The Science Behind Smudging

http://thespiritscience.net/2015/11/26/the-science-behind-smudging-what-really-happens-when-we-burn-sage/

The scientific paper entitled “Medicinal Smokes” and published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology focuses a scientific lens on the practice, which is becoming more and more widely practiced, despite skepticism.  It serves to play against the role that this activity has played in a culturally diverse range of religions and tribal beliefs.

The research included information from 50 countries over 5 continents and found that, predominantly, smoke administered medicinally is mostly used to aid lung, brain and skin function. In addition, it was revealed that passive fumes doubled as a sort of air purifier.

 “We have observed that 1 hour treatment of medicinal smoke emanated by burning wood and a mixture of odoriferous and medicinal herbs (havan sámagri=material used in oblation to fire all over India), on aerial bacterial population caused over 94% reduction of bacterial counts by 60 min and the ability of the smoke to purify or disinfect the air and to make the environment cleaner was maintained up to 24 hour in the closed room. Absence of pathogenic bacteria Corynebacterium urealyticum, Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens, Enterobacter aerogenes (Klebsiella mobilis), Kocuria rosea, Pseudomonas syringae pv. persicae, Staphylococcus lentus, and Xanthomonas campestris pv. tardicrescens in the open room even after 30 days is indicative of the bactericidal potential of the medicinal smoke treatment.   We have demonstrated that using medicinal smoke it is possible to completely eliminate diverse plant and human pathogenic bacteria of the air within confined space.”

Women are Sacred

http://www.whitewolfpack.com/2015/02/women-are-sacred-11-native-american.html

Spiritual quotes about women.

Lakota Values Difficult to Follow Today

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/10/03/7-lakota-values-are-difficult-adhere-today-157168

Hummingbirds

Snipped from a short article on hummingbirds…

…moths are often mistaken for hummingbirds, or hummingbirds mistaken for insects. A Taino Native American legend held that hummingbirds were originally flies, but the Sun Father transformed them into birds. This Caribbean tribe considered the hummingbird the spreader of life on the planet, owing to the hummingbirds’ role as pollinators as they drink from one flower, inadvertently collect and deliver pollen as they poke their bills into blossoms to feed.

To bring more hummingbirds to your garden, consider the following flower facts: Hummingbirds eat insects, but also feed on flower nectar. In seeking nectar, hummingbirds don’t rely on their sense of smell, but instead, their vision. When their immovable eyes spot the color red, they make a bee line. As any hiker who has worn a red bandana or hat knows, hummingbirds investigate anything red . That’s why hummingbird feeders are usually made of red plastic and some hummingbird nectar is dyed red.

Even hanging red ribbons front trees and shrubs or running a mister can also lure hummingbirds. Naturally, red flowers attract hummingbirds. According to Sunset Western Gardens, the following plants can bring hummingbirds to your landscape:

Alcea rosea (hollyhock)
Aquilegia (columbine)
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed)
Clarkia (annual)
Cleome hasslerana (spider flower/annual)
Digitalis (foxglove)
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower)
Monarda (bee balm)
Veronica (speedwell)
Zinnia (annual)
Buddleia (butterfly bush)

More information here.

Religion and Christian Privilege - Short Compilation of Thoughts by Leaders in the Field…

Most of the religious hegemony evident in this country is Christian hegemony. The concept of "hegemony" (Gramsci, 1971) describes the ways in which the dominant group, in this case Christians in general and predominantly Protestants, successfully disseminate dominant social realities and social visions in a manner accepted as common sense, as "normal," as universal. The dominant group (in this instance, Christians) reiterates its values and practices while marginalizing and subordinating those who do not adhere to Christian faith traditions.

Based on Peggy McIntosh's (1988) pioneering investigations of white and male privilege, we can, by analogy, understand Christian privilege as constituting a seemingly invisible, unearned, and largely unacknowledged array of benefits accorded to Christians, with which they often unconsciously walk through life as if effortlessly carrying a knapsack tossed over their shoulders. This system of benefits confers dominance on Christians while subordinating members of other faith communities as well as non-believers. These systemic inequities are pervasive throughout the society. They are encoded into the individual's consciousness and woven into the fabric of our social institutions, resulting in a stratified social order privileging dominant ("agent") groups while restricting and disempowering subordinate ("target") groups.

Religion and spirituality are private matters between individuals and families. Religion and religious practices should not be imposed upon those who do not as members of dominant groups may believe. We truly need to separate religion from government, and religion from the public square.

