The Many Walks People
Do you walk the RED ROAD way? Do you know what it is to walk in this way? You may have come from many different walks of life to find yourself on the RED ROAD. You may even be alone on your journey. Something inside you became disillusioned with the status quo. You came looking for something that feels good in your heart, something that would connect you to the Earth and Sky. We have all come from many walks of life, from every race, religion and creed to find ourselves honoring the way of the Sacred Pipe, Sweet Lodge and the Medicine Wheel. We are the Many Walks People for this very reason. Some of us are Native Americans and some have a mix of ancestral blood. This is not the point. The point is that somewhere in your DNA something woke up and knew it needed to walk in a way of honor and respect for everything.
Grandfather Hollis Little Creek
In the 90’s Grandfather Hollis Little Creek came to Sedona Arizona. He began to share the way of his people. Grandfather Hollis was the Chief of the Martin Clan of the Red Lakes Anishinabeg. We would come to hear him speak and he would just sit there waiting for someone to ask a question. It took us a while to get it! Grandfather taught us to carve the red stone into Sacred Pipes. He took us into the Stones Peoples Lodge and someone asked him,” Can you die in there”. Hollis said, “I can’t think of a better place to die than in the womb of the EARTH MOTHER!” Grandfather Hollis Little Creek is no longer with us now. He passed his teachings to a hand full of seekers who now have the responsibility to carry these teachings. John Armbruster was one of those seekers and would become the driving force in creating a village of like minded seekers. John was the first person I met in Sedona he was my Chief and I was his fire keeper.
Schnebly Hill Medicine Wheel
John went up to Schnebly Hill one day and began to play his drum. Someone heard him and cam to join him. (You are not a chief because you want people to follow you. You become a chief because you do what your heart tells you and others see this and join with you to do that.) When John was finished drumming he then built the Schnebly Hill Medicine Wheel where we would gather for our full Moon Ceremonies. People from around the world would hear of this and gather with us as we created this Medicine Wheel Ceremony through trial and error. Grandfather Hollis would tell us, “You need to create your own ceremonies. The ceremonies of old do not fit these times. If you are to be a village you need your ceremonies that work for you”. Our numbers grew to the hundreds and it was time to come together as a village so John and his loving companion Cynthia Hopkins call together the Encampment Gatherings.
The Encampment Gathering
I was not at the first Encampment. I was working on a project in California. You might ask Cynthia Hopkins about that. However I was at the next seven and the power of these gatherings was amazing. Everyone responsibility for something they were good at and somehow every job had someone who was good at that. We built a Sweat Lodge and a Medicine Wheel. We had a kitchen stove built out of rock, mud and steal fence post. Those who had a special craft would teach their skill. Grandfather Hollis would have his camp set up across the creek keeping his eyes on all of us. At sun set we would start the fire for the Medicine Wheel Ceremony. There would be a hundred or more people gathered to work as one to fulfill goal of each Circle. After the Medicine Wheel Ceremony some of us would go into the Sweat Lodge and some of these Lodges would last until sun rise. Others would gather around camp fires, make smor’s, sing songs and just talk well into the night. I could write a book on the gatherings and perhaps I should but we need to keep moving.
A Great Lose
After the 8th Encampment Gathering some of us had moved on. John had gone to teach at several collages. Many of us became Sun Dancers at a number of locations around the country. Those who were still around like Mario Cruz, Cynthia Hopkins and Walter Iron Pipe would pour Sweats and run the Medicine Wheel Ceremonies on Schnebly Hill. At the end of the “All My Relations Sun Dance” in 1998 I was also asked to speak to the people and I did so for the next 3 years. During that time I was away, I got word too late that Grandfather Hollis had passed. It was too late for me to go to him….. Than just a few years later John Armbruster died in 2004, he was only 54 years old. I was able to return to Sedona to preside over Johns Crossing Over Ceremony with Cynthia. While on the journey to Sedona I received from creator 2 Red Tail Hawks, 2 Great Horned Owls, A Coppers Hawk and a Barn Owl, all of which were used in the Ceremony. If you were there you know who received them.
The Elders Gathering
Grandmother Daisy contacted me in the summer of 2005 and asked me to attend the Elders Gathering in Ohio. The Gathering was held on a private farm. It took much work to set up the space and build the Sweat Lodge. It seemed we worked more then we talked. We realized how much we had received from Grandfather Hollis Little Creek. This was not an easy gathering. Events took place that seemed to shatter the circle. The Sweat Lodge it seemed was dishonored. The next morning I arrived early and the Lodge called to me to sit inside. A Grandfather Rock asked me to pick it up and told me to break it in half. I did so, “Now break me again and again and again”. After breaking this Grandfather into many pieces with my bare hands it than told me to put it back together again and so piece by piece I did. “Now go tell the people of this” The grandfather told me.
A Grandfather Teaching
That morning we came together in a talking circle several people had some important things to discuss about the issue around last night’s Sweat Lodge. I sat there quietly holding this Grandfather Rock waiting for the opportunity to speak. We were to the point of falling apart as a group when they gave me a chance to speak. “This morning a Grandfather called to me and asked me to break it.” I broke the rock in half and down to all the smaller pieces as I had done earlier. Then the Grandfather told me to put it back together, I told them. So as I had done earlier I put the rock back together. Everyone watched in amazement as the Grandfather looked as if it had never been broken. I than stood up and walked to each person in the circle as I took the Grandfather apart again handing each of my friends a piece of this Grandfather Rock telling them, “This is the part of the village that you are”. The Grandfather had broken into just enough pieces for everyone at the circle to receive one including myself. “As this Grandfather has come back together so can we,” I told them and then I sat down.
A New Chief
After lunch we gathered again in the talking circle and it was time to honor everyone with gifts. Grandmother Daisy and Grandmother Micheala began to gift a number of people. When they came to me they were joined by Jolene Daisy’s sister. They called me Grandfather and I stood up as they handed me a large black cloth that was covering something. I removed the black cloth to receive a shield that made of Kangaroo hide with a Phoenix painted on it. The shield was made by Jolene White Buffalo Spirit Woman who would become my loving companion from that day forth. They were then joined by Grandfather Joseph Many horses as they announce to everyone there, “This is our New Chief!” Grandfather Joseph Many Horses then spoke of our friendship and of the Sun Dance that we both attended.
Gifts for All
I was then moved to gift everyone gathered although I had little to give in that I had traveled to the gathering on my motorcycle and had little more than my clothing and Sacred Medicine’s. I took my Red Tail Hawk fan out of its hilt made of buffalo hide and skin. I began removing each of the feathers as I passed one to each of who were gathered but not to all as there were not enough. So to Grandmother Daisy and Grandmother Micheala I gave my only two white Eagle tail feathers that I received from a living Eagle. To Dale Young who had brought this gathering together I gave my Sun Dance Eagle bone whistle. To Grandfather Joseph Many Horses I gave my Buffalo hilt that was made from the same piece of leather that I used to make Chief Joseph (Duke) Big Feathers, Buffalo skin shirt. The Shirt was worn at Bill Clintons Presidential Inauguration. Chief Joseph (Duke) Big Feather was Medicine Chief for the “Two Feathers Medicine Clan” and sponsor of the “All My Relations Sun Dance”. Shortly after this day Chief Joseph (Duke) Big Feather would also leave us.
