Spirit of Indigenous America

Juneau Lingít artist’s beadwork featured on Native comedy series ‘Reservation Dogs’
September 1, 2021 by Lyndsey Brollini, KTOO

So there’s this new show out called “Reservation Dogs.” It follows four teenagers on a reservation in Oklahoma.

Even though there are only a handful of episodes out right now, this show is the talk of the Native community. It features distinctly Native humor, but in a way that anyone can understand.

https://www.ktoo.org/2021/09/01/juneau-lingit-artist-reservation-dogs-beadwork/?utm_campaign=share-button&fbclid=IwAR3AUZljYWKeHdXvz8OdxNLPywZj26Lm_YW7g8YNDYFoKI1CgiWjpSKHHZA

Notation: I haven't seen this show yet; however, it's on my watchlist. I will probably get to it this weekend.

Here's a bit more on Reservation Dogs:

Sten Joddi, an Indigenous hip-hop artist raised in Glenpool, is a newcomer to acting. His debut episode went up last week. This week, Wes Studi appears as a guest star.

https://tulsaworld.com/entertainment/television/reservation-dogs-brings-oklahoma-native-actors-in-for-sterlin-harjos-oklahoma-set-and--shot/article_aca1ec1a-09c7-11ec-a709-c7990317f205.html?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&utm_medium=social&utm_source=undefined_Tulsa_World&fbclid=IwAR3H55WbRVckeaRc1l2Y8ogIWDUSW0Y3_WH-I0jCbaX3HdImNW4b-IlJ31M

“YOUR HAIR IS NOT A CAUSALITY!

Our hair is the physical extension of our thoughts, it gives us direction throughout our lives;  each of our hair represents ourselves, they are strong connection points both of our body and of our spirit according to indigenous peoples.

Men and women of wisdom have long hair;  on the other hand, in places where tyranny has been presented in any of its forms, short hair has been obligatory and this, together with other factors, has culminated in the spiritual and physical defeat of the peoples.

Hair has its own language and character, and the way it is styled is extremely important to whoever wears it:

The line in the middle represents the alignment of thought.

The braid, the unity of thought with the heart.
Loose hair means security.
Hair up, conviction.

Currently people comb their hair without knowing the meaning of their actions and the style in which it is used, hair is important because leaving vanity or practicality aside, the way you wear your hair will directly affect our mood.

Going into the thinking of indigenous peoples we will find that the way of wearing hair combed was of utmost importance because this way their participation in various events was described and announced: marriage or war, joy or mourning.

Through the hair and headdresses he wore, you could know the maturity of people, their status in society or the times of peace and war.

Hairstyles were like the seasons;  They changed on public, private, and ceremonial occasions.
The hair represented the individual's thoughts and spiritual state;  showing the bonds and spiritual unity of his family and defining the cultural harmony and spiritual alignment of his community.

The hair represented the states of nature, flowed in a straight line like waterfalls, or rippled like river water.

Indigenous children were taught to wash and rinse their hair.

In the teachings of many indigenous tribes, cutting hair represented a process of mourning or proximity to death.

Hair was a mystical element in all of them.
They did not allow anyone to touch their hair without their permission.

On the importance of long hair:
For a long time, peoples of different cultures have not cut their hair, because it is a part of who they are.

When the hair is allowed to reach its maximum length, then phosphorus, calcium, and vitamin D are produced, and enter the lymphatic fluid and finally the cerebrospinal fluid through two ducts in the upper part of the brain.

This ionic change makes memory more efficient and leads to increased physical energy, increased endurance, and stoicism.

If you decide to cut your hair, not only will this extra energy and nutrients be lost, but your body will need to provide a large amount of vital energy and nutrients to regrow lost hair.

Also, the hairs are the antennas that collect and channel the energy of the sun or (prana) to the frontal lobes, the part of the brain that is used for meditation and visualization.

These antennas act as conduits to achieve a greater amount of subtle energy, cosmic energy.
It takes approximately three years from the last time the hair was cut to form new antennae at the tips of the hair.

Wet hair:
When you pick up wet hair, it will tend to shrink and pinch a little, and even break as it dries.

A better idea is to take the time to sit in the sun once in a while and allow your clean, damp hair to dry naturally and absorb extra vitamin D.

Yogis recommend washing your hair every 72 hours (or more frequently if your scalp sweats a lot).  It may also be beneficial to wash your hair after being upset or angry, to help process emotions.

Haircut:
Often when people were conquered or enslaved, their hair was cut as a sign of slavery, helplessness, and humiliation.

The bones of the forehead are porous and their function is to transmit light to the pineal gland, which affects brain activity, as well as the thyroid and sex hormones.

Just as tribes and entire societies were conquered, the haircut became so prevalent that the importance of hair was lost after a few generations, and hairstyles and fashion became the focus.

Closing cycles:
Our hair, like every cell in our body, has a memory, which is why it is common that when we close a chapter of our life, our being asks us for a haircut, unconsciously due to the need for renewal, as when trees loosen their bark, until  to regain its vitality.

Wooden comb
Yogis also recommend using a wooden comb or brush to comb your hair, as it offers a great deal of circulation and stimulation to the scalp, and the wood does not generate static electricity, causing a loss of energy.  from the hair to the brain.

You will notice that if you comb from front to back, back to front, and then several times to the right and to the left, it will refresh you, no matter how long your hair is.

All the weariness of the day will be gone.

For women, using this technique to comb hair twice a day is said to help maintain youth, a healthy menstrual cycle, and good eyesight.

If you have balding problems, the lack of energy in your hair can be counteracted with more meditation.

If you are finding some strands of silver (gray hair) in your hair, be aware that silver or white color increases the flow of energy and vitamins to compensate for aging.

For brain health, as you age, try to keep your hair as healthy and natural as possible.

