Flint Hills Wisdom Keepers Gathering -- Program Update

Join us for our annual gathering in the Flint Hills of Kansas to both share and find inspiration.

Besides our previously announced 2013 Native American Elders and Presenters, we are very honored that The International Council of Thirteen Grandmothers will be represented at our Gathering by:

Grandmother Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance (Oglala Lakota)

Contact Diane Barker at fhwisdomkeepers@gmail.com or call 785-539-9163 with any questions.

Go to fhwisdomkeepers.org for registration information. Be sure to periodically check website for program changes/updates. ~SPONSORED BY THE FLINT HILLS WISDOM KEEPERS FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS~

Follow us on Twitter @fhwisdomkeepers or join the conversation on our Blog at fhwisdomkeepers.blogspot.com.

More Information regarding The International Council of Thirteen Grandmothers is available on their website at grandmotherscouncil.org.

Featured Activities of 2013: Auction "Fun"raiser

Typically, the last activity we enjoy as a group is a fundraising auction held on Sunday evening after dinner. For those who have experienced a past FHWK auction, all would attest to the fun had by every person in the room. It is even a chance to hone your competitive bidding skills on those items you just cannot live without!   All of the funds generated are used to directly support the Elders through honorariums and to cover other Gathering expenses.

Although not necessary for participation in the auction, we do accept your generous donation of items to go up for auction. In past years, there has been large variety of items donated…enlightening books, beautiful jewelry works-of-art, handmade “spirit-inspired” sacred rattle, snow snake (what every grown-up kid needs), pottery, clothing, and the list goes on and on. Think of it as an opportunity to practice sustainable living where items collecting dust at home are repurposed or reused by another!

Please bring some cash or a check to cover your auction “booty”! The Board thanks you in advance for your generosity of item donations. Your participation in the auction will help to make this and future Gatherings possible.

Featured Activities of 2013: Drum Workshop

For those interested, Rick McBride, a mixedblood Tsalagi (Cherokee), will lead a drum workshop on Saturday evening during the Gathering.  Each participant will learn to make their own personal hand drum using either a 14-inch round or 15-inch octagonal custom-built frame (nominal sizes).  Rick will explain the sacred nature of this special instrument and help you understand how to make the connection between your drum and the beat of your heart.   For more information and to register, go to  http://mixedblood.info/Drum_workshop_registration.html.  Space is limited so make sure to act soon!

Featured Activities of 2013 -- Special Guest

Grandmother Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance – During our Gathering in 2012, we hosted a screening of the film For the Next 7 Generations, an acclaimed documentary produced and directed by Carole Hart, which captures the essence of the “13 Grandmothers” who have come together from all corners of the globe for the common purpose of helping to bring awareness, respect, and healing to our Mother Earth. The film truly resonated with those Gathering participants able to attend the screening. Since then, we sponsored a second screening on the campus of Kansas State University to share their extraordinary vision in restoring balance to our Mother earth for the sake of many generations to come.

This year, we are immensely honored to have with us, one of the “13 Grandmothers”, Grandmother Rita, who will be accompanied by her son, Nathan Blindman, also featured in the film. Grandmother Rita and her sister, Grandmother Beatrice, are part of a group of thirteen indigenous grandmothers who came together in 2004 from around the world to form an alliance for the good of all beings.

In their mission statement, they declare:  WE, THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF THIRTEEN INDIGENOUS GRANDMOTHERS, represent a global alliance of prayer, education and healing for our Mother Earth, all Her inhabitants, all the children, and for the next seven generations to come. We are deeply concerned with the unprecedented destruction of our Mother Earth and the destruction of indigenous ways of life. We believe the teachings of our ancestors will light our way through an uncertain future. We look to further our vision through the realization of projects that protect our diverse cultures: lands, medicines, language and ceremonial ways of prayer and through projects that educate and nurture our children. More information regarding The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers is available on their website at http://www.grandmotherscouncil.org/.

Let us raise our voices with them in their prayer for peace and unity of purpose. Let us be inspired to take on the challenge of this urgent mission to heal our world. Let us find that kernel of grandmother wisdom within each and every one of us. Let us act accordingly with our seed of wisdom, exceeding our human potential.

Elders and Presenters of 2013

Lloyd Elm - Ganunsasay (New House) - Onondaga: (Lakota name: He stands with children) Lloyd is a credentialed educator with leading influence in both the academic and traditional Native worlds. As a purposeful Sundancer, his personal sacrifice and prayers have benefited many including the contemporary Tibetan cause. 

Della Romero - Pueblo/Ute:  Della is a Sundancer and pipe carrier. Della attended past Wisdom Keepers gatherings at the request of deceased Wisdom Keepers Elder, Grandmother Bertha Grove, who has designated Della to carry on her work.  Della's work as supervisor in family therapy includes experiences with youth on her reservation and other Indian centers.  Her dedication to youth lends itself to providing needed care and sharing of tribal traditions for the coming Seven Generations. 

Minisa Crumbo Halsey - Wabaksekwe (Dawn Woman) - Citizen Band Potawatomi/Muscogee Creek: Minisa brings professional artistry from her Native childhood home to her present professional practice in the arts of painting, silversmithing, lapidary arts, ceramics, basketmaking, beadwork, and quilting.  She practices medicine work in presenting traditional women's ways and endeavors to work in harmony with the natural and spiritual elements of "Mother Earth and Father Sky-Sun........that we might truly be alive in a living world."

Mike Bastine - Algonquin: Mike is an Algonquin healer and former student of famous Tuscarora medicine man Wallace “Mad Bear” Anderson and Tuscarora healer Ted Williams.  In 2011, he co-authored the book entitled IROQUOIS Supernatural: Talking Animals and Medicine People with Mason Winfield.

Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance - Oglala Lakota: Grandmother Rita has spent much of her life on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. She is descended from Long Visitor and is a member of the Crazy Horse Band, named for the great warrior, Crazy Horse. Grandmother Rita is described as a Lakota keeper of the traditional ways, great grandmother, Native American Church elder, and beadworker. She is a member of the Council of Language Elders, focusing on Oglala Lakota language immersion and teaching their native tongue to both children and elders. Read more about Grandmother Rita, as our very special guest this year, on the Featured Activities page.

One Earth. One Voice.

http://www.oneearth-onevoice.org/learn-the-song/

Flint Hills Wisdom Keepers Gathering 2013