A Sharing of Culture and Spirit

[Stigweard]

Just had an inspiring meeting with Allard (Ahz) Teeple (US Anishinnabek tribe), Ven Wu Chin (Pureland Buddhist), Muhammed Haniff Razak (Muslim), John Hunter (Aust traditional owner), Brad Lewis, and Carol Walden. Point of discussion was about support for the Anishinnabek culture and dance troupe coming out to Australia in Dec/Jan this year.

 

What an amazing conversation to hear each other's stories and to be part of a such united vision for building of culture and spiritual unity. Huzzah!!!

 

[Marblehead]

What an amazing conversation to hear each other's stories and to be part of a such united vision for building of culture and spiritual unity. Huzzah!!!

 

One of the most valuable things I attained when I was in the military was my encounters with various peoples and their cultures. No matter where I was stationed I always tried to get out with the people and learn their way of life and culture.

 

I concentrated on the music of these people as I feel that the music of a people tells a lot about their culture.

[konchog uma]

One of the most valuable things I attained when I was in the military was my encounters with various peoples and their cultures. No matter where I was stationed I always tried to get out with the people and learn their way of life and culture.

 

I concentrated on the music of these people as I feel that the music of a people tells a lot about their culture.

 

native americans, speaking generally, are f*ing awesome

[Stigweard]

native americans, speaking generally, are f*ing awesome

Agreed, but speaking generally alot of tribes have, through colonization, had their spiritual culture stripped and beaten out of them. Good to see though that many, like Ahz's tribe, are a long way down the road to full recovery.

 

And it was pretty f*ing awesome when Ahz shared one of his traditional songs using my medicine drum.

 

[konchog uma]

Agreed, but speaking generally alot of tribes have, through colonization, had their spiritual culture stripped and beaten out of them. Good to see though that many, like Ahz's tribe, are a long way down the road to full recovery.

 

And it was pretty f*ing awesome when Ahz shared one of his traditional songs using my medicine drum.

 

 

yeah its tragic what has happened to so many cultures. i'll leave it at that.

 

that is really excellent (the drum part, not the colonialization part). i'm glad for you

[Vmarco]

[Stigweard]

[Jetsun]

 

The Hopi prophesy for example, says to re-member the original teaching,...yet few people today can filter-out enough of their patriarchial indoctrinations to see the "original teaching", the actual wisdom of the ancestors, before it was overlayed in the with post-white invasion.

 

Personally I am finding the Medicine Wheel teachings of the native American's very helpful at the moment where many other maps of reality haven't led anywhere, it has really helped me see where different aspect of the path are in relation to each other and which areas of my life I need to work on. How pure the teachings are now is hard to say, they came from the native Americans and supposedly from the Mayans before them, but the teachers I am studying say its origins don't particularly matter as all that really matters is whether it "grows corn" or whether it works or not.

[Desert Eagle]

I wanted to share this excerpt from Bill Mollison's book: Permacluture A designers' manual ch 14.4 p 509

 

it talks about cultural diversity and differences in a pragmatic view. I was going to mention it in the muslim thread but it fits here as well.

" It is possible to agree with most people, of any race or creed, on the basics of life-centered ethics and commonsense procedures, across all cultural groups; it matters not that one group eats beef, and another regards cows as holy, providing they agree to cooperate in areas which are of concern to them both, and to respect the origins of their differences as a chance of history and evolution, not assessing such differences as due to personal perversity.

 

It is always possible to use differences creatively, and design to use them, not to eliminate one or another group as infidels. Belief is of itself not so much a difference as a refusal to admit the existence of differences; this easily transposes into the antagonistic attitude of "who is not with me is against me", itself a coercive and illogical attitude and one likely, in the extreme, to classify all others as enemies, when they are merely living according to their own history and needs.

 

Most human communities function in relation to long-term sustainability only because they do differ from others; what is possible to an Inuit (Eskimo) is not possible to a forest pygmy. Thus, it is not differences in themselves that are important; it is how all groups relate to the basic rules of the local ecology that permit them to function on a long-term basis. Belief, like religion, is a basically private and non-global characteristic, and should not be subject to comparisons. On close examination, we "believe" in those systems that enable us to behave without guilt, with respect to our resources and our own culture."

