I am a 100% disabled veteran "Warrior" Leech Lake Pillager Shinob.
I see our country is in turmoil and some people cannot see it going
on. Weather storms caused from the timber industry clearcutting, crime,
polluted air, greed, no respect, racism, dishonesty, cheating on our own
people, etc. We are seven years in debt or longer here in the U.S.A. And
our Leech Lake rez is in the same shoes as our country.
The traditional way of our people, "our Native Americans" was to
be governed by our elders; some people would say wise men and wise women.
They used spirituality in their gathering ceremonies, all different
kinds of ceremonies and tribal meetings. They used the peace pipe at all
these meeting places on their reservations and at their tribal meeting
place. To purify themselves with good intentions for their people at these
council meetings. And each tribal councilman asked for guidance from the
Creator as each passed the pipe to one another in the circle of the tribal
meeting The four elements were used by the spiritual man, medicine man at
these gatherings.
They used to call these tribal meetings sau-ga-sway-e-ding.
Pipe and tobacco offerings to the Creator before meetings. As the pipe
was passed around in the circle in a spiritual way as offerings to the
Creator. And that pipe meant a lot to them in making them role models for
their people. And they sang and danced in harmony after their tribal
meetings. They served their people well.
We live on the Rez and let this be our way of life. Today we don't
see this kind of spirituality at meetings. Everything is held in secret,
which is wrong for our people.
Let us go back to our traditional ways by using and saying
sau-ge-sway-e-ding. The pipe and tobacco ceremonies at the tribal
gatherings. Asking the creator to guide us as the elders did long ago at
our tribal meetings. I say 'our' because they looked ahead for their
future grandchildren. Let us make it this way for our children's children.
Let us build for them in our forgotten spiritual traditional way of life.
This is the kind of life we need in our tribal government; the L.L. Rez
Leadership --- role models with Spiritual honesty. Caring and sharing is
what we need. For instance, the potlatch of the northwest coastal chiefs.
It is a giveaway celebration from the head chief. Giving away his wealth,
everything he has, to his people. As our ancestors have said, long ago:
What you give away you will always receive back in a good way.
Sau-ge-sway-e-ding traditional versus R.T.C. Meeting the non-traditional
way.
I see boo-coun-nah-shay-nob-bey, wan-nah-bees, and red apples
running for office and in leadership positions.
Sobriety was our traditional way of life before the white man came
here. Whiskey, alcohol was used to buy off native land, furs, etc. from
the time the white man walked unto our shores until even today. There are
recent alcohol, martini lunches, and parties on our reservations at
meetings of the tribal council. This is why there was going to be a
bar/lounge within our sacred grounds of the Veterans Memorial Grounds.
There is now mention of a golf course on our rez. Do our elders play golf
? Or do our young children play golf ? We do not get anything per capita
from the Casinos. So, we would not get anything from the hotel or golf
course. We don't benefit. And the enrolled members would lose out again.
This is because the boo-coun-nah-shay-nob-bey, wan-nah-bees, red apples do
not look into the future of our grandchildren, and great grandchildren the
way our ancestors did. We need to go backward to where we started to
advance forward too fast, back to where we left our traditional way behind
and take it back up again.
I wanted to get the First Nations for Sobriety started here on the
rez, some people in the C.D. program said it was too spiritual. Read the
12 steps -- how many times is god used in the Serenity Prayer ?
They said it was hurting the white man's image and offending them
(the white people) by using "First Nations for Sobriety." So they
changed the name of "First Nations for Sobriety" to "Sober Eagles." I
never heard of a drunken eagle or ever saw one. Never! First Nations
were sober nations until the white man came. I say we do not need
boo-coun-nah-shay-nob-bey, wan-nah-bees, red apples for leadership or as
role models. This is why our rez is like it is today. Greed has traveled
from the time of the the white man landing and it is here now. We need a
new Rez Constitution, new role models. Our rez is deep in debt like the
U.S.A. It's going to take time to straighten our rez money problems out.
