February 2009

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)
The door to my Lakota lodge is open. Please come in and have a seat. Warm yourself by the fire that burns before the sacred altar. Feel the earth beneath you. Stop thinking. Just be. You are made of the sacred four and the sacred seven. You are earth, wind, fire and water. You are sun and moon and spirit. From the Great Mystery you come. From the Great Mystery you shall return. The great circle, a journey, a sacred path where wisdom lives. Join me here in this lodge at the sacred fire. Encircling you are the stories of a life, of a people, of a holy way. A way that was, is, and will always be. Nothing can shake it loose. For it is like the sacred four - earth, wind, fire and water - always shifting, swirling, twisting and flowing, remaining constant even in its constant changing. Time comes and goes, and comes again. Empires built high and mighty upon the shifting sands of arrogance and greed fall, rise and fall again. Through it all, the holy way remains. Wakantanka, Spirit, Great Mystery, Creator, omnipresent and omnipotent. I welcome you to my lodge. I am Oglala Lakota, Ikce Wicasa, a man of the earth. My voice comes from this place, from these people, from this ancient way. Look into the fire. Around the world many fires are raging. And where they burn there is destruction and change. Just 125 years ago the fires raged throughout the Lakota world. A great destruction had come, and with it, a great change. There is one tenet of this life which is constant, and that is change. This we Lakota have always known. Nothing ever stays the same. All things transform. This is the way of it. So now where there once was forest, there are cities. And where there once were prairies and buffalo, there are now fences and cows. And where there once were trails, there are now expressways. And yet, where once only a dozen or so could share time and space in a Lakota lodge, there is now time and space for thousands. Yes, change has come, and will always come. And with it there is loss, pain, suffering and struggle. But in these hardships there is also rebirth, healing, renewal and resolve. All things in this life speak of this truth. Such is the wisdom of the holy way which remains, waiting in the silent places, the forgotten forests and the lonely prairies, hidden just beneath the surface of concrete cities and asphalt highways, whispering in the winds, beckoning us to return to the sacred altar, to touch the earth, feel the fire, breathe the air and drink the water, to feel the sun, moon, and spirit and know that to which we belong. This is the choice before us in this life. To know pain, and choose healing. To know fear, and choose courage. To know despair, and choose hope. To know uncertainty, and choose faith. To know greed, and choose sacrifice. To know power, and choose weakness. To know brutality, and choose gentleness. To know arrogance, and choose humility. To know unforgiveness, and choose grace. To know war, and choose peace. To know death, and choose life. And to know hate, and choose love. This is the holy way, and it has guided the Lakota from ancient times to the present, and will guide us into the future. It exists in all our stories, our ceremonies and traditions. It is in the paintings on my lodge, and the voice of every flute. And yet it is not only the Lakota way, it is the human way. These ancient sacred truths are for all who seek them with humility and respect. Humility and respect is the key, and all who seek in this way will find. So seek the holy way, for no matter where you are in the world, there is earth, wind, fire, water, sun, moon and spirit. And in your humble seeking, may you find your journey of change blessed with the fruits of faith, hope, courage, peace, sacrifice and love....



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

Hello friends:

Well it seems to be happening all over the globe. Mother Earth is saying hello in a big way.
We were hit with the worst ice storm in ages here in North West Arkansas. We were 10 days without electricity and the first three days we couldn’t get out at all. With no water and heat, I must admit it was not too comfortable. I was glad however that the power didn’t go out until I had made my morning coffee on Tues. There were many blessings, John and I talked a lot and we had an opportunity to read. When we finally got out, we got to spend 6 days in a hotel close to our family. Perspective is a great gift. A warm room and a toilet that flushed was pure heaven.
We quickly slip back into comfort mode. I now have a warm house, computer I can create with,
music to listen to and all the comforts of home with the possibility of warm, home cooked meals,
and I still find reason to fret and whine. (what is that all about anyway!!)
Memory is a great gift. Suddenly I am quite content when I remember the house being 39 degrees last week.
Given up on the economy yet? Good…. because what is real are the ties that bind you to your family and friends, your inner peace, to Spirit, to Creator, to your inner self and to Mother Earth. These connections are what is lasting and true.
Hope is a great gift. Let’s give it to those we encounter today.
Return to your inner child, go out and play and continue to strive to be in this moment.
That is what I hope for us all.

