September 2006

Hau kola na tiyospaye (Hello friends & extended family),

Welcome to all new Circle members! Each section of the Circle of Nations newsletter is written 'facing' one of the four sacred winds, beginning with the east, then the south, west and finally the north. This is to honor the old ways. It is to teach and to help us to focus and find the center. I have designed the Native Circle website in the same spirit. I welcome you all to the Circle....

EAST - Wiyohinyanpata - Yellow (Four Winds)
Calling forth the Crocodile Hunter in us all....
Life is like eating an orange.... In order to fully taste and experience its sweetness one must tear into it with the excitement of a child not burdened by getting ‘messy.’ Steve Irwin, the ‘Crocodile Hunter’ and ‘Wildlife Warrior’ did just so. He dove into life with wonder and fascination, always filled with passion for it. Whether it was wrestling a Crocodile to save it from poachers, or loving his wife and kids, he did it with zest, vigor and a smile. Steve was not afraid to get messy, or even to make a mistake or two. You see, mistakes and dirt and getting messy are part of life, and ironically, they are often part of a life well lived. The Crocodile Hunter was not afraid to tear into the orange. He was not afraid to get his hands all sticky with the sweetness of life. In fact, he savored that sticky, sweet nectar called living, even hungered for it. Orange after orange, Steve Irwin peeled away the bitter skin of pessimism and negativity and revealed a world rich with beauty, diversity and thrilling adventure. He did so in a way that was fun, loving and inclusive. Steve was a lover. He loved life. He loved his wife and his kids and his mom and his dad. He loved all of nature’s creatures and wanted humanity to see what he saw when he looked at them and feel what he felt when he connected with them. He wanted nothing more than for people to understand the natural world better, and to join him in celebrating it, respecting it and protecting it. Steve was a good guy and an amazing human being. He was someone you could laugh with and love, even from a distance. He did not shy away from living, but embraced it in all its wonder and mystery as it unfolded before him. And the world leaned forward to watch, listen to and learn from him, perhaps because deep inside, there is a little Crocodile Hunter in us all. As surely as birth and death are part of the cycle of life, so is finding the courage to get in there and peel that orange and get those hands sticky. Call forth that Crocodile Hunter in you and explore your world, reach for the stars and touch the earth. Allow yourself to believe in the possibilities and watch as ‘obstacles’ transform themselves into ‘opportunities.’ Peel the fear and negativity away from the sweet fruit of life and taste that sweet nectar of living. Seize the day, for the day may be all you have....

Not long ago I saw a movie called The World’s Fastest Indian. My first reaction to the title was that somebody made a movie about Billy Mills, the Lakota runner who won the gold medal at the Olympics in 1964. As it turns out, the movie was about a tough old bird from New Zealand named Burt Munro who owned a 1920's Indian motorcycle. Burt lived for speed, and spent his life working on that one motorcycle, always trying to figure out ways to make it go faster. To this day, he still holds the record for the fastest motorcycle under 1000 cc - just over 200mph - achieved at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The man lived in his garage and slept there near the motorcycle he so dearly loved. He built all his own parts for the bike, even casting his own pistons and shaving the street tread off the tires by hand with a pocket knife to convert them to racing slicks. He was the classic example of ‘old school’, as he did everything himself and built his motorcycle into the speed machine it became with his own hands. Burt Munro was passionate about life and was not afraid to experience it. He was 63 years old when he made his first voyage to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. He had very limited funds and a motorcycle he had machined and built with his own parts and engineering in his garage, yet he was determined to see just how fast it could go. Against amazing odds, Burt not only made it to the Flats, he and his beloved Indian motorcycle silenced the snickers of all those who did not take him seriously at the Bonneville Salt Flats when they witnessed how fast he and his bike could go. Five years later, at age 67, he broke the 200mph barrier at Bonneville, and he still holds the record for the fastest official speed ever recorded on an Indian motorcycle. Burt was, in many ways, a lot like Steve Irwin. He once said that he felt more alive in 6 seconds on his motorcycle at 200 miles an hour than most people felt their whole lifetime. He was always quick with a smile, and he took himself very lightly. He jumped into life much the same way he jumped onto his motorcycle, and took it full throttle getting as much out of it as he could. He didn’t care if his garage or his hair was messy or his hands were dirty and greasy. Dirt was part of Burt’s life, as it was part of Steve Irwin’s, and it is part of all our lives. Life is never perfectly spotless and figured out. On the contrary, much of life is wonderfully beyond our illusion of control. Steve and Burt understood this on a primal level, and they embraced it as much as they embraced their passion for living in a world without barriers and rich with possibility. So whether you are peeling an orange, saving Crocodiles or building the world’s fastest Indian.... Do it with wonder, fascination and passion. Dare to dream! Reach for the stars! Who knows, you might land on the moon....


SOUTH - Itokagata - Red (Red Earth)
A word from Peggy....

Hello friends
I think the month of September is just wonderful!! I love the fact that the air is still warm but not blistering, that the leaves are slowly surrendering to the season and the colors are only slightly changing and yet some are vibrant reds and oranges. September is magic to me. It is the month I married John, it is the month of both John's and my birthday, the month of the birth of two daughters and two grandsons. September is the month that says summer is over and winter is near. This year it is particularly meaningful to me, because I can see the changes in my life and I am ready to surrender. Holding on to control is an illusion and can cause us much physical and emotional pain. Let go, it's ok to not be in control. Better to just be!
Life is going to disappoint us, it is going to cause us pain, we cannot control that ..... the only answer we have is ok... next. The pain, the joy, the hunger, the fullness, the waiting, the unknown, the anger, the love, the fear, the freedom.... it is all part of life... it is all part of you and of me. It is ok..... so just let go!

News..... Mending Medicine Retreat, right around the corner. If you are supposed to be here then let us know.
Wow, do you all love the Lakota Calendar, I am so glad!
Hopefully by next month’s newsletter the "Come to the Fire" book and brand-new John Two-Hawks CD will be ready for print and duplication. We are totally excited by both of these new products. John has been working all summer on the writing and on the music!

Blessings my friends,
Peace,
Peggy
Red Earth


WEST - Wiyohpeyata - Black or Blue (We are STILL Here!)
Mato Paha, Bear Butte, is as sacred a place to Indigenous people and many others as any other holy shrine or place of spiritual pilgrimage and has been for thousands of years. There are plans to build a biker’s bar and nightclub near the foot of this ancient sacred place. We have many good friends who are bikers, and we are not in any way ‘anti-biker.’ Suffice it to say that Mato Paha is holy land for Native people and many non-Natives as well, and the intent is to keep it from being desecrated, disturbed and destroyed. If you are interested in helping, you can visit: www.defendbearbutte.org


NORTH - Waziyata - White (Words of Wisdom)
Some streams of consciousness....

‘Obstacle’ or ‘Opportunity’ is in the eye of the beholder

Not every question has an answer

Mystery is that which keeps human beings humble

Knowledge is saying I know.... wisdom is saying I don’t


May Wakantanka encircle you and yours with faith to believe, hope for the future, and love for all....

As always, in the spirit of mending the sacred hoop of the nations of the world
Your Oglala Lakota friend and brother,
John Two-Hawks
http://www.nativecircle.com
http://www.johntwohawks.com
Reprinting of this Circle of Nations newsletter is encouraged! All I ask is that it be printed in its entirety, with no changes, and that I be given proper credit, unless I have otherwise okayed it. Wopila (great thanks)!

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Found here 27 Feb 2008 with no formatting or links. I made some educated guesses.