Hidden America

So this is my last consideration of the year. Recently it has showed on tv a documentary of Diane Sawyer about children who live in Pine ridge, one of the poorest Indian reservations, one of the LAKOTA ones.

I am aware of some people have different point of view about it and I do respect it. I am not here talking as Lakota people, I could not do this, I am not one of them. Here I just comment my own point of view, as the audience and as someone who LOVE and RESPECT these people, their culture and legacy. I see many people loving this great nation and having a strong identification with them ( I am totally included on it ), but I wonder if everyone out there who wants to be connected to their culture and spirituality is really aware of who they are nowadays…

The Lakota people have a beautiful culture and a sad history , there are still warriors , the ones who struggle hardly to keep their culture and people alive but sadly many of them are struggling another batters…Sometimes I find myself wondering how they got this point…I am not there, so I never would know the answer…I just know that their strength are still there , their values are still there…

This documentary from my point of view was very touching , I do not agree that only showed the negative points as poverty, high level of suicide and high level of alcoholism …It showed a very strong generation of children, ready to keep their culture and values alive, it´s a lesson for the rest of the world. The brightness on them, faith and strength give hope, eventhough we see endurance and a early maturity on them .Also personally I do not think it´s negative to show their real condition of life, I do not see this as an exploitation, by the contrary, it´s an alert , and can serve as a calling for many people out there who for some reason are really in love with this nation and try to be close to them by taking part to spiritual cerimonies which carries the Lakota name .

 If you want to feel so connected to them so there is a whole package to be taken, and maybe there is something you can do to help them to keep all of this alive. Again, I am not here talking by them…I talk by myself, by what touches my heart . I deeply respect if you think in a different way.

I posted about the Lighthouse Project which help them throughout the year, it could be a good opportunity to do something for them. I know that the subject of help can be a little bit complicate and I cannot go deep in it, but I can say this is a honest project created and led by people, native ones with good heart who know their people necessity .

I just think that we are so amazed by their deep culture and spirituality, we love and feel touched by the stories , we want to take part of their cerimonies so we must also know how to help , remember that one of the codes in a tribe is to help each other…so to be connected to them is to help too, we can not keep on ignoring the reality and just having the romantic ideas of indians sitting outside a teepee and smoke the pipe looking at the stars and clouds. sorry I had to mention this because I always heard it when people are talking about the Lakota people…I really wish it was true, maybe some of them still do this…but believe me, this is not the real life and this I can say even not being one of them and even not living among them.

May you have a wonderful new beggining!!

See you all in 2012!!!

Aho! Sandra Prem

Project Lighthouse

Many people nowadays are higly interested in Native American culture, are seeking for their ancestry spirituality but have no idea who they really are. Is part of Native American cultural system do help each other as a family, it´s the idea of we are not alone, we are all part of the great circle. For the ones who have no idea of their reality, they are not sitting in front of their tippies and smoking their pipes and appreciating the stars in the sky, maybe they also can do this, but more than this, they are helping each other. In South Dakota, the Lakota reservations have a hard time facing poverty, not just Pine Ridge but all of them. This Nation I assume is one of the most loved by people everywhere for their history and culture but unfortunately they no longer live in the plains as they  used to live once before the removal to the reservations. Now, they face another reality and they surely need help.

PLH 2012 - TEXAS INDIAN MARKET

I would like to share with you all this wonderful project and ask you to check it out, at least check it out and pass it on to other people if you can. Loving the Native American people, culture is not just learn their cerimonies and seek for healings , it is also to help out to preserve them, so they can keep on here. Aho! ( Sandra Prem )

Below I will share with you all, some words from their own page:

... Brad and Gabriele Bearsheart have been giving selflessly to the Native American communities since 2005 when they founded Project Lighthouse.

Over 70% of the population on the reservation is living well below the poverty level.   Not only is Project Lighthouse delivering gifts at Christmas time; they deliver food, clothing and furniture throughout the year. They are in desperate need of monetary donations in order to continue to operate. They have been operating for the last 6 years with very little financial assistance. They cannot continue for much longer without help. I would like to ask each of you to help us raise awareness and funds. Every little bit we can do makes a big difference.  

new address: 774B Century Place, Monument - Colorado
80132
Phone number: 7192900799






*****A NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON!!!! *****

Fakes can harm you. Walk in Beauty!!

