After Miracle, American Indian Woman…for Sainthood, by Kie Relyea, Eagle-Tribune-McClatchy Newspapers

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha-photo- Catholic org.

Osiyo, A wonderful  event has occurred over the Christmas holiday. The  Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, who was a member of the Mohawk-Alogonquain Nation will be the first American Indian to be canonized. For  many American Indian Catholics, Blessed Kateri’s canonization was a cause for celebration. Excerpt:

“BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Pope Benedict XVI has decreed that a Washington state boy’s recovery from the flesh-eating bacteria that nearly killed him in 2006 is a miracle that can be attributed to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha’s help, making possible the canonization of the first American Indian saint in the Catholic Church. Monsignor Paul A. Lenz, the vice postulator for the cause of Blessed Kateri, confirmed on Monday, Dec. 19, the link to Jake Finkbonner.

Doctors who treated Jake, as well as a committee of doctors at the Vatican, came to the same conclusion…They didn’t think any of their medical expertise was the cure…They thought every night he was going to die. As Jake lay near death, the Rev. Tim Sauer, a longtime family friend, advised his mom and dad, Elsa and Donny Finkbonner, to pray to Blessed Kateri, who is the patroness for American Indians, for her intercession. That is akin to asking Blessed Kateri to pray to God to perform a miracle on Jake’s behalf. The boy is of Lummi descent.

The Vatican decided Jake’s recovery was a miracle that is beyond the explanation of medicine and that could be attributed to the intercession on his behalf by Blessed Kateri, who was born in 1656…Known as the Lily of the Mohawks, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980, becoming the first American Indian to be so honored.”

A Must read article! It provides us with Inspiration and most importantly Hope for the New Year.

Painting of The Blessed Kateri photo: The Tamastslikt Cultural Institute

Biography  for The  Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha can be read here.

YouTube Video: courtesy of the Jesuit Community of Auriesville, NY

To learn more, See the video narrated by Father John Paret, SJ, Father Victor Hoagland, CP, and Eleonora Centrone. (click on photo)

“I am not my own; I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love…With the work of my hands I shall always earn what is necessary and what is left over I’ll give to my relatives and to the poor… If I should become sick and unable to work, then I shall be like the Lord on the cross. He will have mercy on me and help me, I am sure.”  ~The  Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha~

To all of our readers, (and those yet to join us) please be safe, and may you have a Happy and Prosperous New Year…alihelisdi itse udetiyvsadisvi

Tags: Pope Benedict XVI, The Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

American Indian Christmas, by Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand

Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand-photo:Manataka American Indian Council

Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand is a member of the Oglala Sioux, and a spiritual leader, and an artist. He has also written a book entitled, Learning Journey on the Red Road. In addition, he has written one of the best essays about American Indians and the Christmas celebration that we have ever read. Here is an excerpt from his essay:

Painting by Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand

“Traditional American Indians are raised to respect the Christian Star and the birth of the first Indian Spiritual Leader… His name was Jesus. He was a Hebrew, a Red Man. He received his education from the wilderness. ..
“Everyday is our Christmas. Every meal is our Christmas. At every meal we take a little portion of the food we are eating, and we offer it to the spirit world on behalf of the four legged, and the winged, and the two legged. We pray–not the way most Christians pray– but we thank the Grandfathers, the Spirit, and the Guardian Angel… The life-ways of Roving Angels are actually the way Indian People live. They hold out their hands and help the sick and the needy. They feed and clothe the poor…

Everyday is Christmas in Indian Country. Daily living is centered around the spirit of giving and walking the Red Road. Walking the Red Road means making everything you do a spiritual act. If your neighbor, John Running Deer, needs a potato masher; and you have one that you are not using, you offer him yours in the spirit of giving. It doesn’t matter if it is Christmas or not.”

Please read this wonderful and informative piece in its entirety.

We wish to thank all of our readers, especially those who sent encouraging comments, and valuable information.

Our hope is that in return, we  have  pointed the way to new insights, and information about Natives, their lives, and the people involved with them.

Art by Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand

Talking Feather wishes you: A Blessed Holiday, and A Prosperous New Year!

