\nThe earth does not belong\u00a0 to man; man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites one family.<\/em>
\nMan did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it.<\/em>
\nWhatever he does to the web he does to himself.\u00a0 – Native American saying<\/em><\/p>\n
Within the history of our nation, in the memory of our land, we have the ways and the answers to the ecological, social and spiritual crises facing us today. The Native American wisdom that is written in the landscapes, buried like arrowheads in the ground and carried like whispers on the breeze, tells us of our source and our depth. It whispers to us to go deep and connect with Mother Earth. <\/p>\n
Since the Spanish first travelled to North America, Native Americans were displaced, abused and judged as ignorant.\u00a0 But today people around the world are being drawn to their message of balance, ecology and harmony with Mother Earth.\u00a0 This resurgence in Native American traditions touches on everything from agriculture and medicine to arts and spiritual practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of our ancestors learned from the environment in which we lived – from the plants, animals and insects,\u201d says Derrick Suwaima Davis.\u00a0 Davis, an internationally renowned Hoop dancer, represents the Native American story through dance.\u00a0 He lives on the Hopi Reservation in Southeast Arizona where he practices native dry farming in this arid climate.\u00a0 Dry farming uses no irrigation for agriculture and relies only on the snow and rains to grow crops.\u00a0 This practice reflects the respect for ecology deeply ingrained in Hopi beliefs.\u00a0 \u201cIn planting fields, we see the plants as our children,\u201d Davis says.\u00a0 Today ethnologists, scientists and botanists are beginning to uncover the wisdom in his culture\u2019s achievements.\u00a0 It is captured in the Hopi pottery, songs, textiles, oral traditions, ceremonial practices and dances that continue to be used.\u00a0 Davis\u2019 dances combine tradition with his contemporary choreography to express gratitude and acknowledge human interdependence with all of creation.\u00a0 The hoop he uses in dance symbolizes wholeness and how everything and everyone is important.\u00a0 \u201cWe all rely on air, water, soil, sun,\u201d Davis says.\u00a0 He urges people to be conscious of the impact of their decisions on others.<\/p>\n
The Cherokee nation, originally in the East was moved from sacred lands to reservations during the trek called the \u201cTrail of Tears.\u201d\u00a0 On the Cherokee reservation at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains, tribal Elder, Jerry Wolf, is one who retains the community\u2019s wisdom.\u00a0 Working at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Wolf shares Cherokee beliefs and practices with visitors.\u00a0 The guiding tribal belief can be summed up as \u201cthe Right Way.\u201d\u00a0 It means seeking balance physically, mentally and spiritually and embracing harmony.\u00a0 Walking the \u201cRight Way\u201d with nature means taking only what is needed without excess or waste and using plants for food and medicines.\u00a0 Wolf continues to perform traditional ceremonies for special events and use ancient practices like burning offerings of sage or tobacco to the seven directions which include the earth, the heavens and the Great Spirit.<\/p>\n
A drum beat resounds through the stone walls of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis as Tony Showa brings people back to the rhythm of their own heart beats.\u00a0 Showa, a full-blooded Navajo, is a traditional drum maker and drum circle leader.\u00a0 Drumming combined with prayer expresses kinship with all living things.\u00a0 \u201cI was taught a long time ago to try to feel the heart beat of everything in the entire world \u2013 trees, stars, grass, fish, birds, skies,\u201d Showa says.\u00a0 The drum beat takes us back to the sound of the hearts of our mothers and ultimately connects us to our true mother, Mother Earth.\u00a0 Showa makes his drums using a maple wood hoop frame and elk or buffalo hide. He says it resounds with the heart beat of the universe and can help people to heal.\u00a0 \u201cDrumming releases angst, anxiety and stress,\u201d he says.\u00a0 \u201cIt puts people in a different space and allows them not to think for a little while. It can open up a different path.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bio:<\/strong> Debra Moffitt is author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life<\/a>. A visionary, dreamer and teacher, she\u2019s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices at the Sophia Institute and other venues in the U.S. and Europe. Her mind\/body\/spirit articles, essays and stories appear in publications around the globe and were broadcast by BBC World Services Radio. She has spent over fifteen years practicing meditation, working with dreams and doing spiritual practices. Visit her online at http:\/\/www.awakeintheworld.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This we know …\u00a0 The earth does not belong\u00a0 to man; man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites one family. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web he does to himself.\u00a0 – Native…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":409,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,10,4,26,125,3],"tags":[346,345,527,526,528],"class_list":["post-781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buddhism","category-faith","category-inspiration","category-meditation","category-oneness","category-spiritual-practice","tag-awake-in-the-world","tag-debra-moffitt","tag-ecololgy-of-american-indians","tag-native-american-spirituality","tag-spiritual-wisdom-of-oneness"],"yoast_head":"\n