Devil’s Heart: Native American Lore And Modern Police Work... Alaska True To Life Crime Author Ron Walden … © Ugly Moose Ak Publishing, Soldotna, Alaska
Ugly Moose Ak’s “Wisdom Of The Donut Hole” Podcast Episode 3
Alaska True To Life Crime Author Ron Walden … Devil’s Heart: Native
American Lore And Modern Police Work © Ugly Moose Ak Publishing, Soldotna, Alaska
Season 2 Podcast Episode 2
Welcome back to The Wisdom of the Donut
Hole Podcast by Ugly Moose Alaska. The podcast about books by Alaska True to
Life Crime Author Ron Walden. Look for us on your favorite podcast platform.
Subscribe, like and tell your friends! Be sure to visit Ronwalden.com to see
all of his books and order yours directly from there. It’s very simple and they
make great gifts!
This is Season 2, Episode 2 about Ron’s
second book: “Devil’s Heart: Native
American Lore and Modern Police Work” Copyright 2009, 2nd Edition Copyright
2022.
===========================================================================
Our podcasts
take you to the real places found in Ron’s books, mainly in Alaska. In this book,
it includes the Pacific Northwest community of North Bend, Washington and an
area of North Dakota known today as the Spirit Lake Tribe Reservation, previously
recognized as the Fort Totten Reservation.
Podcasts
introduce some of the characters and personalities of Ron’s books. We like to
provide details of places and people that contribute to his novels. Our goal is
to post a new episode monthly, if not more often.
Ron
Walden’s books are available wherever books are sold, including your hometown
bookstores and online. Ask for his books if you don’t see them on shelves. Buying
locally is always best.
===========================================================================
“Devil’s
Heart: Native American Lore and Modern Police Work” brings readers to the Spirit Lake
Tribe Reservation and it’s unique culture in North Dakota, where the real
Devil’s Heart Butte exists; and to the small, Pacific Northwest community of
North Bend, Washington; then to Alaska’s legendary Matanuska Valley and back. An
exciting story of mystery and murders.
We won’t
ruin story lines but will take you to meet a few characters and see some of the
places featured in his books. Thank You
for giving us a try.
===========================================================================
Enjoy the
links in Show Notes to explore the reservations, people, culture and beliefs. They
can be found online at..wisdomofthedonutholeblog.blogspot.com
Devils
Heart is a murder mystery. A serial killer of children is relentlessly
investigated by Officer Jodi Eagle. Born and raised in a unique culture, his cultural
beliefs and understanding instilled since childhood, Jodie won’t stop seeking
answers for the people he serves in North Bend, following clues to the Last
Frontier of Alaska and back.
Some things including
the Reservation and other area names have changed, but these are the real
people that made this book possible. Some have passed on; others continue
celebrating their culture and heritage.
===========================================================================
Ron Walden’s
acknowledgements from 2009:
“It’s with great
pleasure that I thank the many wonderful people who contributed to this book.
When writing on any subject, it’s necessary to glean information from every
source possible. It’s my objective to thank a few of those people now. Since I have
little personal knowledge of Native American life, especially life on the
reservation, I traveled to North Dakota where I spent time on the Fort Totten
Reservation. I thank all the people there who made me feel at home. I hope I’ve
done justice to the information you’ve given me.
Special thanks to Fred
and Helen Jacobs for allowing me to stay with them while researching this book.
Helen, along with her library associates at the Four Winds School, allowed me
access to valuable information I could learn no other way. I’ll always remember
your hospitality and assistance.
My good friends Clarence
and Cathy Longie loaned me many reference books and provided personal insights
into life on the reservation. Clarence pointed out an error about which schools
would have been attended during the time my characters would have been there.
There would have been many other laughable errors in this text if not for the
help of this good friend and his family.
===========================================================================
Many legends and traditions
quoted in this book were learned from Lenore White Lightning. She was an
invaluable source during my research. These residents of the reservation, each
and every one, were my sources in developing the personality of the main
character in this book. I hope all their personalities are reflected here, for
each of them is part of this book.
===========================================================================
Special thanks to Dr.
Paul Turner of Alaska. As a psychologist he helped develop a believable profile, background and personality of the
villain. With his help I hope I represented this characters’ proclivities,
while neither condoning nor condemning his lifestyle.
This book was written on
a new computer which I had no idea about operating. Thanks to patient tutoring
by my friend, retired City of Kenai Fire Chief Jason Elson, I fumbled through.
I thank him for finding all the lost chapters hidden inside this machine.
Without Jason, I might have been lost, along with the text, inside this
electronic marvel.
===========================================================================
Credit must be given to
Marthy Johnson for editing this book and making it readable. She made me look
good.
I thank Tom Willard for
taking time from his Silver Salmon fishing to do the artwork on the cover.
These two friends made this a professional literary work.
Most of all I thank my
wife for basic editing and constructive criticism during the writing of this
volume. She’s my most severe critic and greatest inspiration. Without her I’m
not sure the book would have been finished.
Finally, I thank all my
friends who encouraged me to write another book. If you read this and are
entertained, I accomplished my goal. Thank you for your support.
We don’t often read from Ron’s books in these podcasts, but
today I will read an excerpt from Devil’s Heart to better understand who our
protagonist, Jodie Eagle is and the importance of the Many Truths, Wisdom and Values of
the Native American Dakota Culture:
===========================================================================
“As Jodie Eagle sat silently to
drink coffee, he thought how different this part of the country was from the
Fort Totten Reservation where he was born and spent his young life. His
earliest recollection was of the day when, at about four years old, his
grandfather took him for the first time to the top of the Devil’s Heart Butte.
“You must come here often,” his grandfather had said, “to
pray to each of the four winds. To ask the Great Wakan (wah-kahn) to make you
strong and wise.”
What grandfather had not said was that this was the
highest point on the reservation. By coming here, studying each of the four
directions, Jodie would never lose his way traveling anywhere on the
reservation. Over the years he had climbed to the top of that butte many times
to speak with the Great Wakan.
Grandfather repeatedly warned Jodie of the dangers of
feeding his bad seed: “Everyone has bad seeds within them, he said. If you feed
it with evil it will eventually consume your spirit. The Wakan gave us choices,
not responsibilities. Each man must choose his own future and care for his own
spirit.”
Grandfather also taught him other values: “Always be
honest. Be careful not to hurt others with your honesty”. Jodi had found this
to be a difficult lesson.
===========================================================================
There were many lessons to be learned over the next
several years. The most difficult was the lesson of loss. His mother, Heather
Eagle died at the age of twenty-eight when Jodie was only 9. His grandfathers
house was full of friends and family, except for his father. There was laughter
and crying, but for Jodie there was confusion. He left the house and walked to
the top of the Devil’s Heart Butte to talk with the Wakan, as he had learned
from his Grandfather.
His grandfather had told him that nothing in nature goes
unnoticed. There are always clues to the fact you've been there. Animals of the
woods detect your presence by reading signs you’ve left there. Scent on the
ground. A scuff mark in the leaves. The snap of a breaking twig. The silence of
the birds.
===========================================================================
The hunter can walk through the woods without making a
sound, yet all the animals and birds know of him. But if you're there to
observe, then animals and birds won't mind and they'll come into view for you
to see. They won’t be afraid. So, if you are to see the animals, you must think
like the animal. Not like the hunter.
If his grandfather was right, there were clues to lead
him to this killer of children. There were clues. If only he knew where to
look. The people in North Bend were soon going to panic. The most recent death
of a young girl could well be the trigger.”
===========================================================================
This is a fantastic book with an intriguing story
integrating a unique blend of mystery, investigation and pursuit of a killer using
modern forensics and ancient culture to stay focused in the search for the
truth.
How does
a novice author do this so well? Research and realism. Characters and action
conjured from first hand discussions with people intimately familiar with all
the ingredients is the beginning.
Familiarity
with sites and communities is critical. An author has to be there, not just
passing through, but experiencing communities and places that are the crime
scenes and origins for the story.
===========================================================================
An author
needs to talk to the grandfather. He
needs to see where this character, a young Native American man on the path to
becoming a fine investigator, sat and prayed and talked to spirit guides. A man
with integrity, deep love of family and respect for his culture.
Being in
those places instills a sense of understanding and brings the element of belief
to Ron’s stories. He knows the people and culture. He understands their deep senses of
integrity, trust and belief. Ron’s family living on the Spirit Lake Tribe
Reservation opened doors for him to witness this cultural importance many times
over many years.
===========================================================================
Ron
Walden’s Dedication of Devil’s Heart reveals character, meaning and important
cultural lore provided by one of his cultural guides and good friend. It’s
a simple, respectful, revealing dedication very meaningful to Ron. It simply
says:
“In
memory of my dear friend, Clarence "Etoncha" Longie.
