The following article is taken from an interview with Billy Daniels regarding Potawatomi teachings on burial and afterlife traditions. Considerations are made concerning the return of human remains for reburial as dictated by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA), a federal ruling that had originally been influenced by Mr. Daniels.
As Indians, we come from heaven--from God--in the first place, and when we die, we go out west to a spiritual place that non-Indians call "spirit land." This is our "Indian heaven," which is a different place than the non-Indians' heaven.
When one of our people die, we have a ceremony to send them on their journey. We can't talk about what happens at this time, unless we're at a funeral. It is not good to talk about this at other times. Some tribes will, but we have to follow our own traditions. Four days after the burial, we build a small house on top of the grave. This is what has always been done, and our people still do this on our own tribal burial grounds. It's like having a tombstone, but we don't write anything on the houses.
Once our people are buried, they should not be disturbed. The reason we have a funeral is to leave them there to rest. They' re on a journey to the west, and we don't know how long it takes- -only God knows. Our people don't feel good about our ancestors' graves being dug up, and their remains being studied and stored in museums. I always ask non-Indians the question: "How would you like it if someone dug you up and put you in a case?" They always say they wouldn't like it. We as Indians have a lot of feeling toward nature, and believe that everything should be left alone as it was meant to be.
When our graves are disturbed, we offer tobacco and ask our ancestors' forgiveness. Tobacco is our leader, like the non-Indian has the Bible. We pray that we, the descendents, are kept safe, because our ancestors are angry when they are disturbed, and we don't want their anger to come back on us.
The 7 bands of the Potawatomi have been meeting in Hannahville, discussing where to rebury all our peoples' remains when they're returned to us. We've had people that lived from Sault St. Marie on the east side of Lake Michigan, to all the way around the lake in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. The Potawatomi bands have all decided that our people's remains should come back to Wisconsin. Some of them are ready to come back from museums in various places like Washington, DC, Milwaukee and Chicago. We have asked the museums to hold them until we reach an agreement with the other tribes in Wisconsin about a common burial ground. We're talking with one tribe after another, and so far we're in agreement with the Menominee. Right now, we're trying to find the money we'll need to travel to the museums.
There are only a few people on the reservation who know how to do a reburial ceremony the right way, and these are the only people who will do it. Otherwise, it's too dangerous. Those that are still in the ground should stay there--all colors of people should know that. I'm not very old and I know that. I know that we should follow our traditions. We often address our ancestors in prayers, and offer them food, asking their help. We don't forget them, because we're all connected.
We continue our series of articles on natural healing by Cindy Bloom, Cherokee, currently serving as Vice-President of Midwest SOARRING.
There is a deep lake within the Smokey Mountains of the Eastern Cherokee. These purple healing waters of Alagahi are where the animals go to heal themselves. Only a few people have had visions of this sacred place; bear tracks surround the lake, for the bear is the greatest healer of all. Many people have tried to find this place, only to disappear forever.
Zoopharmacognosy is a fairly new science that seeks information from animals and birds about how they use plants for medicine. The Dine (Navaho) have said for hundreds of years that the bear taught them how to use many plants as powerful medicine. The Blackfeet were shown by the bear how and when to pick roots for healing, and many other tribal peoples across North America use medicines that bear and other animals taught them to use. Ethnobotanists are now recording this knowledge. In one effort, Howler monkeys in South America were part of a 15-year study. It was observed that when there was a shortage of female or male offspring, the females ate specific plants that produce an alkaline or acidic environment in the uterus. The resulting controlled condition produced more female or male babies, as needed, in this intentional control of the sex of the offspring.
A necessary question to ask is why Western science has not taken seriously the vast Native knowledge on this subject. To do so, one would have to accept the interconnectedness of all living creatures, which is foreign to the dominant society's way of thinking, except on the most advanced scientific planes. Native people inherently recognize this connectedness, which provides a direct source of information on the treatment of disease. For example, animals often use the simplest, most available methods to bathe and heal their wounds, such as their own saliva, and the healing energies of lakes and streams.
There are spirit springs, lakes and rivers that surround us, and our people have used these Sacred Waters for healings since the beginning of time. They are the blood, the life force, of Mother Earth. Hydrotherapy is the method of using water for healing, for water can purify our Spirits, minds and bodies. It is a good tonic because it flushes and cleanses the body internally, and the skin externally. Rarely are baths prescribed for healing by Western medicine. Yet they are relaxing, and the warmth brings toxins to the surface for elimination.
