Artist: Howard Terpning

I will not fall on the rocks. When I die my enemies
will be under me.
CAPTAIN JACK
MODOC
Artist: Howard Terpning

Artist: Howard Terpning

Too many have strayed from the path
shown to us by the Great Spirit.
-SEQUICHIE GRANDFATHER

Artist: Howard Terpning

Laws of the Great Spirit

The laws of Great Spirit:Treat the Earth and all that dwell thereon with respect. Remain close to the Great Spirit. Show great respect for your fellow beings. Work together for the benefit of all Mankind. Give assistance and kindness wherever needed.

Do what you know to be right. Look after the well being of mind and body. Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good. Be truthful and honest at all times. Take full responsibility for your actions.

Great Spirit, give us hearts to understand; never to take from creation's beauty more than we give; never to destroy wantonly for the furtherance of greed; never to deny to give our hands for the building of earth's beauty; never to take from her what we cannot use.

Give us hearts to understand that to destroy earth's music is to create confusion; that to wreck her appearance is to blind us to beauty; that to callously pollute her fragrance is to make a house of stench; that as we care for her she will care for us.

We have forgotten who we are.
We have sought only our own security.
We have exploited simply for our own ends.
We have distorted our knowledge.
We have abused our power.

Great Spirit, whose dry lands thirst, help us to find the way to refresh your lands.

Great Spirit, whose waters are choked with debris and pollution, help us to find the way to cleanse your waters.

Great Spirit, whose beautiful earth grows ugly with misuse,help us to find the way to restore beauty to your handiwork.

Great Spirit, whose creatures are being destroyed, help us to find a way to replenish them.

Great Spirit, whose gifts to us are being lost in selfishness and corruption, help us to find the way to restore our humanity....

Elder's Meditation of the Day October 5

Elder's Meditation of the Day October 5
"The dances are prayers."
--Pop Chalee, TAOS PUEBLO
When we dance to the drum we pray to the Creator and attract the heartbeat of the earth. We never dance without reason; every dance has a purpose. We dance for rain; we dance for healing; we dance for seasons; we dance for joy; we dance for our children; we dance for the people; we dance for courage. The drum plays to the beat of the heart, to the beat of the Earth. The drum connects us to the Earth while we dance our prayers.

Oh, Great One, let my dance and prayer be heard by You.

Elder's Meditation of the Day October 3

Elder's Meditation of the Day October 3
"Spiritual Values are an Attitude."
--Leonard George, Chief Councilor
Attitude is a direction which we follow. If you have a positive attitude, it means you will lean towards a positive direction. If you have a negative attitude, it means you will lean away from the Spirit. Therefore, if we lean toward spiritual values, then our actions will become significant and important. If we lean away from spiritual values, our actions will become insignificant or unimportant. For example, if we value love, we will lean towards it; we will prefer to express and embrace it.

Great Spirit, teach me the significance of spiritual values.

I wonder if the ground has anything to say.....

I wonder if the ground has anything to
say? I wonder if the ground is listening
to what is said? I wonder if the ground
would come alive and what is on it?
Though I hear what the ground says.
The ground says, It is the Great Spirit
that placed me here. The Great Spirit
tells me to take care of the Indians, to
feel them aright. The Great Spirit
appointed the roots to feed the Indians
on. The water says the same thing.
The Great spirit directs me, Feed the
Indians well. The grass says the same
thing. Feed the Indians well. The
ground, water and grass say, The
Great Spirit has given us names. We
have these names and hold these
names. The ground says, The Great
Spirit has placed me here to produce all
that grows on me, trees and fruit. The
same way the ground says, It was from
me man was made. The Great Spirit, in
placing men on the Earth, desired them
to take good care of the ground and do
each other no harm . . .
-CHIEF YOUNG, CAYUSE, 1855

Artist: Robert Duncan

Where did "piss poor" come from???

Where did piss poor come from ? We older people need to learn something new every day... Just to keep the grey matter tuned up. Where did "Piss Poor" come from? Interesting History. They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot. And then once it was full it was taken and sold to the tannery... if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor". But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot... They "didn't have a pot to piss in" and were the lowest of the low.... The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature Isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500's Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, And they still smelled pretty good by June.... However, since they were starting to smell, Brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.... Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, Then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!" Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs." There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings Could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence. The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery In the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, It would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold. (Getting quite an education, aren't you?) In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables And did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers In the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme: �Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old�. Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests And would all sit around and chew the fat. Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous. Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust. Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom; of holding a wake. Englandis old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury peopl e. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave.. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was "considered a dead ringer. And that's the truth. Now, whoever said History was boring!!! So get out there and educate someone! ~~~ Share these facts with a friend. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the heck happened?' We'll be friends until we are old and senile. Then we'll be new friends. Smile, it gives your face something to do! Soon we'll all be Piss Poor