His obituary uses the
spelling Etancan, with an E. The online Dakota Dictionary includes the spelling
Itancan with an I. Both mean Leader. The nickname accurately describes Ron’s
brother-in-law, Clarence.
===========================================================================
A man born and raised in
the Fort Totten area who passed away in 2006 at age 71. Having enlisted in the
US Navy, he served 21 years, with two tours of duty in Vietnam. Etancan was buried
with full Military Honors accorded by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #6547.
Clarence married in 1963.
He and Catherine had three children. With the Spirit Lake Tribe, Clarence
served as Bureau of Indian Affairs Police Officer, Facilities Manager and Fort
Totten Housing inspector. Later, he was self-employed in lawn care, snow and
trash removal and most recently as a driver for the Tribe’s Head Start program.
Love of family, friends
and country told the story of Clarence Etancan Longie. He will forever be loved,
remaining in the hearts of all that knew him.
He told Ron stories of
the butte known as Devil’s Heart.
Stories of cultural lore,
vision quests and the importance of the Four Winds; of religious icons and
services atop the butte. He described Winter Counts, pictographs sometimes found
on flaps of a tipi.
See show notes for in
depth information on the subjects.
===========================================================================
It’s easy to picture
Etancan later in life as the grandfather passing those Many Truths, Wisdom and Values of the
Native American Dakota Culture
to the young Jodie Eagle.
It’s also
easy to imagine Clarence “Etancan” Longie as Jodie Eagle in his younger days as
heard in the excerpt read earlier from Devil’s Heart.
===========================================================================
Many of
Ron’s Alaskan friends and co-workers are indigenous or First Nations people.
His in-laws are of the Spirit Lake Dakota Tribe near Devils Heart Butte, in North
Dakota.
They’re
deeply involved in educational, cultural and historical aspects of their
heritage and for many years provided administrative functions with the
reservation library system.
Clarence passed
just three years before this book Devil’s Heart was completed and published.
Ron spent a lot of time on the reservation with family in the Spirit Lake area
researching this book. Etancan (Clarence), helped in many ways: Defining meaning
and function of rituals, translating as needed and introducing Ron to others
for more insight.
===========================================================================
He introduced
Ron to many beautiful, unique aspects of the culture that sparked a deep desire
in Ron to author a novel with a hero from that place and culture, in today’s
world.
A story
of a family man. Intelligent, strong and capable. A police officer of great
ability and pride in his heritage. A man with an innate sense of right and
wrong, able and willing to defend those needing defended, capable of bringing
peace to those desperately seeking it.
===========================================================================
The lore
Ron learned helped create the Devil’s Heart story. The cover is a nod to the
“Winter Count”, painted by Ron’s longtime friend and fellow author, Tom Willard.
Winter
Counts are pictograms important in telling memorable stories and preserving
history. The stories are found in stories around a fire and in drawings called
the Winter Count.
(See show
notes for more on Tom Willard and the Winter Count).
For
generations, Plains Indians drew pictographs to document experiences. Usually
drawn animal hides, Lakota winter counts are organized in spirals or horizontal
rows. Each represents a year in the history of a Lakota community, organized in
chronological order, providing an outline of events for a community’s historian,
responsible for maintaining the Winter Count and its stories.
===========================================================================
Before
recording the past year on the count, the keeper consulted a council of elders
to choose an appropriate event to remember the year by. The chosen event isn’t
necessarily considered the most important of the past year, only the most
memorable.
They were
dynamic documents of recorded history. Variations of similar accounts occurred
if a community historian emphasized a different aspect of an event or selected
another altogether. Like history, it’s a selective representation of a people’s
past. Narratives usually reflect the community’s history and culture.
===========================================================================
Before reservations, Dakota
societies were without social classes, democratic and highly decentralized. No
single person was the decision-maker. An individual's status was based on
ability to serve and perform. Leaders existed to serve the people under a
structure known as the Council.
After the 1862 Dakota War, long lines
of hereditary leadership ceased to exist as several bands were forced to flee,
dispersed across the Dakotas. Some leaders were killed, deposed or replaced by “spokespersons”
chosen by the US government.
In 1867 the U.S. and bands of Dakota established the Fort
Totten Reservation. The name later changed to Devils Lake Sioux Reservation and
in 1996, the Spirit Lake Tribe changed the name to a better translation.
===========================================================================
A constant in Ron’s novel Devil’s Heart is the
significance of the butte known as Devil’s Heart. It’s central to Investigator
Jodie Eagle’s strengths, abilities and integrity in his search for a killer or
killers half a continent from his home.
His sense of responsibility to carry those forward by
living the culture he was raised to respect and putting it to honorable use grew
from his time on Devil’s Heart Butte.
===========================================================================
On the south bank of the Lake is the Spirit Lake Sioux Indian Reservation.
Nestled among rolling hills of the prairie, overlooking the lake, is Spirit
Heart Butte, popularly known as "Devil's Heart Butte". A treeless steep-sided mound of sand and gravel left by a
melting ice sheet.
It sits on the eastern edge of a
line of hills formed with Spirit Lake during the last Ice Age. It’s visible for
miles. Though it looks like an upside-down human heart, often incorrectly
assumed to be the source of its name, The term 'heart' indicates it’s at the
center of the area, the center of spiritual knowledge.
===========================================================================
“Devil’s Heart: Native American
Lore and Modern Police Work” takes
readers from the reservation in North Dakota, to a small Pacific Northwest
community, to Alaska’s Matanuska Valley and back in an exciting story of
mystery and murders.
Please
take time to explore links in Show notes to learn more about the importance of
the Devil’s Heart Butte, Alaska and North Bend.
As with his
depiction of the Spirit Lake Tribe Reservation where our protagonist Jodi Eagle
grew up, absorbing and respecting the culture, Ron Walden’s depiction of North
Bend Washington as a setting for this novel provides readers a feel for the sense
of community of that area too.
===========================================================================
Ron’s fictional story sympathetically depicts the sorrow
and pain the North Bend community may have felt with mysterious murders of
children driving the plot of Devil’s Heart and the simultaneous loss of local
veterans in the Gulf War.
He writes: “North Bend was a microcosm of America. Its
population was diverse. The area was a melting pot of nationalities and
religions. Though people differ in background and culture, they united to form
a close community, a community now in crisis; the population banding together
for strength. Standing united against an unknown but common enemy. In this case
the enemy was anonymous but his work was well known. Tonight there would be
tears for each of the dead youngsters here…and two local sons killed this week
in a far-away war.”
===========================================================================
The town was made famous by David Lynch's television
series Twin Peaks, partially filmed in North Bend and the community is also
home to Nintendo’s main North American production facility and distribution
center for the video game console.
Director David Lynch chose North Bend, Washington as the
setting for the original and rebooted series Twin Peaks, a unique murder
mystery involving federal agents and local characters. The Mar T Café was a
central location in those mysterious and addictive programs with the stage name
“The Double R Diner”. It’s now Twede’s Café, still the crown jewel of downtown
North Bend since the 1940’s.
The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe has resided in the Snoqualmie Prairie area for
thousands of years. This prairie southeast of Snoqualmie Falls was the ancestral
home, hunting and foraging grounds for the Snoqualmie people. "North
Bend" is named after its prime location near the large northward bend of
the South and Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River.
Visit this friendly community when the
opportunity presents itself. You won’t regret it.
===========================================================================
Alaska’s
Knik River plays a key role in Devil’s Heart. It’s source is the Knik Glacier. As it grows it flows northwest
and west, into Cook
Inlet's Knik Arm, near the mouth of the Matanuska River.
A broad, flat plain with a bed of
finely ground gravel and sand forming glacial silt, extreme tides of Cook Inlet
can create a lake-like effect when the rivers and ocean meet.
Known locally as Mat-Su or Mat-Su
Valley, this area is
south of the Alaska Mountain Range and about 35 miles north of Anchorage.
The
Valley is primarily Dena'ina and Ahtna Athabaskan land shaped by the Alaska,
Talkeetna and Chugach Mountain Ranges.
The
Valley was carved by glaciers leaving thousands of lakes. The Mat-Su rivers and
lakes are spawning grounds for five species of salmon and home to 31 state
parks and campgrounds.
===========================================================================
As
a farming community, it’s known for world=record sized cabbages, pumpkins and
other vegetables displayed at the annual Alaska State Fair during the 2 weeks
leading up to Labor Day. The Matanuska Valley includes the towns of
Palmer, Wasilla, Big Lake, Houston,
Willow, Sutton and Talkeetna.
Wasilla
was founded when the Alaska Railroad was built in 1917. Knik became
the first boomtown in the valley when the Alaska Commercial Company was built
and Knik was settled by trappers and gold miners.
