taize Pilgrimage 2013 Red Shirt Table, Pine Ridge, South Dakota Coast Salish to Lakota, and back again - May 21-28, 2013

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Melina Simmons
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1 taize Pilgrimage 2013 Red Shirt Table, Pine Ridge, South Dakota Coast Salish to Lakota, and back again - May 21-28, 2013 Woke early Tuesday Morning ready to embark on a Journey of awakening, opening, & community. We started out with greetings of conversation, and sharing home-baked healthy goodies. A vocal coaching appointment brought us into Vancouver city for just over an hour, giving the rest of us a chance to walk around, exercise and play at the park, and witness some children film their re-enactments of The 5 most important moments in Christian History. It was significant that instead of going back to the days Yesua lived and taught, their moments consisted of the crusades and other such moments, which are acts Christos would have not condoned. After reconvening we set off again on our travels, picking up two companions in the middle of the country and then making our way south to camp in the 'badlands' of the Dakotas. Setting up tents in the dark and awakening to a beautiful scene of multi-colored dirt and brushes. The landscape inspired morning running, climbing and meditating atop of the natural landscape. Travelling again we encounter a Mercantile store with a rich diversity of items, everything from clothing and signs with prideful and ego driven sayings, to good pictures of nature, including one ( Peace On Earth ) of Yesua speaking to a crowd with a quote from Isaiah2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. We travelled further south through the Dakotas until after three days of driving and sleeping, missing the few little signs, then backtracking, we finally reached our destination, the Pine Ridge reserve. We were welcomed at the parking field and again at the registration tent. An orientation guide explained some of the basic guidelines. Dinner was shortly after and contained some good vegetarian options. Saturday we awakened to the noise of many people excited about a baby rattle snake. Likely his family had moved in thousands of years before we arrived. A couple of us helped get him gently and safely into a bag and walked him a little ways away from his home into the deeper wilderness. By the time we got back to breakfast, there was none left. Luckily we found cereal and materials for a basic sandwich, gratefully accepted. Another grateful animal nearby was a dog who cleverly located an unattended bowl of cereal which he helped himself to. The morning prayer accompanied group discussions opened by thoughts as: If our decisions & initiatives were guided by trust..., If a Trusting Heart was at the beginning of everything..., When people get in touch with their otherness they can again stand on their feet, Yesus He(Isus) didn't come to accuse us, he came to give us a new relationship with God, Christ commits to bringing hope to us, his people. LISTEN!..

2 We also had small group discussions organized around three pre-set questions: 1. Where do we see signs of Gods creative work today? 2. Why is it sometimes so difficult for us to believe that God is creating something new? 3. What can help us go in the direction which God wants to lead us? Our HEART knows the answers...listen! Nature Feeds Us (our Spirit). Spirituality is a big part of who we are. We have the power to Motivate & Move People. We harken to the 80 s Spirituality movement to bring people back to the land. Nature is what feeds our Heart Mind Blood Air Spirit. Do a breathing exercise- Breathe in Spirit. Trust each other, ourselves. Influence and help children, less able, ALL Living Beings. In the Spirit we are one Spirit. In the flesh alone we can be disconnected, desirous. In the Spirit All are ancestors. Our mission is fulfilling the Greater Part, which is Love. How can we positively impact others? We realize our Secret. We are all ONE SPIRIT Interconnected. We are most people/city living. Oyaske = desire to learn. Motivate the youth/all people to desire Learning. Get their GEDs and then want to continue to learn more/seek knowledge. Story Wantanken knew beauty of life and all things. Two people knew each other got married & had child. Young boy noticed parents arguing/fighting. Left home and father followed tracks for days. Tracks turn into deer and go on for weeks, then months. Tracks turn into Buffalo and eventually father finds the herd. Alpha Buffalo charges father and asks why he's there. Father explains the story of his missing child who he wants back. Alpha Buffalo says the child was supposed to leave because it wasn't right for him at home, but father can come back next morning and if he picks the right Buffalo he can take him home. The Trickster helps the father by marking the child and they go home happily. We discussed the many meanings of this story. Elders blow into the mouth of newborn child. Their spirit feeds you and your spirit feeds them. If we can learn about the SPIRIT and LISTEN, we can fix the world/environment/all problems. Give thanks all ways. Mohawk oldest sound is Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, before that only silence. Only in good things can we be strong. How do you change life to be more? We had prayer, meals and speeches by some of the brothers. Back in small groups we talk. The risen Christ causes us to look at our lives in new ways, to see that even the difficulties and apparent failures are part of a journey with him more towards greater life. Can I think of times when I thought I was lost but saw later was part of A Pilgrimage of Trust?

