have a vision of Jesus. Their culture would not have provided them the means to either create such a vision nor would they truly be able to understand its relevance. It is quite possible for peoples of different cultures to have identical visions. The elements and symbols of the vision would be different, but the message conveyed by the vision would be identical.

Visions are often very similar to dreams. There are some differences. Visions are always lucid. Lucid Dreaming means dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. This consciousness allows you to guide your dreams. The person’s consciousness is absolutely related to the culture they were raised up in. Therefore, the symbols in the vision are culturally related. In visions (and lucid dreams) everything seems just as real as in normal waking reality. The person having the vision (or lucid dream) can use all of their normal senses in their normal ways. They can see colors, feel objects (and experience pain), hear sounds, taste flavors, and smell odors. Often, these senses seem more vibrant and alive than in normal waking reality. Colors are brighter; sounds are crisper. You can visit people and places and have normal conversations. The elements and symbols of your culture will be a vital part of the vision (or lucid dream). You will be able to clearly remember everything when you wake up.

So how is a vision different that a lucid dream? Visions tell you about events that either happened in the past, or will happen in the present or the future. But that alone is not enough, these events MUST be verified by outside sources – either by other people who have had the same vision or by documented evidence of past events, or by the event actually happening in the present or the future.

All of my visions have been verified in all of these ways. The red-tailed hawk of my vision saved me in my normal reality. I knew that something bad might happen if I did not see him soaring above me, and indeed had a hawk not flown by at that precise moment I would have been killed. Several Wôbanaki elders have verified my Seven Fires Vision. It is the same vision foretold of by the old prophecy and the same vision that Grandfather Commanda had. It is a well-documented fact that our ancestors named fires, using the specific names given in my vision.

That’s all for now.

Walk in Peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Seven Fires - Final Installment

Greetings Relatives,

OK, the actual age of the Seven Fires Prophecy Wampum Belt is unknown, but it is believed to have come into existence around 900CE to 1000 CE, about 492 years before Columbus got lost and was saved by the peoples of this land.

Here is another link that provides a few more insights about the Seven Fires Prophecy.

The belt documents a vision given to the peoples living on the north-east Atlantic Ocean shores of Canada in the area now known as Newfoundland, King Edward’s Island, and Nova Scotia. In the vision those peoples were told that a new people were coming to this land. It said that they would come either as friends or foes. Remember, by this time the Vikings had already visited these areas (for about 300 years from 800 CE to 1100 CE), but had given up attempting to colonize it. The prophecy advised that in the interest of security for our people and our nation, it would be wise if we divided our population into two groups. One would leave and go deep into the interior of this continent and wait until the intentions of the Light Skinned Race were made known. The other would wait and greet the newcomers as brothers and sisters. So the people met in council and made the decision to split into two major groups which later became known as the Anishnabe (or Ojibwa, or Chippewa), and the Wobanaki. The Anishnabe would travel west following the sacred Megis shell, while the Wobanaki agreed to be the ones to remain behind.

Before they split a ceremony was held in which the Eastern Door was closed. The Eastern Door represents the place from which all knowledge, teachings, and wisdom comes from. Once the Eastern Door was closed, all knowledge was spiritually sealed. The people did this to ensure that this knowledge was not lost or destroyed. In a very real sense this knowledge was lost and could not be accessed. According to the prophecy, "At the time of the Seventh Fire, a new people will emerge. They will retrace the footsteps of their ancestors and will try to find those things which have been lost along the way. They will approach the elders in search of guidance. It will not be an easy task but if they are of good heart and pure intentioned they can prevail. Some elders will be sleeping and have nothing to say, others will say nothing out of fear.”

This was a message not only for the Anishnabe people or the Wobanaki people, but directly for the Light Skinned Race and all of the ancestors of the Anishnabe people or the Wobanaki people. This includes all Native American Indians, First Nations, First Peoples, Métis, and all of their descendants.

In 1993 the Eastern Door was re-opened in a sacred ceremony. In a Micmac Indian Nation Message to the UN:

"All the prophecies from the other nations now coincide and complement each other..."

by David Gehue, Spiritual Councilor, Miqmac Nation

“From the Eastern Door we are in the final stages of the shaking of the earth, when the Great Spirit takes the earth in both hands and shakes it violently. Just this year (June, 1993) the opening of the eastern door took place in Cape Spear, Newfoundland, Canada, the furthest eastern point in North America. The circle of the Medicine Wheel is now complete. The Wabanaki People (People of the Light) have joined the circle. We have joined under the following philosophy: "Heal you the self -- you help to heal the family, the family helps to heal the community, the community helps to heal the nation, the nations help to heal the world."