===========================================================================
Talkeetna
followed with a trading post and the Alaska Railroad. Today Talkeetna is a tourist
hotspot; the starting point for mountaineers climbing Denali.
It
was also the home of Stubbs the Cat, the honorary mayor of Talkeetna from 1997 until his death in 2017.
Stubbs was flooded with cards and letters, drawing 30 to 40 tourists daily hoping
to meet "the mayor".
His
position was honorary/ The town is only a district. Yet every afternoon,
Stubbs went to a nearby restaurant to drink water mixed with catnip out of a wine or margarita
glass.
Stubbs
was rumored to have been elected by a write-in campaign by voters opposing human
candidates. NPR pointed out that since "the
tiny town has no real mayor, so there was no election." Nagley's
General Store was Stubbs's "mayoral office" during his tenure.
===========================================================================
In 1935, under President Roosevelt’s New Deal, 203 Midwest
families were sent to Alaska to start the Matanuska Valley Colony. Families were chosen from
Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan due to similar cold climates.
The 1939 Slattery Report
The Problem of Alaskan Development, from the US Department
of the Interior, proposed Alaska development
through immigration, including a proposal to move European refugees, mainly
Jews from Nazi Germany and Austria, to four Alaska locations including Baranof
Island and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.
Skagway, Petersburg and Seward endorsed
the proposal, but plan was never implemented.
The MatSu Valley continues to be Alaska’s farming
headquarters.
===========================================================================
“Devil’s
Heart: Native American Lore and Modern Police Work” is on sale wherever books are
sold. Go to RonWalden.com or
any online bookstore. Ask
for the books in your local stores if you don’t see them. Shopping locally is
always best. Your local store can get them for you.
We
return next time with Ron’s 3rd novel from 2011:
“Ice
Blue Eyes: An Alaska Story of Greed, Love and Revenge.”
Our
Podcasts are found on all major platforms including iTunes, Spotify, Samsung,
Audible, iHeart, YouTube and more. Listen, like and subscribe on your favorite
platform. New episodes each month.
Order
your books today. Check out RonWalden.com for a look at covers and a synopsis
of each book.
You can
order them directly from there too. It’s very simple and they make great gifts.
I’m your
host, Scott Walden.
Read
Ron’s Books! Subscribe and like our Podcasts!
And Visit
Alaska!
Episode
Transcripts and show notes are downloaded and available at wisdomofthedonutholeblog.blogspot.com
(Thanks
to Ray Lankford for the show’s theme music titled “The Wisdom of the Donut Hole
Theme” an instrumental written, performed and provided with permission by Ray
Lankford of Shoshone County Idaho…Look for more of Ray’s music on his website
“Ray Lankford Music and Writing”. Ray’s debut album “Of Many Rivers” is
available now on Bandcamp and on YouTube very soon)
Thank you
for listening.
Ron
Walden, Author Of Alaska True To Life Crime And Other Stories
Ugly
Moose Alaska Publishing, Soldotna, Alaska
(Cut
and Paste links to Browser to directly order any book):
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Devils
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SHOW
NOTES
Ugly
Moose Alaska Wisdom of the Donut Hole Podcast Episode 2 “Devil’s Heart”
ALASKA:
Knik River https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knik_River
Knik River source is at the Knik Glacier. It flows
northwest and west, emptying into the head of Cook Inlet's Knik Arm, near the mouth
of the Matanuska River. It is within a
broad, flat plain with a bed of finely ground gravel and sand of glacial silt.
Windstorms blow large amounts silt from the riverbed, to be deposited
downstream. The River is relatively shallow and wide, considered a class I
float. It drops about 400 feet from the glacier to salt water. The 4 miles
above the hay flats bridge is unusual. It remains unfrozen most winters because
the Eklutna Hydroelectric
project discharges warmer water into it. The term "knik,"
used in the names of the river, the arm of Cook Inlet, the glacier and
communities of Knik-Fairview and Knik River, comes from the Inupiaq word igniq,
meaning "fire". The Dena’ina term for the Knik river was
"Skitnu", meaning Brush River. The river runs near the border between
the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and
the Municipality of Anchorage, much of its
length paralleled by the paved Old Glenn Highway and Knik River Road, where the
community of Knik River is.
Matanuska Valley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matanuska-Susitna_Valley
Known locally as Mat-Su or Mat-Su
Valley this area in Southcentral Alaska is south of the Alaska Mountain Range and about 35
miles north of Anchorage. The Valley is
primarily the land of the Dena'ina and Ahtna Athabaskan people, shaped by three
mountain ranges: the Alaska Range, Talkeetna Mountains and Chugach Mountains.
The Valley was carved by glaciers leaving thousands of lakes. The Mat-Su rivers
and lakes are spawning grounds of chinook, coho, sockeye, pink, and chum
salmon, and home to 31 state parks and campgrounds. It is known for world
record sized cabbages, pumpkins and other vegetables displayed at the annual
Alaska State Fair in Palmer during the 2 weeks leading up to Labor Day. The
Matanuska Valley includes Matanuska, Knik and Susitna River
drainages and includes towns of Palmer, Wasilla, Big Lake, Houston, Willow, Sutton, and Talkeetna.
The City of Wasilla was founded on Dena'ina land when
the Alaska Railroad was
constructed in 1917. Knik, also on Dena'ina land, was the first boomtown in the
valley predating Wasilla. In 1893 the Alaska Commercial Company was built at
Knik, and in 1898 Knik was settled by trappers and gold miners. Talkeetna began
in the late 1890s, with a trading station and later the Alaska Railroad. Today,
Talkeetna is a tourism hotspot; the starting point for mountaineers climbing
Denali.
In 1935, as part of President Franklin D Roosevelt’s New Deal, 203 Midwest
families travelled to Alaska to start the Matanuska Valley Colony. Families were specifically
chosen from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, due to similar cold winter
climates.
The 1939 Slattery Report
The Problem of Alaskan Development, from the US Department
of the Interior under FDR, was named after Undersecretary of the Interior Harry A.
Slattery. The report, addressed Alaska development
through immigration, including a proposal to move European refugees, mainly
Jews from Nazi Germany and Austria, to four locations in Alaska,
including Baranof
Island and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Skagway, Petersburg and Seward were
the only towns to endorse the proposal. The plan was never implemented.
The MatSu Valley continues to be Alaska’s farming
headquarters.
Slattery Report: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slattery_Report
Stubbs the Mayor Cat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stubbs_(cat)
N. DAKOTA:
DEVIL’S HEART BUTTE: http://www.cankuota.org/IssueHistory/Issues13/CO08_2013/CO_0813_DevilsHeartButte.htm
“The
Story Of Devil's Heart Butte”
by Dakota Wind. From CanKu Ota (Many Paths) An
Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America; August 2013 - Volume 11 Number 8
“A
Visit With A Respected Tribal Historian (My 100th Post)” by Dakota Wind
I was looking at the North Dakota state map that's pegged to my office
wall. I don't know what it is, maybe it was a recent trip out to Heháka Wakpá
Makhoche (Elk River Country, or Theodore Roosevelt National Park) and I was in
the mood to learn what the Dakota-Lakota people called places before explorers,
traders, and settlers arrived.
There's a lake in the north eastern quarter of the state. It's a fresh
water lake that's been growing and spilling onto shore property. New islands
have been formed, roads have been built higher, fields are underwater, and the
water threatens to rise higher with relent.
The lake is known to the Dakota and Lakota people as Mni Waka Chanté.
Don't believe Wikipedia in this if you look it up there. A word for word
translation of the Dakota to English is Water With-Energy Heart, which freely
translates as Spirit Heart Lake. The calque of Bad Spirit Lake is entirely a
misconception.
There, on the southern bank of the Spirit Heart Lake lay the Spirit Lake
Sioux Indian Reservation, home of the Spirit Lake Oyate (Nation). The Spirit
Lake Oyate has about 6,700 or so enrolled members, but not all live on the
reservation.
The lake, Spirit Heart Lake (aka Devil's Lake), the people (the Spirit
Lake Oyate), have a common name with a site on the reservation near the town of
Tokio (a strange word in and of itself; said named after the Dakota word for
"Toki" for "gracious gift;" the closest word for gift, is
in the act of receiving a gift, "Okini;" in the discussion of naming
the township, Burlington Northern Railroad officials were said to have chosen
"Toki" and then added the "o," at the end thinking,
probably, of being cute). There, nestled among the rolling hills of the prairie
land overlooking the lake is Spirit Heart Butte, only it's popularly known as
"Devil's Heart Butte."
I turned to Spirit Lake tribal historian Louie Garcia to find an answer. I've
conversed with Louie on the phone over the years and by email. I had always
thought he was perhaps a middle-aged gentleman by the youthful exuberance of
his voice. Some voices age. Louie's voice does not. He's in his 70's, a
respected member of the tribe, he's gracious to give me an answer, and he wants
me to share it with others.
