Native American Tribes

"I walk in and out of many worlds." --Joy Harjo, CREEK/CHEROKEE– In my mind are many dwellings. Each of the dwellings we create ourselves - the house of anger, the house of despair, the house of self pity, the house of indifference, the house of negative, the house of positive, the house of hope, the house of joy, the house of peace, the house of enthusiasm, the house of cooperation, the house of giving. Each of these houses we visit each day. We can stay in any house for as long as we want. We can leave these mental houses any time we wish. We create the dwelling, we stay in the dwelling, we leave the dwelling whenever we wish. We can create new rooms, new houses. Whenever we enter these dwellings, this becomes our world until we leave for another. What world will we live in today? Creator, no one can determine which dwelling I choose to enter. No one has the power to do so, only me. Let me choose wisely today.

We forget the road we have been over together....how difficult it was and how good. We matured together, giving courage and understanding. Undoubted loyalty is there between us, knowing always that we can rely on kindness. We put aside anything we could not understand until it became clear. The divine wrote in our contract to take care of this person, to load every rift with good humor and good words and always with the knowledge that we are not alone. We have planted good seeds, we have cultivated - so now comes the harvest. The joy of it is knowing we are not alone. ~ It is the same with human beings - there is someplace which is best adapted to each. ~

TWO TO GO, by L.A. Huffman. No photographer better documented the working life of early cowboys than L.A. Huffman. Castration was performed on colts to make them more manageable and easier to train, and on horses with minimal breeding value.

In 1879, Huffman arrived at Fort Keogh, adjacent to Miles City in southeastern Montana. His historically important photographs documented the demise of buffalo, the arrival of the railroad, and life on the open range before barbed wire. The photo was late in Huffman’s career, perhaps 1910 or so. I own copy negatives made directly from many of L.A. Huffman’s glass-plate negatives. However, the photo below was captured on nitrate film and was found on the Montana Historical Society’s site. Text and Photoshop restoration of image by Gary Coffrin.

"Praying to seek a vision, to seek truth is always right. Truth builds upon itself - as the true mark of a warrior who conducts himself/herself accordingly - so that its beauty may shine in the faces of our children." --Barney Bush, SHAWNEE– We move toward and become like that which we think about. What we think about creates our vision. If our thoughts are wise and good, then our vision becomes strong and truthful. If our thoughts are junk, then our vision becomes contaminated, so it's important to be aware of what we are thinking about. As I live my vision, my children watch and they will live their lives the same way. We need to live the walk of the Warrior. We need to walk in beauty and respect. Oh Great Spirit, give me a vision for today. Let me see truth. Let me walk in beauty. Let my heart guide me in truth. The law says the truth shall set you free. Let me be free today.