Indian Country: Kucinich urges spiritual reclamation for America

[Desertrose]

I was fortunate enough to be there for this...it was extremely moving....when the elders met Dennis- you knew they saw his heart...it was something to see!
Dennis truly cares about our Native brothers and sisters and his policies go a long way to help them...

Kadéeshte
DR

http://www.indiancountry.com/?1074963588

FARMINGTON, N.M. - Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich received a personal blessing from an esteemed Navajo medicine man, after another leading Navajo medicine man sang the Blessing Way chant, at the "Healing the Uranium Legacy" convention organized by grassroots Navajo.

Deeply moved, Ohio Rep. Kucinich said he felt the connection to the land and universe as was shared in the Blessing Way chant and the philosophy of living a life of beauty, in harmony with the Earth and all created things.

"Every one of us understands that there is music connected with the language of the heart, the language of the soul," Kucinich told several hundred Navajos gathered at the Farmington Civic Center on Jan. 17.

Kucinich said the Navajo chant restored his spirit and revealed to him who the Navajo people truly are. His words followed the chant by medicine man Thomas Morris of the Navajo Medicine Men’s Association. "You could feel the past, present and future come together in a moment that was sacred," Kucinich said.

Kucinich received a standing ovation and was then blessed by Navajo medicine man Harry Tome.

Norman Patrick Brown, among the organizers of Diné Bidziil Coalition, said the blessing was done so that this sacred energy will stay with Kucinich and permeate him.

<snip>

Kucinich received an endorsement in his bid for president from Diné Bidziil before his arrival.

"We are thankful he came with a spirit of peace," Brown said as he introduced Kucinich at the convention, praising his stance on Iraq and efforts for peace.
"Navajos have the highest percentage of any ethnic group in the military," Brown said. "We want our sons and daughters and fathers and mothers to come home. We support our Navajo warriors but it’s difficult for any of us to support the war."

Hazel James, coordinator of Diné Bidziil, said Kucinich felt the spirit and articulated the Native way of living in this world.

"I think he can really see the meaning of how the Native people see the Earth and universe," James said in an interview.
<snip>

Speakers included Anishinabe activist Winona LaDuke......
<snip>
more

http://www.daily-times.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=251&num=7693

1/22/04
Kucinich Supports American Indians, Tribal Sovereignty
http://www.kucinich.us/pressreleases/pr_012204.php

Native American Endorsers
Dennis Banks (American Indian Movement), John Eagle Day, Rev. Dr. Holly Haile Davis, Earl Hatley (Tribal Environmental Management Services), Phillip H. Duran, Winona LaDuke, Dennis Lee Rogers

[JohnKleeb]

1. DR I still love the guy

Despite my newly support of Kerry, but I still support Dennis, I think this is great. Hes without the best on issues. FYI I support both Kerry and Kucinich. He really is great.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

2. DK is someone special.

I'm glad he's in the race and hope his views will not be lost in the clamor.

[JohnKleeb]

5. You and so many other Kerry supporters have been so great to DK

I really appreciate it.

[lcordero]

3. We need him to keep on trailblazing so that in two months time

the more traditional people can suggest it. Kucinich has pulled the Party back to it's roots more than anybody can ever realize.

[Fovea]

4. I applaud the Native Americans for their endorsement.

Of a candidate who walks a spiritual path to power.

[Seldona]

6. That is beautiful.

Good to see the candidates spending some time with these groups.

Some very potent wisdom to be found.

From the Oneida Tribe here.

[Desertrose]

14. Ever meet Grandmother Twylah Nitsch?

Had the honor of meeting her many years back....Oneida and Seneca. Quite an amazing woman...lived on the Cattaraugus reservation in W NY.

Hey...there is a great book written by a fellow DU-er..."Profiles in Wisdom"...has some great interviews.....
link....
http://www.chiron-communications.com/profiles.html




Peace
DR

[SpiralHawk]

7. Meegwich

and Kadeshte', too

Thanks DR

[Desertrose]

10. Yo Spiral....

did you ever get my email??