Louie has asked me to post it as he sent it to me, word for word.
Pilamiya pelo, Lekshi Louie! He Even included a bibliography and a glossary of
Dakota terminology (at the end of this entry).
Heart Hill is a treeless kame located one mile northwest of Tokio, North
Dakota in Section Four Woodlake Township (T152N – R64W) Benson County. It sits
on the eastern edge of the Backbone, a line of hills formed when Spirit Lake
(Devils Lake) was formed some 10,000 years ago during the last ice age. With an
elevation of 1725 feet above sea level it can been seen on the horizon for
miles in the lake region, and from its summit one can look over a vast area
surrounding this hill. The name 'heart' means that it is at the center of the
area but also the center of spiritual knowledge. As this hill appears to be in
the shape of an upside-down human heart, some incorrectly speculate this as the
reason for its name.
Heart Hill is the most sacred elevation in all of North Dakota. It could
be considered a cathedral. This Butte de Coeur of the French fur traders is
called in the Dakota language Miniwakan Cante Paha or Heart Hill at Spirit
Lake. The French fur traders named Devils Lake so that presently the term
'devil' is attached to many local geographical features. "Devils
Heart" is the name used by local people. Naturally the 'devil' word is a
misunderstanding, but referring to the Water Spirits who live in the lake.
This Heart Hill is a sacred location because it is the Lodge of the Water
Spirit for whom Spirit Lake is named. These spirits are called Unktehi or
Terrible Ones due to their custom of drowning anyone who foolishly ventured
upon the lake without their permission. These Unktehi are worshiped in the
Wakan Wacipi or Grand Medicine Ceremony (Skinner 1920:273).
This hill belongs to a class of sacred lodges (hills) where the spirits
meet to decide the help, if any, they will grant humans. Prehistorically the
waters of the lake flowed up to the east side of this hill, to the door or
entrance of this the Water Spirit's home. The spirits could enter and exit
their home to do their business within this sacred lake. Unfortunately the
entrance to this sacred hill was blown closed with dynamite in the 1930's when
a local rancher discovered a den of coyotes living within. If one looks closely
at the change in vegetation, the location of the former entrance can be
discovered.
There are many heart hills or buttes in the state but this most important
one is at Spirit Lake. Examples of other heart hills are: The Heart of the
Turtle Mountain or as it is known today Butte Saint Paul. It is located in
Cordella Township (13-162-74) Bottineau County. There is also a Heart Butte
located on the Ft. Berthold Reservation (9-148-92) in northeastern Dunn County.
Cavalier County has a Heart Butte (19-162-62), as well as Grant County
(23-137-89).
Thomas F. Eastgate records in his notes two northerly connected hills who
he calls 'sisters' to Heart Hill (Eastgate). This must be a non-Indian name or
a mistranslation as features on the earth are considered male. As an example
there is Sanborn Hill or "Heart Hill's Little Brother" located in
Heman Township (1-139-59) Barnes County named for its exact appearance but
smaller stature than the hill presently under discussion.
The Spirit Lake area formerly belonged to Hidatsa. Their main earth lodge
village was located on the west end of Graham's Island, now a peninsula jutting
into northwestern Spirit Lake (Devils Lake). The Hidatsa name for Heart Hill is
Mirixopa Nata Sh or Heart of the Holy Water. Hidatsa traditions acknowledge the
tribe was 'born' at Heart Hill. In a narrative similar to the European tale of
Jack and the Bean Stalk, the tribe emerged from an underworld by climbing a
vine. Unfortunately the vine broke leaving half of the people in their
subterranean world. The Hidatsa departed the Spirit Lake area circa 1550 when
their leader was told in a dream to move west to the Missouri River (Bowers
1992:22; Milligan 1972; Libby Papers Box 29: folder 14; Kittleson 1992:15).
Hidatsa have many Lake Region legends and tales, especially about
geophysical features. One story that is remembered tells of them making a stone
effigy of a bear on the north side of Heart Hill. A bison effigy is mentioned
too. Dana Wright was shown a trail of 385 stones leading 450 feet to the west
from the hill (Roy Johnson Papers).
In 1839 Nicollet visited the area to map the lake and surrounding area.
He drew a sketch map from the top of the hill. Today one can see the same view
of Black Tiger Bay just as it was drawn some 166 years ago because little has
changed (Bray and Bray 1976:192).
I have a reference to this hill in 1855 being called Clarence Peak.
Dr. Charles Eastman writes in his book Indian Boyhood of visiting Heart Hill in
the 1860's and was informed a great medicine man named Cotanka (Reed or Flute)
was buried on top (Eastman 1971:163). A man by the name of Charles Belgarde is
also buried on top of the hill (St. Ann's Centennial). In June of 1992 a group
of Crow Indians from Montana ascended the hill and erected two shades for the
purpose of a vision quest. A four-post shade was erected on the top at the west
end, and another on the east end. A year later local children began to dig in
the abandoned post holes and discovered a skull and arm bones. The bones were
eventually sent to the State Historical Society of North Dakota in Bismarck for
evaluation (Devils Lake Journal).
Father Genin on March 4, 1868, erected a thirty-three-foot tin laminated
oak crucifix, but it was destroyed by a prairie fire, or a wind storm. On July
22, 1873, another cross of glass and steel construction replaced the wooden
cross (Cory-Forbes Papers: Box 2; Norton 1931:163). Both crosses were said to
be spectacular when they reflected the sun’s rays. Some say that glass
particles can still be found at the base of the hill, remnants of the second
cross. Father Genin (Richard 1975:3) renamed the hill The Sacred Hearts of
Jesus and Mary, a name closer to the original intent of the Indians. It is
better than the present non-Indian name of Devils Heart (Cory-Forbes Papers:
Box 2).
I was told that in1924, on a day with a clear blue sky, a local church
group went to Heart Hill for a picnic. They sang a hymn and the minister said a
prayer, a single white cloud approached and poured hail and lighting upon them,
sending them for cover. From a religious aspect one could say the Thunders were
attacking the Water Spirits lodge.
Heart Hill has been used for recreational purposes during the last
century. There is a photograph of a ski jump built upon the top of the hill. It
has been a favorite hiking destination as well as winter sledding, especially
for local school classes. By the 1930's the ski jump was moved to a location by
Highway 57 where its skeleton can be seen today. Yearly a wagon train camps for
one night at the base of the hill. It is a favorite site to take visitors who
have the stamina to climb to the top.
Most if not all you readers would naturally assume the Spirit Lake Tribe
owns this sacred hill. You would of course be wrong. When the Spirit Lake
Reservation land was allotted to individuals in accordance with the Treaty of
1872-73 and Dawes Act of 1887, no tribal member selected the hill. The
ownership of land was against Indian thought. How could anyone think of owning
a sacred location? No one can own land, it belongs to God. When the reservation
was opened to non-Indian ownership in 1904, the hill was selected by a Whiteman
and remains so today. However if we analyze the situation, this non-Indian
really doesn't own Heart Hill, all he has to do it not pay his taxes for five
years.
TRIBE INFORMATION
Dakota Online Dictionary: https://dictionary.swodli.com/
Maya Owichapaha (Maya-Oh-wee-chah-pah-hah) –
the old woman who judges each soul.
Wakáŋ Táŋka (wah-kahn-dahn-kah) – The Great Spirit
Dakota Tribal
Historical leadership noted in Show Notes and is quite interesting.
The tribe has a
written constitution and elected government, with a chairman and tribal
council. In 1944, the tribe submitted its constitution for ratification and was
approved by the Bureau of Indian
Affairs and the tribal
headquarters is at Fort Totten.
Chief Wanata
II, also known as Chief Wanataan II, 1828–1897
Standing Buffalo 1833–1864. Standing Buffalo was born about 1833 near the
headwaters of the Minnesota River. His father was known as Star Face, the leader of a Sisseton band. During
the Dakota War of 1862, Standing Buffalo opposed the fighting. He died in a
battle with the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine in 1871.
Gabriel Renville (Ti'wakan) 1880–1890. When the Dakota War of 1862 began,
Renville helped to organize a soldier's lodge that opposed the fighting.
Renville was not a hereditary leader but appointed by the American government
after serving as a scout for three years. He helped organize the new Sisseton
reservation after signing the treaty of 1867. He served as chief of the
Sisseton and Wahpeton on the Spirit Lake reservation throughout the 1880s and
1890s.
Sipto (Bead) 1834–1921. Sipto was a hereditary chief of the
Abdowapusikiya (Back Drying) Band of the Sisseton. His father, Hoksinawasteka
(Goodboy), 1805–1890 was the son of Standing Buffalo and related to Wanataan. When Standing Buffalo died, Hoksinawaste was next in
line to be chief, but stepped aside for Sipto. He was baptized Adam Sipto and
was the last chief on the reservation. He is buried in St. Michael Cemetery.
