Tipi 101

Hubby did this Chautauqua. We will be in Florissant on Saturday setting-up the tipi for the Pikes Peak Historical Society. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by! We'd love to see you!

Wyoming Anomalies book

I recently published the next book in my series about Anomalies in the 50 States. This one is about Wyoming. Now available as an e-book on Amazon. Click here!

New Book Release

I'm excited to announce the release of my latest book. It's available on Amazon for your Kindle.

Click Here to go to Amazon!

Cat Tales ~ Vote ME!

Me over heard Mommy & Daddy talking about the 'new face' of money. Me wondered what theys was talking about, so when Mommy & Daddy were gone over the weekend, Me got on Mommy's 'puter & did some research.

Seems there's no women on U.S. currency. And there's a movement to get a woman's face on the $20 bill. There's a preliminary vote now to narrow the field. After that will be the final vote. Mommy & Daddy are hoping that Wilma Mankiller is chosen. Wilma was the first woman to be Chief of the Cherokee tribe. Daddy is Cherokee so Me is hoping she wins. Plus it would be good to see Andrew Jackson, who was guilty of BAD, BAD behavior towards the Native Indians of the U.S., replaced by a Native Indian Woman! {{snicker!}}

Click Here to Read the whole story!

Now, Me was thinking. There should be a Cat on a piece of money. After all, that's who really runs the show! The Power on the Lap, Me calls it. And Me can be the first! See how good Me looks on the $1000 bill?

I had to enlist the help of Sylvester to get that image. Sylvester has thumbs and can do all sorts of fancy stuff on the 'puter. 

Me thinks Me will write a few posts about the Power on the Lap of some famous peoples. Might prove enlightening.

Purz and Catnip Dreams.......Gomez

Road Trip ~ Cliff Dwellings

The Manitou Cliff Dwellings was the first of our Summer Road Trips. 

The Manitou Cliff Dwellings are located west of Colorado Springs, Colorado. They are not indigenous to the area, but rather were moved there in the early 1900s by Virginia McClurg. 

Before 1906, there were no laws protecting Native American sites or artifacts. Looters and vandals would destroy ruins and mounds looking for artifacts to sell. Virginia wanted to preserve a small piece of Anasazi history from this fate. So, Virginia acquired the rights to a large 40 room ruin located in the Mesa Verde area of Colorado and had it shipped to its current location. The process of mapping the ruin, dis-assembly and re-assembly took 3 years. 

Unlike most other Native American historic sites, the public is allowed to wander throughout the Cliff Dwellings. When the ruins were reconstructed, concrete was used to hold the stones together instead of the adobe clay mortar that was used by the original builders. Walking between the rooms and climbing the ladders, one can almost feel the presence of the families that lived within these walls a 1000 years ago.

Many unique architectural features can be seen. The top photo shows what the underside of an upper story floor would have looked like. The balcony floor shown in a prior photo was made the same way.
And the window 'lattice' would keep kids in and critters out. Well, big critters anyway.

The stonework and engineering that it took to construct these amazing dwellings so many decades ago astounds visitors to this day. While the rooms may have been small, the views were large.

The top photo is of the Kiva. A kiva was the ceremonial center of the village.
The next photo is of a mano and metate - a stone implement which was used to grind corn into corn meal.

When the ruins were reconstructed, pieces of broken pottery were incorporated into the cement. The correct term for these pottery pieces is potsherd.

To Read More About the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Click Here!

To Read More About the Anasazi People, Click Here!

Roadtrip ~ Cave of the Winds

With warmer temperatures and nicer weather on the horizon, Hubby and I have been planning out our Roadtrips for the year. Our first one of the Season was to Cave of the Winds. And since we both have a Season Pass, we'll be making several more trips here. But I'll only drag you along for one of them. Okay, maybe two if we find something interesting the next time we go.