3 People Reflected life stories. One- nearly killed himself but found there was more to life. One- no life plan but feels no fulfillment. One- going to seminary & stressed out by and in school. We were collectively feeling lost and in need of listening more, to God and our hearts, and needing a change to spark a new perspective, and to evolve, and to reach out to learn more. Failures help us to learn and prepare us for helping others/ advising in times of need or teaching to prepare the spirit to help others. Through community discussions we can learn from others mistakes & successes and share ours to help living beings become more capable of helping or preparing themselves for difficult situations. Forgiveness it is important to forgive, though may seem very hard to let go of the past wrongs. Purpose to life passions and service for the greater good. Be free to change our minds and do what our heart and spirit tells us to. Don t get trapped in profession or career path, unless we are confident we love it and want to do it most. Be open and honest. Explore passions. Gain diversity of experiences. Listen to Heart and Mind. Meditate and allow God to guide you. Purpose = LOVE & Service Greater Good. Moral, Evolving, Simply start, Harmless, Earth-Friendly, Let go of Singular, Exclusive ideas/thoughts. Unite with oneness. Be whole! Focus on Spiritual Fulfillment. Dinner included good basic rice, peas, and carrots. Night entertainment brought story performance play about Star Child and his life journey. A young boy grew up, once from the stars...stage by stage he grew up and lived his life protecting justice and one day at the end of his life returned once again to the stars. Sunday. Breakfast bell rang, people ate and climbed into bus. We split our numbers into four different churches in Red Cloud. All 40 some odd seats were all taken in the nice little church we attended. Lunch was provided at a community hall. For the sake of earth, did what could be done to avoid petroleumbased disposable food ware, and GMO-sugar-based drink and food. Took bus to larger church alongside a museum and school. We spent some time exploring museum on the grounds, consisting of art, crafts, pictures, information boards, miniature models, carvings, and a room which replicated a residential school classroom. It had a small wood stove, a row of desks, and large information & story boards giving a picture of what life was like for kids in those horrific days of colonial/government abuse of human lives. We were called out of the museum and over into the church. Speakers told us the story of the Wounded Knee Massacres which began December 29, During the disarming of a community of Lakota American First Nations people, a scuffle over Black Coyote's rifle escalated and a shot was fired, initiating an attack from the 7th Cavalry. They fired indiscriminately from all sides, killing men, women, and children, as well as some of their fellow soldiers. Those few Lakota warriors who still had weapons began shooting back at the attacking soldiers, who quickly suppressed the Lakota fire. The surviving Lakota fled, but U.S. cavalrymen pursued and killed many, most of whom were unarmed. At least 150 men, women, and children of the Lakota were killed and 51 others wounded (4 men, 47 women and children, some of whom died later). Some estimates place the number of dead at 300.

4 Wrongful abuses and murders of lives continue all around the world, how do we collectively end this and begin an age of respecting and loving others as ourselves? When are we going to stand up for the right things? When will we make the necessary shift to reform our system of being towards a just and sustainable life for all? We had several buses transport us to the main site of Wounded Knee, several miles away. We read the large carved commemorative sign which told the story of the site then proceeded up the hill to the memorial graveyard. We surrounded it and were able to all link hands. There were prayers spoken and lots of silence. We independently prayed & meditated there. I was sitting in the grass, fairly central to the main monument and meditating on how such wrongdoing could have been carried out by corrupt people and how to prevent similar things from ever happening again. Slightly opening my eyes, I noticed a Taize Brother near me so I continued praying. Unknown minutes later I opened my eyes again and the brother was gone. A further glance showed me that all the rest of the Taize gathering was also gone. Down the hill, where the buses once were, someone informed me the brother had gotten a ride from a kind police officer. Eventually I too was offered a ride, from a generous woman with her young child in the back. We talked about solutions we need to create in the world and arrived at the school beside the church and museum. Then I got on a bus to Red Shirt. Dinner was followed by prayer around the cross. Prayer concluded with everyone chanting and slowly proceeding into two lines and placing their foreheads on the cross, four to eight people at a time. This took the hundreds about half an hour to complete. With everyone continuing to change there was a patient majesty about it. Music and dancing took place in the night tent; it was relatively short and funny but enjoyable. Monday was the final morning; we woke for breakfast then prayer, followed by a general session and regional meetings. In our regional group of about 20 people who were from the west coast and a scattering of other provinces and states, we talked of lessons learned, what we feel the good spirit is calling us to do for the world, and how important it is for everyone to learn to shut their eyes quiet their minds and listen to the messages God is constantly sending to our hearts. After some contact information exchange, and a fun game of tag with some of the young and 'old kids' by the playground area we had lunch and packed our supplies and began the journey home. Reflections Mercantile had polite customers, lots of junk, many positive and negative items, and a sign in the bathroom which desperately reads 'Town for sale owner wants to retire and lists 9+ expenses they were attached to. They just want natural freedom but feel are stuck with ownership. I think positive outcomes of the journey include the connection of communities, and the ability for these words to give many who did not travel the ability to share in the experience.

5 One of the evening entertainment nights began with some talks from some of the elders. One in particular made a desperate plea for us to help; the water is being polluted more and more and help is needed to stop this and restore the communities ability to have clean drinking water. The elder stated we white people have more ability than his people to stop the corporations who are responsible. We MUST HELP. Please pray for and look into how we could possibly help and support this human struggle, which affects all life presently and infinitely into the future. Gratitude and thanks to everyone who helped make this pilgrimage of trust a reality! The Contemplative Society, especially Liz Vickers for her compassion and positive support, Nathan, Candyce, Nathan, Rebekah, Chris, the brothers of Taize, All the First people of Red shirt, and South Dakota, who have historically suffered far too much and deserve redeeming promise for the future, the Two Bulls Family, the people whose spirits were called to this gathering, the good spirit, Mother Earth and all life which lives hereon.

Lakota Accounts of the Massacre at Wounded Knee

Lakota Accounts of the Massacre at Wounded Knee From the Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for 1891, volume 1, pages 179-181. Extracts from verbatim stenographic report of council held by delegations