“All the prophecies from the other nations now coincide and complement each other. It is time for us all to stop blaming one another, heal from our wounds, and move forward -- for the survival of the world as we know it is in our hands.”

“We must seek out and absorb the wisdom of our elders and use it for the betterment of others. The Great Spirit left a clear and legible path in eastern North American with petroglyphs and natural monuments. This knowledge is kept under guard by our elders and only entrusted to those native people who abide by the natural laws of the Great Spirit: respect, honesty, sharing, and caring. Without each one of these the others do not exist.”

“It is now time for moms, dads, grandmothers, grandfathers, and children to get involved in the healing of our world. Make it your business, too.”

The New People spoken of by the Seventh Prophet go to the elders and the New People will ask for guidance. But many of the elders will have passed on and many elders will no longer know the ancient ways.

So these New Poeple would retrace their steps to find the treasures that had been left by the trail. The stories that had been lost will be returned to them. They will remember the Original Instructions and find strength in the way of the circle. If the New People will find trust in the way of all things, in the circle, they will no longer need the selfish voice of the ego and they can begin to trust their inner voice. Wisdom will be once again be found in dreams of the night and of the day. The sacred fire will once again be lit.

So now the Eastern Door has been opened. With its opening, wisdom started to again flow throughout this land. It is no coincidence that is about the same time when the people all over this Turtle Island started gaining new insights about ancient knowledge and wisdom and started re-discovering ancient truths. These things started to be taught again.

My visions have been confirmed by numerous sources as being true. My ancestors live within me and are guiding me in the ways of the ancient knowledge.

Well, that’s it for now.

Walk in Peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Seven Fires Prophecy - Part 2

Greetings Relatives,

Here is some more info about the Seven Fires Prophecy:

"At a time when the Anishnabe People were all living in peace and harmony along the shores of the Great Salt Ocean(Atlantic), there came among them seven prophets."

So begins the reading of the Seven Fires Prophecy as woven on a Wampum Belt sacred to the Anishnabe people throughout Turtle Island (North America). Chief William Commanda, the 87 year old spiritual elder of the Algonquin Nation is now the present holder of this belt which is believed to have come into existence circa 1400 CE. The Seven Fires Prophecy is ancient but its message is relevant for today's world and for us, who must bring about a new balance to our lives and to the environment which we need for survival.

The Anishnabe are a family of indigenous peoples who, historically, lived along the eastern coast of North America. Anishnabe is translated as "good person" or "one who came down from the sky." Somewhere in a period of time before 1000 CE. And 1400 CE a great migration of the Anishnabe people took place. This migration saw 10,000 large canoes filled with people head inland following what is now called the Saint Lawrence River toward the Great Lakes.

Today, Anishnabe people still live along the East Coast of the U.S. and Canada, as well as, the shores of the Great Lakes, the Rocky Mountains and even as far south as Mexico. They are called by many names including, Cree, Pequot, Wampanoag, Abenaki, Algonquin, MikmaÌq, Shawnee, Innu and Chippawa. The Anishnabe family is probably the largest of all the indigenous nations living on the North American continent.

Why, then, did a people who lived for many thousands of years decide to leave their homes and travel many thousands of miles to new and unfamiliar lands at a time when, according to Anishnabe traditions, we were living in peace and harmony? The answer lies in the reading of the Seven Fires Prophecy and its implications not only for the Anishnabe people living 1000 years ago but also for us today.

What does the Seven Fires Prophecy say to Anishnabe people and how does that relate to people living in North America in the year 2000? First, the Seven Fires Prophecy is not only addressed to the Indian people of this land, it was meant for people of all colors. It is a warning and at the same time a promise of better things to come if all of us living on Turtle Island can learn to put aside our egos, our cultural and racial bias and come together as a people, one people, for our collective healing and the healing of Mother Earth.

The first three Prophets who came among our people brought a warning. They told us to be aware that a race of people, referred to as the "Light Skinned Race" would be coming to these lands.

They advised the Anishnabe that in the interest of security for our people and our nation, it would be wise if we divided our population into two groups. One would leave and go deep into the interior of this continent and wait until the intentions of the Light Skinned Race were made known. The other would wait and greet the newcomers as brothers and sisters.

