Red Foxes Talking Circle

[Red Fox]

"Silence and self-control permeate the entirety of our lives." --Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA

The Creator gave us all the Red Road and on this Red Road we are required to think and act in a spiritual way. To make sure I conduct myself according to the Red Road, I must make sure I develop my self discipline. Self control works best when we pray for the courage and power to do the will of the Great Spirit. We are here on the earth to do the will of the Great Spirit. Sometimes, we must battle ourselves to do this.

Great Spirit, help me to have my self- control guided by spiritual ways.

Elder's Meditation by White Bison

 

[Cute Tink]

I thought it was time I started to share my story here within our Circle. I have shared bits and pieces of my life, but not the complete story. If it would be all right with everyone, I would like to share more of my personal life and experiences here with my Talking Circle family. Please let me know if it is acceptable.

It's totally fine with me, but keep in mind that this is a publicly visible area.

 

[pdudgeon]

Good afternoon, my friends. I am sticking around. I can't talk about what happened in public, but please know that things are being worked out.

that is always good!

 

[pdudgeon]

I thought it was time I started to share my story here within our Circle. I have shared bits and pieces of my life, but not the complete story. If it would be all right with everyone, I would like to share more of my personal life and experiences here with my Talking Circle family. Please let me know if it is acceptable.

I'm all for it, and second the idea of sharing here.

 

[Red Fox]

It's totally fine with me, but keep in mind that this is a publicly visible area.

Yes, I know. I will be very careful with what I say here and what I share.

 

[Red Fox]

O'siyo and good afternoon, my friends.

 

[Red Fox]

I've spent the day cleaning my house. I have relatives coming in later today. As usual, when I have relatives coming, I clean the house more than I would if no one was coming to visit. I smell like cleaners now, but at least I smell fresh and clean now.

 

[Cute Tink]

I spent much of Valentines weekend cleaning my home. It's less cluttered now and actually more relaxing.

 

[Red Fox]

My house is still cluttered, but it's clean...er, I think.

 

[Cute Tink]

I have 2 kids and a cat. My place will never truly be clean

 

[smaneck]

My house is still cluttered, but it's clean...er, I think.

LOL. You sound like me. I gave up on this and now hire someone periodically to do some housekeeping.

 

[Red Fox]

I saw this posted on Facebook and I just had to share it here in our Circle. I have already shared this story in the NDN groups I'm a member of on Facebook.

Growing Up with Racism Either Makes You Weak or a Warrior by Bob Lone Elk

"I am writing on the recent events that took place in Rapid City, South Dakota when the beer was thrown on our Lakota children from Allen, SD and they were told to go back to the reservation. I am also writing about the killing of a young Lakota man, from our reservation in Rapid City. I am writing to say that even though these things may shock the rest of the country, this is how Lakota have been treated around here for a long time.

I am from Porcupine, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Reservation. I was raised by Frank and Agnes Lone Elk, my grandparents. People would treat us like this in the town we shopped at in Gordon, Nebraska, another reservation border town. My grandparents would take me to town when I was between the ages of five and ten, my earliest memory is of getting eggs thrown on us at this town while we shopped. Going to town to shop was always supposed to be an event but teenagers would drive by and call us dirty Indians and throw eggs at us. To this day when I still shop in that town, I look at those elderly men and women who walk around there and wonder which of them threw eggs at me and my grandparents. My grandfather broke no laws when we went to town, but highway patrol always stopped and harassed us."

Read the rest of the article here on the Last Real Indians website. You can also read the article posted on Facebook here.

 

[Red Fox]

I have 2 kids and a cat. My place will never truly be clean

I have 8 children, 4 dogs, and a husband. My house is never uncluttered. And I mean never...

 

[Cute Tink]

I have 8 children, 4 dogs, and a husband. My house is never uncluttered. And I mean never...

I bet.

 

[Cute Tink]

Read the rest of the article here on the Last Real Indians website. You can also read the article posted on Facebook here.

Sorry to see this still happens to your people.

My community suffers similar treatment to yours. 2015 is turning out to be quite a sad year so far with 6 murders since January 1.

Prejudices are still strong with some people.

 

[smaneck]

The Pine Ridge Reservation has got to be one of the poorest places in the country, if not the poorest. I remember when I was a graduate student in Arizona we used to gather up coats to send up there. It is so sad that this would have even been necessary.

 

[Red Fox]

Sorry to see this still happens to your people.

Thank you. That means a lot to me, considering more often than not, I'm scoffed at, ridiculed, mistreated, and severely criticized for bringing this issue up among certain people. It's been my experience this issue isn't tolerated among certain people and they'll be aggressive to make sure it's not talked about.

My community suffers similar treatment to yours. 2015 is turning out to be quite a sad year so far with 6 murders since January 1.

I'm so sorry. That's so horrible.

Prejudices are still strong with some people.

Yes, it is, and those of us who have the courage to stand up and speak against it are often made targets of those prejudices ourselves. I have faced racism and discrimination in my own life as an NDN, even more so as a Native American Christian within certain Christian churches.

 

[Cute Tink]

Thank you. That means a lot to me, considering more often than not, I'm scoffed at, ridiculed, mistreated, and severely criticized for bringing this issue up among certain people. It's been my experience this issue isn't tolerated among certain people and they'll be aggressive to make sure it's not talked about.

Some people get uncomfortable with the bad parts of other people's lives.

I'm so sorry. That's so horrible.

Thank you.

 

[Red Fox]

If you were to choose to be a part of different religion, which religion would you choose and why? I'm just simply curious in asking.

 

[Red Fox]

Some people get uncomfortable with the bad parts of other people's lives.

Yes, that's true. It's even truer when that person is partly responsible for the bad parts in your life. Forgiveness does not come easy, at least not for me. I'm dealing with many emotional and spiritual wounds that have been afflicted on me over the years. I'm dealing with the emotional and spiritual wounds of some dear people I'm close to in my life. I carry many burdens and many wounds in my heart. I struggle with these wounds and with ghosts of the past everyday.

Thank you.

You're very welcome.