I think I was headed east when you were still in Zona....hope it was a good trip here.....

....got to drive through the rez over to NM...it ws awesome...can't wait to go & spend more time.....

Dennis :yourock:

Megwich to you,too, Mr Hawk :)

DR

[fabius]

8. Awesome, Dennis!

You walk in beauty.

Having been a kid in the land of the four sacred mountains myself.

Seriously, I'm glad a candidate is taking Native Americans seriously. As opposed to Ahnold who is trying to screw 'em.

[Crewleader]

9. This is wonderful Desertrose

I am so happy you got to be there too. How did your speech-writing go, wish I could of been there, Proud of you and all the great support you give Dennis! :hi: :hug: :loveya:

[Desertrose]

11. Thanks Crew..

actually the speech writing was the research for the last Navajo connection Dennis made back in December with Pres Joe Shirley of the Navajo Nation. We gave Pres Shirley a beautiful blanket on behalf of Dennis & the campaign.

Here is Dennis with Norman Brown and Emma Begay, in Farmington




Hope you are keepin outta trouble, Crew :wink:

:grouphug: :loveya:
DR

[Desertrose]

12. Dennis would offer an official apology!!!!

My administration will offer all First Nations an official apology for the past injustices of the United States of America toward native peoples. We cannot work together now and in the future until we reconcile the past. This healing needs to take place.


http://www.kucinich.us/firstnations/fn_policystmt.php

As President, Dennis Kucinich will re-affirm the U. S. commitment to honor its treaties with tribal governments, to maintain strict adherence to tribal sovereignty, to increase funding for tribal programs, especially health care, housing, environmental protection and education. This Presidency will enforce existing laws and enact necessary laws for the following:

* Protection of tribal cultural practices through environmental protection and natural resources conservation funding and tribal consultation

* Protection of Sacred Sites through federal policies and legislation as required

*Protection of historical sites and grave sites through strengthening the Native American Graves Protection Act and greater consultation with tribes.

* Protection of the Alaska Natives, and Indigenous Peoples everywhere from persistent organic pollutants and the effects of global warming through reduced emissions of hydrocarbons, adherence to the Kyoto Protocols, and an aggressive energy strategy that maximizes our country's development of renewable energy sources, energy-efficient automobiles, and conservation.



GO DENNIS!
walk in beauty...and peace...and hope

DR

[ThirdWheelLegend]

16. Dennis is so far ahead of all the other candidates....

This is integrity, this is passion, this is the voice of the people.

TWL

[gate of the sun]

13. wonderful

I hope that blessing stays with him. We could all some blessings right now.

[Desertrose]

15. Hi Gate of the Sun

how are you doing??

yeah..the more blessings we can get the better, eh...

:loveya:
DR

[Terwilliger]

17. This is the president our country needs

:dem:

[diamondsoul]

18. I LOVE this!

Thanks so much for posting it. This man is absolutely amazing. Honor....he just brims over with honor.

[jsw_81]

19. You love it, and I personally don't have a problem with it...

But believe me, the vast majority of voters in Middle America don't like this kind of stuff. They only want to hear about Jesus, not the great spirit or whatever the heck that guy was talking about.

[IrateCitizen]

20. There's an innate problem with your line of thought here, jsw_81

That problem is that what DK is saying here is not necessarily what people WANT to hear -- but what they NEED to hear, absorb, and consider. This is not the stuff of simple electoral campaigns, the peddling of wares that is most familiar to snake-oil salesmen, prostitutes and politicians. This is the stuff that a MOVEMENT is made up of -- the proverbial sowing of seeds in the wind of human conscience, in hopes that it will land and grow.