Tags: Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand, Indian Christmas, Oglala Sioux

Domestic Violence: Rulings Could Stem Epidemic On American Indian Reservations,  By Dave Kolpack, Huffington Post

Osiyo,

Epidemic: noun. a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community…New Oxford American Dictionary.

Domestic violence is an “epidemic” especially in the sense that children who grow up in violent families, learn (become infected with) this negative behavior. There are people, both Indians and non-Indians, women and men, who are trying to make it harder for abusers to escape punishment, as this article points out:

Sophia Renville Brown, a domestic abuse survivor who manages a women’s shelter on the Sisseton-Wahpeton reservation.-photo Huffington Post

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“On the day after Christmas last year, a drunken Roman Cavanaugh Jr. beat up his 11- and 12-year-old sons, punching both in the face. The older boy was hit so hard he couldn’t speak for a full day because his jaw was swollen shut.At the time, Cavanaugh was a free man on North Dakota’s Spirit Lake Indian Reservation, even though he had three convictions in tribal court for domestic violence. Had he been charged for those crimes off the reservation, he probably would have been in prison.

Despite a well-known epidemic of domestic violence on American Indian reservations, federal authorities have long been stymied in their pursuit of abusive parents and spouses. That may change if recent rulings in Cavanaugh’s case and a similar matter are upheld, allowing U.S attorneys to act instead of watching abuse convictions pile up at the tribal level. That’s a change, advocates say, that could save lives… An American Indian woman born in the United States has a 1-in-3 chance of being sexually assaulted in her lifetime, compared with 1-in-5 for the country as a whole…And on some reservations, women are murdered at a rate more than 10 times the national average, a federal study of death certificates showed.

Sophia Renville Brown, a domestic abuse survivor who manages a women’s shelter on the Sisseton-Wahpeton reservation in the Dakotas, said she suspects those numbers are too low. Most cases of domestic violence go unreported because women are too ashamed to come forward, said Brown, whose shelter – which holds up to 15 women and children – is routinely full…Violence starts out small and gets bigger…” Read this article, and share your thoughts.

Kudos to Ms. Brown for her courage, strength, and willingness to help others. Also to Shirley Montoya (Navajo) Program coordinator for Women of the Healing Circle Drop-In Center, in Shiprock.  Another  well known advocate for women and children of domestic violence is Radmilla Cody (Navajo).

“I release you, my beautiful and terrible fear…You were my beloved
and hated twin, but now, I don’t know you as myself. I release you with all the
pain I would know at the death of my children… I am not afraid to be angry.
I am not afraid to rejoice…I am not afraid to be hated. I am not afraid to be loved, to be loved, to be loved, fear.

I take myself back, fear. You are not my shadow any longer.
I won’t take you in my hands.You can’t live in my eye, my ears, my voice
my belly, or in my heart my heart, my heart my heart
But come here, fear I am alive and you are so afraid…of dying.”

By: Joy Harjo (1951- member of the Muskogee Tribe) poem Fear

from She Had Some Horses

You are NOT alone…

Osiyo,

Two uplifting stories, both concerning the welfare of our Native children.

First Lady and Children with Museum director Kevin Gove. (Photo by Nedra Darling - DOI)

The first article discusses how First Lady Michelle Obama (Let’s Move!) and the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) are helping Native children learn healthy lifestyles. Here’s an excerpt:

How “Three Sisters” and Michelle Obama are Helping Indian Country, by Kevin Gover (Pawnee), Director NMAI

“Good food is the key component to good health. Traditional Native diets were replete with both wild and cultivated fruits and vegetables and lean meats…Throughout the United States, our young people too often eat poorly and exercise little. Fast food, junk food, and lack of exercise are producing historic rates of childhood obesity in the United States. To combat this problem, First Lady Michele Obama is heading a program called “Let’s Move!”…Mrs. Obama has established an element of the program directed to Native children specifically. Let’s Move! In Indian Country has four main goals: to create a healthy start on life, develop healthy learning, increase physical activity, and improve access to affordable, healthy and traditional foods. Last week Mrs. Obama hosted an event at the White House to kick off the Indian Country program. About two dozen Native kids from the D.C. area came to the White House to help Mrs. Obama harvest the early crops from the White House garden and to plant the garden’s summer crops. The White House has been consulting with the NMAI about traditional Native foods, and I was invited to participate in the harvest and planting.”