 

That's it, the rest of the chapter goes into more details and issues regarding a global community.

Edited August 28, 2011 by Desert Eagle

[Aetherous]

Point of discussion was about support for the Anishinnabek culture and dance troupe coming out to Australia in Dec/Jan this year.

 

This semester I am taking an Anishinaabemowin language course! Very excited.

 

I'm not sure what their culture has in the way of ancient wisdom or medicine type teachings...this site has some information:

 

http://www.anishinaabemdaa.com/culture.htm

[doc benway]

Very cool Stig. I wonder if the Anishinnabek's have the intention of connecting with the aboriginal people's of your country.

I've studied the history of the First Peoples of North America a bit. It's a deep wound in my heart.

[konchog uma]

Very cool Stig. I wonder if the Anishinnabek's have the intention of connecting with the aboriginal people's of your country.

I've studied the history of the First Peoples of North America a bit. It's a deep wound in my heart.

 

its a deep wound in the collective heart. i keep the 260 day calendar every day, i don't even need to look it up anymore i just know what day it is. that it also called tzolkin in modern terminology, and chol q'ij in quiche mayan, but all the tribes kept it to measure sacred time. i think its a given that aboriginal cultures got raped in multiple ways as the industrial era progressed. i would rather talk about the light that still shines from native wisdom than dwell on the darkness of false progress.

 

"the earth does not belong to us. we belong to the earth." -chief seattle

[Stigweard]

Very cool Stig. I wonder if the Anishinnabek's have the intention of connecting with the aboriginal people's of your country.

I've studied the history of the First Peoples of North America a bit. It's a deep wound in my heart.

Actually that's exactly why they are here A bit of background...

 

 

Also watch:

 

Back in 2009 a delegation of Australian traditional owners went across to the Anishinnabek tribe to share this program. This year the Anishinnabek are returning the exchange so, on top of the performance schedule, there will be back to back engagements where the Anishinnabek delegation will be meeting with Australian traditional owners.

 

If the meeting on Saturday bears fruit then the Anishinnabek delegation will also be meeting with Ven Master Chin Kung of the Pureland Buddhist Learning College.

 

Can't wait !!!!

Edited August 29, 2011 by Stigweard

[Vmarco]

 

One difference though is instead of trying to give designations of up or down equals male or female (and on this I do disagree with your designations), Laozi points to the subtle universal mystery, Dao, as exhibiting the traits of the mysterious Mother. This subtle essence or way is in all things both up and down, left and right. So whilst Daoist ontology certainly does view Yin as Earth and Yang as Heaven, the Supreme Ultimate of life is still the Mother.

 

 

I see the view of Yin as earth and Yang as Heaven as inverted, to fit a patriarchial point of view. Somewhere, the Who's Who in Duality got all screwed up. The Supreme Ultimate should not even be broached until "we" can recognize the Who's Who in Duality,...for example:

 

centripetal....................centrafugal.

positive.......................negative.

integrating....................disintregating.

spiral in......................spiral out.

implosive......................explosive.

converge.......................diverge.

generative.....................radiative.

inhalation.....................exhalation.

yang...........................yin.

quartz.........................calcite.

heating........................cooling.

charging.......................discharging.

contraction....................expansion.

induction......................conduction.

winding light waves............unwinding light waves

Father Earth...................Mother Sky

Father Time....................Mother Space

Form...........................Emptiness

Matter.........................anti-matter

sphere.........................torus

particle.......................wave

 

See the synonymousness of the two columns. To change one, one must change all. To say male is explosive (spiral out) and female is implosive (spiral in) because it better fits the patrifocal of our humanness, is denying Tao.

