AQUINE.

AQUINE

http://home.earthlink.net/~sachemuncas/id2.html

The first time that this word was posts on a website some years ago, no Native person used it on a website or even when bloggers started, on any blog?

Would this be that this is a misused word or could it be just like everything else written on the internet about my people from 1994 on?

Just cut and paste then call it your words?

http://home.earthlink.net/~sachemuncas/index.html/

Because we are still receiving many inquiries about the meaning of the word Aquine,

 I am putting our answer on my blogs.

My question is, "why the Traditional American Eastern Woodland people are not also answering this question"?

Just like the word (Aquai), this is a Pequot/Mohegan word  used time and time again by my Elders, now Ancestors.

While growing up on my reservation ( Reservation is a European word for Village), Uncasvillage, there  were never more than 13 families teaching our history, now there are more than 1.000 ?

We were taught our language correctly.

Aquine is something like the Algonquin word Aquene,  which means Peace, or I am a friend, I come in peace. When using this word one would have both arms out about heart high with hands palm down to show that you have no weapon.

We have no word for good-by, we use the same word Aquine, while on our way, this time, with the left hand starting from the heart, palm up and straight out, heart high.

The Pequot/Mohegan word Aquai means hello, when meeting someone in passing, a friendly Aquai as you go by.

If you have a question or comment

just click on the comment just below this blog,

Sachem will be pleased to get back to you.

Native American Spirituality is simple.

Native American Spirituality.

Spirituality is not religion to American Natives.

Religion is not a Native concept, it is a non Native word, with implications of things that often end badly, like Holy wars in the name of individual God's and so on.

Native people do not ask what religion another Native is, because they already know the answer.

To Native people, spirituality is about the Creator, "period."

A question asked often "Is Creator a he"?

As soon as we, as humans, place a noun or verb around Creator you are trying to pull Creator down to be human.

Remember, Creator is the creator of all creation, so no, Creator in not he, she, it, or anything else our little minds can think up however, not to worry Creator does not want creation worrying about anything that is waiting for us in the next life just know that we are in good hands.

Always be in a position of respect (prayer) about everything created.

Always do things that you know your Creator wishes for you to do!

Who is this Creator?

Creator is, was, and will always be, because if at some point creator was not, then how could anything have been created?

If this is Creator, then way do we sometimes call Creator," Grandfather"?

The word grandfather in any Native American language is always a show of respect,

 that is why sometimes, you will hear a native person call an elder Grandfather.

Grandfather is not always Creator but, Creator is always our Grandfather.

Native American gifting tobacco (Herbs) to an elder?

First thing to remember about our tobacco, it was, it is, and should always be, herbs (Kinnick Kinnick) not a chemical treated cigarettes!

While offering a cigarette, please remember, it is an insult to a Traditional if that person is a Non Smoker!

Please remember, there is nothing sacred about any chemical, they are all poison so, what you would be saying if gifting tobacco to this person is, I poison you!

A person handing this herb will usually have it wrapped in something for a convenience to the elder, not always but, if it is wrapped, red would be the preferred color of the wrap.

(RED IS THE COLOR of the HEART BLOOD)

Also, by using your left hand to his/her left hand, shows true respect and knowledge to the elder.

Have you seen the movie Avatar?

The new leader (Tsu'Tey) placed his left hand on the, Touk Makto, (Jake Sully's) left shoulder and said, ( I will fly with you) someone did their homework on Native Americans for this will played movie.

Each time a native uses a traditional way an elder sheds a tear of joy.

My ancestors were simple common sense people.

Their tobacco was grown without chemicals, the ancestors did not need them!

Today our elders know that cigarettes cause cancer, even if they smoke, someone that they know and love has died a horrible death from this cancer.

 Please do not insult them by an offering of a cancer causing cigarette.

Will you please use Kinnick~ Kinnick (herbs)?

 

Native American Elder.

What is an elder?

This question is asked many times out on the internet an when answered by a non native about a native elder it is usually the wrong answer.