To practice hydrotherapy, the following preparations can be used for winter colds and flu:
Baths-
1. Ginger: 1/2 cup of grated fresh ginger per tub of water
2. Bergamont oil, 5 drops; lavendar oil, 5 drops; and
eucalyptus oil, 2 drops (use sparingly, skin may be
sensitive)
3. Vanilla oil (5 drops), mint (5 drops)
Add oils after bath water has been drawn, or they will evaporate too soon. Put whole herbs in a cheesecloth bag.
Note: Do not sweat a chronically ill person.
Teas--Herbs are available in a variety of forms: Use fresh or dried, 1 teaspoon per cup, in capsules (4 per cup) and as tinctures (use as directed).
Methods of preparation:
Infusion--Boil water, pour over aireal parts of herbs, ie.,
flowers, leaves and stems. Mash contents, drain and drink.
Decoction--Grate or chop roots, bark, or rhizomes, then
cover with water and simmer 15-30 minutes. Mash herbs, let
sit, drain and drink.
Basic tea--1 teaspoon honey, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar.
If needed, add the following for specific condition:
Coughs--Mullein or comfrey leaves
Fever--Catnip or yarrow leaves
Headaches or aching joints--the inner bark of willow or poplar, as they contain salicin, the precursor to aspirin
Basic cough syrup--1/4 cup honey, juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 clove garlic, crushed
Inhalants--put 5 drops eucalyptus in hot water. With eyes closed (to avoid irritation), inhale through nose.
The fastest way to eliminate colds and flu is with proper diet and rest, and by flushing the body system with plenty of water and healthy fluids.
There is a story told by the grandmothers about a powerful medicine woman who healed people with sacred water. The men were angry that their medicines and prayers weren't as effective as her healings, so they killed the old woman. The animals mourned her, and they hid deep in the forest, no longer walking freely among their 2-legged relatives. The plants retreated into the hidden undergrowth, some never to be seen again. Native people understand that we have broken relationship; western thinking calls this extinction. Until humans reconnect with all creation again, the animals and plants with continue to leave us. And until we all become part of the Great Mystery again, the plants and animals will not return.
Warning: Wildcrafting (harvesting) plants on your own can be dangerous, as there are look-alike plants that contain toxic components. It is recommended that you buy already-processed herbs at a reputable herbal store. Presented herbal information is not intended to treat, diagnose or prescribe. Seek medical attention when necessary.
Song of Creation
by Cindy Bloom
Earth maker, the source of all things
Her thoughts bring to life
all that is Sacred.
Hearing with our hearts,
our minds can see
The magical origins of Creation.
It's the nature of women to bring new life,
to gift a new dawn.
Stories that were taken
from our Ancient Grandmothers,
Never to be told, never to be heard,
Come to me in the southeast winds,
Whistling in the river cane,
Whispered in the summer breeze,
Here is a place to Dream.
We feel the mysterious language
as Earthmaker heaves the toxins
from deep inside her womb,
A cave filled with wonderful knowledge.
>From the rivers rage the blood
of our Ancestors.
Her fires bring renewal
And a silence filled with enchantment,
Purified in the moist winds of faith.
We remember and give thanks
to the Sacredness of all life,
Her ceremony is our healing.
Where the wild rose
again shall grow
Bleeds the spirit of our Ancestors.
A healing awareness,
a growing aliveness,
Within the reach of Ancient Memory
Is where Creation takes place.
In our struggle to protect our Native ancestors' gravesites, we seek to connect with other organizations and agencies that have conservation interests as well. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NCRS) is the federal agency that works with private landowners to help them protect their natural resources. The focus of their technical assistance is to help people live on the land in a sustainable way. This coincides with Native concerns for mother earth, with a common goal to be achieved.
Ivan Dozier, a Midwest SOARRING member of Cherokee descent, serves as an NRCS District Conservationist in Macoupin County (Carlinville), Illinois. This is the first article of a 3-part series that explores the origins, contributions and volunteer opportunities of this agency.
An American Indian man dressed in late 1800's attire sits astride his horse. In the background, there are Blackfeet tipis on the shore of a lake where villagers go about their daily business. This idyllic image is on a colorfully painted poster which was issued in 1993. The heading of the poster says: HARMONY, the seasons, the sun, the soil, the water. The message on the poster continues with the words: Mindful of nature's needs, respectful of its bounty. Native American cultures have always understood the importance of nature's Harmony. We owe it to our children. Be part of that heritage. The poster was developed by a USDA agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The NRCS made the poster for more than just the words or the nice picture. NRCS is an agency committed to the concept of Harmony, and it has a prepared statement as a guiding principal to reflect those values. "A productive nation in Harmony with a quality environment," represents more than just lofty ideals. Those are powerful words, and that phrase has been adopted as the official vision statement of the USDA NRCS.