Some are already making promises for higher wages, $7.00, etc. The rez had
to get money somewhere else to pay some employees. So why should some
people make promises when there's no money.
Long ago when someone did something wrong in an Indian village,
like taking someone's wife. They were outcaste for good. That is how
strict it was and governed by our elders, ancestors. We had strong
traditional ways. And we should have them now at this time of crisis.
Our veterans are not respected or honored. There are homeless
veterans on this rez. Direct Home Loans from the Veteran's Administration
have been at a standstill between the tribe, Rez and the V.A. for over a
year. The M.O.U. (Memorandum of Understanding ) between the tribe and the
V.A has been sitting at the Housing Office for over a year gathering dust
and cobwebs, waiting for presentation to the V.A. Maybe they are still
trying to figure out on how they are going to beat the veterans out of
monies. They have been working on this for about 3 1/2 years.
As I said before, there's talk of a golf course. A luxury item for
the able bodied well-off. Not for our elders, our veterans, and young
children. And I bet, there will be a bar or lounge there also. Our
leaders do not realize there is a high rate of F.A.S. and F.A.E. (fetal
alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effect) on our reservation.
Our future depends on these young ones as our positive role models.
The health of our elders and children should come first instead of our
leaders' luxuries. Like the luxuries they have already bought in the
past.
I've heard a lot about Indian Time in the past. That tradition is
lost. People make fun of it today. I've heard there will be more pow wows
if some certain people get into tribal offices. Pow wows (gathering of the
people to celebrate) were traditional in our cultural way before the
chi-moo-ki-ma-nug came here. Spirituality was our way of life way before
the white man set their foot on our Turtle Island. Sobriety was our
traditional life before the white man came here. We have sobriety at pow
wows; unity with each other and healing with togetherness. It is a
reminder of who we are and not to forget who we are. Some of us have
forgotten this and forgotten who we really are. We never knew what greed
was. We never cheated our own people. We only cared and shared for one
another.
I was baptized in the Catholic religion. That was all right until
into my elder years. I thought a lot about the religions. My god, my
Creator hasn't changed. I believe strongly in my spirituality. I thought
back how Christianity tried to change my life when I was young. Our hair
was cut, we were punished when we spoke our language. They said we
worshiped the devil when we talked in our Ojibwe language. In our
tradition, our culture, our spirituality; the braid meant "the three
strands of life" -- mind, body, and spirit. That was our spiritual
reminder when we wore those braids and now today we have begun to remember
the old ways when wearing braids. To this day, Christianity is being
taught in the Chiapas region of Mexico in the same way they taught us
native people long ago. I know the meaning of the Indian Prayer songs and
they are good words. But the Indian way is a good way. The white man has
never broken our spirit in the past 500 years. We had good leadership
before the white man came.
We need to stress the education for our children, so that we could
have our own self government. We don't need white people in our offices
running things.
Greed. It's here. We are having problems over it, to this day.
Greed doesn't work here, it was brought here when the first Europeans first
stepped on our shores. And some of the education is used the
boo-coun-nah-shay-nob-bey bureaucratic way.
As I said before, our people were outcaste if anyone done wrong to
their people in the villages or their band. Veterans with bad discharges,
ex-convicts, alcohol and drug users should not hold office . They are bad
role models for our people, youngsters, elders, etc. This should be put in
our tribal constitution. Greed does not fit in. It is foreign to the
traditional way of our people.
"Where as, hereas, etc. proclamations" came from the white man when
they started making rules and started to take our land away! That
bureaucratic way is being used today on our rez.
Let us return our way, as our ancestors governed, to our own ways.
Let us be she-nob-bey again. It was a good life long ago.
Me gwetch
Bernard J. Rock, Sr.
RR 2 Box 268E
Cass Lake, Minnesota 56633
Leech Lake Pillager Band
email: eaglerok@northernnet.com
feather eaglerock, leech lake rez
english is a foreign language. reclaim the language of your people and
send it to the future as your gift to your grandchildren's grandchildren.
di-ka-ne'-tsv a'-qua-tse'-li ha-htv-gi, wa-do' do-da-da-go'-hv