Earth Ambassador Video

Jolene John from the 1991 Earth Ambassador group directed my attention to this video from our training experience near San Diego, CA. After all these years, I had forgotten that this video even existed. 

Looking back as an adult, I am humbled to think that I got to experience something so powerful and meaningful. I am also amazed to feel the authentic rituals that bound our spirits in a commitment to the Earth. It would be interesting to have a reunion and see what each of the original forty-eight participants have done with their path. It would be even more interesting to select a new generation of Earth Ambassadors to carry the message forward.   

What a wonderful memory. Beautiful!!!

Earth Ambassadors

Amazing things can be achieved when I'm avoiding homework. For example, I found this photograph from 1991 while searching online. That year, I was chosen as one of forty-eight Earth Ambassadors who attended environmental advocacy training in San Diego and Washington DC. What an awesome memory!

Totem Pole Blessing

Last Friday, I participated in a totem pole blessing that was part of a multi-community protest against the transport of coal through Native American communities. 

The overall purpose of the protest was outlined on the organization website: "The proposed coal export projects would affect Native American communities all along the transportation corridor. Mining, hauling and shipping coal would damage culturally and spiritually important landscapes, traditional livelihoods and lifeways, and, by damaging ecosystems and fishing grounds, would impinge on treaty rights."

I encourage my readers to get more information by reading their website or this website. 

I told the people that I usually try to avoid overtly political events, but this event was not political in my mind. It is about protecting the environment and our native ways of life. It is about the spirit of the land, and so for me, it transcends all political differences.

Jewell James, a member of the Lummi Nation near Bellingham, Washington, carved the totem pole with the support of his community. The pole was then transported to tribes throughout the Pacific Northwest where community members and spiritual leaders offered their blessing and support. 

After leaving Spokane, the totem pole will visit other communities to receive their blessing. Finally, the pole will be raised in British Columbia. 

Jewell brought a spirit of laughter, humility, and strength to the blessing ceremony. 

Twa-le Abrahamson of the Spokane Tribe organized the Spokane portion of the event. She is active in our community in the support of tribal sovereignty, culture, and ecological preservation. 

A salmon detail at the base of the totem pole. 

Miss Gathering at the Falls. 

No Coal Exports.

powerpastcoal.org

A detail photograph of the eye happened to also capture a yellow jacket and its shadow. 

Vincent Feliciano traveled with the totem pole. He spoke to me passionately about his art and his desire to make a difference with other young people. He also spoke to me about setting a good example for his son. His words were powerfully inspiring. 

The pole rested on the back of a flatbed truck. 

Carol Evans represented the Spokane Tribal Council. 

Twa-le addressed the media. 

Creation Spirituality

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane recently hosted a special service about John Denver and Creation Spirituality. To be honest, I was a little skeptical. I'm old enough to remember John Denver from the 1970s when his face sometimes appeared on the television screen during an advertisement for one of his albums. Do you remember those commercials? Song titles scrolled across the screen against a backdrop of photographs of the artist walking in nature. Maybe they played a half dozen ten-second clips from his most popular songs, while the announcer boomed in a pre-canned salesman voice, "These greatest hits and more can be yours if you order now."

Unfortunately, this was my only experience of John Denver. I had no idea that he was a deeply spiritual man with an abiding commitment to protecting the environment. 

Based on my memory of John Denver, I probably would have never gone to the service, but I heard that my friend Stanton was playing guitar and singing several of the songs. In the end, I decided to go, if nothing else than to support a friend. 

Once the service began, I was immensely grateful to learn about John Denver's perspective on Creation Spirituality. Unlike my memory of the chintzy commercials from my childhood, his songs were powerful messages connection, spirituality, and love for the earth. I suppose it was always there, but I never really listened. 

The first verse of his song  Rhymes and Reasons seemed to speak of the despair many of us feel when we consider the current state of the environment:

So you speak to me of sadness

And the coming of the winter

Fear that is within you now

It seems to never end

And the dreams that have escaped you

And the hope that you've forgotten

You tell me that you need me now

You want to be my friend ...

Another verse spoke almost prophetically of the cultural destruction we would eventually face: 

Like the music of the mountains

And the colours of the rainbow

They're a promise of the future

And a blessing for today

Though the cities start to crumble

And the towers fall around us

The sun is slowly fading

And it's colder than the sea ...