An elder in a New England tribe is every person older than any other person however, when a native talks about older they are speaking about knowledge, a newly adopted 85 year old cannot become an elder until they pass a 13 moon ceremony, teaching the culture, ceremonies, ancestors and about our people, we were taught to always be an elder to your younger tribal member, because you will always have some past experience that you should share, that said, elders are usually a much older person that has been in Indian country for some time, so you know that you can go to with a questions.

If he or she is a true elder young or old and does not have the answer, they will stay with your question until your answer is found.

Sometimes the truth may be no answer, so say it, there is no answer!

Or I do not know!

.

Clan Mother/Adoption into a tribe.

Another question of the day was about adopting into an American Native tribe.

This is now a tricky subject since the government, in their infinite supreme wisdom, made it possible to build and join an Indian casino tribe.

Back before first contact things were a lot less complicated.

Now, if you want to become a member of a tribe solely to reap the rewards from a casino, you need to find the blood trail, and then you need the permission of the conquering nation, your government, and the casino Indians.

If you wish to join a tribe that this government refuses to recognize, many of them have adopting ceremonies, most of them are still traditional.

However, the only thing that I can remember about adoption into my people since the 1940's is through a 13 moon ceremony.

A 13 moon ceremony has nothing to do with a women's moon ceremony, or a Jewish New Moon Ceremony, or anything dealing with Witches.

It was called that because it is a ceremony for woman becoming full blood members, or becoming a Matriarch tribal leader.

At the end of this ceremony one would be a full blood tribal leader of that tribe thus improving and keeping the tribe alive.

These Matriarch leaders are then responsible for the adoption of males into the tribe.

Tribal 13 moon ceremony.

13 Moon Ceremony to become a tribal Grandmother is a sacred ceremony

for Eastern woodland American native tribes to strengthen

and insure their royal families.

Eastern Woodland American Native tribe (Clan) is defined as a group of people usually related by family ties, and under the leadership of a matriarch the Clan is based on a matrilineal system.

They have tribal Grandmothers and Grandfathers, (13 mood ceremony)

as well as Clan Mothers and Clan Fathers.

The Clan Grandmother is the keeper of the sacred medicine bundle

from which the Clan derives its right of existence in most

traditional Native American Clans, and who, in conjunction

with the Sachem Chief, generally has the authority to set policy for

the Clan as a whole.

The Clan Grandfather carries the Clan name and who, in conjunction

with the Tribal clan father, is generally responsible for ensuring

that the policies established by the Clan Grandmother are implemented

at the well of the Sachem.

A person can also be adopted into a clan (The 13 moon ceremony).

Clan adoption is an almost universally accepted means of admitting

outsiders and helps in the preservation of the tribe.

The word clan comes from the time of the Vikings trade visit

and family mixings long before Christopher Columbus came to our shores,

the Europeans also have clans.

A 13 moon ceremony shows that a person cannot hand out names to non American natives for a price as is being done extremely often nowadays in native Indian country, by phony medicine men!

Of course the government BIA does not recognize this or any other ceremony from our ancestors so you must be the judge!

Many ask, "Why should it take time to be adopted into our tribe?"

We will answer your question with a question.

"Do you really wish to be a full blood member of the people?"

Because you do not have the royal blood line or perhaps do not have the ancestors blood line of any of our people one should understand that you must start from the beginning, learn everything about the family, were it came from, how did get to where it is now, were is it going in the future, and how does one actually get the blood?

All of these questions will be answered and must be excepted before the ceremony.

What can a tribe do if government refuses to recognize their tribe?

Nothing or Unite!

http://mysmudgingblog.blogspot.com/search?q=Unite

If the European American government tells a Native American tribe that they cannot be recognized as a tribe, that tribe needs to unite together, elect your people to an office each election in one village, town, city, county and state at a time!

Then you get to make the rules!

This now depends on you!

Are you looking for information about being adopted into a Casino Indian government run group of people, now jokingly referred to as Indians, or are you looking to be adopted into a real traditional American Native tribe?