THE ACCOUNT OF THE BURIAL OF THE OMAHA SIOUX INDIAN CHIEF BLACKBIRD

Blackbird, the great chief of the Omahas. The account is given by George Catlin:

He requested them to take his body down the river to this his favorite haunt, and on the pinnacle of this towering bluff to bury him on the back of his favorite war-horse, which was to be buried alive under him, from whence he could see, as he said, “the Frenchmen passing up and down the river in their boats.”

He owned, amongst many horses, a noble white steed, that was led to the top of the grass-covered hill. With great pomp and ceremony, in the presence of the whole nation and several of the fur-traders and the Indian agent, he was placed astride of his horse’s back. With his bow in his hand, his shield and quiver slung, with his pipe and his medicine bag, with his supply of dried meat, his tobacco-pouch replenished to last him through the journey to the beautiful hunting grounds of the shades of his fathers.

With his flint, his steel, and his tinder to light his pipe by the way; the scalps he had taken from his enemies’ heads could be trophies for nobody else, and were hung to the bridle of his horse. He was in full dress, and fully equipped, and on his head waved to the last moment his beautiful head-dress of the war-eagles’ plumes.

 In this plight, and the last funeral honors having been performed by the medicine-men, every warrior of his band painted the palm and fingers of his right hand with vermillion, which was stamped and perfectly impressed on the milk-white sides of his devoted horse.

This all done, turfs were brought and placed around the feet and legs of the horse, and gradually laid up to its sides, and at last over the back and head of the unsuspecting animal, and last of all over the head and even the eagle plumes of its valiant rider, where all together have smouldered and remained undisturbed to the present day.

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NATIVE AMERICAN ANIMAL TOTEM ASTROLOGY SIGNS

This is very interesting to me....Native American Astrology Animal Totem...I am the Otter!

The otter is an unconventional creature which behaves differently than its closest kin, the weasel. The traits of those born under this symbol are quite similar to this totem. They are highly creative, friendly, independent, and tend to view life in a way that is seldom understood by others.

They are intuitive beings and tend to look beyond what may meet the eye. They are not afraid to experiment and are highly witty by nature. Because of this, many people may take them to be stupid or foolish, only to realize that their eccentricity got them to the right path.

Otters can be great friends and companions, and they will always pay heed to their friends' needs with sensitivity and undivided attention. However, on the flip side, they can become somewhat rebellious, unscrupulous, and detached from society, especially if their out-of-the box perception fails to be compatible with others.

The detachment gives them a sort of freedom that they crave for when it comes to living life on their own terms.

Find out what your sign is HERE

12 Native American Astrological Signs and Their Meanings

BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE: POWER IN THE BLOOD

True North Records today announces details of the forthcoming 16th studio album by the iconic artist Buffy Sainte-Marie. The bold new album, Power in the Blood, her first album in more than 6 years, is set for release on May 12, 2015.

Power in the Blood is a sculpture of an artist ever-evolving and a statement of a life’s work realized - challenging, empowering, and celebrating the listener with each and every song. Featuring all but two original tracks, the album starts unpredictably with a re-imagined version of “It’s My Way,” a song that originally appeared on her acclaimed debut album. The new recording of “It’s My Way” demonstrates how her work can transcend generations and still inspire individualism and self-expression 50 years after it was written. Today, NPR Music premiered the track where writer Ann Powers stated "The song is a blessing, ever renewing itself — as relevant as the voice of the glorious elder who offers it."

LISTEN: Buffy Sainte-Marie's "It's My Way" on NPR Music:
http://www.npr.org/2015/03/17/393553697/buffy-sainte-marie-its-my-way

Recorded in Toronto, Sainte-Marie enlisted three different producers, a first for her, to help shape Power in the Blood. Michael Phillip Wojewoda (Barenaked Ladies, Rheostatics), Jon Levine (Nelly Furtado, K’NAAN), and Chris Birkett (Sinéad O'Connor, Bob Geldof). Birkett has worked with Sainte-Marie on four albums, beginning with the 1992 release Coincidence and Likely Stories. He recognized from the start that Sainte-Marie was a singular force. “She pays a lot of attention to her lyrics,” Birkett says, “and when Buffy says something, she actually means something.”