Finally, the last verses spoke to the ones who continue to resist the need to limit the impact of human development on the environment:

It is written from the desert

To the mountains they shall lead us

By the hand and by the heart

They will comfort you and me

In their innocence and trusting

They will teach us to be free

For the children and the flowers

Are my sisters and my brothers

Their laughter and their loveliness

Would clear a cloudy day

And the song that I am singing

Is a prayer to non-believers

Come and stand beside us

We can find a better way.

Another song made a huge impact during the service: I want to live. 

I first heard that song more than ten years ago during a dark time in my life. Through the support of powerful mentor, I came to realize that much of my life was actually a way of dying. When things got tough, I withdrew and disconnected from everything I cared about. This song was part of my re-awakening:

I want to live, I want to grow,

I want to see, I want to know,

I want to share what I can give,

I want to be, I want to live!

For me, the song was a personal affirmation of life, but when I listened again, I realized that the song was also about the earth and all the beauty of nature standing in the face of destruction. This was the earth saying, "I want to live!" When I heard the song from that perspective, I was overcome with emotion, and I wept. I had no idea that the John Denver service would have such a powerful impact on me, or speak to me on such a heart level. 

The pastor included a theoretical foundation for Creation Spirituality, including the work of former Catholic cleric Matthew Fox. I don't suppose that I can now adequately describe the theological underpinnings of Creation Spirituality, but I will end with a quote from the pastor, Rev. Dr. Todd Eklof:

"Creation spirituality does not accept the Doctrine of Original Sin, or the idea that nature is fallen. It accepts instead the Doctrine of Original Blessing."  

Mapping the Heritage

My friend and co-worker Carole Parks is helping me to document the heritage plants of Drumheller Springs. Her work will partially fulfill credit for her graduate degree, but will also help prevent further encroachment upon the indigenous plants of the area.

As my readers may recall, I got involved with the preservation of Drumheller Springs after several local environmental groups planted ponderosa pine on the digging grounds once used by the Spokane Tribe. Camas, bitterroot, and other native foods were disturbed by the planting of new trees. This encounter led to a meeting with the Spokane Parks Department and the Spokane Lands Council, and as a result, the Lands Council agreed to remove the trees.

Since that time, I have been working to explore legal and institutional options to protecting the indigenous plants of Drumheller Springs.

When Carole and I visited the land this morning, some of the native plants still had visible parts that she was able to collect for her project.

We also explored some of the other nearby features, including the mural on Ash Street, painted by George Flett and company.

Many plants are still visible, despite the change in weather.

As an aside, I have always been fascinated with these white berries, even though I can't think of any practical uses. I once heard a traditional story that described these berries as the service berries of the land of the dead. Unfortunately, I was never able to locate that story again. In any case, the Spokane Language may corroborate this story to some degree. The Spokane describe these berries as "corpse berries," or tmtmniałq.

If anyone knows of any traditional stories or uses for the plant, please send me an email.

Spokane River History Tour

Four or five years ago, my friend Deb Abrahamson asked if I would represent her during official state or local meetings, in the case that she could not appear herself. I agreed, but she never called on me again, until yesterday.

Deb was scheduled to speak during the Spokane River History Tour, sponsored by the local Sierra Club and the Center for Environmental Law and Policy (CELP). A personal matter prevented her from making the presentation, so she asked me to appear in her stead. With less than an hour notice, I got myself ready and gave an impromptu speech to a group of about twenty five people. As much as possible, I tried to remain faithful to her topic and address the relationship of the Spokane Tribe to our rivers.

A variety of local experts addressed other aspects of the river's history, including Jack Nisbet, Bill Youngs, and Rachael Paschal Osborn.

In the photograph above, Larry Cebula (left) introduces Bill Youngs (right). (Larry Cebula is the author of "Plateau Indians and the Quest for Spiritual Power, 1700-1850.")



Local historian and author Jack Nisbet also addressed the group. I recently had the opportunity to meet Jack when he dug brown camas near Spangle, WA with a student group from Wellpinit Middle School.



Bill Youngs is a local historian and history professor at Eastern Washington University. During the Spokane River History Tour, he addressed two main topics. First he spoke about the founding of the city of Spokane by James Glover. Second, he spoke of the 1974 World's Fair that transformed the heart of the city.

A portion of Bill Youngs' comments bear repeating. He wrote:

During the spring of 1873... James Glover - the founder of Spokane - was traveling through the Inland Northwest looking for a place to establish a town and make a fortune.

After journeying from Lewiston by horseback for several days through the lightly settled Inland Northwest he came to Spokane Falls. Glover knew at once that this was the place to build a town. He knew that a waterfall was the ideal source of power to grind grain and mill timber.

