The Ya-Native Podcast

A Great Flood had occurred upon Earth long, long ago. While Earth was still covered with water, there were no living creatures upon the land. Then out of the sky one day glided an enormous Eagle with a black Crow riding upon its back, searching for a place to light. Around and around Eagle flew until he discovered a projecting tree stump, or what appeared to be a stump, upon which he landed to rest. There was a home at last upon the flat surface, which was amply large enough for Eagle and Crow to roost upon. From here, they surveyed the greenish gray water as far as they could see. The sky was a gorgeous bright blue with a few white drifting clouds, occasionally swirled by a passing breeze. All seemed serene to Eagle and Crow. Small fish were visible below the water, sometimes leaping out of the sea playfully. Hunger caused Eagle and Crow to swoop down, catching a meal for themselves from time to time. Soon a game developed between the two birds to see which one would be the winner in the fish-catching contest. Upon their return to the stump, however, they always shared the reward. Because of Eagle's great size and wingspan, he soared to great heights and surveyed widely, as the two birds often flew in opposite directions exploring for land. But no land did they find. No other flying creatures did they see. But they always returned to their home base on the tree stump. Between them, they wondered "How can we possibly think of a way to make land?" "We know we cannot dive deep enough to find dirt, and the fish are of no help except to provide food." ... click to read more ... Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

Animals, elements, the solar system, and natural phenomena are revered by the Apaches. That which is beyond their understanding is always ascribed to the supernatural. In the beginning nothing existed--no earth, no sky, no sun, no moon, only darkness was everywhere. Suddenly from the darkness emerged a thin disc, one side yellow and the other side white, appearing suspended in midair. Within the disc sat a small bearded man, Creator, the One Who Lives Above. As if waking from a long nap, he rubbed his eyes and face with both hands. When he looked into the endless darkness, light appeared above. He looked down and it became a sea of light. To the east, he created yellow streaks of dawn. To the west, tints of many colors appeared everywhere. There were also clouds of different colors. ... Read more by clicking the link ... Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

Once many generations ago, the people had drums, gourd rattles, and bull-rorers, but no flutes. At that long-ago time, a young man went out to hunt. Meat was scarce, and the people in his camp were hungry. He found the tracks of an elk and followed them for a long time. The elk, wise and swift, is the one who owns the love charm. If a man possesses Elk Medicine, the girl he likes can't help sleeping with him. This young man I'm talking about had no Elk Medicine. After many hours he finally sighted his game. He was skilled with bow and arrows, and had a fine new bow and quiver full of arrows. Yet the elk always managed to stay just out of range, leading him on and on. The young man was so intent on following his prey that he hardly noticed where he went. When night came, he found himself deep inside a thick forest. The tracks had disappeared and so had the elk, and there was no moon. He realized that he was lost and that it was too dark to find his way out. Luckily, he came upon a stream with cool, clear water. And he had been careful enough to bring a hide bag of wasna, dried meat pounded with berries and kidney fat, strong food that will keep a man going for a few days. After he had drunk and eaten, he rolled himself into his fur robe, propped his back against a tree, and tried to rest. But he couldn't sleep, the forest was full of strange noises: the cries of night animals, the hooting owls, and the groaning of trees in the wind. It was as if he heard these sound for the first time. ... Follow the link to read more ... Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

Once upon a time, before the white men drove them away to Oklahoma, the Pawnee Indians lived in Nebraska, where their sworn enemies were the Sioux. There they lived all the time in villages, where they were skilled farmers and potters. In one of the Pawnee villages lived a poor woman with her grandson Ku-suk-seia, which means 'left-hand'. She was a helpful old soul, and the boy was pleasant and friendly. Yet the two of them were not well thought of in the village, for while there was no shame in being poor, there was no glory either. And they had practically nothing: no horses, no cattle, nothing worth mentioning at all. Their clothes were clean enough, but much patched. When Ku-suk-seia's father had died in a hunting accident, he had no fine head-dresses to leave to his son. Even their tent was small and badly placed, and when Hotoru the storm spirit swept over the prairie the modest shelter shivered on it's poles as if it might collapse at any moment. As soon as the bison began to move in the autumn, the Pawnees went hunting. For the northern winter would be long and bitter, and before it came they must have enough dried fish, pemmican and bison skins to see them safely through till spring. ... read more by following the link ... Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

Lacrosse was a gift to us from the Creator, to be played for his enjoyment and as a medicine game for healing the people. The Haudenosaunee people know that all creatures, no matter how big or small, are significant and have a contribution to make to the overall cycle of life. Long ago we were told the following story about a great ball game that took place between the four-legged animals and the winged birds… The captains for the four-legged animals were: The Bear – whose weight overpowers all opposition, The Deer – whose speed and agility to stop and go made him invaluable to the team, and The Great Turtle – who could withstand the most powerful blows and still be able to advance towards the opposition. The captains for the winged birds were: The Owl – who excelled in the ability to keep his eye on the ball, no matter what position or direction the ball may be traveling. The Hawk and Eagle – both excel in quick, swift movements. These three represented all the winged animals. ... read more by following the link ... Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