In a book I read recently -- I believe it was The Sacred Balance by David Suzuki -- the author describes meeting with a Filipino indigenous people's activist. The activist had been very outspoken for a long time about what he and many other Filipinos regarded as continual imposition by the US and US corporate interests in Filipino matters. When asked what the US could do to stop these perceived injustices, his answer was not political -- but rather, quite spiritual. He said that the US needed, very badly, to do two things:
1. Engage the world in a spirit of true partnership and cooperation
2. Reconnect with its sense of spirituality.

See, that's the essence of what DK is trying to do most of all. That is why I have personally donated more money to his political campaign than I have ever donated to an electoral political cause in my life. It is only through such a campaign of reclaiming the national conscience, the sense of spirituality of America, that we can truly rise to the ideals of democracy and liberty. Anything else is just an effort in self-delusion, in the final analysis -- and will only serve to propel us a bit further toward our eventual downfall.

[jsw_81]

26. But what's the point of your whole "movement" if you lose?

It's extremely unlikely that Dennis Kucinich will win even a single primary or caucus this year, and in all likelihood his campaign will be nothing more than a footnote in the history books (and unless he wins an upset tomorrow, this might be Howard Dean's fate, too). So what, exactly, will you have accomplished?

See, in order to change anything, you have to actually win the elections. George Bush understands this, Bill Clinton understands this, and John Kerry understands this. Kucinich does not. A million flowery words about "reconnecting with our sense of spirituality" and "engaging the world in a spirit of true partnership" won't accomplish a damn thing if the Republicans get four more years.

[IrateCitizen]

27. Wrong and extremely short-sighted

See, in order to change anything, you have to actually win the elections.

Not at all, my friend. In order to change anything, you have to actively work to alter human consciousness. Gandhi understood this. So did MLK. As someone who was raised as a Christian, and seeing as how it is the religion with which I am most familiar, I would also argue that Jesus understood this most of all.

A million flowery words about "reconnecting with our sense of spirituality" and "engaging the world in a spirit of true partnership" won't accomplish a damn thing if the Republicans get four more years.

Nor will the world change with the election of a Democrat if the same spirit of cynicism, selfishness and division remains.

You look at things in the short-term frame -- seeking to right the course by applying an immediate fix. Such is human nature, after all -- we all are conditioned through most of our last 25,000 years of existence to respond to short-term threats to our existence. However, if we are to truly evolve (and save ourselves in the process), we must learn to look further in the future.

That is where these "million flowery words" come into play -- except they aren't merely flowery words. They are very real goals and ideals that some of us strive to live by, and hopefully engage in the long-term goal of changing conscience by doing so -- even if it is only one mind at a time.

[Desertrose]

28. That is so not true!

We have accomplished a great deal....lie an iceberg below the surface...just becasue you don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there. This is about so much more than simply "winning" a race...yes winning is one way, but not the only way. You limit yourself with that thinking.

We have begun a movement- its so much more than a cult of personality with Dennis. All my group & others are all planning what comes after 04. If DK doesn't get the nom- we will go on in our grassroots effort to change this country and world. This is so much bgger than just winning.

It is about waking people up to their power...to the fact that we can change what we don't like and we can have peace. It is about connecting people to their hearts and connecting hearts to effect change on a global level.

You don't get that and see it simply as a "win"...too bad.

Exactly the point DK is trying to make...so many are out of touch with so much...

Peace
DR

[IrateCitizen]

31. I feel ya, DR -- but don't expect too many converts

I, too, find DK's vision to resonate with me -- because I recognize how far out of whack we really are. I'm an environmentalist who views the earth as one big organism. When we hurt the earth, we're hurting ourselves. It is an integral part of my spirituality. It is quite obvious that Dennis recognizes this basic truth as well.

We are not separate from the earth. We are part of the earth, and it is part of us. Whatever injury we inflict on the earth, we also inflict on ourselves.

