Singing Wind: Book I Last of the Dog Days

By Lee Shaw-Newland

In a time of monumental transition, wrought by European colonialism marching inexorably across the globe, changing the sacred world of the First Nation people forever, journey with Singing Wind, Medicine Woman of the Blackfoot in seventeenth century Canada, in this epic tale of tragedy, hope, love and magic in the snow-capped mountains of northern America

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Oct 29, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499091069

Lee Shaw-Newland

Lee Shaw-Newland is a South African woman from Johannesburg, author of PS…Don’t Kak On my Karma! (Xlibris October 2010) – an uplifting self-help book. Besides writer, she is a soul coach – therapist in the healing arts (Reiki Master and Antaneea and Access Consciousness practitioner) and teacher of holistic therapies. She is also a mother, partner, daughter, sister, friend, dancer and an amateur painter. What you are about to read is mostly soul memory of a life in the time of this story, brought forth during encounters with her guide in Reiki initiations, regression hypnoses and transcendental meditations – her Dreamtimes – and of course much fact garnered from thousands of hours of impassioned and absorbed corroborative reading and research.

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by Lee Shaw-Newland.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4990-9107-6

                eBook            978-1-4990-9106-9

Both front and back cover images are paintings/charcoal by the author.

Lake Banff and surrounding mountains – watercolour painted from a photograph.

First Nation woman – watercolour and charcoal rendition of a Facebook image.

For questions and concerns please email the author:

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 10/28/2014

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PROLOGUE

SPIRIT ANIMAL MEDICINES CHARACTERS

In Native American spiritual philosophy, all creatures bring medicine to us two-leggeds. A medicine is a characteristic from which we learn in order to enhance our Earth Walk (life) and to bring us closer to Apistitoki or Great Spirit, thereby assisting us on The Good Red Road (our life path). Animals are viewed as wise and powerful and serve as intermediaries between us human beings and Great Spirit.

What follows below is a very brief description of the animal medicines, plants and various terms encountered in the story. This will help the reader orientate to the spirituality and way of thinking of the First Nation people and of days, now unspeakably sadly, gone by. Most of the native words are from Siksikáwa (the Blackfoot language) but some are borrowed from a few other tribal languages or dialects. All these words are italicised.

The names of animals are with a capital letter, as they were much revered by The People and are always significant in their appearance at the appropriate time in the story in order to share of their individual medicines or powers. There are certain times when they are brought into the story and are named without a capital letter for a specific reason which the reader will understand in context.

Following that is a brief identification and description of (a few of) the characters who form part of this tale.

The setting of the story is in what is today called Canada – specifically the mountainous Lake Moraine area in the Banff National Park of Alberta, called Naatowoksisskomm by The People whom are called the Niitsítapi. Here the clan or gente Mo-tah’-tos-iks, or Many Medicines, of the Siksika tribe existed for many, many thousands of Moons, living in harmony with the land and respecting and revering everything as part of the creation of Apistitoki (the term for this respect is Ainna’kowahtsi’ssin). The prefix Moh, interestingly – and not coincidentally – means heart.

The time is approximately five thousand Moons or four hundred years ago – when the world was undergoing monumental transition wrought by the march of European colonialism, stamping its way inexorably across the globe. The French and English in particular in Canada, completely changed the world of the First Nation. Forever.

What you are about to read is mostly soul memory of a life in that time brought forth during encounters with my guide in Reiki initiations, regression hypnoses with my regression therapist and transcendental meditations, my Dreamtimes, and of course much fact garnered from thousands of hours of impassioned and absorbed corroborative reading and research. The rest is (an undisclosed amount of) fiction…

I thank all the people who have placed the most dizzyingly vast amounts of information and history on the internet and made it available to my fingertips. The gift of having a virtual library at the push of a button is a blessing beyond any words. I also thank all the authors of the books that have provided so much technical fact and detail of native life.

