Indian world...

The Cleveland Plain Dealer is to be commended for its series on Ohio's Wyandot Indians, which helps remind us of the struggle of Native Americans in our state. The series provides mostly an historical account of the Wyandots during the "Contact" and Post-Contact" periods, when the Wyandot world intercepted the world of early White settlers in Ohio. These were the latter days of the Wynadot. The tribe's roots are much deeper than those reflected in the series.

I have had an attachment to the Indian world since my childhood. I have always felt that I was born with a curiosity about the Native world, which has grown in many different directions across my life. As a child, I could spend entire days walking freshly plowed farm fields looking for arrowheads and other evidence of our earliest citizens. The quest to find the perfect arrowhead kept me searching throughout the day, but the adventure was never complete until I had fully envisioned in my mind's eye how these ancient men and women lived when Nature had little competition from Man.

I sensed the hardship faced by the Indian even then. I knew that life was not easy, as they struggled to find food, water and other essentials. Deep inside, I knew these challenges are what made the Indian what he/she was. It was not until much later that I came to understand the problems facing the Indian in the modern (post-modern) world. Living three years in Arizona helped me to understand what the contemporary Indian world was like. The reservations were pitiful places in the late 1960s. And yes, life on the res has improved in some ways, but it is a far cry from the forests and deserts that the Indian freely lived in during earlier times.

I felt so strongly about the Indian world, that I completed an undergraduate degree in Anthropology/Archeology. The world of the North American Indian came naturally to me. I sensed what it was all about, even beyond what my teachers and the books I read had to say about the Indian world. Rather than continue my studies in this heart-felt area, I allowed my practical Capricorn nature to lead me to more pragmatic ways of making a living. I will always be an archeologist doing economic development work.

The Indian world was placed on hold in my life until the mid-1990s when I assumed management of a 3-year project to assist Midwestern tribes with sustainable development projects. It was a joy to be re-united with the Indian world. Working with tribes was not easy, given the long history of distrust and unmet expectations between Indian country and the White world. I found a way of being that Indians accepted, as much as they accepted any White man setting foot on the res. Our work with tribes was practical, but what interested me most was the Indian spirit world. I have tried to teach myself what I can about this world over the past 6-7 years. The Indian spirit has become a part of who I am in strange sort of way. For me, the Indian spirit has become a path to find my own inner wisdom and a way to find balance and connectedness in my life.

More and more, I find myself walking in the footsteps of the Indian. It is a comfortable pace that keeps me connected with Nature and other important things in life. It is a place to heal my ignorance and to contemplate the meaning of my life in a larger context. So, when I read the recent Plain Dealer stories about the Wyandot people, it helps me find my own path into the Indian world of wisdom and deeper connection with the web of life.

And yes, the medicine wheel is a part of my future journey. I feel it coming. There will be important learning and growth in all this for me. It feels like a good path to walk...