These Prophets also told the Anishnabe where they would travel and how they would be guided to their ultimate destination. They told of a sacred Megis shell that would appear and lead the way to a series of islands where their journey would end. The final destination would be at a spot where the "food would grow on water." That area turned out to be the Great Lakes region where "pagwadjanomin" or wild rice grows on water.

For those of us who were to stay and greet the Light Skinned Race the 4th, 5th and 6th Prophets gave these warnings and prophecies.

"If they (Light Skinned Race) come bearing nothing in their hands, you must still be cautious for they may be smiling, but in reality they may be wearing the face of Death. Do not accept them readily but wait and see. You will know them by their actions."

"If they come with the face of Brotherhood, you will become one people. Their knowledge of the material world and your spiritual wisdom will be joined together to create a mighty spiritual nation and you will be joined by two other races, (we believe) Asian and African, to create the mightiest nation of all."

"If, on the other hand, the Light Skinned Race comes wearing the face of Death then a great calamity will befall the people of this land. Great suffering and pain will be visited upon your people. The very cup of Life will almost be overturned."

"You will know which face the Light Skinned Race is wearing when the fish are dying and the water's unfit to drink."

The 6th Prophet warned that the Natural People of this land would be attacked by a Light Skinned Race and that a great period of suffering would ensue. He foretold of a darkness, which would overshadow this land, and the suffering, which would be inflicted on the Anishnabe people, as well as on all indigenous peoples.

At this time the 7th and final Prophet came to the Anishnabe. "He was different from the others and had a strange light in his eyes." He came with a message, not only for the Anishnabe people, but directly for the Light Skinned Race

"At the time of the Seventh Fire, a new people will emerge. They will retrace the footsteps of their ancestors and will try to find those things which have been lost along the way. They will approach the elders in search of guidance. It will not be an easy task but if they are of good heart and pure intentioned they can prevail. Some elders will be sleeping and have nothing to say, others will say nothing out of fear.

The New generation must be fearless in their quest.

The Light Skinned race will be at a crossroads. If they continue down the road of Materialism, it will be their destruction and for all humanity as well. But if the Light Skinned Race chooses to join with the Natural People of this land on the Spiritual path then they will again have the chance to create a nation, the greatest spiritual nation ever to have existed. Two other races will join these two races. Together, they will together light the 8th and final Fire an eternal fire of Peace, Harmony, Brotherhood and Sisterhood."

We believe that the road towards blind materialism, the choice for the majority of humanity and especially the Light Skinned or European/American, created an environment where Nature and Natural People have suffered immensely. In the end, it can only lead to our collective destruction. Our way is above all a Spiritual Path. We are not, nor have we ever, been slaves to the material path. Our strength lies in our native ability to go beyond all that happened to our people in the past 508 years. The joining together of the material knowledge of the west with the spiritual wisdom and values of the Indigenous Peoples of this land is a path of healing and survival for all humanity.

The choice is in our hands.

Reconciliation is the first step in accomplishing our vision as Anishnabe people of a world where the grass is once again green, the waters fit to drink and the air pure. Our people, the Indigenous peoples from the Arctic to Terra Del Fuego, share a common vision to stand united in our hearts for the healing of our pain, as well as the pain that all humanity endures.

We have been through the fires of oppression. We have felt the whip of hate. We have tasted our blood and tears as it ran into the bosom of our sacred Mother, Earth. The history of our two peoples, one Red, one White has been written in blood and suffering. The lands where the Anishnabe lived from "time immemorial" were taken by armed force. Our people were killed. Genocide, incarceration, disease, was and, still is in many parts of this hemisphere, the price to pay for being Indigenous.

We must forgive. There is no option

By forgiving we liberate, not only ourselves, but also our oppressor. By forgiving we open the door to those who desire forgiveness. It is not that we believe we are superior to those people who, because of their fear, blindness and isolation did not see us as we are, their brother and sister, their father and mother, their lover, their friend. Through forgiveness we allow the spirits of our ancestors to accomplish their mission, which began so many centuries ago on these very shores.

We offer our hands to you, America, and ask you once again to come with us along the path where the grass is still green, the air is still pure and fish can still live in the waters.

Megwitch, hagana, Thank you, to all my relations, Tom Dostou, July 11, 2000

Walk in Peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Teachings of the Seven Prophets: The Seven Fires

Greetings Relatives,

Note: The following was asked to be read by Elder William Commanda at the Aboriginal Learning Network Constituency Meeting of Elders, policy makers, and academics on April 16th and 17th, 1997 in Aylner, Quebec.

