The next presentation is by Cheryl Flowers, a Native American from the Soo tribe of Chippewa Indians, in the Upper Peninsula. Cheryl described, and passed around, a personal medicine wheel, a symbol of focus and inclusion.
Cheryl discussed the importance and meaning of color to the Three Fires (Ottowa, Potowatomi, and Chippewa). All parts of life are part of the Circle of Life, and meaning arises within this framework of relationships. "What goes around, comes around".
Potowatomi tribe: Maintainers of the sacred fire
Ottowa tribe: Traders
Chippewa tribe: Ceremonial people
Clans have responsible for various aspects of tribal dynamic. Cheryl has reconnected with her traditions, and has found herself living out a personal destiny and her recovery. She discussed the various ways the Federal Government has instituted to dilute and destroy tribal integrity. As casinos have entered this complex mix of traditions and values, young people can lose their way, exploited by drug dealers and gangs.
When individuals go to urban areas, they can also become lost. The tribes have succeeded in dealing partially with this disintegration by altering the general practice of adoption of native children. Michigan tribes created Native American foster homes.
One of the extensions of the symbol of the Circle of Life is their flexible notion of the extended family, beyond blood ties, even tribal histories. Cheryl talked about the way traditional pow-wows helped to reestablish her understanding of her traditions and the cultural support that the extended family can provide. "You get what you need, not what you want".
Cheryl believes that confidentiality can eliminate the possibility of real support from the extended family. She believes that everyone has culture and is diverse.
She also has a mission to bring the recovery movement to her tribe.
More later.
Connecting Tags;
No comments:
Post a Comment