Cantemaza (Ironheart) 1822–1896. Hereditary leader of the Wahpeton,
his father was Mahpiya
Wicasta (Cloudman). He was elected
Elder of the Wood Lake Presbyterian Church in 1883 using the name Adam Ignatius
Ironheart. He was able to locate his war-scattered extended family and moved
back to the old reservation at Granite Falls, Minnesota to reunite with them in
1885.
Wanataan II 1828–1897. Waanatan II was born in 1828
to a Sisseton mother who was related to Standing Buffalo. He is buried in St.
Michael Cemetery.
Tiowaste (Good House) 1825–1919. Tiowaste was not a hereditary leader but was appointed by the American
government on May 23, 1868. His mother was related to Standing Buffalo and his
father was French.
Bibliography
|
Bowers, Alfred W. |
Hidatsa Social and Ceremonial Organizations |
|
Bray Edmund C. |
Joseph N. Nicollet on the Plains and Prairies: Expeditions of
1838-39 with Journals, Letter, and Notes on the Dakota Indians.
Minnesota Historical Society Press, St. Paul; 1976. |
|
Centennial Committee |
St. Ann's Centennial, 100 years of Faith 1885 – 1985 Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, Belcourt, ND |
|
Cory – Forbes Papers |
(1853 -1927) A-C833 Box 2, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul. |
|
Devils Lake Journal |
"B.I.A. Probes Bone Discovery" May 19, 1993. |
|
Eastgate, Thomas F. Papers. |
(1855-1907) Location unknown. Formerly located in Larimore, ND. |
|
Eastman, Charles A |
Indian Boyhood. |
|
Eastman, Charles A. |
"The Wars of Wakeeyan and Unktayhee" |
|
Hanson, Jeffrey R. |
"Ethnohistoric Problems in the Crow – Hidatsa Separation" |
|
Kittleson, Cindy Cooper |
"Legends and Lore in Devils Lake" |
|
Libby, Orin Grant Papers |
A85 State Historical Society of North Dakota, Bismarck. |
|
Matthews, Washington |
Grammar and Dictionary of the Language of the Hidatsa: |
|
Mattison, Ray H. |
"Report on the Historic Sites in the Garrison Reservoir Area,
Missouri River". |
|
Milligan, Edward A. |
The Indian in the Northern Plains. |
|
Norton, Sister Mary |
"Catholic Missions and Missionaries" |
|
Richard, Frank |
"St. Benedict of Wild Rice" |
|
Skinner, Alanson |
"Wahpeton Dakota Wakan Wacipi or Medicine Dance" |
Glossary
|
Backbone |
Miniwakan Cankahu (Mini = water; Wakan = sacred, holy; Canka = back; Hu
= bone). A continuous ridge on the south side of Spirit Lake beginning at
Sully's Hill, travels east to the St. Michael area and then swings south to
end at the Sheyenne River. |
|
Black Tiger Bay |
Located on the south shore of Spirit Lake north of Tokio, ND |
|
Butte de Couer |
French: Heart Hill (Butte = hill; de = of the; Couer = heart). |
|
Butte St. Paul |
Heyatanka Cante Paha (He = mountain; Yatanka = great; Cante = heart;
Paha = hill). Heart Hill at the Great Mountain (Turtle Mountain) has an
elevation of 2305 above sea level. |
|
Cotanka |
Medicine man buried on top of Heart Hill. His name translates Reed,
also whistle or flute as reeds were used for this purpose. |
|
Eastman, Charles A. |
Ohiyesa (Ohiya = to win; Sa= continually) an Eastern Dakota who fled to
Canada via Spirit Lake as a boy. He later became a medical doctor. |
|
Genin, Father |
Jean-Baptiste Genin an Oblate missionary was born in France 1837.
Immigrated to Canada in 1860, in 1865 he journeyed to St. Boniface (Winnipeg,
Manitoba), May 7, 1865, went to Ft. Abercrombie which later became his
headquarters. He didn't get along with the settlers because as soon as he
selected land for an Indian mission squatters would take the land. The
administering to Indians became a bone of contention with Bishop Shanley of
Fargo, a new comer who wanted Genin to establish non-Indian churches. He established
churches at White Earth, Detroit Lakes, and Moorhead, MN. He died at
Bathgate, ND; January 18, 1900. (Richard 1975). |
|
Graham's Island |
Named for Duncan Graham, a Scottish fur trader who operated a post on
the island circa 1815. His Indian name was Hoarse Voice (Hogita) probably
named for his brogue. |
|
Heart Hill |
Miniwakan Cante Paha (MiniWakan = sacred water; Cante = heart; Paha =
hill), located in the Northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section
four, Woodlake Township, Benson County. |
|
Hidatsa |
The Red Willow People, meaning they were tall and slender as the Red
Willow. They gathered at the mouth of the Knife River where it enters the
Missouri River near present Stanton, ND (Mercer County) is today in three
villages. The River Crow separated from the Big Hidatsa Village (Midahati Sh
= Willow Village) and the Mountain Crow separated from Sakakawia Village
(Awatixa Sh = Elongated Village) (Mattison 1955:22-23; Hanson 1979). |
|
Kame |
Sand and gravel are deposited by the melting glacial ice. A hole in the
ice sheet would be filled with sand and gravel. When the ice sheet melted,
the result was a hill. Geologists use the term kame. |
|
Mirixopa Nata Sh |
Hidatsa for Heart Hill (Miri = water; Xopa = holy, sacred; Nata = Heart;
Sh = definite article [the] used for personal names and places)
(Matthews1873). |
|
Sanborn Hill |
Miniwakan Cante Paha Sunkaku (Miniwakan = Sacred Water [Spirit Lake];
Cante = heart; Paha = hill; Sunkaku = his younger Brother) The younger
brother of the Heart Hill at Spirit Lake. |
|
Unktehi |
Water Spirit (Un = to be K = inserted for euphony; Tehike = terrible,
difficult). The Difficult (to deal with) One. The Water Spirits are the
meniscus of the Thunders. Their battles explain the hydrological cycle
(Eastman and Eastman 1990). |
|
Wright, Dana |
He was the premier historian for the state of North Dakota. |
HISTORICAL
LEADERSHIP
Chief Wanata II, also known as Chief Wanataan II,
1828–1897
Standing Buffalo 1833–1864: Standing Buffalo was born about 1833 near the
headwaters of the Minnesota River. His father was known as Star Face, the
leader of a Sisseton band. During the Dakota War of 1862, Standing Buffalo
opposed the fighting. He died in a battle with the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine in 1871.
Gabriel Renville (Ti'wakan) 1880–1890: When
the Dakota War of 1862 began, Renville helped to organize a soldier's lodge
that opposed the fighting. Renville was not a hereditary leader but appointed
by the American government after serving as a scout for three years. He helped
organize the new Sisseton reservation after signing the treaty of 1867. He
served as chief of the Sisseton and Wahpeton on the Spirit Lake reservation
throughout the 1880s and 1890s.
Sipto (Bead) 1834–1921: Sipto
was a hereditary chief of the Abdowapusikiya (Back Drying) Band of the
Sisseton. His father, Hoksinawasteka (Goodboy), 1805–1890 was the son of
Standing Buffalo and related to Wanataan. When Standing Buffalo died, Hoksinawaste was
next in line to be chief, but stepped aside for Sipto. He was baptized Adam
Sipto and was the last chief on the reservation. He is buried in St. Michael
Cemetery.
Cantemaza (Ironheart)
1822–1896: Hereditary leader of the Wahpeton, his father
was Mahpiya Wicasta (Cloudman). He was elected Elder of the Wood Lake
Presbyterian Church in 1883 using the name Adam Ignatius Ironheart. He was able
to locate his war-scattered extended family and moved back to the old
reservation at Granite Falls, Minnesota to reunite with them in 1885.
Wanataan II 1828–1897: Waanatan II was born in 1828 to a Sisseton mother who
was related to Standing Buffalo. He is buried in St. Michael Cemetery.
Tiowaste (Good House)
1825–1919: Tiowaste was not a
hereditary leader but was appointed by the American government on May 23, 1868.
His mother was related to Standing Buffalo and his father was French.
The tribe has a
written constitution and elected government, with a chairman and tribal
council. In 1944, the tribe submitted its constitution for ratification and was
approved by the Bureau of Indian
Affairs and the tribal
headquarters is at Fort Totten.