The source for this story is The Mishomis book : The Voice of the Ojibway by Edward Benton-Banai. Printed in St. Paul, Minn. Published by Indian Country Press, copyright 1979.

Seven prophets came to the Anishinabe. They came at a time when the people were living a full and peaceful life on the North Eastern coast of North America. These prophets left the people with seven predictions of what the future would bring. Each of the prophecies was called a fire and each fire referred to a particular era of time that would come in the future. Thus, the teachings of the seven prophets are now called the "Seven Fires".

The first prophet said to the people, "In the time of the First Fire, the Anishinabe nation will rise up and follow the sacred shell of the Midewiwin Lodge. The Midewiwin Lodge will serve as a rallying point for the people and its traditional ways will be the source of much strength. The Sacred Megis will lead the way to the chosen ground of the Anishinabe. You are to look for a turtle shaped island that is linked to the purification of the earth. You will find such an island at the beginning and end of your journey. There will be seven stopping places along the way. You will know the chosen ground has been reached when you come to a land where food grows on water. If you do not move you will be destroyed."

The second prophet told the people, "You will know the Second Fire because at this time the nation will be camped by a large body of water. In this time the direction of the Sacred Shell will be lost. The Midewiwin will diminish in strength. A boy will be born to point the way back to the traditional ways. He will show the direction to the stepping stones to the future of the Anishinabe people."

The third prophet said to the people, "In the Third Fire the Anishinabe will find the path to their chosen ground, a land in the west to which they must move their families. This will be the land where food grounds on water."

The Fourth Fire was originally given to the people by two prophets. They come as one. They told of the coming of the light skinned race.

One of the prophets said, "You will know the future of out people by the face of the light skinned race wears. If they come wearing the face of brotherhood then there will come a time of wonderful change for generations to come. They will bring new knowledge and articles that can be joined with the knowledge of this country. In this way, two nations will join to make a mighty nation. This new nation will be joined by two more so that four will for the mightiest nation of all. You will know the face of the brotherhood if the light skinned race comes carrying no weapons, if they come bearing only their knowledge and a hand shake."

The other prophet said, "Beware if the light skinned race comes wearing the face of death. You must be careful because the face of brotherhood and the face of death look very much alike. If they come carrying a weapon ... beware. If they come in suffering ... They could fool you. Their hearts may be filled with greed for the riches of this land. If they are indeed your brothers, let them prove it. Do not accept then in total trust. You shall know that the face they wear is one of death if the rivers run with poison and fish become unfit to eat. You shall know them by these many things."

The fifth prophet said, "In the time of the Fifth Fire there will come a time of great struggle that will grip the lives of all native people. At the waring of this Fire there will come among the people one who holds a promise of great joy and salvation. If the people accept this promise of a new way and abandon the old teachings, then the struggle of the Fifth Fire will be will be with the people for many generations. The promise that comes will prove to be a false promise. All those who accept this promise will cause the near destruction of the people."

The prophet of the Sixth Fire said, "In the time of the Sixth Fire it will be evident that the promise of the First Fire cam in in a false way. Those deceived by this promise will take their children aways from the teachings of the Elders. Grandsons and granddaughters will turn against the Elders. In this way the Elders will lose their reason for living ... they will lose their purpose in life. At this time a new sickness will come among the people. The balance of may people will be disturbed. The cup of life will almost become the cup of grief."

At the time of these predictions, many people scoffed at the prophets. They then had medicines to keep away sickness. They were then healthy and happy as a people. These were the people who chose to stay behind in the great migration of the Anishinabe. These people were the first to have contact with the light skinned race. They would suffer most.

When the Fifth Fire came to pass, a great struggle did indeed grip the lives of all native people. The light skinned race launched a military attack on the Indian people throughout the country aimed at taking away their land and their independence as a free and sovereign people. It is now felt that the false promise that came at the end of the Fifth Fire was the materials and riches embodied in the way of life of the light skinned race. Those who abandoned the ancient ways and accepted this new promise were a big factor in causing the near destruction of the native people of this land.

When the Sixth Fire came to be, the words of the prophet rang true as children were taken away from the teachings of the Elders. The boarding school era of "civilizing" Indian children had begun. The Indian language and religion were taken from the children. The people started dying at a early age ... they had lost their will to live and their purpose in living.