Out of the plains of Wyoming rises Devil's Tower. It is really a rock, visible for a hundred miles around, an immense cone of basalt which seems to touch the clouds. It sticks out of the flat prairie as if someone had pushed it up from underground. Of course, Devil's Tower is a white man's name. We have no devil in our beliefs and got along well all these many centuries without him. You people invented the devil and, as far as I am concerned, you can keep him. But everybody these days knows that towering rock by this name, so Devil's Tower it is. No use telling you it's Indian name. Most tribes call it Bear Rock. There is a reason for that--if you see it, you will notice on it's sheer sides many, many streaks and gashes running straight up and down, like scratches made by giant claws. Well, long, long ago, two young Indian boys found themselves lost in the prairie. You know how it is. They had played shinny ball and whacked it a few hundred yards out of the village. And then they had shot their bows still farther out into the sagebrush. And then they had heard a small animal make a noise and had gone to investigate. They had come to a stream with many colorful pebbles and followed that for a while. They had come to a hill and wanted to see what was on the other side. On the other side they saw a herd of antelope and, of course, had to track them for a while. When they got hungry and thought it was time to go home, the two boys found that they didn't know where they were. They started off in the direction where they thought their village was, but only got farther and farther away from it. At last they curled up beneath a tree and went to sleep. They got up the next morning and walked some more, still headed the wrong way. They ate some wild berries and dug up wild turnips, found some chokecherries, and drank water from streams. For three days they walked toward the west. They were footsore, but they survived. oh how they wished that their parents, or aunts and uncles, or elder brothers and sisters would find them. But nobody did. On the fourth day the boys suddenly had a feeling that they were being followed. They looked around and in the distance saw Mato, the bear. This was no ordinary bear, but a giant grizzly so huge that the boys would make only a small mouthful for him, but he had smelled the boys and wanted that mouthful. He kept coming close, and the earth trembled as he gathered speed. The boys started running, looking for a place to hide, but here was no such place and the grizzly was much, much faster than they. They stumbled, and the bear was almost upon them. They could see his red, wide-open jaws full of enormous, wicked teeth. They could smell his hot evil breath. The boys were old enough to have learned to pray, and the called upon Wakan Tanka, the Creator: "Tunkashila, Grandfather, have pity, save us." All at once the earth shook and began to rise. The boys rose with it. Out of the earth came a cone of rock going up, up up until it more than a thousand feet high. And the boys were on top of it. Mato the bear was disappointed to see his meal disappearing into the clouds. Have I said he was a giant bear? This grizzly was so huge that he could almost reach to the top of the rock when he stood on his hind legs. Almost, but not quite. His claws were as large as a tipi's lodge poles. Frantically Mato dug his claws into the side of the rock, trying to get up, trying to et those boys. As he did so, he made big scratches in the sides of the to Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

At the beginning, when the Earth was fresh and new, the Great Spirit, sent down His Raven to enjoy this new creation. As Raven soared down from cloud to cloud he began to take the color of the snow crystals that touched his wings, each crystal being different, like the creation on the earth. The Great Spirit told him, you will be like the snow flakes you have gathered on your wings, a part of everything new, everything that I have created. You will be for all people. As White Raven soared in the clouds the cool air rushed under his wings, he was singing and shouting songs of praise to his Creator. One day he wanted to touch and feel the ground and taste the earth below. He wanted someone to keep him company, but he knew when he landed he would soil his feathers having to settle on the ground below. So the Great Spirit, wishing to please this special one, created a special spirit mate for White Raven, a White Buffalo where he could land and rest. Now there were many of these new Buffalo but only one as white as the snow. They moved about and covered many lands. White Raven found his spirit mate, the White Buffalo below and would ride on his back, resting and smelling the sweetness of earth, making many pleasant sounds in thanks for his new home. Now he could help White Buffalo and his brothers and sisters find good places to roam for food. Every day White Raven would fly high into the air soaring around, spotting fine places of grass for his brother. When he would look down, he could see White Buffalo as bright as the mornings sun among the others earth colored ones. White Buffalo could be found easily and then led to the good eating places. He would sing to the White Buffalo, "Come here, come here, come here, the grass is good, good, good, then laugh". They would fly, and run, and play, and eat, and enjoy all that was given to them. Then came a time when the Great Spirit put new creatures on the Earth. They were called humans and walked on two legs. The humans were the color of the earth, the place where they came from, and were very smart. They would sing and make fires to The Creator in thanks for their life and the beauty He had given them. But the human became very hungry and asked the Great Spirit what they should do. The Great Spirit pointed them to the White Raven and told them, "I gave to the White Raven the White Buffalo, so he could guide him to places where his brothers and sisters could eat the good grasses. Now I will give you any buffalo except the White one, to fill your lodges and stomachs and keep you warm so you and your families will never go hungry and never be cold. But remember without the White Buffalo it will be hard to see the others and hunt because they are like you, the color of the Earth. The humans did what they were told, and after a hunt would first thank the Great Spirit, then the buffalo for his spirit, food and skin for warmth and protection. All things were very happy and gave thanks every day... Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