LAKOTA
Lakota: Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center: https://aktalakota.stjo.org/contact/
Physical: St. Joseph’s Indian
School, 1301 N. Main St. Chamberlain, SD
Mailing: PO Box 89 Chamberlain, SD 57325
Phone: 800-798-3452
Email: aktalakota@stjo.org
FOUR DIRECTIONS in Native American
Culture Adapted from Lakota Life by Ron Zeilinger
https://www.stjo.org/native-american-culture/native-american-beliefs/four-directions/
Part of Lakota culture, when people
pray or do anything sacred, they see the world having Four Directions. From the
Four Directions: west, north, east, south come the four winds. Special meanings
of each of the Four Directions have specific colors. The shape of the cross
symbolizes all directions. Like many Native American beliefs and
traditions, specific details of colors associated with
directions varies.
WEST (Black) End of life: West:
Sun sets, the day ends. So west signifies the end of life. As Black Elk says,
“… toward the setting sun of his life.” The great Thunderbird lives in the west,
sends thunder and rain from its direction. So, the west is the source of water:
rain, lakes, streams and rivers. Nothing can live without water. West is vital.
NORTH (Red) Hardships and discomfort: North brings
cold, harsh winds of winter. Winds are cleansing, causing leaves to fall and
the earth to rest under a blanket of snow. If someone has the ability to face
these winds like the buffalo with its head into the storm, they have learned
patience and endurance. Generally, this direction stands for hardships and discomfort.
Therefore, north represents the trials people must endure and the cleansing
they must undergo.
EAST (Yellow) Wisdom and
Understanding: The direction from which the sun comes. Light dawns in the
morning and spreads over the earth. The beginning of a new day. Also the
beginning of understanding because light helps see things the way they really
are. On a deeper level, east stands for the wisdom helping people live good
lives. Traditional people rise in the morning to pray facing the dawn, asking
God for wisdom and understanding.
SOUTH (White) Warmth and
Growing: The southern sky is when the sun is at its highest, this direction
stands for warmth and growth. Sun's rays are powerful in drawing life from the
earth. It is said life of all things comes from the south. Also, warm and
pleasant winds come from the south. When people pass into the spirit world,
they travel the Milky Way's path back to the south, returning from where they
came.
TIPI: https://aktalakota.stjo.org/lakota-tipi/
For the
Lakota, the circle was the ultimate symbol of kinship. Everybody and everything
alive belongs in that circle. Naturally, the típi itself, home, is a circle. It
was the role of women to erect and take down the típi, The Lakota camp itself
was arranged in a series of concentric circles. The típi provided shelter and
was ideal for the hunter-gather culture on the move. The típi’s entrance east
toward the rising sun and it’s back to the west where the sun sets. The floor of the tipi represents the Uŋčí
Makȟá on which we live, the walls represent the sky and the poles are planted
on the ground and point to the sky, connecting both worlds. Sometimes the típis
exterior was painted with symbols.
WINTER
COUNT: https://aktalakota.stjo.org/lakota-winter-count/
Winter
count is a record of history. For generations, Plains Indians drew pictographs
to document their daily experiences. Usually drawn on buffalo or deer hide;
Lakota winter counts are composed of pictographs organized in a spiral or
horizontal rows. Each pictograph represents a year in history of a Lakota
community. The pictographs were organized in chronological order so that the
winter count provided an outline of events for the community’s keeper or oral
historian. The keeper was always a man, and he was responsible for maintaining
the winter count and remembering its stories. Before recording the past year on
the count, the keeper consulted with a council of elders to choose an
appropriate event by which to remember the year. The event chosen was not
considered the most important event of the past year, only the most memorable.
Winter counts were also used by individuals within the tribal community to
record specific events in their own lives. Tribal communities made up of
members of extended family — tiyóšpaye — also recorded their story and
experiences on a winter count so it was common to have multiple copies of
winter counts within a community. Winter counts were dynamic documents of
recorded history. Variations between similar counts occurred if a community
historian chose to emphasize a different aspect of an event or select another
event altogether. Differences among winter count narratives may also be the
result of inaccurate translation from Lakota to English. The winter count, like
history, is a selective representation of a people’s past. The narratives
usually reflect both the community’s history and culture.
LAKOTA SEVEN SACRED RITES: https://aktalakota.stjo.org/lakota-culture/seven-sacred-rites/
LEGEND
OF THE WHITE BUFFALO WOMAN:
https://aktalakota.stjo.org/lakota-legends/white-buffalo-woman/
Presentation
Of The Pipe & Rites
A long time ago, the Sacred White
Buffalo Calf Woman came to Earth and gave the Lakota people a Sacred Pipe and a
small round stone. These gifts were to be used in the first rite, Keeping of
the Soul, which she taught them. She also said six other rituals would be
revealed to them. Then, she left the people saying, “There
will be four ages, and I will look in on you once each age. At the end of the
four ages, I will return.” As she left, she changed from a
beautiful maiden into a black buffalo . . . then a red-brown buffalo . . . then
a yellow buffalo . . . and finally into a white buffalo. And then, she
disappeared into the clouds. The bowl of
the pipe she gave the Lakota was made of red stone, representing the Earth. A
buffalo head was carved on the bowl, symbolizing all of the four-legged animals
of the Earth. The stem was wood and represented all that grows on the Earth. Twelve eagle feathers hung from the place
where the bowl joined the stem; this symbolized all the birds. The round stone
was made out of the same red earth as the pipe and had seven circles on it
representing the seven rites. When a Lakota smokes a sacred pipe, his or her
voice is sent to Wakáŋ Táŋka –
the Great Spirit. A central part of each sacred rite is smoking the sacred
pipe. A song first sung by the White Buffalo Calf Woman – and still sung today
– begins: With visible breath, I am walking . . .The smoke from
the pipe is the visible breath.
1.
KEEPING
OF THE SOUL:
https://aktalakota.stjo.org/seven-sacred-rites/wanagi-yuhapi-keeping-of-the-soul/
The
Sacred White Buffalo Woman told the Lakota when they die; their souls must be
purified so they can reunite with Wakáŋ Táŋka –
the Great Spirit. A lock of hair from a departed person was taken and held over
a piece of burning sweetgrass to purify it. Then it was wrapped in a piece of
sacred buckskin, and the Sacred Pipe was smoked. The buckskin bundle, called
the soul bundle, was kept in a special place in the tipi of the soul’s keeper,
usually a relative. The Keeper of the Soul vowed to live a harmonious life
until the soul could be released, generally about one year. The ceremony to
release the soul began with a buffalo hunt and the construction of a special
lodge. Kinnikinnik – sacred
tobacco – was smoked in the pipe, and special food was buried as an offering to
the earth. The bundle containing the soul was carried outside and, as soon as
it reached the air, the soul was released. The soul then traveled along the
Spirit Path, which is the Milky Way, to reach Maya Owichapaha – the old woman who judges
each soul. If she judged it worthy, she sent the soul to the right to Wakáŋ Táŋka. Unworthy souls were sent to the left,
where they remained until they finally could become purified and join Wakáŋ Táŋka.
2. THE
RITE OF PURIFICATION:
https://aktalakota.stjo.org/seven-sacred-rites/inipi-rite-of-purification/
The
Lakota term for sweat lodge is Inípi which
means “to live again.” Inípi is a
purification rite and is necessary to help the vision quest seeker enter into a
state of humility and undergo a kind of spiritual rebirth. The sweat lodge is
central to Inípi. Prayers offered there
draw on all the powers of the universe — Earth, Water, Fire and Air. In the old
days, Inípi was done before any
significant undertaking to purify the body and gain strength and power. The
actual lodge is a dome constructed of 16 young willow trees placed in a circle,
traditionally covered with hides so no light could penetrate inside. On
the outside, the site’s formation comprises an earth mound just outside the door
of the sweat lodge, facing east, and a fire pit containing stones. The fire
represents the sun. Another mound partially encircling the fire pit represents
the crescent moon. This is the outer world or cosmos; the inner world is the
sweat lodge. It represents the womb of the universe from which souls are
created anew. Prayers are said at each stage of the construction of a sweat
lodge. When it is completed, burning coal is brought in, and sweetgrass is
burned by the leader of the Inípi to
purify the lodge. The pipe is smoked and carried outside, where it is placed on
the mound of earth. The other participants enter the lodge, sitting in a circle
on sacred sage, and the pipe is brought in and smoked. The heated rocks are
placed on the central fireplace, and the pipe is returned to the earth mound.
Then, the door is closed. The door is thrown open four times during the ritual
to represent the four ages described by the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman.
The fourth time, participants leave the lodge, emerging from dark to light,
representing the liberation from the physical universe. All that is impure is
left in the sweat lodge.
3.