The Cave of the Winds is located in the foothills of Pikes Peak. The road to the Cave of the Winds sits on top of a ridge and has an incredible view - in clear conditions. And even though the day was blustery with intermittent snow showers, the magnificence that is the Rockies could still be seen. (Okay, maybe I'm just a bit partial to the region!)

image source 
This is the Cave of the Winds Facility and Cave entrance as viewed across the canyon

The Cave of the Winds was formed 4-7 million years ago when the limestone rock of the area was below the water level of the inland sea which covered this region. Rainwater mixed with carbon dioxide and formed a weak carbonic acid that dissolved away portions of the limestone, leaving passageways and caverns. These open areas grew over time and when they filled with air, speleothems (cave decorations) began to form.

Cave of the Winds was first discovered in 1869 by Arthur C. Love, a settler to the area. Later in 1880, two brothers by the name of Pickett explored the original cave and discovered a larger cave system and the tourist attraction of Cave of the Winds was opened the following year.

Cave of the Winds map

The Native Ute tribes who traveled through this area called the Cave of the Winds an opening into the Underworld and used the chambers for burials. Many artifacts and bodies were found when the caves were more formally explored in 1880.

The broken column seen on right side of photo was once connected but due to shifting rock formations, the column has broken and moved apart over the eons.

Original tours were conducted by lantern light and most visitors had to crawl through passages to see the hidden beauty of the caverns. Today's tours are conducted in electrically lit passageways which have been excavated out to accommodate walking. Tour Guides in the beginning allowed visitors to break off stalagmites and stalactites as souvenirs - not knowing that it takes thousands of years for them to form. Evidence of these broken gems are seen throughout the Caves.

The shiny knob on the left has been rubbed so much over the years that the
oil from peoples' hands has been left behind. When this occurs, it 'kills' the
growth of the stalagmite. Touching rock formations inside caves like this is
strictly forbidden and punishable by severe fines. Scientists feel that if left
alone, the formation will once again begin to grow - after a few thousand years.

Now for the eerie side ~ There are reports of supernatural happenings occurring in the caverns. These reports date back to the opening of the Caves in 1881. People feel tugs on their clothes, taps on their shoulders. Lanterns will be blown out and strange mists will appear. The scent of perfumes will be detected by visitors and orbs can be seen. And the occasional strange phone call on the emergency call box has been received. I can't exactly say we encountered anything strange except for the fact that my camera's flash would only work half the time. (no problems with it before and after this trip) Hubby had no issues with his camera so the pictures you see here are courtesy of him.

polished flow stone

Perhaps this truly is a door to the Underworld....

Ute Medicine Trees

There is nothing so sacred as a tree. It joins the above and the below. During the day, it takes the energy from the Sky and gives it to the Earth. At night it takes energy from the Earth and gives it to the Sky.

Northern Ute Elder

Prayer Tree

Trees were an integral part of Ute culture. They were a source of many things to the Utes - fuel for fires, poles for tipis and travois, food. But many trees were also a source of medicine, used as message boards or were used in spiritual practices. These trees are sacred to the Utes, they see the Trees as ancestors. A project is currently underway whose goal is to locate and map these trees. 

Ute culturally scarred trees can be divided into four categories - Medicine Trees, Prayer Trees, Burial Trees, Message Trees. Ponderosa Pine were usually used for Medicine Trees and Prayers Trees. Cedar Trees are Burial Trees and Aspen Trees are Message Trees.

Medicine Tree

Medicine Trees can be identified by the patch of missing bark. When Ute Medicine People needed to do a healing, they would first have a dream or vision in which a specific tree would speak to them. Trees or Tree People were spiritual helpers of The Ute. The Medicine People would then go to that tree and slice off a section of bark in the area where the person was afflicted. The inner bark was used to make medicine for the patient and the fire to make the medicine was started with wood and bark from the cut.

Medicine Tree

Prayer Trees were selected at an early age, usually when they were saplings, and bent or twisted using yucca rope. The leaves of the yucca plant are fibrous and can be used to make rope or baskets or mats. Once the tree was tied into position, everyone would circle the tree and pray. The members of the band would know that the tree would survive and hold their prayers for 800 years and each breeze would give their prayers new breath.