The second inspiring story comes from Cherokee country in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and discusses the wonderful new book for children Coyote and the Turtle’s Dream,  by Terri Lofton.  This  is another  very clever way to teach children about healthy ways of living. Here’s an excerpt:

Book " Coyote and The Turtle's Dream" by Terri Lofton

Children’s Book Teaches About Native American Diabetes, by the Staff of CherokeePhoenix

“The Center for Disease Control and the Division of Diabetes Translation Prevention announced the availability of a new novel that engages children ages 10-13 in learning how a healthy lifestyle can help prevent Type II diabetes.  Coyote and the Turtle’s Dream is the first in a series of three books in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The books were developed by the CDC, in collaboration with the Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee and the Indian Health Service in response to the rapid rate of diabetes among Native Americans and the need for diabetes prevention for children. ..While reading the book, children will be led by the animals into an adventure, embedded with messages about healthy eating and physical activity, in which they foil the plans of a fossil poacher on their reservation. Prior to publication, Native youth and tribal leaders reviewed the book and their comments are also featured on the book cover and inside pages.”

Osiyo,

There have been many Native Indian legends about the White Deer,  such as the following excerpt  from the Lenape Nation Prophesy:

White Deer. photo credit: Encyclopedia Britannica: Advocacy for Animals

“It has long been predicted that there would come a time when a white male and female deer would be seen together, and that this would be a sign to the people to come together.”- from the Seneca White Deer

A reader of Talking Feather told us about a place where these beautiful animals actually exist!  (many thanks CH)

To learn about the White Deer visit The White Deer of the Former Seneca Army Depot. (Note that the Seneca Army Depot is located in Seneca County, NY, but is not located on the Seneca Indian Reservation).

Another informative site is the Encyclopedia Britannica: Advocacy for Animals

They present an article that explains the Seneca Army Depot, the genetic make-up of the White Deer, and how we can help protect and preserve these magnificent animals.  Excerpt:

White Doe with fawns-photo credit: Encyclopedia Britannica: Advocacy for Animals

“Advocacy for Animals is pleased to present this article on an unusual population of white deer in upstate New York and the efforts of animal protectionists to encourage ecotourism around them rather than allowing hunters to kill them. The article was written by Peter Muller, a vice-president and board member of Wildlife Watch, Inc. Mr. Muller has had a longstanding interest in animal protection and was a founding member of Wildlife Watch, Inc…In 1941 the U.S. Army peremptorily decided to locate an ammunitions depot in Seneca county, in western New York state. To establish such a depot, the army seized over 10,000 acres of farmland near Seneca Falls by right of eminent domain. During World War II, the depot was used to store, maintain, and supply ammunition to army units around the world. The exact function of the depot since World War II has been subject to much speculation, most of which the army has neither confirmed nor denied…Whatever was the true purpose for their base, this much is known with certainty: In 1941 the army enclosed the entire area with 24 miles of 12-foot-high fencing, unintentionally entrapping a small herd of white-tailed deer…White-tailed deer (as well as other animals) have a recessive gene that causes leucism. Leucism is a condition that results in an absence of cells capable of making pigment. That condition turns their coats white instead of the usual brown color. They are not albinos… That is why… such white deer have always engendered awe and have been the subject of legends…”

Visit Tribalpedia Seneca to read their legend of the White Deer.

The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

~Mohandas Gandhi~ (1869 – 1948)

Related Material

The White Deer and Other Stories Told by the Lenape,  by John Bierhorst

Legend of the Talking Feather: Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei Bestow the Gift of The Talking Feather

There are many legends about how the Indians learned about the Talking Feather”. Here is one of them…

Long years ago, when gods walked this earth and the land beyond, Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei, were together enjoying the warm summer day. It was a day when the crickets chirrupted in the waving, green grass,when they noticed a figure moving towards them.

As the figure approached closer Kanati said “Look, that woman is crying, what could be the matter?” “I can not imagine why anyone would cry on such a glorious day.” Replied Asgaya Gigagei. “Let’s ask her.”