The NRCS was formed back in the thirties during the dust bowl era, to help prevent the deterioration of our food base. The agency was originally called the Soil Erosion Service, and within a few years the name was changed to the Soil Conservation Service. The name change reflected the acknowledgement that all natural resources are connected, and that conservation efforts should not only focus on a single resource. Program responsibilities were expanded to include urban areas--again in recognition that our natural resources do not follow our political boundaries.
For more than fifty years the agency has worked closely with grassroots conservation districts to deliver its message of conservation. As the NRCS, the agency has strengthened its ties with local conservation partners and has formalized agreements with tribal entities as well. The purpose of the vision statement was to help NRCS employees focus on their mission, and to verbalize their goals and ideals to the public. As we strive to achieve that balance in the agency, we want to pass these ideals on to the public.
The current Harmony campaign represents one of our outreach efforts. The idea for Harmony was born from an earlier campaign entitled, We owe it to our children. With that program, we tried to help others realize that in order to preserve the earth for future generations, modern people need to develop a more sustainable and harmonious relationship with nature. What better example of that kind of Harmony than that of the Original People of this country who had struck such a balance for thousands of years? And so the Harmony campaign was born.
Those who look carefully at the first Harmony poster might recognize the American Indian man as actor, Rodney Grant. Grant had agreed to do a training video for NRCS, and to be the spokesperson for the office Harmony campaign. He had been working on the set of Dances with Wolves at the time, and with help from the Blackfeet, Salish and Kootenai tribes in Montana, a photograph of Grant in period dress was taken and reproduced in a painting for the original Harmony poster. Grant also made radio, TV, and print public service ads urging all Americans to "share the heritage of taking care of our Earth."
A second Harmony poster has since been distributed. The Harmony II poster shows a Mescalero Apache man crouching next to a stream, drinking water from his cupped hands. This poster echoes the message of the first and points to the "delicate balance that keeps the heartbeat of the Earth strong." The message is that living in Harmony means to treat natural resources with respect, to recognize that you are part of the environment, and to take individual responsibility for your actions.
Several methods were used to measure the success of the campaign as a call to action. Significant increases over a previous public service campaign effort indicated that more Americans want to help preserve our precious natural resources. Harmony's Native American theme significantly improved the Soil Conservation Service's relations with Native Americans, as well. The Salish Kootenai College on the Flathead Reservation created the Harmony coloring book, and shared it with Salish and Kootenai cultural committes on the reservation. Members of each committee were very enthusiastic about the project, and have interpreted the drawings in the Salish and Kootenai languages. Not only does the coloring book help all Americans understand the diversity among Indian cultures, but the committees are using the book as a language instruction tool for youth on the reservation.
The Harmony campaign is not over. Like the circle of life, the campaign is to come full circle to its origin--our children. The final poster will have children of all cultures gathered around a drum, listening to the heartbeat of Mother Earth, and reminding us that we have a responsibility to the Earth and her future generations. You can call 1-800-THE-SOIL to get in touch with one of our conservation partners, the Soil and Water Conservation Society, headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa. Though the first poster is out of print, you can still get a copy of the second poster and a Harmony action packet. The free packet has activity sheets for children, wetland information and watershed posters, a Harmony logo and postcard, as well as information on natural resource contacts and how to volunteer to help the cause. Another conservation partner, the National Association of Conservation Districts out of League City, Texas, also has Harmony Campaign items including shirts with original Harmony poster art.
While the vision of a productive nation in Harmony with a quality environment is difficult to achieve, this is no longer an option, but an urgent requirement that affects us all for the many generations to come.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits
discrimination in
its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex,
religion, age,
disability, political beliefs and marital or familial status.
(Not all
prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with
disabilities who
require alternative means for communication of program
information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA Office of
Communications
at (202) 720-2791.
To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, U.S.
Department of
Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250 or call 1-800-245-6340 (voice)
or (202) 720-
1127 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity employer.
Two days after peoples from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific celebrated Thanksgiving, a group gathered to offer prayers and food to ancestors who had walked this sacred land thousands of years before.
In the state of Illinois, where burial protection laws lie impotent and powerless, a new subdivision in Lake Barrington will soon be built on an ancient cemetery. Land development in this state is favored above the universal code of respect for the dead, and unmarked burials, whether in single graves or cemetery plots, are subject to removal. The regulations governing The Human Skeletal Remains Protection Act provide some consideration in the requirement that human remains and burial goods must be removed before the land is developed. Yet for the Native ancestors' remains of this site, who range from 1000-5000 years old, no respectful reburial is in sight. Unless affiliation to an historic nation can be proven, which is unlikely, the remains will be stored in the Illinois State Museum.