It is said that when you allow the hair to grow to its full length and wind it around the crown of the head, the energy of the Sun, the prana, the vital energy, goes down the spine.
To counter that downward trend, the Kundalini life energy rises to create balance.

Your hair is not there by mistake.  It has a purpose."

🙏💙

It's been almost 5 years since I last had my hair cut. it's halfway down my back now. Best decision I ever made since that Pinterest article you showed me about its function as antennae among other things. Put it in a ponytail every morning and it's off to the races.

Very Well Posted , my friend , Ahavati...

I was as well taught :

Sage : tightly bundled hair , Fire Energy ( Compressed Light )

Cedar : loosely bound hair energy spreading out, Water Energy ( Flow and Movement )

Sweetgrass : the Triple Braid of energy , birth , death , and so much more...

Just thought I would offer that

I've never heard that before, Blackwolf. Thanks for sharing. Another native tradition that I just remembered ( but something I adhere to ) is the following:

New Moon: Cut your hair to grow the fastest
Waxing Moon: Cut your hair to grow
Full Moon: Cut your hair for thickness
Waning Moon: Cut your hair to stunt growth.

I have always observed this. My grandmother shared it with me.  

The first thing I have always noticed about people is their hands. They tell such a story. Now I know why.

"Grandma how do you deal with pain?"
"With your hands, dear. When you do it with your mind, the pain hardens even more."
“With your hands, grandma?"
"Yes, yes. Our hands are the antennas of our Soul. When you move them by sewing, cooking, painting, touching the earth or sinking them into the earth, they send signals of caring to the deepest part of you and your Soul calms down. This way she doesn't have to send pain anymore to show it.
"Are hands really that important?"
"Yes my girl. Think of babies: they get to know the world thanks to their touch.
When you look at the hands of older people, they tell more about their lives than any other part of the body.
Everything that is made by hand, so it is said, is made with the heart because it really is like this: hands and heart are connected.
Think of lovers: When their hands touch, they love each other in the most sublime way."
"My hands grandma... how long since I used them like that!"
"Move them my love, start creating with them and everything in you will move.
The pain will not pass away. But it will be the best masterpiece. And it won't hurt as much anymore, because you managed to embroider your Essence.”~

~Elena Barnabé

Just to acknowledge a beautiful post

And to let you know in the Old Language ( Code ) ;

Hands And Heart = 409 , which equals the number
in Obri / Hebrew , for "Divine Feminine"...

My Heart Soars

The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
 speaks to me.

The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
the rhythm of the sea,
 speaks to me.

The faintness of the stars,
the freshness of the morning,
the dew drop on the flower,
 speaks to me.

The strength of fire,
the taste of salmon,
the trail of the sun,
and the life that never goes away,
 they speak to me.

And my heart soars

-  Chief Dan George

The Untold Stories of Wes Studi

When Wes Studi broke through in Dances With Wolves and The Last of the Mohicans, he was cast as a terrifying villain. But for many in the Native community, he was a hero channeling decades of righteous anger. Tommy Orange tells the story of an overlooked icon who forever changed the way Indigenous people are depicted onscreen.

https://www.gq.com/story/wes-studi-tommy-orange-profile?utm_campaign=falcon&mbid=social_facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_brand=gq&utm_source=facebook&utm_social-type=owned&fbclid=IwAR2q7OhSPzOzjK3PcByVScFlUsrDOnBME9KU0jGw9W0OS3CQrMJyiLCfV7c

Ahavati said:The Untold Stories of Wes Studi

When Wes Studi broke through in Dances With Wolves and The Last of the Mohicans, he was cast as a terrifying villain. But for many in the Native community, he was a hero channeling decades of righteous anger. Tommy Orange tells the story of an overlooked icon who forever changed the way Indigenous people are depicted onscreen.

https://www.gq.com/story/wes-studi-tommy-orange-profile?utm_campaign=falcon&mbid=social_facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_brand=gq&utm_source=facebook&utm_social-type=owned&fbclid=IwAR2q7OhSPzOzjK3PcByVScFlUsrDOnBME9KU0jGw9W0OS3CQrMJyiLCfV7c

It's been forever and a day since I watched LOTM. I don't remember Tudi in it. I know its currently available on Netflix or Hulu.

There's a scene from the book that has always haunted me since Elementary school. I think in an attempt to block it out, I've subsequently blocked out most of the story and movie as well.

“Being naturalized to place means to live as if this is the land that feeds you as if these are the streams from which you drink, that build your body and fill your spirit. To become naturalized is to know that your ancestors lie in this ground. Here you will give your gifts and meet your responsibilities. To become naturalized is to live as if your children’s future matters, to take care of the land as if our lives and the lives of all our relatives depend on it. Because they do.”

― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

Artist's name is unknown.

A lesson in Anthropology featuring the language of the Navajo.  



“English has many verbs that express types of coercion: cause, force, oblige make, compel, order, command, constrain, must, have to, and ought to.  In contrast, the Navajo language lacks such verbs.  Rather than saying, “I must go there.”  A Navajo speaker says the equivalent of, “It is only good that I shall go there.”  Similarly, whereas English readily express the idea that people have a right impose their will on other creatures, the Navajo language does not.  Where an English speaker might say, “I make the horse run,” a Navajo speaker would say, “the horse is running for me.””  (Bonvillian, 2013)

Language is a large part of culture whereby we put together our view of the world.  We really don’t think about these things.  It's amazing to me how deducible speech is.

This is a French engraving of a Native from the "New World". The idea back then of what these people were, and what they looked like, I think is very interesting. Notice the savage is carrying a head.

Almost any indigenous tribe that didn't profess some type of Christianity was considered neanderthalic savages.  Yet another example of media influence on society.