I grew up with Indians.
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A lot of the kids I went to school with at Pellston, Michigan were Indian kids. These were often from large Catholic familes. They were usually poor kids. I would go to their homes for meals sometimes, after school. You would see cans of Governmet Pork, or blocks of Government Cheese, or Government Peanut Butter. These kids were always very generous to a little white boy like me. I will always remember them.
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When I got older, I went to a couple of Pow-Wows with some of my Indian friends. I saw this as an opportunity to get really drunk, and to dance around some. Later in life I was to discover that all this singing, chanting, and dancing around was actually Shamanism 101. The Indian elders were using this rhythmic chanting to enter the Spirit World, the home of their Ancestors. It was magical, it was mystical. Give me that old time religion!
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Over the course of my travels I had the opportunity to visit the Hopi tribe in Arizona. They use underground "kivas:, or "sweat lodges" where they go to induce a state of Mysticism. White people are not allowed to attend these ceremonies. So I hired a local Hopi guide, named Jake, to walk me around this place, and to learn something about the culture from him. Jake told me a lot about the Hopi people. They have lived in this one place, called Walpi, for over a thousand years. Walpi is high atop a mesa. At night, you can see the lights of Walpi from miles away.
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The Hopi are a maternal, not paternal tribe. Property tends to get passed down through the woman's bloodline. Having a maternal view of life may have done much to soften the Hopi outlook, which is sprinkled with kindness and spirituality.
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The Hopi are also credited for their Snake Dance Ritual. This amounts to chanting, rythmic drumming, and dancing around with a live rattle snake dangling from your mouth. The snakes are in a trance, and the Hopi rarely, if ever, get bitten. It is Magical.
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The Hopi elders are all predicting the end of the world, as we know it, in the year 2012. We had better get ready. There is not much time left.
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If you want to find out more about the Hopi people, and their neighbors the Navajo, I would recommend reading the popular detective novels written by Tony Hillerman. These books will captivate you with their memorable characters, like Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. You will learn about some of the places I have seen in Arizona and New Mexico. You will also discover that an important component in the lives of these Native American peoples is Magic, pure and simple. It will give you something to chew on. It will give you something to consider.
Mr. Charming