Glover also recognized that the falls were a thing of beauty. Later in life he remembered sitting beside the river on a rock during his first morning in Spokane. "I was enchanted," he wrote, "- overwhelmed - with the beauty and grandeur of everything I saw. It lay just as nature had made it, with nothing to mar its virgin glory."

A century later, stumbling upon the falls, he might have "held that thought" and proposed that the falls be set aside as a National Park. (One of the early visitors to Yellowstone, by the way, thought that Spokane Falls and its environs were even more beautiful than the nation's first national park.)

But James Glover grew up in the age of robber barons, industrial tycoons, and city-builders. Setting aside his realization of the beauty of the falls, he saw dollar signs rather than natural beauty, and said of the setting, "I determined that I would possess it."

I've taken this quote from a website promoting the restoration of Spokane Falls, but these words are almost identical to the ones Bill Youngs told us as we overlooked the Spokane River. Personally, I had never heard this story before. Many times I have myself sat captivated by the beauty of Spokane Falls, and I can hardly conceive that anyone could think to possess such a magnificent, living thing. James Glover not only came to possess the falls, but nearly destroyed them beneath the urban development he instigated.

Thankfully, Bill Youngs did not conclude the story with only an account of Glover's personal ambition or tales of environmental destruction. He also recounted the story of urban renewal brought about by the World's Fair (Expo '74).

Youngs wrote the book "The Fair and the Falls: Spokane's Expo '74 : Transforming an American Environment." The book recounts the history of the river and the fair. Up to that point, Spokane was the smallest city to ever host a world's fair, and arguably, Spokane's fair created a more lasting benefit to the local community than other fairs.

The site of the fair was once a scene of urban decay. The river was completely choked by concrete and steel, railroad trestles and industrial buildings. The city of Spokane used the fair as an opportunity to restore the heart of the river. The old buildings were demolished and replaced with a beautiful 100 acre park: Riverfront Park.

As an aside, I was only three years old during Expo '74, but I still remember opening day of the fair. I remember looking up into the sky and seeing millions of helium balloons mingled with hot air balloons.



The events of the day were filmed by a man named Easy; a video will eventually be released on Community-Minded Television. Easy and I first met last year when I gave a local history presentation at Drumheller Springs.



Speed Fitzhugh represented Avista during the tour. He spoke about a recent policy change that will allow water to flow over the falls twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Previously, Spokane Falls would run completely dry during the summer months as all the water was diverted for electric power.



The Sierra Club was instrumental in negotiating an agreement with Avista to allow Spokane Falls to flow during the summer. Rachael Paschal Osborn addressed the group during the history tour and spoke of the Sierra Club's efforts.

The group concluded the Spokane River History Tour near the site of the World's Fair. The former American Pavilion is visible in the background (left), as well as the old Clock Tower and the Imax Theater.

Native Plants

Last Friday, Anthony and I went to Wellpinit. During the drive, we passed a familiar stand of ponderosa pines, when I happened to notice a cluster of tiny white flowers growing on the forest floor. I'm not even sure how I saw them from my car, but they practically reached in and compelled me to stop. Once I took the time to observe them up close, I recognized them right away. Their scientific name is Claytonia lanceolata. Some people call them spring beauties, but I learned to know them as Indian potatoes, because of their edible, potato-like tubers. They represent one of the traditional foods I have only tasted on rare occasions.

I always assumed Indian potatoes were scarce or difficult to find because hardly anyone serves them anymore. But there they stood in great abundance all around me.

The human spirit is nourished as we become acquainted with the roots, flowers, and medicines growing in our midst. The landscape comes alive in unexpected ways, our knowledge expands, and our gratitude deepens. More important, our connection to nature assumes greater meaning in our lives. I looked at that plot of land for the last 39 years, and I only ever saw the trees, but then, like passing from darkness to morning light, the little meadow under the pine covering burst forth into brilliant colors. Those little flowers opened my heart, making me just little more awake and alive.







We also visited the serviceberries near Little Falls as the flower petals were just beginning to fall in preparation for the emerging fruit. I have a special affection for this particular tree because my auntie Thyra Moses brought me here several years ago when I was trying to learn to recognize this plant. I thought they might be hard to find, but once I saw them, the world opened and serviceberries spontaneously appeared all around me. It was like I had been sleeping and then awoke to find more beauty than I previously imagined.

The scientific name for serviceberries is Amelanchier canadensis.