Now some business:

We are in need of some Road Warriors in the Four Corners area of Colorado.
Durango, Cortez or anywhere close. We are opening up a Mending Medicine Retreat at an amazing place called The Sophia Peace Center. The Retreat will take place on August 14th-16th with a concert on the 15th. We need people in that area to get out the information. Put up flyers and posters and get the word out. Road Warriors will receive free tickets to the concert and an opportunity to meet John Two-Hawks. If you are from that area in Utah, New Mexico, Arizona or Colorado, please e-mail us and let us know if you are interested in attending the concert, retreat or working with our team as a Road Warrior!

The 2009 Schedule is now up. We are still taking bookings for events, so keep checking back!

The new JTH Signature Series Woodpecker Flute is now Officially released, and will ship when ordered. Only 28 of these exclusive traditional Lakota style flutes will ever be made, so don’t wait because they are going fast. The new Winds Songs CD will be available online for Pre-Release around the end of March, so keep your eye out. This will be John’s 17th CD!

If you are planning on attending any of the Circle of Nations Retreats this year please get your registrations in so we can make plans.

Peace,
Peggy
Red Earth of Native Circle
The Official JTH Website
The Official Badlanders Site


WEST - Wiyohpeyata - Black or Blue (We are STILL Here!)
Are you a ‘wanna-be’ connected?
Over the years, I have had many good people tell me they were ‘part Indian’. Often, I will gently tease with my response, by asking them ‘which part is it’? Is it your nose? Is it your left ear? I tease because I find it sad that people diminish their Indian ancestors this way. Do you have grandchildren? If so, do you consider them only one-quarter of you? Or do you consider them 100% your grandchildren? The answer is obvious. But for reasons I won’t go into here, this answer becomes less obvious when American Indian blood is considered. I want to make a bold statement here. There is a big difference between a non-Native person with Indian blood, and an Indian with non-Native blood. The difference lies in two primary factors - self identification and cultural/community involvement. To put it simply, an Indian person with non-Native blood identifies themself completely as American Indian, and is an involved member of the Indian community. Whereas a non-Native person with Indian blood identifies themself as a non-Native or ‘part Indian’ and is not an involved member of the Indian community. This is an oversimplification for certain, but you get the idea. And yet, I meet people all the time who grew up ‘non-Native’, but feel an increasingly strong connection to their Native heritage and wish to reconnect. Is it possible for these people to make a complete, authentic transition from one cultural/ethnic identity to the other? Well, I can tell you that it is indeed possible, because I have witnessed it with at least one friend who made such a transition. Let me be clear, it is not for the faint of heart, or the ‘faker.’ To make such a cultural transition requires a great deal of authentic humility, a very thick skin and a deep desire to learn. As well, a willingness to immerse oneself in the culture and community of one’s Native background (if known) is paramount. To put it flatly, I am not talking about ‘playing Indian’ here. I am speaking of a real, deeply meaningful, respectful and authentic journey of reconnecting with your Indian heritage. So, having said that, are you a ‘wanna-be’ connected? Do you feel the call of your Indian ancestors? If so, do the research. Ask the questions. Find and learn what you can, and then take what you have learned and quietly, humbly and respectfully immerse yourself in the culture of your heritage, and the learning will continue. Expect it to take years. Expect it to be a lifetime. Be authentic. Be yourself. Your ancestors have a story. Let them tell it through you! You are not ‘part’ Indian. You are a 100% descendant of all your ancestors, and that includes those who were American Indian! In honoring their path, they will honor yours, and one day you may look around and find yourself in the midst of the people who are your own, and know that at last you are home, where the blood of your heart always knew you belonged....



NORTH - Waziyata - White (Words of Wisdom)
Some thoughts from my contemplations....

Laughter and Silence are equal parts of holiness

Those who say they need no direction are lost

Ritual is to Spirit as Humility is to Wisdom

Real Medicine cloaks itself in mundane normalcy



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)!