Warren Blumenfeld
Department of Curriculum & Instruction
Iowa State University

Co-editor of Investigating Christian Privilege and Religious
Oppression in the United States, 2009, Sense Publishers

I think asking people who are religiously oppressed or forced to live under Christian hegemony when they are, say, Muslim, to "enjoy the celebration of" Christianity (the privileged religion--as part of a celebration of all faiths) is a lot like asking women to enjoy the celebration of patriarchy or asking people of color to enjoy the celebration of white supremacy. The point is that in our society ONLY Christianity is "officially" celebrated. Anything outside of that hegemonic norm is repressed immediately and harshly, systemically speaking.

This reminds me of doing some work at a school in the New England area. I was doing focus groups as part of an equity assessment. I first met with students of color and asked them what their experience of "diversity" was at the school. They said things like "I feel like a visitor in my own school" and "there's racism here and nobody's doing anything about it." Then, moving from the group with the LEAST amount of power in the school to the one with the MOST power, I met with the upper-level administrators, and asked them the same question. The head of the school responded, "We need to celebrate the joys of diversity." Should we not work, first, on making a society which is just and equitable, so that we can "celebrate" more authentically? And isn't the elimination of the privileged and oppressive religion from the public sphere (just as the elimination of white supremacy or patriarchy from the same institutions) a reasonable point of departure?

I'd be more open to the idea of celebrating all faiths if we could first pay serious attentions to the concerns Warren raised. But the idea of focusing on celebrating all faiths in a sociopolitical climate in which that's nowhere near a reality seems, to me, to be another layer of hegemony.

Paul C. Gorski

Founder, EdChange - http://www.EdChange.org
Board of Directors, International Assoc. for Intercultural
Education - http://www.iaie.org

Spring (Vernal) Equinox

Flowers and fiddleheads, seeds, eggs, fertility,
rebirth and strawberries, sprouts, stalks and salad greens.
These are a few of my favorite things…
-cft

The Sun was directly over the Equator at 7:44 am today, equal daylight and nightime. From now on, we get more and more light (it's reverse in the southern hemisphere, Autumn Equinox moving into winter). This day has been celebrated since recorded history as the beginning of a New Year by many cultures such as Persians, Native Americans, countries in Asia and in the Middle East. It is also a holiday for Zoroastrians. Many countries in the Middle East also celebrate Mother’s Day on this date.

When the western world employed the Julian calendar, years began on March 25. Festivals marking the start of the New Year were celebrated anytime from March 20 to the first day of April. The adoption of the Gregorian calendar during the 1500s moved New Year's Day to January 1. We see the remnants of this move in the names for the months: April the 2nd month, May the 3rd, June the 4th, July the 5th, August the 6th, SEPTember the 7th month, OCTober the 8th, NOVember the 9th, and DECIember the 10th. See the pattern? That makes January the 11th month and February the 12th… and that will bring us back to March as the first month of the year. When the Gregorian calendar took over from the Julian, those who forgot the change and attempted to celebrate New Year's Day on the "wrong" date (end of March) were teased as "April fools."

Other theories around April Fools Day are:
• The timing of this day of pranks seems to be related to the arrival of spring, when nature "fools" mankind with fickle weather, according to the Encyclopedia of Religion and the Encyclopedia Britannica.
• The Country Diary of Garden Lore, which chronicles the goings-on in an English garden, says that April Fools' Day "is thought to commemorate the fruitless mission of the rook (the European crow), who was sent out in search of land from Noah's flood-encircled ark."
• Others theorize it may have something to do with the Vernal Equinox (this relates to Native Americans).
• Some think to tie in with the Romans' end-of-winter celebration, Hilaria, and the end of the Celtic new year festival.

The UN has also declared March 20 as International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and UNESCO’s World Poetry Day.

From a Celebrating Spring Website: In many traditions, this is the start of the new year. The Roman year began on the ides of March (15th). The astrological year begins on the equinox when the moon moves into the first sign of the Zodiac, Aries, the Ram. The Greek God Ares is equivalent to the Roman Mars for whom the month of March is named. Between the 12th century and 1752, March 25th was the day the year changed in England and Ireland. March 25, 1212 was the day after March 24, 1211.

Some folks celebrate the festival of Nawruz, the Persian New Year, which falls on the Spring Equinox. They fix a special dinner of seven food dishes that begin with ‘S.’ Since many don't know the Arabic names for food, they use English words and eat salad, salami, soup, squash, etc. The table is decorated with a mirror, a bowl of water with one freshly-picked green leaf floating in it, a candleabra containing a candle for every child in the house, a copy of the Koran (or other sacred text), rose water, sweets, fruit, a fish, yogurt and colored eggs.