As the woman drew nearer, they could see her buckskin was decorated with beautiful designs and colors. She carried a bundle filled with leaves, sage, and colorful stones and feathers. They knew immediately this woman was a holy being.

Kanati asked her “Holy mother, why are you crying so?” The woman looked up in wonder, because she had been walking with her head down. “I’m crying because the men of my village are fighting constantly! Each thinks his ideas for leading the tribe is the best!” Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei glanced at one another, in perplexity. “Why, if there are so many good ideas for leading your tribe, why are the men fighting? And why aren’t you and the other members happy!” The poor woman shook her head sadly and replied, “Yes, you are right, the men do have very good ideas, but every man wants to speak his own ideas, and not listen to anyone else. They all shout and scream at one another so loudly, that it frightens the children who run and hide behind their mothers. The women are sad because their husbands come to the house upset and angry. Furthermore, the tribe is suffering, because no one can seem to make a decision.”  Just then a beautiful Eagle was soaring overhead, Kanati called out “Brother Eagle, may I have one of your feathers, there are poor humans in desperate need!”

Bother Eagle replied “Yes” and shook himself until a single iridescent, large feather fell to the ground. “Many thanks and Blessings on you” said Kanati. Kanati made secret signs and prayers over the Feather. Asgaya Gigagei helped him with the blessings. Kanati then said to the woman “This is the sacred Talking Father, it holds great power for the one who holds it. Go back to your people, hold this feather up in the air, all who see it will fall silent, and listen to what you have to say. Tell all who listen that from now on, who ever holds this feather, all present within the Circle Council must listen to his words. The feather must then be passed on to the next speaker.”

The woman thanked Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei and hurried back to her village where there was total chaos!. Everyone was talking at once, children were crying, men were screaming at each other. As soon as she held the feather over her head, all became quiet! No one could utter a sound! the holy woman proceeded to give the directions given to her by the gods. She then passed the feather to the first man. He called the Talking Circle together, and each man had his say as he held the feather. From that time on that tribe flourished because they now had direction, and each person could hear and understand what their peers said. The people worked together, to build a great nation. Along the way, they shared the wonders of the Talking Feather with other tribes they met. “And that my friends is the true story of  how the Talking Feather came to be!”

Tags: Lenape Tribe, Seneca Army Depot, Seneca White Deer

Indian ‘Shadow Wolves’ stalk smugglers on Arizona reservation, By Brian Bennett, Los Angeles Times

Kevin Carlos,Tohono O'odham "Shadow Wolf" photo- Brian Bennett LATimes

Osiyo,

Members of the Tohono O’odham Nation have always had trouble with their borders that separate the United States and Mexico. Now, members of the tribe are taking steps to protect their lands themselves. Excerpt:  ”They work for the federal government — and also to protect sacred lands of the Tohono O’odham Nation along the border with Mexico. Reporting from the Tohono O’odham Nation,— Kevin Carlos hates how the drug runners tramp through the ancient cemeteries and holy places he holds dear.

That peak up there, he says, speeding toward the reservation’s border with Mexico. That’s where the creator lives. His name is I’itoi, the elder brother. He created the tribe out of wet clay after a summer rain. Tribe members still bring him offerings — shell bracelets, beargrass baskets and family photos — and leave them in his

Kevin Carlos photo Brian Bennett, LA Times

cave scooped out of the peak. But the drug smugglers don’t know that. On their way to supply America’s drug markets, they use these sacred hilltops as lookouts, water holes as toilets and the desert as a trash can. So Carlos hunts them.   The Shadow Wolves use GPS locaters, high-powered radios and other modern tools, but it is their tracking skills and their feel for the hidden box canyons, caves and seasonal watering holes that make them formidable counter-narcotics agents…”It takes patience. These guys think they are out in the middle of nowhere, scot-free,” Carlos says. “Then we find them.” Read this article for more information.

“…Question: How does the boy become a dancer?  He just knows. His mother said he had dreams when he was just a little boy…He has made many sacrifices for his dancing even for just a young boy. The people concur, “Yes, you can see it in his face.