Prayer Tree

Burial Trees ~ Ute Medicine People carried the seeds of the cedar tree with them. Whenever a Medicine Person or a Chief died, a seed or seeds would be planted nearby. Should a seed be planted on or near rock outcroppings, rain catch pools and canals would be etched into the rock to ensure the trees survival.

Message Trees had Ute Signs or Glyphs carved into their bark. Utes did not have a written language but used pictures to tell a story.

*** I was unable to find any pictures of Burial Trees or Message Trees on the web ***

Don't forget to enter my September Give-Away!

Click Here to Enter!

The Utes

The Utes were the indigenous Native American tribe to most of Colorado and several of its neighboring states. They were not a large cohesive tribe but numerous nomadic bands that followed the migration of the herds. The Utes lived primarily in the Four Corner states but roamed further out when hunting buffalo, antelope, deer or elk. Many of the roads and highways in these regions follow old Ute migratory paths.

  

It is estimated that the Utes have lived in this area for a thousand years, having migrated from regions of northern Mexico. Their language belongs to the Uto-Aztecan language found in that same region. The Utes were skilled warriors who specialized in horse mounted combat.

Chief Ouray and his wife Chepeta are two of the more famous Utes. The town of Ouray in western Colorado is named after this Ute Chief. Chief Ouray was known as the Great Peacemaker and he negotiated several treaties with the U.S. Government.

The Tabeguache Band of the Ute traveled through the Pikes Peak region. They called Pikes Peak, Tava, which means "Sun" and took their name from the same word. Thus they were known as "People of the Sun or People of Sun Mountain".  They are one of  a few tribes which have an emergence myth rather than a creation myth. The Utes believe they originally came from the Pleiades constellation and emerged into this world on the slopes of Pikes Peak.

Cherokee Soap Factory

I love to try new and different kinds of soap. I recently purchased some soap from a place called the Cherokee Soap Factory. And I L♥VE it!  It is so gentle on the skin and the scents are so delicious! And the label of each bar of soap has the name of the soap written in Cherokee. 

The Cherokee Soap Factory is a home-based business  located in Collinville, Oklahoma and is owned and run by a Cherokee tribal member . He has developed a line of soaps that are inspired by the 7 sacred directions held by the Cherokee culture - North, South, East, West, Sun, Earth and Self. The soaps are 100% natural, made from all natural oils and essential oils for scents. Visit his website to learn more about the 7 sacred directions and the ingredients in each of the different bars.


Click here to visit his website!   The soap can be ordered off of his website.

Let Us Reconsider....

There are only a few causes which I will get up on my soapbox about. The treatment of the Native Americans in the U.S. is one of them.




link to video and website - click here!

Turquoise...A piece of Fallen Sky

Turquoise is the modern day gemstone for December. It is so named because it was initially brought to Europe by way of Turkey. This stone is one of the oldest stones known and one of the first gems to be used in jewelry.

Turquoise was considered by ancients to be a sacred stone, protective against all manners of evil and ill health. The Navajo believe that a piece of turquoise is actually a piece of the sky that has fallen to Earth.

Turquoise is one of the oldest protection amulets, and was also known as a symbol of wealth in many ancient cultures. If given turquoise by a loving friend, that stone would protect the wearer from negative energy and bring good fortune. Turquoise is the symbol of friendship. It also brings peace to the home.

This stone is a very personal and meaningful stone to one who wears it. Turquoise takes on the characteristics of the owner. Turquoise carries great wisdom of basic truth within it. It is important that the owner of a Turquoise give it the proper attention.

Cherokee Myth ~ The Milky Way

image source

The Milky Way

A Cherokee Tale from James Mooney's, 'History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees'

Some people in the south had a corn mill, in which they pounded the corn into meal, and several mornings when they came to fill it they noticed that some of the meal had been stolen during the night.
They examined the ground and found the tracks of a dog, so the next night they watched, and when the dog came from the north and began to eat the meal out of the bowl they sprang out and whipped him.
He ran off howling to his home in the north, with the meal dropping from his mouth as he ran, and leaving behind a white trail where now we see the Milky Way, which the Cherokee call to this day Gi li-utsun stanun yi, "Where the dog ran."