In the confusing times of the Sixth Fire, it is said that a group of visionaries came among the Anishinabe. They gathered all the priests of the Midewiwin Lodge. They told the priests of the Midewiwin Way was in danger of being destroyed. They gathered all the sacred bundles. They gathered all the scrolls that recorded the ceremonies. All these things were placed in a hollowed out log from the Ironwood tree. Men were lowered over a cliff by long ropes. They dug a hole in the cliff and buried the log where no one could find it. Thus the teachings of the Elders were hidden out of sight but not out of memory. It is said that when the time came that the Indian people could practice their religion without fear a line boy would dream where the Ironwood log, full of sacred bundles and scrolls, was buried. He would lead his people to the place.

The seventh prophet that came to the people long ago said to be different from the other prophets. He was young and had a strange light in his eyes. He said,

"In the time of the Seventh Fire New People will emerge. They will retrace their steps to find what was left by the trail. Their steps will take them to the Elders who they will ask to guide them on their journey. But many of the Elders will have fallen asleep. They will awaken to this new time with nothing to offer. Some of the Elders will be silent because no one will ask anything of them. The New People will have to be careful in how they approach the Elders. The task of the New People will not be easy.

"If the New People will remain strong in their quest the Water Drum of the Midewiwin Lodge will again sound its voice. There will be a rebirth of the Anishinabe Nation and a rekindling of old flames. The Sacred Fire will again be lit.

"It is this time that the light skinned race will be given a choice between two roads. If they choose the right road, then the Seventh Fire will light the Eighth and final Fire, an eternal fire of peace, love brotherhood and sisterhood. If the light skinned race makes the wrong choice of the roads, then the destruction which they brought with then in coming to this country will come back at them and cause much suffering and death to all the Earth's people."

Traditional Mide people of Ojibway and people from other nations have interpreted the "two roads" that face the light skinned race as the road to technology and the other road to spiritualism. They feel that the road to technology represents a continuation of headlong rush to technological development. This is the road that has led to modern society, to a damaged a seared Earth. Could it be that the road to technology represents a rush to destruction? The road to spirituality respresents the slower path that traditional native people have traveled and are now seeking again. This Earth is not scorched on this trail. The grass is still growing there.

The prophet of the Fourth Fire spoke of a time when "two nations will join to make a mighty nation."

He was speaking of the coming of the light skinned race and the face of brotherhood that the light skinned Brother could be wearing. It is obvious from the history of this country that this was not the face worn by the light skinned race as a whole. That might nation spoken of in the Fourth Fire has never been formed.

If the Natural people of the Earth could just wear the face of brotherhood, we might be able to deliver our society from the road to destruction. Could we make the two roads that today represent two clashing world views come together to form a mighty nation? Could a Nation be formed that is guided by respect for all living things? Are we the people of the Seventh Fire?

Walk in Peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Red-Tailed Hawk and My Seven Fires Vision

Greetings Relatives,

I didn't think much about my heritage when I became an adult, seldom thinking about the medicines Mum taught me or about the Red-Tailed Hawk. In 1972 I moved away from Maine to Isla Vista, California. I got married, moved to Kentucky, had two kids and was divorsed after eight years of marriage. I joined the Navy and got stationed in the Philippines where I met Benny my current wife. Later I got stationed in San Diego and still live there to this day. My Naval job was extremely stressful and I was working 16-18 hours per day, 7 days per week. My son, Alex had just been born when the stress of my job got to me and I suffered a minor heart attack. I didn't want to leave him fatherless so I got out of the Navy after twelve years. I found a job in the local computer industry and remembered the promise I had made to Mum 40 years earlier, that I would pass on my knowledge of my Indian heritage, and the medicine plants, to my children. I started going to a sweat lodge held by a man named Jonathan in an area of San Diego called Madre Grande. I became his fire keeper and started learning the sacred medicine songs and sweat lodge ceremony.

In July of 1997, at 1:00 in the morning, I awoke from a very lucid dream. In this particular dream I was guided by a Red-tailed hawk to an elder's fire. He was wearing very unusual ceremonial regalia, which I later learned was traditional Mi'kmaq Peaked Cap regalia. This elder told me that in his time everything had a name. He explained that even fires had names. I then was presented with a list of native words. I did not know what language - it is possible that it was one of the Wôbanaki (Abenaki, Mi'kmaq, Maliseet or some other related tribe) as that is my heritage. Next to the native words was their English translation.