~ Ofelia Zepeda ~ (Tohono O’odham  member) “Deer Dance Exhibiton”

Note: Re: Tribalpedia. In keeping with Talking Feather’s ESL teaching orientation, we will be adding Questions for Comprehension and Discussion to each of the tribal entries; the questions will mostly be drawn from the histories of the tribes. This will provide teachers with additional material for the classroom to help students.

The Tribes with questions thus far:  Acoma, Anasazi, Apache, Arapaho, Blackfeet, Catawba, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Comanche, Crow, Delaware/Lenape, Hawaii, Hopi, Inuit, Iroquois,  Laguna, Navajo,  Seneca, Shawnee,  Sioux,  Zuni,

 

Tags: drug smuggling, Mexico, Shadow Wolves', Tohono O'odham Nation, U.S.

The MacArthur Foundation, Jessie Little Doe Baird

Osiyo,

We find ourselves once again at the holiday known as Thanksgiving, which for some is a time for celebration, and for others a time for reflection on disastrous past historical events. These events involved the pilgrims and the American Indian tribe  The Wampanoag who helped the first group of pilgrims survive… and later regretted it. The result was that the tribe was nearly decimated, and lost everything, including their language.

Jessie Little Doe Baird photo Courtesy the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

No… not quite everything, they kept their spirit. Because of this spirit, Jessie Little Doe Baird, a member of  the Mashpee Wampanoag Nation was determined to revive the Wampanoag language which was an important part of their culture. An excerpt from the article:

“….She undertook graduate training in linguistics and language pedagogy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she worked with the late Kenneth Hale, a scholar of indigenous languages, to decipher grammatical patterns and compile vocabulary lists from archival Wampanoag documents… Baird founded the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project, an intertribal effort that aims to return fluency to the Wampanoag Nation…” A must read article.

Professor Ken Hale (August 15, 1934 – October 8, 2001)

With the help  and guidance of the venerable Linguist, Professor Kenneth L. Hale, of MIT, the Wampanoag language has been revived.

In addition, Independent Lens created a film about the Wampanoag Language Reclamation Project  entitled  We Still Live Here:

“Celebrated every Thanksgiving as the ‘Indians’ who saved the Pilgrims from starvation and then largely forgotten, the Wampanoag communities of southeastern Massachusetts are reviving their native tongue, a language that had been silenced for more than 100 years.” Independent Lens-

“Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.” ~   Oliver Wendell Holmes~

Related Material

Kenneth L. Hale- MIT News

Lesson Plan: The Wampanoag By Grace Arai, Indian Education Program Anchorage School District.

This is a wonderful lesson plan that is well organized and covers the main aspects of  the Wampanoags’ life including their relationship with the pilgrims.  She also includes an answer key for questions, and a bibliography for further study.  This information is from Ms. Arai’s book:  The World of the Wampanoag: The Indians Who Met the Pilgrims

Visit Wampanoags, Plymouth, Massachusetts: Plymouth Plantation has created a 1620 date example of Hobbamock’s Homesite

Frybread,  by Jen Miller,  The Smithsonian

Woman making fry bread. photo: The Taos Unlimited

National Native and Alaskan Indian Heritage month is a time  for celebration and joy…Fry Bread is a traditional and important part of American Indian Pow-Wows and other Native gatherings.  There has been much controversy about fry bread, from its sad  beginnings to its poor nutritional quality.  And in between, it has become an integral part of Native culture and pride.   The following excerpt discusses the topic:

On Dwayne Lewis’s first night home on the reservation in northeastern Arizona, he sat in the kitchen, watching his mother prepare dinner. Etta Lewis, 71, set the cast iron skillet on the burner, poured in corn oil, and lit the stove. She began moving a ball of dough back and forth between her hands, until she’d formed a large pancake. She then pierced a hole in the center of the pancake with the back of her thumb, and laid it in the skillet… It’s not easy to fashion the perfect piece of frybead, but it had only taken Etta a few seconds to do it. She’d been making the food for so long that the work seemed part of her…Frybread appears to be nothing more than fried dough— but it is revered by some as a symbol of Native pride and unity. Indian rocker Keith Secola celebrates the food in his popular song “Frybread.” In Sherman Alexie’s award-winning film Smoke Signals, one character wears a “Frybread Power” T-shirt… “Frybread is the story of our survival,” says Alexie…

An interesting and necessary article to read, including the comments from the readers!