Grandfather, Great Spirit, once more behold me on earth and lean to hear my feeble voice. You lived first, and you are older than all need, older than all prayer. All things belong to you -- the two-legged, the four-legged, the wings of the air, and all green things that live. You have set the powers of the four quarters of the earth to cross each other. You have made me cross the good road and road of difficulties, and where they cross, the place is holy. Day in, day out, forevermore, you are the life of things. Hey! Lean to hear my feeble voice. At the center of the sacred hoop you have said that I should make the tree to bloom. With tears running, O Great Spirit, my Grandfather, with running eyes I must say the tree has never bloomed. Here I stand, and the tree is withered. Again, I recall the great vision you gave me. It may be that some little root of the sacred tree still lives. Nourish it then that it may leaf and bloom and fill with singing birds! Hear me, that the people may once again find the good road and the shielding tree. Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

Great Creator, I come before you in a humble manner and offer you this sacred pipe. With tears in my eyes and an ancient song from my heart I pray. To the four powers of Creation, To the Grandfather Sun, To the Grandmother Moon, To the Mother Earth, And to my ancestors. I pray for my relations in Nature, All those who walk, crawl, fly, and swim, Seen and unseen, To the good spirits that exist in every part of Creation. I ask that you bless our elders and children, families, and friends, and the brothers and sisters who are in prison. I pray for the ones who are sick on drugs and alcohol and for those who are now homeless and forlorn. I also pray for peace among the four races of humankind. May there be good health and healing for this Earth, May there be Beauty above me, May there be Beauty below me, May there be Beauty in me, May there be Beauty all around me. I ask that this world be filled with Peace, Love, and Beauty. Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

Whenever you dance, wherever you dance, dance to heal the earth! Dancing is power. Dancing is prayer. Some say that all is dance. Maybe. Now there's a big dance coming, a dance to heal the earth. If you're reading this, you're probably part of it. You take part whenever you do whatever you do to help heal the earth. When you recycle. When you choose to show love, to fight for justice, to bring healing, to bring out what is good in others. When you avoid cruelty and dishonesty and waste. When you are outraged. When you speak out. When you give. When you consider the generations to come. When you protest to the oppressors and encourage those who feel the cutting edge of injustice. And, of course, when you dance. There is a tree that all the prophets see, and whenever you let your love show, you make the flowers grow. Soon this dance will be done in a big way, in the old way, on sacred ground. All living things will take part. If you want to, you can take part. No one is twisting your arm. You can stop any time you need to, and start up again whenever you're ready. If you've read this far, you probably know what I'm talking about. You've probably been doing it in one way or another for a good while. Soon will be the time to make no bones about it! Cut loose! Anytime you dance, anywhere, whether at a party or in church, dance to heal the earth! Let your feet beat a healing rhythm into the earth. Let your feet beat a strengthening rhythm for those who struggle the hardest. Let your feet beat a life-giving rhythm for all peoples, regardless of race or national boundary, regardless of whether we're human or whether we're the trees, the air, the fish, the birds, the buffalo, the bear, the crow. We come out of hiding, we come back from the dead, and we dance, and our dance is a prayer, and our songs and our rhythms and our breath give life. Is the music they're playing some mindless jingle? Never mind, as long as it's not bad music, and you can dance to the beat! Make your own words, and make the words a prayer. A prayer for the end of exploitation, a prayer for the end of lies, a prayer for healing, for justice, for life. Remember your prayer-song, feed it and let it get strong and pass it along. Dance and pray, whenever you dance, dance to heal the earth. Have you seen anything? Wear it out! Make it so that all can see what you see! Take a white T-shirt and mark it with your dreams. Is there anything you'd like to tell the world? Take your shirt and mark it with your song! This is the way it has been done, so you can do it too. Use any color except black (there are reasons for that that will become clearer later), and you'll probably find that a loose, pure cotton T is most comfortable for dancing in. Because this is an actual dance, you dance hard, you sing and breathe hard and sweat. Wear it when you plan to go out dancing, to dance to heal the earth. Some people do this dance while fasting, and dance for several days straight. But even a few minutes of dancing helps, and joins with all the other dancing going on, everywhere on Earth. Not everyone can fast these days. Besides, you never know when you're gonna dance, and you have to eat sometimes! But if you plan to dance, hold off eating till later, or just have a little. It's easier to dance if you don't have a hotdog weighing you down. Some people say, do not do sacred things where people are drinking and partying. But all the universe is a sacred place. It really doesn't matter what others are doing, you can make a place sacred wherever you are, Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing and always come back where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

