On this page the following entries were made in the “August, 2009” time-frame.
Archive for “August, 2009”
Coyote Steals Fire
Today, I saw a profomance of the one man play, According to Coyote by John Kauffman and I was hoping I could find parts of it on YouTube. However, I cannot. Anyways, if you ever have the chance to see it I hihgly recomend it. It goes through a narration of Coyote naratives from the Inland Northwest, and possibly some coastal . . and has beautiful renditions of two prominent Nez Perce narratives, Coyote and the Monster and Coyote and the Shadow People. There is a variation of Coyote Stals Fire in the Kauffman play, which appears to barrow from… Read more »
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Giveaway!
I’ve never had such a marvelous giveaway time as I am having now. I’m not just giving things I don’t want any more to the Salvation Army, or weeding my library to the Friends of the Library Booksale. I’m letting of of objects I’ve cherished for 30 or more years. My Nepalese shaman drum, my collection of china tea cups, my mother’s books, bound in softest leather. Things that once defined me, like special ritual clothes. Things that once held me, like a painting worth thousands of dollars that I didn’t like and couldn’t sell. That object I gifted to… Read more »
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California Dreamin’
I was born in LA back in 1960. I remember orange trees, dairy farms with Holstein cows, and gathering grunion as they spawned on the clean beaches. I remember sleeping in the summer in the backyard under the stars. Climbing city park trees. Eating abalone. The smell of flowers and the warmth of the sun. Endless summer indeed.
We moved to Montana in 1966 after the riots. I returned to LA for brief visits to my grandparents for decades afterwards. They lived in Paramount, by Bellflower, Downey, Compton. We had moved to Montana. Lonely, cold, wintery Montana. Such a treat when… Read more »
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In a Woodland Cave
Bride’s Well
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for Stephen
In these woods there is a place where water
Wells to a still pool in a cleft of rock
Like crystal in which an enchantress might conjure.
To enter is to inhabit a stillness as complete
And consistent as the cool water that ponds there
Beyond the ferns that arch from the steep
Rock face of the entrance to the cave.
Looking intensely at the face of the waters
No prophecy came but that I would engrave
This image on the stone of memory
And it would remain with me always
Welling in the mind’s pool, constantly
Bringing a blessing of Bride’s healing springs
And the tranquility such rememberance brings.
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shaman’s drum
This drum came into my possession almost 30 years ago. I believe it is a Nepalese shaman’s drum. It’s older than the drums you can now buy through importers, and is full of power and energy. Hand made, hand carved, with a rattle inside and a curved stick for beating.
I have kept it carefully, but I found that it was not for me to use in sacred space. Now, I would like to give it away to someone who might truly use it to call the spirits, as it was meant to do.
If you would like to have this drum,… Read more »
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Thinking about the Future: Cultural Conservation
If we aren’t being self-delusional doomers and we are indeed sliding into a period of deindustrialization through economic decline, natural systems collapse etc., then it is time to think about what elements of our culture we will need for the future. That of course starts with things like hygiene, health, food, clean water etc., but it also includes things like the scientific method, liturgical/ritual/religious thinking, storytelling, ham radio, games, pottery-making, etc. The time is now to think about the things our descendants can use in desperate times.
I think it would be worthwhile doing two things to start for any particular… Read more »
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Kāneikokala
From my brother Kai’s beautiful blog about life in Hawai’i through indigenous eyes, Kāneikokala. Kāne (KAH-neh) is one of the four primary Hawaiian gods, along with Kanaloa, Kū, and Lono.
Learn more about the soul and spirit of Hawai’i at his gorgeous blog, “Ephemeral Life…in the Hawaiian Islands.” Read more »
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The Berlin Wall for wildlife
Mule deer blocked by the new border wall through the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Arizona. Photo: Sierra Club.
The American people may not yet realize it, but we approved—by way of our former president and Congress—the building of a Berlin Wall in North America. It’s the U.S.-Mexico border wall, rampaging for hundreds of miles through sensitive wildlife habitat. Unlike the German model, this wall does not stop humans; the best estimates (including those of INS) are that it only slows humans by two to five minutes. But the wall stops wildlife cold.
I learned about the wall’s effects last week… Read more »
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Releasing the Spirochetes
I drew this picture as part of my work to release the spirochetes of Lyme Disease. The spirochetes in the image are pink and yellow, like a rain behind the martini glass. Unfortunately, they’re hard to see in this online image. For more about my experience of Lyme see Charlie’s Blog.
Coming hard on the heels of a ducedly painful surgical recovery, the Lyme has me thinking about pain and suffering in the human experience. Seems like I’ve had more than my share over the years, for a 21st century USA woman, anyway. But my suffering has ultimately led me to… Read more »
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Indigenous Perspectives in Global Earth Observing System of Systems
By Paul Racette, posted on April 6th, 2009 in Earth Observation, Education, Featured Person, People, Technology
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| Dr. Gregory Cajete |
Indigenous scholars around the world are leading a renaissance in understanding of traditional Indigenous knowledge. One such scholar is Dr. Gregory Cajete, a Tewa Indian from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico and author of five books on Native American education, history and philosophy. In one of his books, Native Science, Natural Laws of Interdependency, Dr. Cajete writes, “Native Cultures have indeed amassed an enormous knowledge base related to the natural characteristics and processes of their lands through direct experience and participation.” Dr. Cajete… Read more »
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