Sacred Sites: Native American "prayers in stone"

What makes a site sacred?

Today question arises from an article titled Sacred Sites or Something Else? about ancient stone mounds recently discovered in the United States.

It is a fascinating article on the possible origin and meaning of early stone mounds in the United States.

So, what makes a site sacred in your eyes and how far should we go to preserve such a place?

Sia

Excerpt

One pile of stones on a particular hilltop evokes the curved body of a snake. And there are formations with purposes unclear and at times in dispute. All of these sites are part of a slowly unfolding story, one archaeologists hope to tell by learning more about them … if development doesn't destroy these places first.

In recent years, American Indian groups have pushed for greater recognition and understanding of these sites, which they believe are sacred. The controversy surrounding a stone mound on top of a hill in Oxford pushes every button that could set off alarms for these advocates. It also puts Calhoun County's most prosperous city in an unwelcome spotlight, pitting its rapid commercial growth against passionate preservationists.

...The mountain, which Holstein would not name for fear of advertising the site to looters, contains 80 acres of mound structures. The walls run across the mountain, in patterns Holstein believes are connected to natural phenomenon like springs and rock outcrops.

"We started excavating them in the '80s," he said. "We were the first people to realize they were something."

Levels of perception

Holstein said almost every native culture saw the world on three levels; earth, sky and the underworld.

"I just get excited about it," Holstein said. "Each time we find a new one, it gives us more information."

But how do we know they're cultural?

According to Holstein, early explorers asked American Indians about the rocks, who said they were commemorative structures. They were tombstones of past events.

Thrower says they're called "prayers in stone."

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Art: Young Woman by Garry Machees.

Related Articles:

Hogmany and Mystical Places

Totem Moon: Encounters with Native American Art of the Pacific Northwest

Today, I would like to share the artwork of Pat Amos a Native American artist from British Columbia who works in wood and paint creating totems, masks, sculptures, and murals. He also teaches woodworking and Native American art classes.

The name of this piece is Eagle Crescent Moon.

You can see some more of his work here.

I first encountered stylized images like this when I was ten, during a car trip with my family. We traveled up along the coast starting in southern California, and driving through Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. It was on this trip that I feel in madly in love with totem poles as only a ten year old can. It was also where I encountered the stylized, evocative, symbolic forms contained in Haida art.

I love Haida because it so beautifully combines the fluid lines of nature in a way that is both specific and abstract. I have been drawn to animal myths and imagery all of my life, and Haida art offers some of the most beautiful animal symbolism you will ever encounter. These images are based in a rich cultural tradition; something that I had not encountered until that point. At ten, what little I knew about other cultures came from the pages of National Geographic (1). I do remember feeling a strong connection with these pieces, much like the connection I felt to certain natural places and animals. So that summer I looked for totems and Haida art whereever we went. My parents, bless them, went out of their way to find parks, museums and gift stores where we can see reproductions and well as the real thing. My love for animal and nature-inspired art , a love I discovered on that trip, has stayed with me. When I later encountered mythopoetics in college in the early 70's, my love of these art forms, my studies in world myth and shamanism and the path of the Green Witch (a journey I had just begun) all converged, creating a heart shrine I carry with me to this day. Later on, I was able to add in the traditions, rituals and art forms from my own ancestral heritage, as well the strengths and insights I gained reading eco-feminist, (2) Taoist, and Pagan writers. Each step along the road continues to enriched that shrine. Today, I live in the one of those special places; the kind with a vital culture that celebrates the link between spirit and form. Lucky me.

Names for the Moon:

Native American traditions have given us some beautiful names for the full moons we see throughout the year. Here are a few:

January - Old Moon, Wolf Moon
February - Snow Moon
March - Sap Moon, Worm Moon, Crow Moon, Crust Moon
April - Grass Moon, Pink Moon, Moon of the Red Grass Appearing
May - Milk Moon, Flower Moon
June - Rose Moon, Strawberry Moon
July - Thunder Moon, Buck Moon
August - Green Corn Moon, Corn Moon, Sturgeon Moon
September - Fruit Moon, Harvest Moon
October - Harvest Moon, Hunter's Moon
November - Frost Moon, Beaver Moon
December - Long Night Moon, Cold Moon

from Tim Kallman, Karen Smale, and Pat Tyler for the Ask an Astrophysicist team

Flickr has a good collection of photos featuring Native American art of the Pacific Northwest. One photo of a totem carving of bear paws and a crescent moon drum titled Totem Moon is one of my favorites.

Teachers and earthwise parents might enjoy this page on the culture and traditons of the Pacific Northwest tribes of the coast.