Throughout her incredible half-century career each era has revealed new and distinctive shades of an artist revered for her pioneering and chameleon ways. There was no mold from which Buffy Sainte-Marie emerged; she created her own, ripened from experiences in both her head and her heart. Power in the Blood is a reminder that, five decades on, Sainte-Marie is a voice as vital and significant as ever. Like so much of Sainte-Marie’s work, it’s universal. “I love words, I love thinking, and I recognize and value the core of a universal idea simplified into a three-minute song,” says Sainte-Marie. “What appeals to me in folk music are the songs that have lasted for generations, but I wasn’t trying to be one of those guys. I want to give people something original.”

Power In The Blood Track List:
01) It's My Way
02) Power in the Blood
03) We Are Circling
04) Not the Lovin' Kind
05) Love Charms (Mojo Bijoux)
06) Ke Sakihitin Awasis
07) Farm In the Middle of Nowhere
08) Generation
09) Sing Our Own Song
10) Orion
11) The Uranium War
12) Carry It On

US Tour Dates:
May 15 - Lincoln, NE @ University of Nebraska Lincoln
May 17 - Chicago, IL @ City Winery
May 18 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
May 19 - Washington, DC @ The Hamilton
May 20 - New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
Jul. 16 - Grass Valley, CA @ California Worldfest

WHY PARATROOPERS YELL GERONIMO!

World War II paratrooper Aubrey Eberhardt was the first to scream "Geronimo!" while jumping from great heights. Retired First Sergeant Ed Howard explains how it happened in his essay entitled "Paramount's 1939 Western Geronimo...A Forgotten Movie With a Giant Legacy." In 1940, the United States' first Parachute Test Platoon was formed. It consisted of 50 volunteers who trained in the sweltering heat of Georgia's Fort Benning.

 

 Geronimo

The days were mighty hot, so the paratroopers wanted to stay cool in the evening. One night, Private Eberhardt and three friends watched the movie about the courageous Apache leader, Geronimo at a local (air conditioned) theater. After the film, the group discussed the jump they were to make the following morning. According to Howard, one paratrooper asked Eberhardt if he believed he could jump "without fear." Eberhardt, eager to prove his toughness, said he'd show everyone he wasn't afraid by yelling "Geronimo!" as he jumped. Eberhardt believed that if he had the presence of mind to remember the word, it would prove he wasn't scared.
 

Questionable logic perhaps, but we're going with it. Long story short, Eberhardt jumped, yelled "Geronimo!" as promised, and the shout quickly caught on with his fellow paratroopers. Some time later the phrase was outlawed because officers felt it would draw unwanted attention to paratroopers landing in hostile territories. That said, the "Geronimo" motto is still seen on certain military insignias, so Eberhardt's legend lives on.

"Geronimo" Battalion was an Infantry Battalion of Paratroopers, 101st Airborne Division, deployed to join the 173d Airborne Brigade in Vietnam on June 6, 1966.

I was part of that Battalion along with nearly 1,000 other young soldiers. In June 1967 those of us who survived returned home changed men: in short, we spent the next 40 plus years trying to forget. In June 2008 the "C" Company Commander, Jack Tarr, spearheaded a reunion of our Battalion which became a convention of healing as we shared our memories, losses, traumas, and struggles since returning to civilian life.

In the fall of 2008 I wrote the words to this song in an effort to capture the nuances of passion, pain and healing that I witnessed and experienced in the presence of my beloved "brothers-in-arms". My co-writer, Larry Pearson, wrote the music in October 2013, and we began recording the "Ballad of Geronimo Battalion". Dr. Joe Anderson produced the video.

My hope is that our collaboration will speak to the hearts of all soldiers of war. James M. (Mike) Adams