 

V

[Stigweard]

I see the view of Yin as earth and Yang as Heaven as inverted, to fit a patriarchial point of view. Somewhere, the Who's Who in Duality got all screwed up. The Supreme Ultimate should not even be broached until "we" can recognize the Who's Who in Duality,...for example:

 

centripetal....................centrafugal.

positive.......................negative.

integrating....................disintregating.

spiral in......................spiral out.

implosive......................explosive.

converge.......................diverge.

generative.....................radiative.

inhalation.....................exhalation.

yang...........................yin.

quartz.........................calcite.

heating........................cooling.

charging.......................discharging.

contraction....................expansion.

induction......................conduction.

winding light waves............unwinding light waves

Father Earth...................Mother Sky

Father Time....................Mother Space

Form...........................Emptiness

Matter.........................anti-matter

sphere.........................torus

particle.......................wave

 

See the synonymousness of the two columns. To change one, one must change all. To say male is explosive (spiral out) and female is implosive (spiral in) because it better fits the patrifocal of our humanness, is denying Tao.

 

V

I have responded to this over here:

 

http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?/topic/20207-yin-yang/page__view__findpost__p__287052

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Actually that's exactly why they are here A bit of background...

 

 

Also watch:

 

Back in 2009 a delegation of Australian traditional owners went across to the Anishinnabek tribe to share this program. This year the Anishinnabek are returning the exchange so, on top of the performance schedule, there will be back to back engagements where the Anishinnabek delegation will be meeting with Australian traditional owners.

 

If the meeting on Saturday bears fruit then the Anishinnabek delegation will also be meeting with Ven Master Chin Kung of the Pureland Buddhist Learning College.

 

Can't wait !!!!

 

In comparison to "Western society" all traditional aboriginal communities can exemplify the meaning of wei wu wei as progress and action through non-aggression. Without respecting the true nature of things, consequences arise. Mining companies now have to hire environmental experts who will determine some of these consequences, but, as the was said in the first video above, there is 1000s of years of knowledge that is not being used. To just push forward and ignore these links we have will fail as it will overlook the importance of harmony in progress.

 

This is also why the knowledge of "the old ways" ought to be as accessible and influential as the knowledge of "the modern world." There will always be further knowledge not understood by the masses, as is the case with everything, but their influence ought to be meaningful, even measurable in corporations (the basis of political powers).

 

The United States constitution, taking influence from the Iroquois "Great Law of Peace", has been pretty much the only step in this direction, with the exception of the modern pharmacopia.

 

http://theunitedstatesconstitution.blogspot.com/2006/12/native-american-source-for-declaration.html

 

http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2004/September/20040924120101AKllennoCcM9.930056e-02.html

[doc benway]

Actually that's exactly why they are here A bit of background...

 

 

Also watch:

 

Back in 2009 a delegation of Australian traditional owners went across to the Anishinnabek tribe to share this program. This year the Anishinnabek are returning the exchange so, on top of the performance schedule, there will be back to back engagements where the Anishinnabek delegation will be meeting with Australian traditional owners.

 

If the meeting on Saturday bears fruit then the Anishinnabek delegation will also be meeting with Ven Master Chin Kung of the Pureland Buddhist Learning College.

 

Can't wait !!!!

Very cool - nice to see.

Thanks

[zerostao]

"a change is coming"

some Native American legends suggest that we choose spirit guides before we are born to help us through the trials we will face in life or show us the paths we need to follow. you can tap the wisdom of these guides to improve your life.

learn the "language" or symbolism of your guides and increase your communication with them every day. when you discover one guide, you are more open to discovering others. you will find that certain guides come to you during different times. some may come only arrive in dreams, some when you need them emotionally or spiritually and others only during times of grief.

http://spiritalk.net/

"our life is our song. let our song bring joy" Two Feathers

http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

when there were no clouds in the sky, it was believed that the spirits were in council somewhere in the realm beyond mankind. during that time, the spirits talked about ways to guide their people. sometimes, these council meetings resulted in new gifts for mankind. other times, a less pleasant result would occur.

some Native Americans believed in one universal and unifying force called the Great Spirit. Mother Nature was a hugely important part of their beliefs, and was worshiped as the ultimate giver of life. they knew that every living plant and animal has its rightful place , and each has unique skills and a spirit of its own which helps it to fulfill its role on earth.