Here is the list:

Honor
Respect
Honesty
Sharing
Balance
Love
Peace
Family

The elder went on and gave me a directive. At my next Sweat Lodge Ceremony I was supposed to select a name for our fire - and that I would know which name to select when the time came.

That was the end of the dream and when I woke up. I remembered what Mum had told me that whenever I dreamed of, or saw, a Red-Tailed Hawk I should pay very close attention as it was trying to tell me something quite important. So I knew this dream was extremely important and decided to investigate it.

I contacted my friend Carmen. I had not associated my dream with the Seven Fires Prophecy until she reminded me of it. But she also pointed out that there were 8 names in my list, not 7 as in the Seven Fires Prophecy. After searching the Internet, I found an article written in NATIVE-L which does mention the eighth fire. (I will tell you about the Seven Fires Vision in a later post).

Another friend, Bernadette deGonzogue, provided the following information:

"I have here the translation for the eight fires you speak of. My knowledge of the seven fires is about the prophets who led us to the present. The eighth fire will burn again when all men live in peace and brotherhood, and there is a rekindling the old flames of the previous seven fires (Compassion, Honesty, Humility, Wisdom, Health, Respect, Truth and Unconditional love)."

Here are the Abenaki translations that Bernadette found:

Honor-??
Respect - Kwsilawiodw8gan
Honesty - s8bamtkojimziwni
(to) share - waji chajabnigamek
balance - Imobaghigan
Love - Kza8zsow8gan
Peace - s8gnawsad8wadw8gan
Family - nguejigamigzo

The following information was note added 3 years later when I was gifted some other translations of the words thanks to Elie Joubert:

Honor = Kwisilawihodwôgan = The act of giving someone reverence
Sharing = Chajabnigawôgan = The act of separating, dividing, and giving up something
To share = Chajabnigamek = To separate, divide, and give up something
Balance = Wlidbôbata = It is good, not more than the other
Peace = Sôgnowsidôwadwôgan = The act of wishing a calmness for all
Peace = Sôgnawôwzowôgan = The act of those living in tranquility
Family = Lakamigwzoak = They are all of one nature
Compassion = Kedmôgidaômwawôgan = the act of expressing mercy to others
Understanding = Wawidahômwawôgan = the act of expressing comprehension to others
Unconditional Love = Kzalmômek ônda tebakweniganal = to love someone without boundaries
Respect = Kwsilawakamigzowôgan = the act of expressing respect to others
Honesty = Zôbaskidôbawôgan = the act of being a true man
Humility = Piwihozwôgan = the act of making self small
Community = Môwkawôgan = the act of working together as a common group
Fairness = Ntôwnamenawôgan = the act of judging others well
Forgiveness = Anhaldamawôgan = the act of pardoning/absolving others

Well, I told the sweat leader of my dream and he told me to think on it as I had been instructed. We scheduled the Fire Naming for the sweat ceremony that was to be held on Sunday Sept. 28th, a week after the Fall Equinox. I still had not been given what name to use until the day before the ceremony. On that Saturday before our sweat ceremony, I received a piece of e-mail that was an invitation to the Meeting of Elders Gathering and Prayer Vigil that was being held in Washington, D.C. It was to start on Saturday Sept. 27th and last until Sunday the 28th. The e-mail informed me that the leader of the ceremony was Grandfather William Commanda, the holder of the Sacred Seven Fires Wampum Belt, and that he had been lead in vision to discuss the Seven Fires Prophecy and to ceremonially light the Eighth Sacred fire during the Vigil - the fire of the brotherhood of all peoples of all colors - the entire family of the human race.

Well, it was pretty clear that spirit was leading me to name our sacred sweat fire for the word that I was given that meant Family - Nguejigamigzo. We had a very nice ceremony before the sweat, and just talked of the meaning of fire and how it is a means of purification. We talked how our ancestors used fire to burn off the old fields to prepare them for the new crops of the next year.

Jonathan, our sweat leader, told me that my dream was not only for the purpose of learning about the fire-naming, but it also was a personal message to me that I was going to go through a sort of personal purification. Yep, he was right, but that is another story.

