On December 29, 1890 the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry surrounded a band of Ghost Dancers under Big Foot, a Lakota Sioux chief, near Wounded Knee Creek and demanded they surrender their weapons. As that was happening, a fight broke out between an Indian and a U.S. soldier and a shot was fired, although it’s unclear from which side. A brutal massacre followed, 300+ Indians were murdered and nearly half of them were women and children. The United States Cavalry lost 25 men.
This is a story I heard again and again as I grew older, something our Ancestors did not have the opportunity to do. As those years past, so did the truths of the event. It has been 124 years past and still it makes me tremble in despair and heartache. The reason however is not what some may think, for Our Ancestors do not want us to live our lives holding bitterness and hate within our hearts. Instead they wish us to remain proud and honorable People, to move ahead and make a difference for our young children, to remind them and all of the old ways.
To treat All Life as Sacred, to evolve and revolve within our own Sacred Hoop and in turn mending the Great Hoop itself. Honoring the Creator and remembering we are all no better or less than each other. Understanding we all have purpose, we all imprint on the life that surrounds us. To remember that we need to contribute positive to those imprints to help our Young grow strong both in Spirit, Body and Thought.
So today I stand in humbleness, and remember the Ancestors that walked before us and the sacrifices they gave so that we would have better, be better, see a better future. So I ask you to join me, to remember that We Are All Related, “Mitakuye O’yasin”
Thank You Ancestors, You Will Not Be Forgotten.
Aho
~ bear Medicinewalker
Music by Sister Yolanda Martinez http://yolandasdrums.com