These yellow flowers belong to the Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium), and they live in my back yard. We don't have to go far as we seek to deepen our appreciation for nature. We can learn the names, properties, and uses of plants growing in our own neighborhoods.

In our race to build ever-expanding housing developments and strip malls, I would ask people to pause long enough to see the beauty of our natural landscapes. Even on an individual level, I would encourage people to grow native plants in their homes and gardens. Native species reduce water consumption, increase natural diversity, and promote a deeper human connection to the land.

Earth Ambassador

Random Fact #2: I was once an Earth Ambassador.

Some time back in late 1989 or early 1990, one of my mentors encouraged me to apply for a youth leadership program known as the Earth Ambassadors, operated under the guidance of UNITY of Oklahoma City (United National Indian Tribal Youth). I remember almost nothing regarding the application process, except that maybe I wrote an essay about my tribal and family traditions. After applying, I mostly forgot about it.

But then a few weeks later, they called to say that I had been selected as one of only 48 tribal youth nationwide to form the first group of Earth Ambassadors.

That winter, they flew us all to a posh retreat center about an hour outside of San Diego, California to complete a nine-day training. We addressed a wide range of topics including tribal traditions, spirituality, the mind-body connection, environmentalism, and much more. We also explored issues of personal growth and healing. For example, some of our sessions dealt with difficult topics from Indian history, such as the emotional and psychological effects of Indian boarding schools. We learned that many of our parents and grandparents suffered violence and sexual exploitation within government and church operated boarding schools. The negative impact of this historical fact has created a legacy of pain that often continues to the present day.

Our first retreat was an amazing experience.

The next spring, the Earth Ambassadors flew to Washington DC for another retreat, this time to become more directly involved in lobbying for positive environmental change. Many of us met with our respective senators and representatives, and others attended Senate hearings on matters related to Indian lands and water rights. As an aside, the office of Senator Slade Gorton from Washington State gave us a somewhat hostile reception.

We later toured the White House and met First Lady Barbara Bush. We also attended a reception at the Department of the Interior and met with the assistant secretary of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and actor Rodney Grant, who played Wind In His Hair on Dances With Wolves.

The highlight of our trip was an intertribal ceremony we performed on the National Mall in honor of Earth Day. The photograph at the beginning of this post was taken during that ceremony.

That summer, UNITY held its national conference in Spokane and requested my assistance with some of the organizational responsibilities. Most important of these, I was able to negotiate with the county government for a special permit to build two sweat lodges near Hangman Creek, one for male conference attendees, and one for female attendees. I was master of ceremonies at the plenary session and spoke before an audience of 1,500 people. My father and I also cooked a traditional salmon dinner for more than 500 people.

Earth Ambassadors opened my mind to a Native world beyond my local community. It also gave me an essential introduction to leadership and positive change.

To review:

Random Fact #1: I was once a millionaire.
Random Fact #2: I was once an Earth Ambassador.

Deb Abrahamson

Deb Abrahamson, originally uploaded by sulustumoses.

Deb Abrahamson represented the SHAWL Society at the recent press conference in City Hall protesting the new police ombudsman.

The SHAWL Society is a grassroots organization based on the Spokane Indian Reservation dedicated to protecting the environment. They initially mobilized in response to the massive uranium mining wastes on the reservation, but have grown to encompass many other issues. SHAWL provides education on a wide range of topics, including uranium radiation, indigenous plants, health, and Native traditions, among others.

SHAWL stands for Sovereignty, Health, Air, Water, and Land.

The SHAWL Society website.

Plants of the Wild

Mom, originally uploaded by sulustumoses.

Various 167, originally uploaded by sulustumoses.

A couple days ago, my mother and I made something of a pilgrimage to Plants of the Wild in Tekoa Washington. They specialize in plants native to Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.

The purpose of our journey was to purchase plants native to this region to replace some of the foreign species in our yards. For me, these plants are part of my cultural and spiritual heritage, but they also allow me to consume fewer natural resources. Instead of using plants that require large amounts of water or chemical fertilzers, I chose plants that naturally thrive in this particular climate. In this small way, I contribute to the overall health of our community.

And besides the cultural and ecological intentions of our trip, I got to enjoy a much needed visit with my mom.

Bioneers

I've been remiss in keeping up my blog this last week, and now I'm having to play catch up.

A week ago, I presented at the local Bioneers Conference convened at Spokane Falls Community College. Specifically, I spoke about the spiritual connection between indigenous people and the environment. About 30 or 40 people attended my session and most seemed to respond very positively. Since the conference, several people have contacted me by email to request further discussion on this important topic.