By the way, you can find out more about the Prayer Vigil by clicking this link:

Prayer Vigil

As a side note, another friend, Steps In It, has validated my vision that our Abenaki ancestors did indeed name their ceremonial fires with names such as the ones given in my vision. For example, if an argument had occurred in the community resulting in hurt feelings, they would light a fire of anhaldamawôgan = the act of pardoning/absolving others. All that attended the ceremony would know that the "theme" of the evening would be one of pardoning and absolving others.

I was able to contact Grandfather William Commanda through one of his aides and he confirmed that my dream carried the same message as his vision.

That's it for now.
Walk in Peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Red-Tailed Hawk

Greetings Relatives,

Like I said, we were at St. Charles for about 2.5 years. Mum got better and was able to take us out and care for us again. We moved to Sanford, Maine. When she brought us home I told her that I had been having dreams about the Red-Tailed Hawk. She told me that the Red-Tailed Hawk was my spirit protector that I should always pay very close attention whenever it visited me as it was trying to give me an important message.

She continued taking me out on nature and plant identification hikes to the small woods. Whenever we went we would both look for the Red-Tailed Hawk, and it never failed that one of us would spot one. Whenever I saw one I felt safe and secure – that it was watching out for my safety. Mum always reminded me to pay attention to the Hawk and that to our ancestors it was a sign of strength. Many Indians understand that the Eagle is a spiritual messenger that carries our prayers to Great Spirit. Mum told me this, but then she would add that the Hawk carried messages back from Great Spirit to us.

My friends and I used to go bike riding on the back roads around Sanford. There were about six of us and we liked to go riding on new roads, often dirt, as often as possible. I would always look up into the sky before the ride to see if my friend, the Hawk, was soaring above. On this one particular day, I could not spot one so I was quite uneasy. I told my friends I didn’t think we should go riding on this particular road. They asked me why and I explained that my I could not spot my spirit guide, the Hawk, soaring above and that I didn’t feel comfortable – that it may not be safe. They all started laughing at me, making fun of me and saying I was a superstitious Indian. Even though I was still uncomfortable, I didn’t like my friends making fun of me so I told them that I would go. So off we went. This was a dirt road that we had spotted near Sand Beach which was about half way to Wells Beach. None of us had ever been on it before, but it looked like a good road as it was twisty, bumpy and had some good uphill climbs. We especially liked these kinds of roads as they often had the types of hills we could ride really fast on and we could feel butterflies in our stomachs as we rode over the top of a crest.

We were all laughing and joking (still making fun of me and my spirit guide). I was second in the pack and we were going up a steep hill really fast. We could see the crest a short distance away so we all really started pedaling as hard and fast as we could anticipating the thrill of going back downhill. My friend Gregory was leading us. He was a short distance ahead of me, and he was first to reach the top of the hill. As he was about to go over the top when from out of nowhere a Red-Tailed Hawk shot out in front of him, wings and talons outstretched and let out an ear-piercing screech. Gregory was so shocked that he immediately fell to the ground. I hit his bike and also fell down, and everyone else crashed into us and also fell down. When we got up we looked at the road ahead of us. About 5 feet in front of Gregory was a 70 foot drop-off! The road we had chosen to ride on was a mining road. Had the Hawk not frightened us we would have all gone over the edge. My friends all looked at me and then looked at the Hawk as it soared away, then they looked back at me. We were all dumb-founded, realizing that the Hawk, my spirit guide, had saved all of our lives. They all apologized for making fun of me. From that day forward whenever we went bike-riding, we would all look for the Hawk and if we didn’t spot it we wouldn’t go. I would always remember Mum’s words that whenever I saw a Hawk (or in this case – didn’t see one) I should pay particular attention as it was trying to tell me an important message.

Years later, I found out that Hawks need to hunt in areas that have not had the ecosystem destroyed. The strip mine had done exactly that and this was the reason I had not initially seen any Hawks soaring above the area. However, this does not explain why that one Hawk that frightened us was in the area. The only explanation I have for this is that the Hawk was watching out for, and protecting me.

To this day I think of Hawk as a friend, brother, teacher, companion, guide, mentor, and Manitou.

Until next time, walk in peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Join the Sweat Lodge Discussion List

Greetings Relatives,

I have created a discussion list for this blog. You can subscribe to it by going to the following website and clicking the "Join this group" link:

Sweat Lodge Discussion List

Walk in Peace

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Off to the Orphanage

Greetings Relatives,

So Mum decided to put us kids in St. Charles Catholic Orphanage in Rochester, New Hampshire while she was sick. We stayed there about 2.5 years (1957-1959). My sister was put into the building for girls and my brother was put on a different floor of the boy’s dorm. I never really got to see either of them very much.