Enjoy,

Sia

Related Articles:

Spirit Bird

Honoring Deer: What the Stag and the Earth Mother Teach Us

Bunny Mana

Deer Myth, Legends & Songs

About Time: Resolution of Apology to Native Peoples of the United States

Why Words Matter II: Saying Sorry
On the government's apology to the native people of Australia

Additional Links:

Names of the Moons in Native American Tradition

Multicultural Science Education - Myths, Legends and Moon Phases

Totem Poles of the Pacific Northwest
"The word "totem" itself derives from an Ojibwa word, "ototeman," and "totemism" in anthropological terms refers to the belief that a kin group is descended from a certain animal and treats it with special care, refraining from eating or hunting it. The figures carved on Northwest Coast poles generally represent ancestors and supernatural beings that were once encountered by the ancestors of the lineage, who thereby acquired the right to represent them as crests, symbols of their identity, and records of their history." (click on the link above to read more about this unique and sacred art form.

American Indian Totem Poles - more pictures and links

Lunar Phases

Native American Tribes of the Pacific Northwest

Recognizing Fake Native American Art Carvings Made In Indonesia

Endnotes:

(1) Not a bad place to start, really, especially for a little anglo girl, growing up in a WASP haven in the late 50's and early 60's.Thanks, Mom.

(2) Which reminds me, I could wish for a stronger visual link to the feminine in Haida art. More on that in another post.

Photo: Courtesy of the Coghlan Art Galley. The 2500 square foot gallery is located outside of Seattle and they offer wood work, carvings, prints, paintings and jewelry by Native artists. Click on their link to see work by other, Native American artists.

About Time: Resolution of Apology to Native Peoples of the United States

While Indigenous leaders gather to save the planet, David Pego (1) - writing for IMDiversity.com - tells us that:

They’re really getting close to finally saying the two words we American Indians have long wanted to hear.

The important two words: “We’re sorry.”

.....The official wording of the bill introduced by Senator Sam Brownback, a conservative Republican from Kansas, says the United States was guilty of “official depredations and ill-conceived policies.”

Faith Bremer, writing for the ArgusLeader notes that:

Congress has apologized for mistreating other minority groups. In 1993, it apologized to Native Hawaiians for helping overthrow the Hawaiian kingdom in the late 1800s. In 1988, Congress apologized to Japanese Americans for forcibly removing them to internment camps during World War II.

......"However, an apology alone won't improve Indian health care, secure educational opportunities for the future of Indian children or bring economic development to Indian Country," (Sen. Tim) Johnson said.

"The best way for the United States to apologize to Indian Country is to live up to the treaty and trust responsibilities," he said.

The apology resolution, which was introduced by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., recounts how native people helped early European settlers and explorers survive their harsh, unfamiliar surroundings and how relations between the groups descended into armed conflicts, in which many innocent lives were lost.

I have posted a Native American map of the United States at the Full Circle blog site. If you click on that, you can see the larger version which shows the tribal territories that were in place when the Pilgrims landed. For more on this issue I recommend reading The Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zin and Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown.

In his article for the Native American Village, Pego warns us that all this could still be Bush-wacked - again - and explains why this issue is so important to native people:

What does that mean? Well, some of us older folk can tell you it means we had older relatives who were sent to boarding schools and never came home. It recalls the open season on American Indians decades ago, just like they hunt for deer and buffalo now.

....We are sorry. You are forgiven.

What powerful words. Do we forget that in many tribes, we would take the injured warriors from another tribe into our homes and nurse them back to health and then adopt them as our own sons? Things were so much more honorable then. Imagine battle where you win glory by just touching someone.

Meanwhile, Robert Colter, Founder of the Indian Law Resource Center, reminds us that offering an apology means you won't do it again, something our goverment does not seem to understand.

A good example of ongoing wrongs is how the government is trying to drive Western Shoshone Indians off their homelands in Nevada without due process and for a payment of about 15 cents per acre. This is gold-mining land (much of it turned over for only $2.50 per acre to Canadian-owned companies) but Indians derive no royalties from it, while being left virtually landless with no means for economic development to improve their impoverished conditions.

...Another glaring abuse of federal power is how the Interior Department still does not account for billions in Indian funds that it holds. This national shame is reported regularly in the press. The department is defying the law, as it has done for years.

A few casinos does not make up for this government's actions towards Native Americans, both in the past and today. Such an apology should be coupled, one would hope, with real efforts to deal with poverty and support education among their people.

Pagans may remember that in 2002 Pope John Paul issued a blanket apology for "errors of the church for the last 2,000 years". Many of us thought this was a good first step. However, the apology was far too vague and sounded to many Pagans as if he were merely saying "Mistakes were made." Speaking only for myself, I believe it is high time that Catholic and Protestant religious leaders apologize - clearly, specifically and unreservedly - for the torture and death of thousands of women, men and animals during The Burning Times.

Sia

P.S. My thanks to the Wildhunt Blog for the link to the article on the indigenous leaders conference.

Related Articles:

Why Words Matter, Part II: Saying Sorry
Australia's Applogy to the Aborginal People

Recovering From Our Culture: Why Words Matter

Endnotes:

(1) Contributing editor and director of writer development David Pego is a Saginaw Chippewa tribal member. He was the first native journalist to be named a McCormick Tribune Fellow. David was a delegate to the historic White House Conference on Indian Education and was the 2000 winner of the Innovators In Education Award. He also serves as National Chair for the new Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society national writing competition for young students.