Grandfather, Na’-ahks, I honour and cherish your presence in, and guidance and protection of, my life every moment of every day. Writing this book for the last five and more years, has been an intense emotional and spiritual journey and has allowed me to connect with you so deeply once again. As you know, much of the time has been spent with tears in my eyes as I re-explore the feelings and memories. With every part of my soul I thank you for helping me to remember. I am truly blessed to feel you so strongly in my present physical life – many times though I wish you could be physically present in it…

I honour all those with whom I shared this life written about, whether present in my life today or not.

I also honour all those with whom I journey this time.

A contract of soul is not always easy to define or describe or to pack neatly into a box but, none-the-less, is always for a higher reason. There is perfection in the plan and the timing chosen by Apistitoki, the Angels, Guides and us in the time-between-times.

Aho.

It is so.

Spiritual Matters and Practices

Apistotoki – Great Spirit or God.

Great Star Nation – the stars in the Heavens from whence all earthly beings originate and where they exist in spirit form between Earth Walks (physical incarnations).

Earth Walk – a physical incarnation.

The Good Red Road – a life lived in accordance with ancient divine and sacred principles.

Vision Quest – a journey of spirit in which the seeker travels into The Void for four days or more at a time under the harshest of conditions of fasting, sleep deprivation and other discomforts of the body, in an attempt to gain answers from Great Spirit as to the purpose of his or her Earth Walk.

Sweat Lodge – a structure, similar in concept to a sauna, prepared for spiritual cleansing rituals.

The Void – the silent space in which Great Spirit exists and from whence everything in the Universe originates.

Dreamtime – deep transcendental meditation.

Smudging – ‘dry bathing’ in the fragrant smoke of sacred herbs or plants (using feathers to direct the smoke over the body and aura). White Sage was most often used by the northern tribes for this purpose.

Ááhkouyi – the Pipe, one of the most significant spiritual ritual items, comprising of a stem and a bowl, representing the masculine and feminine principles respectively. Also, and very importantly, the stem represented everything growing on Mother Earth, the bowl represented the flesh and blood of the people and the smoke was the breath of prayer rising up to Great Spirit.

Nawak’osis – Tobacco, considered to be the most sacred and powerful plant of all, it was used to connect two-leggeds to Great Spirit. Because of its deep root system it was able to ground one to his or her Earth Walk, but its smoke (as mentioned above), rising aloft was a carrier of prayer to Great Spirit and the Ancestors. It was smoked from the clan Ááhkouyi.

Mesa – a shaman’s shrine or altar of sacred items.

Ookaan – the Sun Dance Ceremony. Each summer when the Saskatoon berries are ripe, the Siksika nation came together to pitch their colourful, painted tipis in a large circle to observe this, the principle religious ceremony, with its initiations and feasts of traditional foods to give praise and gratitude to Apistitoki.

Counting coup – in battle, touching, but not necessarily slaying, the enemy. An act of supreme bravery for which the warrior was honoured usually with additional feathers for his headdress.

Tribal Matters

Ni-Namp’-Skan – Medicine Man or Woman, otherwise known as Wise One

Na-ahks’– Grandfather – respectful name for the Ni-Namp’-Skan.

Gentes – clans or extended family groups belonging to the same tribe.

Natural Matters of Earth and Sky

White Sage – a sacred plant used for cleansing and purifying (spiritually and physically).

Pine needles – also used for cleansing.

Saskatoon Berries – a mid to late Summer berry with a great many uses, especially important during the Sun Dance Ceremony or Ookaan

Turtle Island – what is known today as Northern America.

Father Sky – the masculine spirit or energy of the Heavens.

Old Man Sun or Na’Pi – the physical manifestation of Great Spirit.

Mother Earth – the feminine spirit or energy of the Earth (or Mother Nature).

She Moon or Ko’Komíki’Somm – the feminine spirit or energy of the Moon.

Lights-That-Touch-The-Earth – the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights – visible spirits of the ancestors that present to the two-leggeds at certain times of the year.

Seven Brothers – the constellation of Major Ursi in the Milky Way, used as a time guide in the night.

Antelope – the medicine of appropriate and timely action to accomplish a goal and also the medicine of the circle of life.

Bat – the medicine of metaphorical death and rebirth.