Children are gifts of the Creator and of ourselves. By raising them to the best of our ability, we are reciprocating that gift and showing our thankfulness for life and for the blessings of the Great Spirit. This requires much time, love, forgiveness, and understanding on the part of the parents and grandparents-- but the rewards for the child (and for the community as a whole) are immeasurable. Also, it is not enough to raise your own children and grandchildren. You should bestow what you can to all children of the earth. It is strictly believed and understood by the Sioux that a child is the greatest gift from Wakan Tanka in response to many devout prayers, sacrifices, and promises. Therefore the child is considered "sent by Wakan Tanka" through some element--namely the element of human nature. Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

Let us know peace. For as long as the moon shall rise, For as long as the rivers shall flow, For as long as the sun shall shine, For as long as the grass shall grow, Let us know peace. Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

As I walk, as I walk The universe is walking with me In beauty it walks before me In beauty it walks behind me In beauty it walks below me In beauty it walks above me Beauty is on every side As I walk, I walk with Beauty. Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being, may you walk gently through the world and know it's beauty all the days of your life. Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

"Aho Mitakuye Oyasin….All my relations. I honor you in this circle of life with me today. I am grateful for this opportunity to acknowledge you in this prayer…. To the Creator, for the ultimated gift of life, I thank you. To the mineral nation that has built and maintained my bones and all foundations of life experience, I thank you. To the plant nation that sustains my organs and body and gives me healing herbs for sickness, I thank you. To the animal nation that feeds me from your own flesh and offers your loyal companionship in this walk of life, I thank you. To the human nation that shares my path as a soul upon the sacred wheel of Earthly life, I thank you. To the Spirit nation that guides me invisibly through the ups and downs of life and for carrying the torch of light through the Ages, I thank you. To the Four Winds of Change and Growth, I thank you. You are all my relations, my relatives, without whom I would not live. We are in the circle of life together, co-existing, co-dependent, co-creating our destiny. One, not more important than the other. One nation evolving from the other and yet each dependent upon the one above and the one below. All of us a part of the Great Mystery. Thank you for this Life." Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

I am what I am. In having faith in the beauty within me, I develop trust. In softness I have strength. In silence I walk the higher realms. In peace I understand myself and the world. In conflict I stay calm, cool, collected In detachment I am free. In respecting all living things, I respect myself. In dedication I honour the courage within me. In eternity I have compassion for the nature of all things. In love I unconditionally accept the evolution of others. In freedom I have power. In my individuality, I express the God-Force within me. In service I give of what I have become. I am what I am: Eternal, immortal, universal, and infinite. Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

O Great Creator, I come before you in a humble manner and offer you this sacred pipe. With tears in my eyes and an ancient song from my heart I pray. To the four powers of Creation, To the Grandfather Sun, To the Grandmother Moon, To the Mother Earth, And to my ancestors. I pray for my relations in Nature, All those who walk, crawl, fly, and swim, Seen and unseen, To the good spirits that exist in every part of Creation. I ask that you bless our elders and children, families, and friends, And the brothers and sisters who are in prison. I pray for the ones who are sick on drugs and alcohol And for those who are now homeless and forlorn. I also pray for peace among the four races of humankind. May there be good health and healing for this Earth, May there be Beauty above me, May there be Beauty below me, May there be Beauty in me, May there be Beauty all around me. I ask that this world be filled with Peace, Love, and Beauty. Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

Great Spirit of us all you have made my body strong. Please fill me with your wisdom, so I'll know right from wrong. Let me see myself as others also see me, so I'll know if my character agrees with how you say it should be. Let me be slow to anger yet so quickly to forgive. Grant me patience oh Great Spirit, so happier my life I can live. Teach me fairness so honor I can bring to you, with fairness you will judge my life when my days are finally through. When war must be waged give us the strength and courage of the bear. The cunning and endurance of the Wolf, so we can push our enemies back to their lair. Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.

O Great Spirit of our Ancestors, I raise my pipe to you. To your messengers the four winds, and to Mother Earth who provides for your children. Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect, and to be kind to each other so that they may grow with peace in mind. Let us learn to share all the good things you provide for us on this Earth. Support the show Thank you for your continuing support. This Podcast is another tool for the Ya-Native Network, This may be the last stage to share our ideas openly. Podcasting and videos are certainly outside my comfort zone, but it's a necessary means to help find a voice for those of us who can not be heard.