Archeologist Rochelle Lurie, via permit from the state, had already excavated several graves from a fifty acre site destined to hold 10-18 single-family homes. While negotiations that would prevent this desecration involve a necessarily long process concerned with legislation and/or regulations, a serious immediate need had to be fulfilled: to pray for the ancestors, aiding them on their interrupted journey into the next world.
In a first-time cooperative effort between archeologist, private landholder and Native people, Midwest SOARRING gained permission to enter the land for a prayer gathering. Maria Pearson, a Yankton-Sioux elder who serves as advisor to our board, came in from Iowa to lead the prayer. In 1976, with the Governor's support, Maria achieved passage of the first repatriation law in the country, with land set aside in Iowa for reburials (see WINGS 4, Spring 1996). Maria is chairperson of the Indian Advisory Committee to the Office of the State Archeologist (OSA) in Iowa, as well as the person in charge of receiving her nation's remains for reburial. As she crosses the boundary into Illinois, she enters the dark ages of burial protection law, for while she has prayed at many burial sites, those that have been disturbed in Iowa for the past twenty years have been only accidental--the law there provides full protection.
In the mud of the newly-racked landscape, we stood
in silent honor of the ancient ones. Facing the west,
our elder built an altar with the eagles attending.
As the four directions song split the cold air, the
spirits joined us, fusing today and yesterday as one.
Smudge burned strong and steady as four hawks circled.
Sacred food was fed to the ancestors, and to the
descendents who represented all peoples. As our common
journeys continued, we built a 4-color bond, and in the
power of unity forged the path toward a new day of
respect.
While atrocities like the desecration of a non-Native cemetery in Dunning, Illinois, shows that wanton disrespect is indiscriminate, we follow the traditional ways of Native peoples throughout North America. According to these traditions, gravesites are to be left undisturbed. By the end of the excavations at Lake Barrington, the remains of approximately twenty individuals had been removed. The lack of awareness of this serious wrong pervades a modern society whose ancestors lie buried in other lands, and this same disturbance will occur again and again while the law permits, and economics allows. Current preservation will have to be directly linked to economic incentives, for instance, tax deductions for land placed in conservation easement, or the protection of tracts surrounding wealthy land-holders--and lovers--estates.
The huge gap between Western and Native culture, as well as traditional and modern attitudes, cannot easily or quickly be bridged. Midwest SOARRING will continue to seek permission to pray where the lack of legal protection robs our ancestors of the right to continue their journey at rest. Continued cooperation among all involved in order to set aside time and space for prayer--the dissolving factor for all discord--will be a major step toward harmonious relations among all.
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the incorporation of Midwest SOARRING Foundation, a not-for-profit organization. This new foundation will focus on education of the public about concerns related to protecting Native American human remains, and burial, cultural and sacred sites, as well as the preservation of Native culture and resources. It is through this foundation that we will continue to provide lectures, as well as build a model prehistoric village with a cultural and environmental learning center. This center will serve as a gathering place for Native people, and those interested in Native American nations.
Membership in Midwest SOARRING Foundation is included in your membership in Midwest SOARRING. Please watch WINGS for future Foundation information.
In August, 1996, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Committee released its second draft recommendation for the disposition of culturally unidentifiable Native American human remains. This long-awaited section of NAGPRA will provide guidelines for the repatriation of the majority of Native American remains currently warehoused in museums and other government agencies. The draft had been posted in the Federal Register to provide wide circulation, so that comments from Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, museums, Federal agencies, etc., could be collected for a final determination. An initial draft recommendation, posted in June of 1995, had offered options for this section in the hope of enveloping the full spectrum of concerns surrounding these vast collections. However, this second draft met with such disapproval that a completely new set of guidelines will need to be drawn up.
Given the massive quantity of procedures that must be completed before the passage of any federal legislation, the repatriation effort suffers a critical setback by this delay. This is especially true in certain states, Illinois for one, that await federal guidelines before making decisions about remains held by state agencies. It is possible that we will not see a final ruling on this issue until the turn of the century.
Land development continues, however, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to prove descendency of remains that date to early prehistoric periods. Unless the line can be traced to an historic nation for repatriation, such unaffiliated remains will be added to the thousands still in captivity in the State Museum, and to the hundreds of thousands across the US and around the world--a global tragedy.
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