Bear – the medicine of meditation and third eye vision (hibernation or ‘going within’).

Buffalo – the medicine of prayer and abundance (asking, believing and receiving).

Coyote – the medicine of trickster.

Crow – the medicine of the sacred law of Great Spirit as opposed to the law of two-leggeds.

Deer – the medicine of gentleness and allowing.

Dragonfly – the medicine of piercing illusion (primarily the illusion of life being separate from death and of mortals being separate from Great Spirit).

Eagle – the winged creature representative of Great Spirit.

Elk – the medicine of stamina.

Fox – the medicine of concealment.

Frog – the medicine of healing.

Grouse – the sacred spiral of life.

Hawk – the messenger of Great Spirit.

Horse – the medicine of power.

Hummingbird – the medicine of joy.

Lizard – the medicine of dreaming (spirit dreaming, not sleep dreaming, but lucid dreaming).

Moose – the medicine of pride and self-esteem.

Otter – the medicine of feminine gentleness.

Owl – the medicine of clairvoyance and astral projection.

Raven – the medicine of magic (the shifting or transformation of energy).

Salmon – the medicine of inner wisdom and returning to one’s truth.

Snake – the medicine of transformation.

Swan – the medicine of the grace of trusting in Great Spirit – surrendering to the flow of life.

Turkey – the medicine of ‘give-away’ (the spirit of generosity) – also a portentous sign of Great Spirit about to bestow a gift.

Weasel or Ermine – the medicine of stealth.

Wolf – the medicine of teacher, especially the teaching of all things regarding family and spirit.

Directional Matters

East – Illumination and wisdom.

South – Growth and trust.

West – Strength and introspection.

North – Purity and renewal.

Center/Above – Great Spirit.

At this point I need to give the most enormous thank you and convey the greatest gratitude to David Carson and Jamie Sams for their Animal Medicine Cards and accompanying book. The insights and wisdoms they have provided me are beyond value or telling in my life. The synchronicity of so many people, circumstances and events, during a time of terrific upheaval, led me to using them as a tool in my meditations and I still use them in readings for my clients in healing sessions to gain greater clarity of their and my questions.

Cast of Characters

(These are the only ones that shall be mentioned here so as not to give away too much of the story!)

Ainihkiwa Sópówo or Singing Wind – daughter of the clan chief Flying Tomahawk. She becomes the clan’s Medicine Woman, mentored by her Grandfather, the Ni-Namp’-Skan.

Na’-ahks or Grandfather – Singing Wind’s own Grandfather and Medicine Man (Ni-Namp’-Skan) of the clan, therefore respectfully referred to as Grandfather in general too by all.

Ksikk Ayinnimaa or White Hawk – son of Singing Wind.

Soy Tomahan or Flying Tomahawk – father of Singing Wind.

Kitái’kósaa or Fears Nothing – brother of Singing Wind.

Mosstoks Ko or Face That Shines Like The Moon – mother of Singing Wind.

The rest shall remain anonymous until they appear as, when and how they are meant.

Often something of monumental import and impact to one being is extremely difficult to convey to others because of the unique personal meaning and how it moulds and shapes one’s experiences and future in a myriad subtle ways – and often may seem whimsical to those on the outside looking in.

Suffice it to say, the reality of this book is the infant birthed as a result of the gestation and nourishment of millions of facets and thoughts and feelings that would be impossible to break down and express in words, just as it is impossible to catabolise an infant two-legged into all its trillions of component cells and make sense of it being a baby thus.

In honour of the woman whom was my mother in this present lifetime – may your soul have the peace it yearned for and the knowing that it deserves, as does the soul of each and every one of us, unconditional love. I pray you have released yourself from everything that caused you pain. I thank you for what you gave and taught me.

And finally, an advance apology to any First Nation person in the case I may have misrepresented anything in any way due to the romanticisation of this story. My intent is purely honourable and respectful but I acknowledge that my naïvety may possibly cause offence.