CRYING FOR A VISION:
https://aktalakota.stjo.org/seven-sacred-rites/hanblecheyapi-crying-for-a-vision/
Haŋbléčeyapi – Crying for a Vision, is
undertaken by an individual with the help and guidance of a holy man. A
person elects to go on a vision quest to pray, communicate with spirits, and
attempt to gain knowledge, strength, and understanding. The person pledges
to stay on an isolated hill for one to four days with a blanket and pipe, but
without food or water. All men and women can “cry for a vision” or what Black
Elk calls “lament,” but only the worthy will receive one. To undertake a Vision
Quest correctly, a wičháša wakáŋ – Holy
Man – should advise the seeker and interpret the vision. The most important
reason for Vision Quest is to understand their oneness with all things better
and gain knowledge of the Great Spirit. A person undertaking a Vision Quest
first goes with a filled pipe to the holy man. He enters and asks that the holy
man be his guide and pray for him. Everyone present smokes the pipe. The Inípi
ceremony is conducted to purify them. Traditionally, the seeker builds the
sweat lodge by himself. The seeker then takes his pipe and some tobacco and
goes to his isolated place, often on a high mountain or bluff. Helpers go-ahead
to prepare the sacred place. The seeker stays at the sacred place and prays for
a vision. Visions often come to the seeker in the form of an animal, and dreams
carry the most powerful visions. At the end of the Vision Quest, the helpers
return and take the seeker back to the sweat lodge. The seeker tells all he has
seen and heard to the wičháša wakáŋ who
interprets the vision.
4. THE
SUN DANCE:
https://aktalakota.stjo.org/seven-sacred-rites/wiwanyang-wachipi-sun-dance/
The Sun
Dance – Wiwáŋyaŋg Wačípi, was the
most important ceremony practiced by the Lakota (Sioux) and nearly all Plains
Indians. It was a time of renewal for the tribe, people and earth. The village
was large, as many bands came together for this annual rite. Each tribe camped
within their own circle, which was part of another circle. A large circular
arena was cleared, and a double ring of sticks was erected around the outside.
Branches were placed on the top as a shelter for the dancers, singers and spectators.
The Holy Men went to the forest and selected a large cottonwood tree to be used
as the central pole. A man was chosen because of a great deed or feat of
bravery to count coup on the tree that was cut down. As it fell, it wasn’t
allowed to touch the ground. The tree was trimmed and taken back to the dance
site, where it was decorated and erected in the middle of the arena. The
ceremony began at sunrise the next day, and anyone could dance. Dancers looked
at the sun as they danced, and short breaks without food and drink were
allowed. This went on for four days, usually while the self-sacrificers
prepared themselves. Usually, as it was rare for a woman to participate, these
men wanted something specific – good hunting skills, better fighting kills, or
healing powers. Their bodies and spirits were purified through the Inípi
ceremony before the dance. Each dancer had a mentor to help him through the
ceremony, a Holy Man or someone who had already danced. The Holy Men prepared
buffalo skulls and placed them around the arena. Long lengths of rawhide were
tied to the central pole. Dancers wore rings of sage on their heads and often
around their wrists and ankles; each man carried a whistle made from the wing
bone of an eagle. As the dancers stood around the arena, the holy men
approached them and pierced each side of their chests with a length of bone.
Next, the rawhide thongs were attached to the bone. The dance began as a slow shuffle.
Some chose not to be tethered to the pole. Instead, they had the bones pierced
through their backs, and then buffalo skulls were attached with thongs. The
dancers drag these heavy skulls around as they danced. The purpose of the dance
was to remove the bone pieces from the dancer’s body. Dancers at the pole
pulled themselves backward, trying to tear their flesh and release themselves.
Those with skulls attached to their backs danced over rocks and through bushes.
They hoped to catch the skulls on something and rip them from their bodies.
Dancers who had not released themselves close to sundown received help from
their mentors. The mentors grabbed the dancers from behind and jerked them
backward to tear the bones from the skin. If the dancer hadn’t been released by
sundown, the Holy Men removed the bones in reverse to the initial piercing.
Many Sun Dancers were traumatized and shocked by the experience. After the
ceremony, they went to the dancers’ lodge, where medicine men cared for them.
Also in attendance were the Holy Men, singing their praises to the Gods and
praying for the dancers to recover swiftly.
5. THE
MAKING OF RELATIVE:
https://aktalakota.stjo.org/seven-sacred-rites/hunkalowanpi-the-making-of-relatives/
Huŋkápi – Making
Relatives, was first used to make peace between the Lakota and Ree people.
Making the Ree relatives ensured peace between the tribes. This relationship
mirrored the relationship of the Lakota people with Wakáŋ Táŋka.
The first
ceremony with the Ree took place over several days. Near the end came the
painting of faces. The women’s faces were painted red, and the men’s were
painted red with a blue circle around the face and blue lines on the forehead,
cheekbones, and chin. Being painted symbolized change, indicating that a person
has been reborn and taken on new responsibilities and relationships. Past
troubles between the new relatives are forgotten. Today, one can become part of
a tiyóšpaye – extended family, by birth, marriage,
or Huŋkápi.
6. A
Girl’s Coming of Age:
https://aktalakota.stjo.org/seven-sacred-rites/isnathi-awichalowanpi-a-girls-coming-of-age/
Išnáti Awíčalowaŋpi – preparing for womanhood,
was performed when a young girl realized the change taking place in her life
was a sacred thing. The ceremony was held to purify her in preparation for
becoming a woman and bearing children. Her family built a tipi and gathered
necessary objects for the ritual conducted by a holy man. On the day of the
ceremony, sweetgrass was burned, and all the ceremonial objects were purified
with the smoke. The pipe was smoked, and prayer was offered up to Wakáŋ Táŋka, to the four directions and the earth.
In the ceremony, a buffalo skull was a central object. It was colored with red
paint to symbolize the earth. Cherries and water were placed before the skull.
Tobacco was spread in the shape of a cross, and blue paint was displayed to
symbolize the coming together of earth and sky. The holy man then gave the girl
a piece of buffalo meat, and the water and cherries were passed to her family
members. A feast was held, and a giveaway took place. The goodness and
holiness that came to the young girl also then extended to the whole tribe.
7. The
Throwing of the Ball:
https://aktalakota.stjo.org/seven-sacred-rites/thapa-wankayeyapi-the-throwing-of-the-ball/
Tápa Waŋkáyeyapi – the throwing of the ball in
the old days was very different from the modern game played with four teams,
four goals and a ball. The original ball was made of buffalo hair covered with
buffalo hide. Today, balls are usually beaded and colorful. In a ceremony
before the throwing, the ball was painted red, with a blue dot in each of the
four quarters. Two blue circles were painted around the ball, symbolizing the
coming together of heaven and earth, making the ball sacred. A pipe was purified
with sweetgrass smoke while prayer was offered up to Wakáŋ Táŋka and the powers of the four
directions. The ball was said to have been given to man by the buffalo,
symbolizing that man was the inheritor of the earth. A young girl was chosen to
throw the ball, and she stood at the center of a large circle with four
directions marked. First, she threw the ball to the West, and it was caught by
one of the people and brought back to her. She then threw the ball to the other
three directions, and the person who caught it brought it back to her. Finally,
she threw the ball up in the air, and it was caught and returned to her. The
little girl symbolizes innocence and purity. The throwing of the ball to each
direction shows that Wakáŋ Táŋka is
everywhere. As the ball comes down on the people, His power also comes down;
however, very few people receive or catch it.
“At this sad time today among our people, we
are scrambling for the ball, and some are not even trying to catch it, which
makes me cry when I think of it. But soon, I know it will be caught, for the
end is rapidly approaching, and then it will be returned to the center, and our
people will be with it.” —Black Elk, 1953
THE
SEVEN LAKOTA VALUES:
https://aktalakota.stjo.org/lakota-culture/seven-lakota-values/
Fortitude
– Wowačíŋtaŋka: Fortitude means facing danger or
challenges with courage, strength, and confidence. Believing in oneself allows
a person to face challenges. Fortitude includes the ability to come to terms
with problems, accept them, and to find a solution that is good for everyone.
One of the first lessons a Lakota child learned in the old days was
self-control and self-restraint in the presence of parents or adults. Mastery
and abilities came from games and creative play. Someone more skilled than
oneself was viewed as a role model, not as a competitor. Striving was for
achieving a personal goal, not for being superior to one’s opponent. Success
was a possession of the many, not of the few. Fortitude may require patience,
perseverance, and strength of mind in the face of challenges. It involves
having confidence in oneself and the courage to continue even when all odds are
against you. Fear still exists, but you proceed despite fear.
Generosity
– Wačáŋtognaka: Generosity means contributing to the
well-being of one’s people and all life by sharing and giving freely. This
sharing is not just about objects and possessions but emotions like sympathy,
compassion, and kindness. It also means to be generous with one’s time. The act
of giving and not looking for anything in return can make you a better person
and make you happy. Giveaways have always been part of Lakota society. At
important events, the family gathers their belongings and sets them out for any
person in the community to take. “What you give away, you keep; what you keep,
you lose” is an old Lakota saying.