Now, you have to think about this for a little while. I was a five year old kid. My dad had died a couple years earlier, we had moved away from the only relatives I knew in Oregon, our relatives in New England were either unable or unwilling to care for us, Mum was sick and gone, and I had been placed in a prison-like facility separated from my brother and sister. To make matters worse it was run by very strict, abusive, and vindictive nuns.

We went to school; I was in Kindergarten at the time. One day my teacher, a Catholic nun, was talking about the American Indians. She was saying they were murderous, heathen savages. I raised my hand and told her, “That’s not what my mother taught me – she says they were nice people who were only trying to protect their families.” Well she came over with her ruler and proceeded to hit my hand with the metal edge. I was bleeding profusely from the many wounds she inflicted upon me. I bit her as hard as I could and ran away, having to jump the fence in the process. I ran several blocks away when a police picked me up. I remember begging him not to take me back to the orphanage – showing him my bloody hands and blood-soaked shirt. This was back in the 1950s when there was no real child protective service. I’m sure the policeman had no idea what to do with me, so he took me back to the orphanage.

This same sequence of events happened numerous times. I was beaten each time I corrected the nuns as to the true nature of my Indian ancestors. But I always stood my ground even knowing I was going to be beaten. To this day, 46 years later, I can still look at the scars on my hands and remember the abuse inflicted upon me - just because I was an Indian.

It was at this time that I had my first vision. In my vision a Red-Tailed Hawk visited me. It represented a symbol of strength and protection and gave me the ability to survive this horrible experience. It visited me several times while I was at the orphanage. I honestly believe if the Hawk had not come to me I would not have survived this time of my life, or if I did I would have been really messed-up emotionally without that strength he gave me.

Well, that’s the end of this installment.

Walk in Peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Anishnawbe Health Toronto - Native Teachings - Sweat Lodge

Greetings Relatives,

Before I go on with my story, I would like to tell you a little about the sweat lodge ceremony itself. But rather than re-write what others have already done, I will provide you with a link to the Anishnawbe Health about the Sweat Lodge Ceremony.

Anishnawbe Health Toronto - Native Teachings - Sweat Lodge

Walk in Peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

A Little About Myself

Greetings Relatives,

I would like to tell you a little about myself as a matter of introduction and so that you may better understand my reasons for opening up a sweat lodge.

My Dad died before I was three. We (my mother, brother, and sister) were living in Oregon at the time near my father's relatives. When he died, my mother was extremely depressed and decided to move us back to Maine where her relatives lived. My brother and sister were older than I and they started attending school, while I was home with my Mum. She did not work preferring to be with us kids to raise us. We were poor growing up, surviving on my Dad's VA pension and Social Security.

Mum used to take me out every day to a nearby wood that we called the Small Woods. She knew all the plants, both medicine and food. She taught me how our native ancestors used them. She knew how to identify them, pick them, prepare them, and use them. It was amazing how many plants she knew. She continued these teachings for a couple of years before I was old enough to go to school. I guess today she would be called a Medicine Woman.

She also taught me about our native ancestors. She taught me that they loved the land as though it were their mother. She told me I was an Indian and that I should always be proud of that fact. She also said I was Canuck and that I was Métis. In her mind, all three of these terms meant exactly the same thing. She said I should not listen to those people who said the Indians were godless, heathen, and murderous savages. She taught me that our Indian ancestors loved their families, their women, their children, and their homelands and were only protecting those things when they went to war. She said that her father had taught her these things in the same way she was teaching me. Her father had asked her to make him a promise that she would pass down this knowledge to her children just as it was passed down to him. My mother asked me to make the same promise to her – that I would pass on this knowledge and her teachings of the medicines to my children.

When I had just turned five, Mum started to suffer from severe depression. She was unable to care for us kids and none of her relatives was able to care for us either. The VA Hospital in Augusta hospitalized her, and she arranged for us kids to be sent to St. Joseph’s Orphanage.

In the next installation, I will tell you about my time in the orphanage.

‘Till then, walk in Peace,
Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller

Opening a New Lodge

Hello everyone,

About 10 years ago I had a vision to open a sweat lodge. While I knew I was Indian (Wobanaki Metis), I was not really following that spiritual path at that time.

I will tell you more about my vision in future blogs.

Steve

Copyright © 1995-2008 Stephen L. Miller