Description: black & white, dreamcatcher, eye, imageDescription: black & white, dreamcatcher, eye, image

Five thousand Moons ago when that very Moon, in its golden fullness was crowning the line of the trees and the many, many faces of the Great Star Nation were shining their light down on the gathering of tipis on the plain, the rutting bull Moose bellowed out a prideful proclamation of his strength and virility as he mounted his chosen cow.

At that same moment in time, in one of the tipis, in the lee of the land as it flowed down to meet the vast body of water, with a last determined low grunt, Singing Wind issued forth a boy child. Every Grandmother of the clan was present in the tipi to guide and assist this auspicious clanly occasion.

There was one man in the tipi, however, standing slightly removed from the activity, observing a respectful distance. Tall, strong and large-framed, he was a man whose face told of timeless sagacity and a closeness to Apistitoki.

He was clad in a tan-coloured suede overshirt, leggings and breechclouts. The overshirt’s sleeves were fringed and toggled with bones and gemstones which glinted and gleamed in the orange blaze as he moved his arms. He had a leather band around his head and his shiny, thick black hair was braided on either side of it, each pleach holding an Eagle feather that pointed tip-side down onto his shoulders.

The oldest of the crones had the honour of severing the birth cord and lifting the yet blood-smeared infant from his mother and handing him to the man. As the man took him in his giant hands, a glow lit his dark, solemn eyes. He lifted the neonate into the air with a look of deep love and, in his powerfully resonant voice that carried the unquantifiable knowing of millenia worth of Moons, he chanted a prayer inviting the blessings of Apistitoki to flow through the little body. He held the babe to the East, to the South, to the West and to the North. Finally he lifted him high up in the Centre of all the directions. The light of the sacred fires danced over the paintings on the skins of the inside of the birthing lodge, the lodge of the big man himself. Pictorials of Old Man Sun, Mother Moon and the many four-leggeds and winged ones portrayed their medicines, the spirits that assists us two-leggeds in our quest to draw ever closer to the Creator of all things. The largest of these representations was Eagle, to call the very presence of Great Spirit to preside munificently over the people.

The newest clan member let his arrival be known by letting out a wail that could be heard the encampment over.

The station of the man gave him the privilege of bestowing a title upon the newborn. In the Dreamtime some nights before, when he had sat before the fire in that very tipi with the mother of the infant, the spirit of the Ni-Namp’-Skan, had journeyed into The Void, and the ancestors had shown him the child’s true nature by visiting upon him the vision of the creature for which he was to be named. He had ceremonially burnt sweet White Sage to prepare for this vision, and had smudged himself in the spiralling fragrant smoke with the powerful feathers of Eagle to direct it over his head and around his heart.

Afterward, he had partaken of the Ááhkouyi, the sacred pipe. He had unrolled it from its honoured place in the tanned furs where it was kept with the Nawak’osis, the Tobacco, along with needles of Pine and leaves of Sage. Alongside the pipe in the roll of fur was kept a whistle and two rattles, made from stoppered hollow Deer bones filled with stones and crystals. Sitting cross-legged at the fire he had stuffed the pipe and lit it inhaling deeply, and then with long, slow exhalations had sent the smoke aloft to carry his words of respectful prayer to Great Spirit whilst he shook the rattles and blew softly on the Snowgoose bone whistle. In response, when his spirit crossed to the other side, Apistitoki had shown him two visions for the name that was to be given to this venerable son of the clan.

The first had been of the pure Winter snows glittering chastely in the sun, pristinely reflecting the light of day.

The second was of a creature that bears one of the most powerful of all medicines for the Niitsítapi. This was to be the mark of a great warrior spirit – not necessarily the warring or fighting kind – but a determined defender of that which is good and just for all. It was the winged-one known to be the prime messenger of Great Spirit. One that brings portentous tidings and signs from the Great Mystery.

The man knew therefore, that the name of the infant was to be Ksikk Ayinnima, White Hawk, his own great grandson, for the boychild’s mother was the beloved granddaughter of the Medicine Man – daughter of his daughter.

Proudly Grandfather hailed him thus whilst holding him aloft, and then lowered him gently to Mother Earth for Her blessings of love and peace. He completed the naming ceremony by calling out in a solemn tone, "Aho! It is said, it is good!"