Kinship
– Wótakuye: Kinship is one of the essential
values coming from the tiyóšpaye,
the extended family. It includes the ideas of living in
harmony, belonging, relations as the true wealth, and the importance of
trusting in others. It is one of the values that made the tiyóšpaye work. Family is the measure of your
wealth. They will support you in good times and in bad times. For a Lakota, you
belong to a tiyóšpaye through birth,
marriage, or adoption. Your family even extends out to your band and the whole
Lakota nation. Whenever you travel somewhere, you can expect to be welcomed and
supported as if you were in your own immediate family. In traditional Lakota
society, wótakuye was a little
different from what it is today. The Lakota were a warrior and hunting society.
This meant the men might not return when they went out to fight or to hunt. So,
the network of relatives ensured the women, children, and elders would not be
left alone. In these times, generosity was the way of life, and resources were
meant to be shared.
Prayer
– Wóčekiya: The
Lakota stress the importance of speaking directly to the Creator – Tuŋkášila, and to having a close and open
relationship with the Great Spirit – Wakáŋ Táŋka.
They believe Mother Earth is sacred, and so they honor and respect her greatly.
They give thanks to the Creator daily through living consciously and by praying
to the Great Spirit. The Lakota people believe that the land does not belong to
them, but rather that we belong to the land. As such, they recite daily prayers
of thanks to Mother Earth and the Great Spirit for all they continue to
bless us with and for the great privilege and honor of life.
Respect
– Waóhola: Respect for the self, family, community all life. For
people to live together in peace, they have to respect one another. The old are
respected for their wisdom, and the young are respected because they are the
people’s future. This attitude also means reverence for all other living things
in the world. Everything was put on this earth by the Great Spirit. All people
and things are relatives. Holy men tell us “everything is one.” This reverence
is expressed in daily prayers and by the way we act. The outcome of this
respect is peace in families, among tribes and other people regardless of
nationality.
Wisdom
– Wóksape: The
knowledge and wisdom of elders are very important for the well-being of the
Lakota people. This is understood to be something sought and gained over the
course of one’s entire life. Wisdom has to do with understanding the meaning
within natural processes and patterns. It means knowing the design and purpose
of life. It also has to do with understanding and living the spiritual values
and beliefs upon which one’s culture is founded and being able to share these
with others. Wisdom means being able to incorporate the sacred way of life into
one’s own life and to respect and honor all life. It means being open to the
dreams of the day and the night when spiritual direction may come to a
receptive child or adult seeking wisdom.
Compassion
– Wówauŋšila: Compassion
and care for all especially the old ones, the young ones, those in mourning,
those who work helping the people. Care for others as you would yourself
because we are all part of this circle of life. Compassion is important to the
Lakota people, as they all work together and lean on one another for support
and survival. This includes following the values each day and including
everyone in daily wóčekiya – Prayers.
SPIRIT LAKE TRIBE:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_Lake_Tribe
Wikipedia
provided images of the flag and map of the Spirit Lake Tribe noted in posted
transcripts and Show Notes, and a bit of history. Wikipedia references are
found in Show Notes as are those from Author and Researcher Dakota Wind and his
story: “The Story Of Devil's Heart Butte”.
Flag of the Spirit Lake Tribe and location (North Dakota)
Their name was
originally Devils Lake Sioux Tribe and the reservation originally called Fort
Totten Indian Reservation. In 1993, the current name of the tribe and
reservation was officially adopted.
A popular Wikipedia
history source is interesting, but I rely here on another source as the
Wikipedia description of underwater serpents and translations of “spirit” as
“devil” may coincide with many Native American cultures but relies on a
Christian concept of the “devil” not a part of Dakota philosophy.
Wikipedia describes
the name "Devils Lake" as a translation of Dakota words for
water; literally "pure source", "spirit" or
"sacred". Wikipedia says the Dakota consider it holy because they
believe it’s the home of an underwater horned serpent found in mythologies of
many cultures including some Native American people. The Dakota name is reflected in the Spirit Lake Tribe name and the nearby
town of Minnewaukan. European-American settlers misconstrued the name of Minnewaukan to mean
"Bad Spirit" or "Devils Lake". “Bad" referred to the
lake’s high salinity making it unfit to drink. “Spirit" referred to
mirages commonly seen over water.
Spirit Lake
Tribe (in Santee Dakota: Mniwakaƞ
Oyate, or Mni Wakan Oyate, formerly known as Devils
Lake Sioux Tribe). A
federally recognized tribe on the Spirit Lake Dakota Reservation in east-central North Dakota on the southern shores of Devils Lake. It’s made up of people of the Pabaksa (Iháŋkthuŋwaŋna),
Sisseton (Sisíthuŋwaŋ) and Wahpeton (Waȟpéthuŋwaŋ) bands of
the Dakota tribe. Established in 1867 in a treaty between Sisseton-Wahpeton Bands and
the United States government, the reservation consists of
495.669 sq mi of land area, primarily Benson and Eddy counties. Smaller areas extend into Ramsey, Wells and Nelson counties. According to the tribal enrollment office
in 2014, the tribe had 7,256 enrolled members. The largest community on the
reservation is Fort Totten.
Their name was
originally the Devils Lake Sioux Tribe and its reservation was originally
called the Fort Totten Indian Reservation. In 1993, the current name of the
tribe and reservation was officially adopted.
The name
"Devils Lake" is a calque, or a
word for word root for root translation, of the Dakota words for water and
literally "pure source", also translates as "spirit" or
"sacred". The Dakota consider it holy because they believe
it is the home of the underwater serpent Unktehi. The
Horned Serpent appears in the mythologies of many cultures including Native
American peoples. The Dakota name is reflected in
the name of the Spirit Lake Tribe and the nearby town of Minnewaukan. European-American settlers misconstrued this name
to mean "Bad Spirit Lake", or "Devils Lake". The
"bad" referred to the high salinity of the lake, making it unfit to drink, and "spirit" meant
the mirages often seen across the water. The Christian
concept of the devil is not present in Dakota philosophy.
Prior to the reservation era, Dakota tribal societies were without social classes and
government was democratic and highly decentralized. An individual's status was
based on their ability to serve and perform. Leaders existed to serve the will
of the people. Fraternal
societies played a role in
maintaining a government structure known as the council and prior to the
reservation era, no single person was in charge of decision-making.
Following the Dakota War of 1862, many long lines of hereditary leadership ceased to
exist as several bands of Sisseton and Wahpeton were forced to flee Minnesota
to various places throughout the Dakotas. Other leaders were killed,
deposed or replaced by those chosen by the US government to act as
spokespersons. The U.S. government and those bands of Dakota signed a treaty in
1867 that established the Fort Totten Reservation. The name was later changed
to the Devils Lake Sioux Reservation. In 1996, the Spirit Lake Tribe changed the
name to a more correct translation of Mni Wakan.
WASHINGTON STATE:
North Bend, Washington: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Bend,_Washington
North Bend is on the outskirts of
the Seattle metro area. Population of about 7,500. Since
closure of Weyerhaeuser's Snoqualmie
sawmill, North Bend has become a prosperous bedroom community for Seattle, located about
30 miles to the west. The town was made famous by David Lynch's television
series Twin Peaks, partially
filmed in North Bend. Community is also home to Nintendo North Bend, the main
North American production facility and distribution center for the video game console manufacturer Nintendo.
Mar-T
Café (now Twede’s Café): twedescaafe.com
WILLARD,
TOM: Artist, Author, Friend, Hunter, Outdoorsman. Tom lived in Alaska for many years
and spent many hours with author Ron Walden. Toms book Demons of Stoney River: The Life
Adventure about the Wolverine; Alaska's Wolverine, Devil Bear 1996 was well
received and interesting. An amateur artist, he loved to paint and created the
cover for Ron’s book Devil’s Heart. Tom spent his time studying nature as
hunter, bird watcher, naturalist or student. He is a Charter member and officer
in the Kenai Peninsula Botanical Society. He holds a Boone and Crockett and two
Pope and Young records. His trophies include moose, caribou, brown bears, black
bears, wolf and wolverine. Stalking game was a favorite pastime with bears,
wolverine, and wolves observed at less than 20 yards. He hunts with others but
enjoys time alone in the Alaska bush up to 3 weeks at a time, enjoying his
favorite solitude and lifelong love, undisturbed nature. Tom flew airplane
frequently and later in life lived in Kansas, enjoying turkey and deer hunting.
Ron
Walden, Author Of Alaska True To Life Crime And Other Stories
Ugly
Moose Alaska Publishing, Soldotna, Alaska
(Cut
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