Charlotte Masuda Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What irritated me about Kenuchelover's response
> is, he apparently read only my first post and
> jumped to an overall conclusion.

To be frank, nothing you have since posted has significantly altered that conclusion.

You posted something that was NOT true about Hopi traditions. You tried putting New Age nonsense in traditional mouths.

I did, and still do, object strenuously to that.

(snip)
> As I said before, there is no conflict between
> science and religion,legends,myths, philosophy, or
> even the fiery tales of old when no artificial
> barriers are erected so a homogeneous picture can
> be seen, and rightly understood.

There is also no validity whatsoever to artificially equating things that have no relationship to each other, and "interpreting things" out of whole cloth.

> So much for today and I asked that the wind not be
> taken out of the sails of my "ship" before I reach
> a safe and fair harbor.
>
> Charlotte

Charlotte Masuda. I do not think that you are a bad person, but I do think that you are going down a wrong path.

May I respectfully make a suggestion? Stop thinking so hard (drop the metaphysics and the search for underlying truth like a bad date), and try to live more in this world. Take some time off this next spring & plant a garden. Spend several hours in it each day.

Eh, if you really are interested in Native American culture, plant a 3 sister's garden (traditional strains of corn, beans, squash, interplanted in a certain way). Bring in a few of their granparents & aunts & auncles & cousins if you have room (tomatoes, chiles, quinoa or goosefoot, amaranth, gourds, tarwi, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, etc, etc).

I'll even mail you seeds, gratis. Even seeds from my own tribe.

(And Tarwi, I've got a special enthusiasm for Tarwi at the moment.... I mean, even if it WAS an Andean rather than a North American & Cherokee crop, where else can you get a 4-5 FOOT HIGHT lupin with BEAUTIFUL flowers that bears an abundant crop of EDIBLE & delicious tasting bean sized seeds? That are 40% protein with a good balance of amino acids!)

While in your garden, experiance the real world as HARD as you can. Indoors (or outdoors on a sunny day if the day's weeding & paying attention to your plants is done), read a book on Native American culture.... some thing very pragmatic & authentic, preferably something 19th or very early 20th century, that has decently credible details & no New Age nonsense & where the ethnocentric insertions can easily be detected by the smugness of tone.

Eh, try James Mooney's "Myths of the Cherokees and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees" (it's a 2 in 1 volume), which you can find paperback or secondhand for only a few dollars on www.abebooks.com or www.bibliofind.com

It's very long, very detailed, more authentic than anything else ever published on us, and will help keep your mind off bad thoughts. Pay close attention, and you'll even note that a relative of mine was a prominant source for Mooney.

Do this,..... and in your garden (if don't have a backyard, or a lawn to dig up, look into community garden plots).... you will find a safe harbor.

Maybe read a little Joseph Bruchac also, he's written (70+ volumes to pick from) everything from educational material to poetry & stories to socio-political commentary, and might make a nice change if Mooney gets you to looking for your horse, or a bit TOO fired up about events that were over & gone long before your grandmother was born.

Wade Wofford.
Kenuchelover.