| | 
"Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged,
sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and
wrong...because sometime in your life you will have been all of these."
*************************************************************************************
Body dumped at Yantic Falls inspires tribe to clean area
By JASON TSAI
Norwich Bulletin
Norwich August 14, 2005
Earlier that morning, a tight-lipped police presence scoured the riverbank near a footbridge at the
Yantic Falls. This area abuts the headquarters of the Confederation of the Mohegan-Pequot
American Indian Nation, which Standing Bear oversees.
The tribe is not connected to either of southeastern Connecticut's two federally recognized tribes that
own casinos.
When the dectectives informed him police had found a body in the water, Standing Bear was floored.
"It was a horrible feeling. I immediately though of al the children and daughters in the area," he said
Saturday morning. "But with it happening in our back yard, it was just too much."
That's when he knew the area had to be cleaned up.
The tribe had always been concerned with "not-respectable" people frequenting the area, he said.
So when the body of 19-year-old Stacy Ann Brissett was found yards from the tribe's headquarters
last month, he ordered the area cleaned up.
Since last month, some 15 tribal members have cut down waist-high brush and picked up trash on
weekends. Their work has transformed the shaded area from a den of illicit activity to a cleared
riverbank with expansive views.
"There was so much brush in the area, and you'd have not-respectable people hanging out all the
time."Standing Bear said. "I'm sure there was drug dealing heppening, and I know there were
underage kids drinking and throwing their beer cans everywhere. Now it looks so much better."
Saturday morning, Dean Denis, 40, a member of the tribe, rappelled down the rocky face of the falls
chopping at the overgrowth with a machete. The Lebanon resident was aided by Matt Johnson, 22
and Adam Johnson, 24 of Norwich.
"It's really going to be great when we're finished. The area will be clean so that no one will have
anything to hide," Denis said.
"For a long time, it hid the beauty of the falls," Denis added. "Also, some people who came to visit
couldn't tell where the drop-off began, because the brush was so thick."
Denis said it may take another four weekends to finish the job. Standing Bear said once it is
finished, the tribe may install park benches by the water.
"We're looking to do a real transformation, and its coming along nicely," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Time Has Come To Gather
By: Keith Rabin/2005
A Prayer Poem For
For Amber in her fight for Honor
For Anna Mae Aquash and family,
For Leonard Peltier, In The Spirit Of Crazy Horse
For those chosen to bear the cost
For those who did the deed,
and for all those yet to come.
"Who Will Be Innocent Next."
To All My Relations:
The time Has come to Gather,
and come together,
this for all our missing, for all indigenous peoples.
Welcome to a moment in your lives.
As Indigenous women, As indigenous people,
As part of the human race.
It is time to gather, It is time...
We are a part of the creators plan.
We are the creators Plan.
Without us, the indigenous women,
the plan ends here. No more indigenous children.
Today we've come to take back......
Our position in our nations,
Our position in our families.
Our position is, we turn away no more.....
We've come here today to join together as one people.
Gather together our indigenous pride.
We've come to save our children, from another year,
of murder, of rape. We've come to heal our unsafe nations.
Creator, We are praying to you.
We ask with respect, and Reverence.
We offer the sacred, The sweetgrass.
In its blue smoke we pray.
We humble ourselves this day to you,
So our prayers may be heard.
In the essence of the cedar,
In the smudge of the sage we pray.
Grandfather , Grandmother.
So many have gone, too many have fallen early.
Too many have gone silent, and are quiet still.
Gather together my people, all nations, one stand.
My heart today is as an eagle,
It calls to your heart, listen we ask.
Their hearts are missed, and their spirits,
are here with us today, and in your arms.
Our words are as prayers for your ears.
The time has come for us as a people,
A time when the warriors stand up,
A time as long ago they stood together.
For the people, for the women and children.
Too many have gone, Too many have closed their eyes.
We are bleeding for a hope, and can bleed no more alone.
We are crying for a vision, and our tears run dry.
Bless these spirits, and our humble gathering.
We ask for your guidance and your vision for our children.
We ask for peace and an end to our missing.
In our gathering together we are asking for peace.
Pilamayaye [as in the female voice]
Pilamaya [as in the male voice]
In Peace, Keith
The Gentleman who composed this honoring poem asked
that it be passed on. Please pass it on. Thank You
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A NATIVE PRAYER
O Great Spirit of our ancestors,
I raise my pipe to you.
To your messenger, the four winds, and
to Mother Earth who provides
for Your children.
Hear me.....
I send my prayers on the wind for
all my relations. and
for the terrible injustices that have been
bestowed upon the Mother.
Give us, Your children,
the wisom to teach our
children to love, to respect,
to pray, and to be kind to each other
so that they may grow with peace in
their minds and hearts.
Let us.....
Learn to share all good things
that You provide for us
on this, our Mother, the Earth,
with all of our relations everywhere.
It is good.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Authentic Indian Standing Tall
Authentic Indian, stand tall to be counted. Stand tall with your self-respect and dignity.
Stand tall before your family and friends in your respect of nature. Stand tall in your
respect of your culture, your spiritualism, justice, creativity, music, art, literature,
sports, history and all those things that might define you as Native. Stand tall against
racists and those detractors who show no respect for other human beings. Stand tall
in your love, respect and appreciation of humanity. Stand tall with your ability to guide
youth for they will learn, in their turn, to stand tall. anonymous
**************************************************************************
| |