We celebrated the New Year with drumming and dinner beginning at 4:30 pm with a special activity highlighting the season. Each person planted seeds (green salad or humming bird attraction plants) or bulbs (gladiolas this year). They also wrote out a wish, intention, or word(s) to consider for the season and buried it in the earth of the pot.

After drumming, we shared a dinner. I made Thai SPRING rolls, marinaded SPRING chicken, and rice. Folks also brought great compliments to our Spring Feast, including brussel sprouts (out with the Winter and in with the Spring), fresh green beans, apple cake, and lots and lots of strawberries (fresh, with lady fingers and cream, and in rhubarb pie). It was fantastic!

Here are some additional/repeat comments on New Year's Day from my Taino friend, Vanessainaru Metztli Pastrano:
Many countries celebrate New Years Day at different times of the calendar year. The definition of New Years is the custom of celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of another. It marks the closing and the start of a measurement of daily time.

A calender year for modern day time, in the western world, was first started by the Romans in 713 BC. However, they used a ten month rotation. The first official start date was moved to January 1 in 153 BC. Julius Caesar moved the calender to 12 full months in 53 BC. It was called the Julian Calendar

The custom of New Years is different to different nations and even religions. The Christan Liturgical or Ecclesiastical Calendar starts with Advent.

The Chinese New Year is also referred to as the Lunar New Year. It can start anywhere between January 21 and February 21. The Islamic New Year is based on 12 lunar months.

The Iranian New Year begins with the Vemal Equinox (spring). The Assyrian New Year begins on April 1. The Punjabi begins on April 13th. The Thai and Cambodian begin their New Years between April 13th and 15th. The Eastern Orthodox Church starts their Civil New Years on January 14th.

Lastly the Gregorian Calendar is our actual modern day Calendar that is commonly accepted.It was named after Pope Gregory the 13th. It was started in 1582. It used the initials of AD and CE. CE stands for Christan Era and AD stands for the Annunciation of the birth of Jesus to Mary.

In the modern Western World, it took quite sometime to get one particular start day of a Calendar year. It took from 1522 to 1752 for the date of January 1st to be recognized as the official date for the New Year.

There are many different customs with the start of the New Year. Many regard it as a Holy Day for different religions. However, in almost every country and nation, it is a day of celebration. People party and happily look at the exchange of years.

So which ever New year's day you celebrate… Bohio Atabei wishes you ALL the very best… Have a happy, Stay well.

By the way the oldest known measurement of a calender year is by the Mayans…

Posted By Taino Women's Bohio de Atabex to Bohio Atabei, Caribbean Indigenous Women's Circle at 12/31/2009 09:55:00 AM

Winter Solstice by CFT

Sun., Dec. 21, 2008, 7:04 AM EST (12:04 UT), marked the solstice—the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. I didn't get all this information from my own research, I compiled it from a couple of useful websites: The Farmer's Almanac and Info Please.
The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the end of the longest night of the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, and its noontime elevation appears to be the same for several days before and after the solstice. The origin of the word solstice, comes from Latin solstitium, from sol, “sun” and -stitium, “a stoppage.” Following the winter solstice, we welcome back the light as the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter.

For our family, and many Native Americans, the Medicine Wheel (not perfect, but pretty good Medicine Wheel explanation) teaches us that the beginning of winter marks time spent in the “North.” This is the place of white buffalo, Moose and Bear. These animals prepared themselves and have a layer of fat to sustain them through the winter. They rest and take things slow, not wasting energy, and with the understanding of what winter brings. They have also been the primary source of meat during the wintertime for people. We learn from them that through experience and age we gain wisdom.
Now we take the time to rest and contemplate the lessons. North is a great place of healing. This is the time after midnight, a dream time. The time to be grounded within yourself and deep within, like a bear in a cave. We wrote the prayers and wishes we had for ourselves in wax on to candles and then burned them, releasing the prayers into the spiritual realm.

Click here for "What to tell you children about racism."

An important component of this time of year is thanking the animals and taking care of them. Here's a great book called Thanks to the Animals.

Winter Solstice ceremony in Miami

PEACE & DIGNITY JOURNEY

Their website

Peace and Dignity Journeys are spiritual runs that embody the prophecy of the Eagle and Condor. This prophecy mandates that at this time all Indigenous Peoples in the Western Hemisphere shall be reunited in a spiritual way in order to heal our nations so we can begin to work towards a better future for our children and generations to come. Through the Journeys, participant runners and supporters work to accomplish this goal by helping each other reconnect to their respective spiritual practices and traditions; by helping each other relearn our role in the world as Indigenous Peoples; and by reminding each other of our responsibilities to Mother Earth, Father Sky, our communities, and ourselves.