People must come to the realization that the earth is not a resource to be exploited, but rather the source of our very existence. They must come to realize that there are causes much bigger than just an upcoming political election. They must come to realize that we all have to get along on this big blue marble we share as it hurtles through space. But they must realize all of these things themselves -- we can only try to guide them through the sharing of our own experiences and example.

jsw_81, I do not believe, is ready for these realizations. But hopefully, someday, jsw_81 will come to these realizations. When he does, I will be there to welcome him. If he does not, I will continue to try and open his mind to, what I believe, are basic truths of life.

That is all we CAN do, DR.

[Desertrose]

32. thanks IC

guess I don't really *expect* too much, but I must still have hope....otherwise I wouldn't be disappointed....

I AM surprised that more people really don't get it..how far out of whack this world is...but as you said, all we can do is hold the vision and the hope ...and vote for Dennis and spread the word....

:hug: IC

Peace & :loveya:
DR

[no name no slogan]

33. Winning an election DOES NOT change things, but

it's a step in the right direction, just like any kind of progress is.

MLK never won an election (or ran for office), but he was much more influential in getting the Voting Rights Act signed into law than LBJ was.

Gandhi was never elected, but he is still acknowledged as the one who drove the British out of India.

Electoral victories are not the be-all, end-all of political movements. Nor is this election the only battle to fight. There's a whole lot of other victories we've won so far (like Diebold's memos), and there will be plenty more we'll win, too-- not just this presidential election..

[diamondsoul]

21. What pray tell IS "Middle America"?

Is that the place where radio talk show hosts can ridicule entire towns full of people and suggest that an entire state is a bunch of whacked out new age freaks?

Because if so, they need Dennis Kucinich more than anyone.

"They only want to hear about Jesus..."

And apparently so do you, since you support that sort of blatant bigotry and self-absorption by playing to it.

[jsw_81]

24. Actually, I'm an atheist

And believe me, I am REALLY sick and tired of hearing about religion in politics. I wish polticians would just shut up about it and focus on the real issues. But poll after poll shows that most American voters (especially in the South) only want to hear about Jesus, so it's probably not a good idea for a candidate to go around talking about Native American mysticism unless that candidate wants to lose, especially when you consider the that many fundamentalist voters consider such beliefs to be "evil" and Satanic.

[diamondsoul]

25. And so your answer,

despite being sick of religious zealotry is to just shut up about the truth and play along with the ignorance?

Yeah, that'll help things a bunch.

[Terwilliger]

35. Well, there goes knowledge

"American voters are stupid and its our job to conform to their worldview"

What a sentiment!

[KeepHopeAlive]

22. What a great man

Dennis always speaks what's in his heart rather than what will gain the most votes. He's special and much needed.

[sweetheart]

23. the earth and its people are sacred

Dennis is right on. I heard him talk about this, and it really touched me also.

Dennis, you rock the world.

[redqueen]

29. Kick for spirituality.

:)

[Poseidon]

30. Dennis is great

great endorsements! :)

[LWolf]

34. Of course, this resonated with me.

His ability to see connections, and to see the possibilities for us inherent in harmony and balance, is what first caught my attention.

[ThirdWheelLegend]

36. Kick for issues of all sorts that effect REAL people

Kucinich covers so much ground, maybe thats why people don't support him. Too many issues to think about that make you realize HOW MUCH CHANGE WE REALLY NEED. It effects that comfort level thing again.

"I think he can really see the meaning of how the Native people see the Earth and universe,"

A candidate that is passionate on the issues and truly cares for all people. The only choice.


TWL

[Sugarbleus]

37. This event you speak of is truely Divine...

In recent years, I've had the supreme opportunity to see with my heart the wise and humble soul of our Native Peoples. I've been to special tribal gatherings and was in complete awe. If one truely opens their heart, they will "see" into the heart of another and no people do it better than our native brothers and sisters. I love them, I respect them highly. For the People's Medicine Man to bless Dennis, is REALLY saying something. Thank you so very much for this post.
Let Wisdom reign...........
Go Dennis!

[ThirdWheelLegend]

38. daytime kick for real issues

TWL