Keith Secola-photo Secola website

Sherman Alexie-photo- Wikipedia

…He doesn’t seem to mind,
a mile long Frybread line
cause we’re all the same inside,
we need fry bread all the time…~Keith Secola~
(words from his song Frybread)

Women’s Buckskin Dance by Pow Wow.com

Northern Buckskin Red Earth

Osiyo,

Women’s Buckskin Dance is one of the oldest forms of American Indian dancing. In the coming festivities to celebrate Native and Alaskan Indian Heritage month, the ladies will be performing this and other cultural dances. Here is an excerpt describing the dance. From the elegant and graceful steps, to the beautiful dresses.

“…One of the oldest forms of  Native American Women’s Dance is Buckskin… This is a dance of elegance and grace. The movement is smooth and flowing.

The ladies wear fine, hand-crafted buckskin dresses, decorated with intricate bead designs. Northern dresses are fully beaded on the shoulders, or cape. Southern ones, the beadwork is mainly used to accent. They are equally beautiful. The women carry fringed shawls over one arm…The jewelry is breath taking…Breastplates made from hair bone pipe, and glass beads can hang to the waist, or all the way to the ankles… Circling the drum, they bob to the beat of the drum, letting the long fringe on their sleeves sway in time… This slight movement, however, creates a beautiful effect in moving their leather fringe in a breezy swaying motion…”

Visit the Pow Wow site to read the entire article and to learn more about Pow Wows!

Grand-entry- Woman and child
Rear view of this magnificent dress.	Northern Buckskin Morongo

“A modest woman, dressed out in all her finery, is the most tremendous object of the whole creation.”

~ Oliver Goldsmith~

Osiyo,

November is American Indian and Alaskan Native Heritage Month . This is the time for songs, dances, and reflections. Talking Feather features Lesson plans (with teachers’ guide and Answer Keys) Tribalpedia,  featuring the Inuit and Alaskan Nations. Be sure to visit and feel free to utilize the material, especially if you are a teacher.

President Obama at 2010 White House Tribal Nations Conference.

There are many wonderful events taking place. To begin  the celebrations, an article from Domestic Policy Council,  by Kimberly Teehee, the White House Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs. She discusses the upcoming Tribal Nations Conference  2011. Excerpt: …”As you may have already heard, the President, along with members of the Cabinet, Senior Administration officials, and tribal leaders will gather at the 2011 White House Tribal Nations Conference on December 2nd. As part of President Obama’s ongoing outreach to the American people…”

We encourage everyone to read the entire article to learn more about the conference.

Artist James Luna: "Take a picture with a real Indian" exhibit.

Another site of interest is the Smithsonian “Infinity of Nations” The review of the exhibition by  Jess Righthand, explores thousands of years of artwork from the Native nations of North, Central and South America… One “very interesting” artist in the program is James Luna: “Standing at a podium wearing an outfit, I announce: “Take a picture with a real Indian. Take a picture here, in Washington, D.C. on this beautiful Monday morning, on this holiday called Columbus Day…And then I just stand there. Eventually, one person will pose with me. After that they just start lining up. I’ll do that for a while until I get mad enough or humiliated enough….”

Inuit woman's Tuilli, or Parka NMAI.

Another beautiful exhibit are the artifacts and clothing representing the various tribal Nations, such as this Inuit woman’s Tuilli.

R.C. Gorman painting

Included are the wonderful paintings, and drawings of  Navajo artist R.C. Gorman.

The N.C. Museum of History in downtown Raleigh, will hold its celebration Saturday, Nov. 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and parking are FREE.

There are many up-coming events, and we will enjoy presenting as many as we can!

If you would like your celebration to be announced on Talking Feather send us an email (see below).  In the meantime, love who you are, and enjoy your life!

“What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences…Life is plurality, death is uniformity…Every culture that disappears, diminishes a possibility of life.” ~Octavio Paz~ Mexican poet and writer (1914-1998)