In another lodge very close by, a gathering of men was celebrating the arrival of the new one. The interior skins of the tipi were painted with renditions of dreams and the many creatures that had brought promise and portent to the resident and host, Soy Tomahan, Flying Tomahawk, chief of the clan and named for his many victories and coup counting. A well-painted and finely appointed tipi was the most of any good leader’s Earthly possessions, for he was one who displayed much Turkey medicine, the medicine of give-away, of sharing with his people. Flying Tomahawk, too a large and strong man, had led Many Medicines for more than three hundred Moons. The great, yet humble, man was the father of Singing Wind.

This night he was accompanied by her brother, male relatives and dignified elders of the clan. The feast was being held in honour of the father-to-be, who was now a very much accepted member of the clan since he had sired the chief’s grandchild. Flying Tomahawk was positioned immediately opposite the entry flap, sitting cross-legged on a pile of skins removing his own pipe from its roll of fur and which, it would later transpire, would be passed three times in all around the lodge over the course of the celebration – a mark of a truly great occasion indeed.

Singing Wind’s brother, Kitái’kósaa, Fears Nothing was sitting immediately to his left, beyond them, her relations. To the right of Flying Tomahawk were the other guests of this great gente, Many Medicines of the Siksika or Blackfoot tribe, all of whom had walked the Good Red Road most courageously and honourably. They had all fearlessly counted coup in battle too, been powerful in the hunt and had gained much medicine through the learnings of their own Vision Quests.

In the centre of the large tent surrounding the ceremonial fire, were a great many dishes of meats, Saskatoon berries, herbs and nuts from the tall Pine trees of the forest that Mosstoks Ko, Face That Shines Like The Moon, had lovingly prepared. She was the mother of Singing Wind and was presently in the natal tipi with her daughter to provide support and comfort during her partum.

The seat of the imminent father was just in front of the entry flap, a place from which would be easy to slip away and periodically check on proceedings a few tents down. That is to say, and to the wry amusement of the other men, if he had occupied that space for more than one round of the pipe. He had hardly taken up his seat there for a single moment.

The words of Grandfather’s naming were not yet fully uttered when the younger man burst through the flap of the makeshift midwifery tent, in total breaking with custom, for Singing Wind was still being attended by the old mothers.

Instead of spending time at the feast in his place, he had been pacing back and forth outside where Singing Wind laboured, listening to all the noises and sounds emitting from within the Buffalo hides, and expectantly watching the silhouettes cast on the inside of the skins by the fires. Finally he could contain himself no longer and rushed in, dropping to his knees alongside the skins and blankets upon which she lay, still covered with the sheen of her efforts. Tendrils of her long black hair clung to her damp face which was wildly ruddy from exertion. Her dark and glistening eyes held the look that only a mother can have for her child – the soft yet focused gaze of maternal adoration that follows her infant with a light that shines so bright for the one she has carried inside for nine waxing Moons.

The pang of love he felt for her in that moment was so intense it threatened to split his heart in two. He had strained his every nerve taut to hear and intuit the goings-on in the tent since before nightfall and had not been able to eat at all – had not been able to contribute to any part of the conversations the other men were engaged in. It was now well after the middle of the night, the Seven Brothers had crossed the skies and Owls were hooting from deep within the forest. He had been stretched to snapping point, as tight as his very own hunting bow pulled to full extension when he had a quarry in his sights, the moment before loosing the arrow.

Mosstoks Ko and the other women made some perfunctory tut-tutting about his sudden and uninvited entry, but it was not at all convincing. He was known by everyone for his passion and infectious spontaneity. All those around him were infused by his natural ebullience, and sought him out for his uplifting company. The greatest object of his enthusiasm however, was his wife, Singing Wind. He had heard enough of the right sounds coming from the tent to know his child was healthy and well, and that, ancestors be praised, it was a boy! But Singing Wind had been curiously silent throughout the night’s ordeal. No howling or cursing, unlike most women, merely muffled groans and pants from time to time.