Cherokee Star Myth

image source

What the Stars are Like

A Cherokee story, told by Swimmer.
This tale can be found in James Mooney's, History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee.
Original publication dates of 1891 & 1900

One night a hunting party camping in the mountains noticed two lights like large stars moving along the top of a distant ridge. They wondered and watched until the light disappeared on the other side. The next night, and the next, they saw the lights again moving along the ridge, and after talking over the matter decided to go on the morrow and try to learn the cause.

In the morning they started out and went until they came to the ridge, where, after searching some time, they found two strange creatures about so large (making a circle with outstretched arms), with round bodies covered with fine fur or downy feathers, from which small heads stuck out like the heads of terrapins. As the breeze played upon these feathers showers of sparks flew out.

The hunters carried the strange creatures back to the camp, intending to take them home to the settlements on their return. They kept them several days and noticed that every night they would grow bright and shine like great stars, although by day they were only balls of gray fur, except when the wind stirred and made the sparks fly out.

They kept very quiet and no one thought of their trying to escape, when on the seventh night, they suddenly rose from the ground like balls of fire and were soon above the tops of the trees. Higher and higher they went, while the wondering hunters watched, until at last they were only two bright points of light in the dark sky, and then the hunters knew that they were stars.

Arrowheads

Both Hubby and I have a great interest in Native Americana. His interest comes from the fact that he is Cherokee and mine because I grew up in the Four Corners region of the Southwest. We have pottery, baskets, kachina dolls, and in-numerous books. Today I'll share with you our arrowhead collection.


Let me begin with a little background - Hubby's great-grandfather (fondly called Daddy Bill) was a rock hound. He was born in the 1890s and worked at various mines in the western US in his early years. He came across quite a few unique specimens. (more on those later) After he was married, he and his wife would search for rocks, fossils or arrowheads on their many vacations. Our collection is the fruit of their efforts.


Most of the collection was found in Oklahoma, which is where Daddy Bill was from. But quite a few came from the buttes outside the eastern Colorado town where they lived. Early Americans would sit upon the buttes watching for buffalo or antelope and while waiting, they would make arrowheads or spear points or bird points.


I am impressed with the precision with which these rock tools were made. The patience and skill required to make just one arrowhead, called flintknapping, awes me. Here is a video that shows some of the techniques involved. It's a bit long but fun to see the point take shape.



The type of rock used for the point, as well as for the knapping tool, varied depending on the section of the country. And there are various types of points, usually named after the area found or the time frame in which they were made - Clovis, Folsom, Plainview. There are quite a few videos on youtube about flintknapping and a wealth of information on the web - just Google the term flintknapping. Let me know if you would like more information and if you should decide to try it yourself, please let me know & I will show off your points!

They need your vote!!

Very, very seldom will I ask all you wonderful people out in Blogland to vote or sign a petition or whatever. But this is one of those instances......

There are only two causes that I will get on my soapbox about. Native American rights/causes and the care/adoption of Shelter Animals.

American Express in conjunction with NBC Universal will be recognizing an inspiring small business. Numerous small businesses submitted their information and three finalists have been chosen. The winner will receive $100,000 in grant and marketing support from American Express. I am asking that you go to this website, Shinealight, and vote for Sacred Wind Communications.

Sacred Wind Communications (SWC) is a for-profit telecommunications company with 40 employees and has a non-profit educational arm of the corporation which serves the Navajo people in New Mexico. They are building a state of the art telecommunications network to reach their current customers as well as over 6, 000 homes without access to telephone service of any kind. This is a very worthy cause and they need our votes! Thank you! ♥

*** you will be ask to register on the Shinealight website in order to vote.***