Peace and Dignity Journeys occur every four years and start with Indigenous runners on opposite ends of the continents (Chickaloon, Alaska and Tierra del Fuego, Argentina). They run for six months through hundreds of Indigenous communities where they participate in their respective spiritual practices and traditions; spark dialogue on the issue of peace and dignity for Indigenous Peoples; model their responsibility to Mother Earth, Father Sky, communities, and themselves; and receive the community's prayers. These prayers and conversations are then carried to proceeding communities until the runners reach the center of the hemisphere. When the runners meet at the Kuna Nation in Panama City, Panama, it will symbolize all Indigenous Peoples joining together in a spiritual way to manifest the prophecy of the Eagle
and Condor.

Taino Ceremony

New Sacred Site found! - issues of repatriation and sovereignty emerge. The site has been reburied, but this site below may still be viewed and visited.

Photos below by Cheyenne Fox Tree McGrath
Ceremonial Ball Park










Cemi - "three pointers"










Cohoba Spirit











MORE RESOURCES:
Taino Gallery
Taino Cultural Definitions: Explanations, etc.
Cacibajagua Cultural Society

Holidays, Celebrations, and Educational Letters by CFT

Each new school year, I write a letter to all the teachers of my children and to the administrators in their schools. To date, I have written over one-hundred-and-fifty letters. I use this opportunity to share some of my culture, as well as to inform the school staff of my holidays.

I mostly do not even receive a response, hardly a "thank you," and that's okay. When the time comes, I expect the information I have shared to be followed, as guaranteed by the Constitution and other legislation.

Thank you to the one to three teachers each year who DO respond once in a while, I really, really appreciate it. You are often a specialist and don't even see my child every day. Sometimes, you are someone who already knows me and you are having another one of my children. Thank you, thank you, for taking the moment to say something pleasant back.
Letters to Teachers
1999
2007

2009 - from Damon Corie, Eagle Clan Lokono-Arawaks

Special DaysMore information on dates can be obtained at the U.S. Naval Observatory
Autumn Equinox 2007
Winter Solstice 2008
Spring Equinox 2009

Festivals
Peace and Dignity Journey

Activism
Why I Don't Just Call the School on Holidays

Autumn Equinox

From a great source: "The word "Equinox" is derived from the Latin term "æquinoctium" which, in turn, came from "æquus" (equal), and "nox" (night). It refers to the two times a year when the lengths of daylight and nighttime are an equal twelve hours. The sun shines directly at the Equator on Spring and Fall Equinoxes. At this time of the year, the sun rises exactly in the east, travels through the sky for 12 hours, and sets exactly in the west. Everywhere on Earth experiences close to 12 hours of daylight, and 12 hours of nighttime.

The exact date and time of the Fall Equinox, when the sun moves into the astrological sign of Aries, varies from year to year. Each year, the date/time moves progressively later in September until the year before leap-year is reached. On leap-year, it returns to an earlier date/time. This four-year cycle is then repeated."

Here's an example of how my family honors the Equinox. We began our day by celebrating the harvest by going apple picking after breakfast. The trees were loaded with fruit.












When we arrived back home, we had our drumming session and honored the water, the birds, the Earth, snakes, wind (willow trees) and rabbits -- all connected to our Equinox celebration of the "West" -- The "direction" of Autumn according to Native American Medicine Wheel teachings. We did a smudging ceremony and then used sweetgrass to bring in the "sweetness" of community and of the new season.

After break, we honored the seven directions with a traditional blowing of the conch shell followed by physical (we turned to face each direction) and verbal acknowledgement of the gifts from each of these directions.

We also had a chance to have our "newly made" drumsticks "pose for pictures!" Here is a recreation of our closing prayer, where we had an opportunity to say our last thank yous and send out healing and positive thoughts to friends and family.









We had a great BBQ for dinner, complete with more harvest foods, like apple cider and zucchini bread. I'm so thankful that so many of my friends were able to join me and the kids in celebrating today's Equinox.

More info: "On average, the Moon appears 50 minutes later each day, but near the Equinox, it rises just 10 minutes later than the previous day. This produces several consecutive nights of near-full Moons and perhaps 10 hours of light. These moons are particularly bright because they Fall near the monthly perigee (when the Moon is closest to the Earth) around September 28 and March 21." Time is circular and repetitive, with the continuity of nature's lunar (monthly) and solar (yearly) cycles being guaranteed by our honoring and acknowledgment of them.