Comments for Indigenous Religious Traditions

Comment on Mauna Kea by Don

Don — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:00:32 +0000

I was born in Hilo and grew up there, including graduating from Hilo High in 1960. So I’m not some outsider in this matter. My family were hunters and I knew Mauna Kea well from the time I was a boy. I climbed to the summit from Hale Pokahu more times than I can count — this long before any roads and any telescopes were there.

I can assure you that there was no altar at the summit. There was an ahu, a pile of stones, and in it a mayonnaise jar with a pencil and notebook. You could write your name and the date of your ascent.

The current altar went into place sometime in the 1990s. And, interestingly enough, the last time I was at the summit — 2012 — it was in a state of disrepair.

I never saw a Native Hawaiian on Mauna Kea. Certainly, absolutely, there was no one climbing to the summit to perform rituals. In the past? I don’t know. Of course Native Hawaiians had an important presence at Keanakakoi, the Cave of the Adzes, where adze-making basalt was quarried. But that site fell into disuse even as far back as the 18th century.

As for shrines — I never saw one. Not surprisingly, they’ve been popping up all over of late. For example, there never was a shrine at Hale Pokahu when that place was, indeed, nothing but a “Stone House.” This was long before it was the visitor center, and long before any paved road led there.

The altar that can be seen near the silverswords was put in place somewhere around 2009 or 2010. Hardly traditional. In the same way, near the Saddle Road at Pu’u Huluhulu an altar appeared in 2010 or 2011. Never there before.

There’s no doubt that Mauna Kea is culturally important. But at the same time, there’s little or no evidence that Native Hawaiians used it ritually in anything resembling recent times.

Comment on Vatican Observatory VS San Carlos Apache Sacred Land by Bill Lancaste

Bill Lancaste — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:18:37 +0000

How is it that a foreign government -the Vatican- can have the right to claim such property?

Comment on Weatherman Draw by EESUKYAH- JAMES JIMMY STGODDARD

EESUKYAH- JAMES JIMMY STGODDARD — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:40:28 +0000

ook-kee-[hello ] – NEE-DAWN-EE -GOOH -WAH. JAMES , JIMMY STGODDARD. I WORKED ON VALLEY OF THE CHIEFS AND VALLEY OF THE SHIELDS AND VALLEY OF PEACE, . WHITEMAN NAME FOR VALLEY IS WEATHERMAN DRAW-. I AM NEE-SIT-TAH-PEE=- YOU KNOW US AS THE BLACKFEET= THE NEE-SIT-TAH-PEE -= PROSSESSED OVER 90 SACRED DRAWING OF THESE HOLY SHIELDS,. I REALLY LIKE YOUR WEBSITE =- THE LEGAL AUTHORITY LIES IN THE TRIBES- THAT IS WHY THE NAME AND LEASES ARE UNDER THE TRIBES ,HELD BY THE B.L.M.,. THE TRIBES ARE LEGAL TITLE TO WEATHERMAN DRAW=- U.N.Y.A.H. JAMES -JIMMY STGODDARD=-=

Comment on Lakota Language: Art, Oral Tradition, and Language Structure by Steve Taylor

Steve Taylor — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:20:16 +0000

I am a wood carver. I specialize in carving ancient scripts or the scripts of ancient people.
The great majority of carvings I do, relate to spiritual / religious matters.

I’m going to do a carving of Lakota Sioux script and I’m trying to find a symbol thats carvable and one that is widely recognized by all of the Soiux nation.

Any recommendations about where to search for such would be much appreciated.

Thank you for your time

steve t

Comment on The Controversy of Uluru by J Griffiths

J Griffiths — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:15:45 +0000

Urluru site is not to be climbed. It is beyond the comprehension of all of us non aboriginal people. The Government of South Australia (and the N.T) has a duty to lift the status, respect and power of Australian aboriginals. Ignoring their opinion on closing Uluru to climbers is to perpetuate the image of losers as has been placed in the minds of generations of non aboriginal Australians. I am not aboriginal, however growing up in Australia I absorbed so much about aborigines. I saw first hand Pt McCleay Mission as a child accompanying a neighbour who supplied food and other items. We had many aboriginal artifacts and our neighbour was Rev Griffiths (no relation) who was involved with inland mission work and Griffiths House in Alice Springs. The Government must respect the wishes of the aboriginal people concerning Uluru. Even I, feel pained by the continued humiliation the our arrogance continues to heap on aboriginal Australians.

Comment on by l_schneider

l_schneider — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 23:13:28 +0000

I am so glad you were both able to let your feelings out, because that is one of the best ways to rid of negative feelings and emotions: acknowledging them and letting them go.

And David, we still have one more Yuwipi ceremony tomorrow. It is NOT the end yet!!

Comment on by h_montgomery

h_montgomery — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 21:16:54 +0000

Reading this post reminded me of the strong sense of encouragement and reassurance that I felt from you during Yuwipi, I was also struggling with putting my feelings into words and concrete thoughts and I felt a lot of strength from you, who sat behind me and placed your hand on my shoulder when I could not speak my prayer. Thank you

Comment on The Special Dead Horse by d_scott

d_scott — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 02:39:21 +0000

I thought a lot about your comparison between special and spiritual and it has me very lost. I know the experiences I had in Pine Ridge were special, but I have so little knowledge or experience when it comes to spirituality that I don’t know if they were spiritual. I want to believe that I connected with spirits but I have never done it in a religious setting before. At this point in my life I have not had many spiritual experiences so when I do, they feel extremely special.

P.S.
Mark I just imagined Bruce driving the Magic School Bus through Pine Ridge.

Comment on Building the sweat lodge continued… by d_scott

d_scott — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 02:23:06 +0000

Loved the makeshift sweat lodge! I completely agree that building it in silence was a really cool idea. Its amazing how silence can change an experience, some of my most spiritual moments have come during silence. Its amazing what you guys accomplished without any communication. Trying to express myself through words this block has been very difficult and I think sometimes the occasional hug or smile was enough to communicate how I can feeling. Actions speak louder than words. Nice post.

Comment on Musica & Words by z_santos

z_santos — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 18:04:53 +0000

Project by Mark, Reed, Harrison and Zoe