Idle No More...and the Heart of Women!

Idle No More Founders
www.idlenomore.ca

JANUARY 17, 2013

THIS WAS TODAY:

EVERYDAY SOMEONE OR SOMETHING MOVES MY HEART in IDLE NO MORE & EVERYDAY MY HEART & SPIRIT ARE MORE AWAKE AND LIGHTER...IT"S LIKE RIDING ON A FEATHER OF AN EAGLE...♥

Idle No More...And the Woman took over!



JANUARY 16, 2013

THIS WAS YESTERDAY:

I am in awe, then I read what Aaron wrote and I cry, not for sadness or pain but humility, pride, honor, appreciation, beauty, expression, love, respect, giftedness, and that warrior inside of me that knows there is a better way! ♥

About the painting: Like this movement, this piece is a work in progress. It’s depicting the 8th fire and okicitaw (9 clan mothers/warrior women during Treaty making). There are 8 figures, the ninth is represented by any female viewer, reminding us that we are all necessary to keep Treaties alive.

The Meaning is the Message – thoughts on truth, history and Idle No More

As I write this, I’m listening to an Elder speak. He’s streaming live – a digital town hall meeting. He’s recounting his experiences in Residential School as a boy. As his gentle voice speaks I relive the horror. I’ve been hearing these stories for years now and they never get easier.

He’s talking about the babies they burned at school that were fathered by the priests on the young native girls. He’s worried that telling his story will offend his neighbours.

Today there were road blocks across Canada.

Now, I’m not an advocate for these road blocks, I feel there is a chance of putting innocent people in danger and it only fosters animosity, makes enemies of people we want as friends; gives license for violence against indigenous people in the court of public opinion. I understand the arguments for them, but I am still uneasy.

Like the Elder, I don’t want to offend my neighbour. I want to befriend my neighbour. And I want to share my love of the water, the land, the air we breathe. I hope my neighbour will come to care about these things, too. That they will see how it affects us all. However, if standing up and speaking offends you, then I guess we’ll all just have to live with that.

Over the past few weeks we’ve seen animosity grow, hatred and racism reveal itself, unashamed.

But we’ve also seen the good in people, and that has far outweighed the bad...READ MORE...

DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN...#IDLENOMORE

MY FACEBOOK & TWITTER STATEMENT TODAY...

I do all this for nosisim (my grandchild)...and the ones yet unborn!

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IDLE NO MORE - BULLET PROOF

Bullet Proof comes from ..."[the] reaction to the years of intense battle, loss of land, broken treaties, and cultural restrictions, those Lakota who practiced the Ghost Dance began to make sacred shirts that were believed to be "bullet-proof"... maybe the Spirit of Idle No More are those Sacred Shirts!

Native American History: Ghost Dance

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Tracey

Received from Native American History: Ghost Dance

Ceremonial Buffalo Skull: Ghost Dance

A mysterious and often misunderstood Native American ritual, the Ghost Dance once inspired fear among white Americans during the late 19th century.

…but, this ominous (interesting Bill C-45 is called the ominous bill) spirit dance actually began as a nonviolent religious movement called “fight no one and hate no one”.

Origins of the Ghost Dance
The Ghost Dance movement was born from a vision of the Paiute prophet, Wovoka. He prophesied that this dance would bring peace and happiness to the devastated Indian tribes – disease had ravaged the Indian population and their numbers were decimated; many of their land treaties with the white settlers had been broken and the Native American people were forcefully relocated to reservations…they had been stripped of their land, their culture, and their freedom.

Wovoka

A hope for peace
During this time of profound misery, Wovoka began to practice and teach the Indian tribes this spirit dance to give them hope and help them overcome their pain and suffering.

It was believed the dance would incite a great apocalypse and ultimately lead to a peaceful end of the white American expansion, the preservation of the Native American culture, and the return of the buffalo.
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The Lakota version of the dance
As the dance spread throughout the Plains Indian tribes of the West, each began to fuse elements of the ritual with their own beliefs. Although violence and rebellion against white Americans was never a part of the Ghost Dance, many Lakota (a once proud warrior society) were willing to die to protect it.

By the late 1800s, countless Lakota traditions had already been banned by the government. It seemed they had few alternatives left other than to use force against their oppressors – from reservation police, government agents, and the military, to white settlers – in defense of their culture and the few traditions they had left.

In reaction to the years of intense battle, loss of land, broken treaties, and cultural restrictions, those Lakota who practiced the Ghost Dance began to make sacred shirts that were believed to be "bullet-proof".

Ghost Dance Dress

Ghost Dance shirts & dresses
Made of animal hide adorned with fringe and feathers, the paintings decorating aGhost Dance dress or shirt ranged from the very simple to the complex with elaborate designs that represented their mythology, such as the sun, moon, stars, as well as trance-like visions.

This sacred clothing was worn by all believers – man, woman, or child – as an outside garment during the sacred dance, but it was also thought to have been worn at other times under ordinary dress.

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The Ghost Dance comes to a tragic end

The Ghost Dance is often linked to Lakota resistance and the white Americans’ fear of an Indian uprising. On December 29, 1890, this atmosphere of volatile distrust finally erupted in a bloody massacre – the Ghost Dance ended in tragedy at Wounded Knee....READ FURTHER