He could almost not bear the thought of her agony, even although he knew her tenacity to be second only to that of the Ni-Namp’-Skan. She had prepared for this night a long time before its arrival with Grandfather and had gone into the Dreamtime with him many times to strengthen and ready for the occasion.

From the time she was as tall as Grandfather’s knee, Singing Wind had helped him to gather the herbs, plants, teeth, bones, stones and feathers he used for his treatments. He had taught her the powerful combinations of these things, and the sacred chants, prayers, symbols and dances that were used in the making of smudgings, potions and unguents for the many tribal ceremonies and remedies. He taught her how to cast the bones in the fire and how to draw upon and harness the medicine of all the elements and creatures with which the people shared life in the mountains. Sun, water, wind, rain, fire, wood and every single animal, whether walking, creeping, flying or swimming. He had initiated her in the ways of the numerous Medicine Wheels, and inducted her in many sacred rituals in the ways of inviting Great Spirit to flow through her and to direct the medicine where it was needed to provide succour and healing for others.

Their relationship was beyond mere mortal kinship. It was a bond that had long before been predestined, and it ran deeply through the veins of both. He had known this before she was born and had seen it so in his Dreamtimes. When she was barely able to walk, he would take her tiny hand in his and they would step out along the river banks or through the forests. He would tell her of all the lore and custom and tales of their heritage and she would look up at him with eyes asparkle and a knowing beyond her Moons, understanding all he said. As she grew older, their love for one another became so strong that they were inseparable. Even when the man whom was to be her husband became part of the clan, an event that Grandfather had foreseen in the Dreamtime too, and Singing Wind had fallen instantly in love with him, the affinity between grandfather and granddaughter continued to grow day by day. She imbibed every bit of knowledge and wisdom he had to offer so that by the time of she had eighteen Winters on her, she was already the shaman novitiate. She was to be found most days, either with Grandfather attending to the medical and spiritual needs of the clan, or out in the forest or along the verdant edges of the creeks and great teal lake, collecting all the requirements for their practice.

It was a Springtime later that found her lying on the skins with the father of her child devotedly tending to her, gently wiping her face and smoothing back her hair. He was immensely proud of her fortitude and lack of fear.

She took hold of his large hands and put them to her cheeks, whilst placing her own hands around the angular curves of his countenance. I love you with every part of my spirit, and every day it grows greater and greater, just like my belly did over these last Moons, she chortled throatily, her voice gruff from exertion.

He looked deeply into her eyes and with tears brimming at the corners of his own, he replied, "Ainihkiwa Sópówo, I praise Apistitoki every moment of every day, for weaving the medicine of Raven that brought us together. You have blessed me with the most precious of gifts – our son. Ksikk Ayinnima is born to be venerated by the ancestors and to walk the Good Red Road, I can feel that here, he put his left fist over the inverted vee at the apex of his ribs. He then placed his open right hand over his heart and said, But even more, is that which I have for you here."

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Very early one morning of the late Summer before, when Na’pi, Old Man Sun, was not yet risen from his resting place on the other side of the world, Singing Wind had roused and, unable to lay on her skins in the family tipi any longer, decided to travel out to where the river and lake met to gather whatever talismans and power tokens she could find for using in treatment in the lodge of Grandfather.

It was Salmon spawning season and a great many creatures were attracted to the area by the bounty to be had. She knew she was guaranteed to find many items that carried the medicine of the creatures from which they originated – teeth, bones, feathers, bits of antlers. Indeed, she was hoping to be fortunate enough to get close to some of the beings whose medicine she sought.

The predawn was icily fresh, even in this season, and she knew it would be especially more so nearer the water. Silently she dressed in her tasseled long-sleeved indigo suede shirt, tan-coloured, kneelength Deerhide skirt and dark moccasin boots. Her brother, Fears Nothing, had caught the Snakes barehanded and which then had made give-away of their belly skins. He had fashioned the boots for her himself after dying the skins with boiled Sumac root. It was this footwear that gave her tribe its name, Siksika, or Blackfoot. She ran a bone comb through her thick, gleaming black hair which hung down to her waist