Kathleen O'Neal Gear & W Michael Gear

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Monthly Archives: October 2010

All Hallows Eve

Happy All Hallows Eve, We love Halloween. From a cultural perspective, it’s a fascinating holiday. October 31st originally marked the end of the Celtic year, when the Celts celebrated the festival Samhain, pronouced Soh-ween, which was the ancient Celtic Day of the Dead. It was on this last day of the year that the Celts believed those who had died during the rest of the year travelled to the afterlife. To help them find the way, their relatives lit bonfires and offered animal sacrifices to the gods. It was a special day of remembrance, but also a time when fairies and other magical creatures roamed the darkness, mingling with the ghosts. It would not acquire its “demonic” association until the arrival of Christian missionaries, who branded the festival evil and strove to wipe out Samhain and other Pagan festivals. As you dress for your favorite costume party, remember that November 1st was to the Celts what January 1st is to our culture. So…Happy New Year! For a nice synopsis of Halloween and its traditions go to the web site of the American Folklife Center: www.loc.gov/folklife/halloween.html . Best Wishes, Michael and Kathleen

Black Shell…Loose again!

Greetings from Chicaza! To those of you who are new, I am Black Shell, of the Chief Clan, of the Hickory moiety, of the Chicaza People. Oh, and yes, there is that bit about being akeohoosa. That means exiled, dead to one’s relatives. It’s a small problem, and only will become a big one if I ever get back to my people. Meanwhile, through her own machinations, Pearl Hand managed to have me declared a High Micco in the Cofitachequi Nation. What’s a High Micco? That’s Mos’kogee speak which best translates as god-king. Not high chief as these English speakers interpreted it back in the early Colonial days. It didn’t argue for either long life or safety of limb to even hint that any king existed but the one back on his throne in England. Chief was a nice, safe, way of saying “leader” without offending old “you know who.” Those of us from the First Nations have been thought of as second-hand ever since. Fact is, we had more nobles, clans, moieties, phratries, lineages, priests, war ranks, speaker classes, and even official weathermen than the Europeans. And then there’s the language thing! Have any of you read the Amazon reader’s reviews? One of the critiques of COMING OF THE STORM is that neither Pearl Hand, myself, or the Timucua speak in “Tonto talk.” You know, “How! You white man. Me take’um Chicaza! Ug!” The fact is that our languages were every bit as complex as English–or more so. Many had cases, tenses, and declensions that are too sophisticated for comprehension in the English language. For example, when the French Jesuits attempted to learn Huron, a language related to Cherokee, they encountered a future, past, to future verb tense. Try and put that in a Latin framework! Now, what really irritates me… Okay, besides that foul De Soto and his murdering Kristianos. We know he’s a bad guy. But when I hear people say that we didn’t speak with as much grace, sophistication, and elegance as the White man? Pus and blood! Many of our peoples had to learn two languages. Two. The first was normal everyday speech. The second was the formal, sacred, tongue used only at ceremonies and ritual meetings. Language was treated as an art, and a superb orator was a prized and respected resource. The upshot is, when we’re speaking in our own tongue, it’s with a poetic grace and eloquence that simply can’t be reproduced in English. Mike and Kathy tried to get that across in COMING OF THE STORM and the upcoming FIRE THE SKY. But, if you make Indian speech too flowery, Americans won’t enjoy reading it! Hey, Jennifer, the editor, made Mike and Kathy redo the whole section on introductions among the Apalachee in FIRE THE SKY. She said it was boring and slowed the story. By the Piasa’s balls, she should have been there. I was asleep on my feet. At least until that scary priest, Back-From-the-Dead walked into the room! But then, you’ll have to read FIRE THE SKY to get that story out of me. Until next time, be well! Black Shell

John Gritts, national Elder of the Year award

It’s such a pleasure when people are recognized for their hard work. We want to say a hearty congratulations to John Gritts for receiving the National Indian Education Association’s “Elder of the Year Award.” John has spent his life encouraging and helping native youth to go to college. The world is a much better place because of his efforts. We’re proud to know you, John. Thank goodness you have many years ahead of you! Mike and Kathy

Jake Goes Fencing

Greetings All: Many of your know that we have a young sheltie dog named Jake. He came from Al Harris’s champion line down in Roswell, New Mexico. Having a grand champion mother, Dark Lady Cher, and with two emerging champion brothers, Ben and Bandit, Jake has a lot to live up to. Sometimes we read him Al’s letters about his family’s triumphs in the show ring and Jake gets a little…well, down about the whiskers. Here’s the thing. Jake isn’t a showdog. He’s just a little oversized, and to be a great sheltie show dog, the ears can’t stand up straight. They have to bend forward in a most alert and provocative manner. Jake’s ears stand up like redwood trees. Probably Mike’s fault for not using the right method for training them during the puppy days. Lots of things in the world are Mike’s fault because he’s easy to blame. So Jake, not being a show dog, ended up as head of Red Canyon Ranch security. Any of you who read John Erickson’s Hank the Cowdog series understand how important the head security position is. Being in charge, Jake’s duties include riding around on the six-wheeler, the John Deere tractor, the ranch trail bike, and, of course, the trucks. He goes everywhere we do, patrolling, sniffing, peeing, and ensuring that all the coyotes, lions, and bobcats understand that they are under constant scrutiny. And then there’s the constant job of reminding the raccoons and deer that the back yard is off limits. The most exciting part of the job is when cattle break in and try to eat grass reserved for the bison. Two days ago, three Arapaho bulls knocked down the creek fence and were grazing in our pasture. Jake alerted Mike to the fact and they both drove the six-wheeler down to the creek. After a perfect sneak, they surprised the Arapaho bulls–three BIG guys! And with Jake nipping at their heels, were able to herd them back onto the reservation. Sure, Jake’s mom and bothers are champions. As great as they are, however, they’ve never faced down three big Arapaho bulls! After surveying the situation, Jake duly reported that the creek fence was down. Mike and Kathy, under Jake’s supervision, have spent the last two days fencing, placing panels, driving posts, and sweating in the sun. And how do dogs in charge of ranch sequrity fix fence? They sleep soundly in shade under the six-wheeler, asking only that they be awakened when everything is finished.

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