Memories of the Land That We Stand Upon
This past weekend, my friends and I completed our 2 month excursion across the west coast of America. During this Graffiti Village Tour, as we call it, we visited 10 different states and also spent time in Mexico and Canada.
On this voyage we performed musically, spoke at a variety of communities and aligned with sustainable and permaculture experts, however, the thing that stood out most was being able to soak up the wisdom from the Native American communities we visited.
On this tour we visited 7 different indigenous tribes, all of whom shined a bright light of wisdom, peace, and truth as we listened to the words from their elders. These tribes included the San Carlos Apache, Navajo and Hopi in Arizona, the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico, the Arapaho and Shoshone in Wyoming, the Aaiinh and the Blackfeet in Montana and the Lummi in Washington.
As I reflect at the wisdom they shared, the stories they told us about their culture and the unfortunate history that nearly exterminated their people at the hands of the government, I think it’s time we expand our idea of Memorial Day.
As the Hopi elder told us, there is One Creator which empowers all, we all walk upon this Mother Earth, while looking up to Father Sky.
May we honor our connection with one another and open our minds and hearts to the sacred soil we dwell upon.
The Soil We Stand Upon
In elementary school we were taught that America was the land of the free and the home of the brave. A place built with equality in mind and providing people with the ability to pursue life, liberty and happiness.
The history books briefly mention the atrocities of slavery that built this nation off the back of people who were treated less than human. The other fact they don’t teach the kids, speak about much on television, or discuss in our communities is the genocide of the Native American people who lived here tens of thousands of years before the first settler stepped foot in North America.
Wherever you may be in our world, especially here in the USA, you are standing upon sacred soil. While I say that this soil is sacred, we also must realize that it is stained with blood, murder, rape and pillaging.
I speak these words with a hope to start the conversation about the true history of America. I speak these words so we can begin to acknowledge the native communities in our own backyard. I speak these words so we can see what real changes have to be made across the globe.
As the Lummi elder told us, we should all be willing to honor the soil we stand upon. We must make the long trek from filling our minds with this knowledge and bring it into our hearts. Once our hearts are aware of the truth, our being is moved into action.
While we can’t go back in time and change the horrific history of countless governments, especially here in America, we can recognize the importance our lives have in this moment of now. It is what we do now that will create the days of tomorrow.
The best way to heal the wounds is not to deny their existence, but to expose them to the light and begin to speak words that act as ointment that can help us recognize we are all one people.
Let us expand our idea of Memorial Day.
Keys of Gratitude For Memorial Day
#1 – Coat Your Mind With Truth – Be willing to look deeply at your environment, look deeper than the news and views of others. Seek wisdom and honor history, not as the textbooks tell it but as those who have been oppressed express it. With a mind filled with truth, your heart soaks it up and before you know it you are the light of change in a sea of seeming darkness.
#2 – Borderless – I’ve often wondered why on Memorial Day we only honor the soldiers on one side of the war. In a country like America that speaks often about Christianity and equality, wouldn’t we take our mind a step further and recognize that all people’s lives are valuable? It’s made me think that in order to express true gratitude for human beings we must be willing to breakdown the imaginary borders that our minds and governments have created. In this modern time it is becoming essential for us to see each other as equal, recognizing the ancient roots our lives have blossomed from.
#3 – Creating the Future – We can create an abundant future by being willing to live our life in its highest and best right now. If you make today the best it can be, honoring and respecting people and the planet in this moment, you help create empowering memories for the future generations. What type of future are you helping to create?
More Thoughts About Memorial Day
Earth, Natives, true history, colonization, wars, government’s, current day.
Here are a few more thoughts about Memorial Day.
Peace
Happiness
Compassion
Respect
Jeffon Seely
Three Key Life