" You know nothing about me until you have seen my spirit."
Makwa
A few years ago, I was honoured to be able to attend a powwow near my home, set up by the Mohawk brothers & sisters. It was the first day of the powwow & we waited with anticipation for the Grand Entry through the Eastern door to the Sacred Circle. A beautiful moment & I looked forward to it.
The time came to enter the circle, & as did, the announcer had the brothers who fought for Canada in various armed forces form a line so we could honor them & shake their hands in thanksgiving.
Natives aren't usually honored properly by the government for their participation.
As I went from brother to brother shaking hands, I stood beside the other warriors & there stood before me one who towered over me. He was an older man, kind in spirit & he just stared at me.
I extended my hand toward him & instead of grasping it, he embraced me in a huge
( makwa) bear hug. He held onto me until he finally let me go. To my knowledge I was the only one he had hugged that day.
He spoke some words to me & I passed on down the line to the others.
I danced hard that day. Around 4:00 pm we sat at a picnic table relaxing after a long day. I was dancing in the Circle that evening too & wanted to rest. I was exhausted.
I noticed a man crossing the crest of the hill just above the table were we sat. He was a big man. I had forgotten about the meeting earlier in the day. I noticed as he headed straight for our table.
Leaning on it with both hands he said, " I know you & I know your whole family." I was dumb founded. " What was going on?"
I was at a loss to understand why this stranger would out of nowhere come up to us & say this. He never did tell me his name.
He started telling me about what had happened that morning with the hug & all. He told me that he was a high priest in our teachings & I felt truly honoured that he would address me.
He then called his wife, Anna, over to tell her the story. I still didn't know why he was telling us all of this. He told her of meeting me. He told of being told in his spirit to hug me instead of shaking my hand.
He also told something very different. He told Anna that when he hugged me he felt something. Anna asked if it was energy & the reply he gave was, " No, Not like the kind of energy as we know it."
" It was a spirit that went from this man's body into my body." He told of it being such a gentle spirit & that it reflected through me & in me.
I have always known there was something else spiritual inside me. Even as a child I could feel something extra there. Not in my physical but spiritual. I could always feel this presence.
We talked for along time about the powwow, about this happening that he had just experienced. He had such a gentle spirit himself even before he hugged me. He was such a brother with living love flowing through him that it emanated all around him.
He imparted something very special to me as we talked. He said he had watched as I danced in the Circle. When Natives dance it is not just a dance. We dance with love. We dance in the spirit.
We dance for a variety of reasons including prayer. We dance not only in the physical but in the spiritual also. He told me the greatest advice I could ever receive. He said, When you dance in the Circle, always remember, the drum is the heart beat of the Indian Nation. When you hear the drums beating, you are hearing your own heart beat. The drums are our very life.
Listen to the drums, follow the beat of the drums until it becomes apart of you. Dance to the beat of the drums as one. Become one with the drums."
I listened to this wise one & I listened not only with my ears but in my spirit.
I danced again that night & as I did, his words came back to me. Words of life to not only my dance but also my spirit. His words echoed in my mind... " The drum is the heartbeat of the Indian nation.
Be one with the drums." Those words of truth poured over me again & again. At each step I took I could hear them echoing in my ears, my mind, my spirit. They were literally living words.
I did. I listened. I heard the voice of the drums calling me. I asked the Creator to guide me in my dance. I danced like I have never dance before in my life. I became one with the drums that night.
They were not separate from me but apart of my very being. I could see others watching as I danced the sacred dances. I didn't care. It was like I was taken over by the beat of the drums, filling me with new life, new hope, new joy & peace. I had someone remark later as to my dancing which I was grateful for.
To this day, I listen to the heartbeat of the drums when I dance. I listen to what gives us life in our spirit. When we feed our spirit it shows on the outside. I still to this day hear those chosen words of one so wise in love.
The last day of the powwow, we met again. The dancing was over. The celebrations were over for another year. This same elder approached me as I stood by our tent, & we talked.
Before we parted ways, we hugged once again. It was a brotherly hug of living love. As we hugged, I whispered in his ear, " The Creators blessings on you, my brother."
As I looked up, I saw tears forming in his eyes. Those eyes of love. I will never forget him nor his wife Anna. It was such a special meeting, A destined meeting between not only the physical but a meeting of spirits. We promised to meet the following year in the Sacred Circle to talk.
We never had the opportunity to attend the following year. I wish we had. I think of him & Anna often.
I feel their love, their warmth, their gentleness of spirit each time I remember them.
Hopefully, someday I will be honored to be able to meet them again. Not only did my spirit touch this mans spirit but in turn, both him & his wife touched & changed my life with that meeting.
I know that someday, whether it be here or in the next realm we will meet again & we will sit & talk about truths in the spirit.
Each time I relay this story it stirs my spirit & brings tears to my eyes. It happened to me &
I am so truly honored that we met & joined our spirits in truth & love. Only from our spirit can we ever experience something like this.
The Creators blessings on both this special person & his wife, Anna.
Makwa
Dalton
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