Little Egypt Heritage Articles eduda tsunogisdi © Bill Oliver 12 November 2006 Vol 5 Issue: #36 ISBN: pending O’siyo, Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, “Bridges” In the words of B J Hoff [Author of Irish Literature], “Historical Fiction – Building a Bridge from the Past to the Future.” The battle for tomorrow begins in the home, continues in the classroom, and is experienced in the world. To survive in a rapidly and constantly changing world the people must be adaptive. Those of my family [clan] certainly practiced this, though their classroom might have been the great natural outdoors rather than the formal classroom. A wise man from North Carolina once said to me, “The battle for the minds of our children will be accomplished in the classrooms, not on the shores of the waters, nor on the avenues of our cities or on horses. And, they must be instructed for they are the warriors of tomorrow.” He was a member of the First Marine Division who fought on the Island of Guadalcanal. Some of my family, the Border-Scot/Ulster-Irish, certainly used the great outdoors as part of their classroom, learned the things nature and community taught and still lived in their former cultural way with adaptations. For example, they were extremely loyal to kin and community, and apposed to things governmental. They recognized that life was a balance between the educated world and their cultural traditions. There is a need for this living in two worlds. Education will help protect and cultivate the environment and the land [and seas], and develop our health [physically and spiritually] by providing the atmosphere of knowledge to accomplish the first two. The cultural heritage involves the language usage, the customs [ceremonies] and the traditions of our peoples. I am language handicapped, for I know only a part of my own English language though I consider myself a bit of a wordsmith. My cultural heritage mainly involves the languages of English, German, Gaelic, and Cherokee. In a recent article I laid out the traditions of the fall traditions of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. [Well, I really only mentioned the latter two.] To carry those traditions into and onto this continent in the early days of Euro-infusion, consider the following. Some of our native nations believe the world was created at the time of the first new moon in autumn. This moon is known as the Great New Moon [nu-ta-te-qua] and thus the year begins and feasts are celebrated at each new moon until the first new moon in the spring which begins another ‘new’ year beginning because at this time of the spring eqinox the ‘fruits’ begin to grow and mature. In the antiquity of the Cherokee tradition there is the Ceremony of the Green Corn which observes and recognizes the sacrifice of the first ‘fruits’ where prayers [songs] of praise and thanksgiving are offered to God [The Great Spirit] in order that ‘s/he’ will know of our appreciation. The methods may vary from culture to culture, but these similarities within individual cultures seem to fascinate me. Many of the stories I’ve collected over the years educate the members of families [clans] toward universal truths and behavior. Take for example the following from the explanation of one of the Cherokee Clans. “In the country of the Woodland Peoples is a special group of people, little people who live among the dogwood trees. Physically and emotionally these people are very delicate and sensitive. They look for and participate only in the good and beauty in all things and everyone. The Dogwood Clan, as they are called, have the ability to be seen only as they choose to reveal themselves in the dogwood blossoms. They spend all other time ‘day dreaming’ of the good things for all people, plants, animals, and those that swim, crawl and fly. They care and feel for all that exist that ‘mother earth’ furnishes. “Their tears become the dogwood blossoms as they come out or appear and look about them. In some seasons the tears are scant and fall quickly, while in other seasons the blossom pedals linger and are full. All this depending on their observations of our behavior toward each other and all things, especially to our ‘mother earth’. “The Dogwood Clan peoples are not mischievous in any way. During their non-blossoming period they ‘dream’ of helping one another, out of their sincere and caring beings [hearts], never for personal gain.” e-la-Di-e-das-Di ha-WI NV-WA-do-hi-ya NV-WA-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- 715 PostScript: Yesterday, 11 September 2006, was Veteran’s Day. I commend those who are serving and have served their county by fulfilling their duty. I salute those who went beyond that call of duty to serve their fellow men – they are the true warriors.