There is an old native prophecy which says there would be a moment in the future when a new generation of non natives would turn to native culture for healing themselves and the earth, this generation would turn to native culture and spirituality….well, for my point of view it seems the time is right now…I guess many people nowadays are aware of it…natives and non natives… Many people, non native are really seeking for the old wisdom of native people and through the ancient native spirituality and wisdom we can have a new enlightment  to guide our lives. Personally I think it´s wonderful, indeed but What we must be careful is with the fact of many greed people perfectly know that and they are out there trying to make fool of you, take your money, and make you a blindly follower of  their many colors tribe, or whatever else…Be careful you all!!!.... some time ago I wrote a post that can help you not to be tricked by fakes and some hints native friends kindly gave me to share with you all. I truly pay attention to all of them and hope it can help you all too. Of course I am totally for learning the old path, I do this myself we just might know how to do this in a harmless way. I highly recommend you all read this article too: How to be out of fake shamans!!

The tragedy envolving the “best seller” author Arthur James Rey can give us a clue of how dangerous can be in a rite which demands so much knowledge  , led by someone who does not have it.. I am not here making a judgement of what can be right or wrong. I am surely not the right person for that…but I just would like to share with you all some words coming from a Lakota buddy and through his words you can decide by yourselves. I must say also that he kindly allowed me to do this in his name otherwise I wouldn´t be doing this… . So you can see both sides and at least start seeing the other side of the coin….Remember, these words were written by a true traditional Lakota person, so we should pay attention to that…there is something we might learn from that…don´t you all agree??

Arthur Ray is not either  the first nor the last , there many others  like him out there and nobody wants people being harming by fakes who does not have any clue about real native American culture and spirituality. Leading a sacred rite is not a silly thing that can be done by an unprepared one. We really should understand the fine line between learning culture, dance, and symbolic cerimonies just for the reason to make us connected to this wonderful ancestry and being part of a rite which can harm us physically and spiritually , lead by someone  without any clue of native American spirituality and tradition.

I could say to you all that I really want one day to be blessed enough to participate to a real native ceremony…so I can perfectly understand the necessity people have to be in it…but look, just very special people inside the culture really can lead such cerimonies…there must be a reason for that, as the same if you go to a mass in a church , this one must be lead by someone really prepared for that…think about it….Do not let yourself be fooled by fakes who does not seek for any other than you money…or just gather followers enough to satisfy their poor egos….This is not Native American medicine at all.

I know many people out there are completely desperate for an experience, a shamanic experience…but I don´t think it´s just that simple…Believe me, if you really want to be connected by this so wonderful tradition, you could do it in a harmless way…remember, native people are extremely  and deeply connected  to the nature…so one nice thing to do, is to be in a place surrounded by nature, in silence….try it and see what comes after…see? There is no necessity to be part of those non sense cerimonies led by fakes who does not understand anything about native ancestry….One day you will be blessed enough to be guided by a real native but one capable to do this, it´s important to remember that even among native people just a real medicine man can do such things…do not let the greed and  arrogance of others use your faith for their own profit…Many things about native American spirituality are open to us, others are not…and there is a reason for that…use the ones which are available, they are simple and will help you…try to be deeply connected with them…Aho!! Sandra Prem

I am Lakota

The Sweat Lodge is a sacred ceremony of my people.
It is for prayer and cleansing of ones body & spirit.
Some snake oil salesman misrepresenting that he is selling my people’s sacred ways is bad enough. But this man was a charlatan of the worst kind. Deadly.

First a Medicine man does not charge, if he does, he is not a medicine man.

Second I wish they charged him with falsely claiming to be a Native American Indian but it seems the federal government only charges that on someone that took money from the government by claiming to be a Native.

Third in a real Sweat Lodge, if you get too hot you can just push open the side and crawl out. Being alive is always more important than not being rude when someone else is praying.

Fourth Sweat Lodge has nothing to do with wicca or new agers, on the contrary it is older than the dead sea the scrolls and as traditional to my people as it is sacred.

Fith James Arthur Ray killed people. May they rest in peace and may their families find healing.

words from Tokala Clifford ( Oglala Lakota )