Sincere Thanks to our Blackfeet Friends

U.N. Millennium Service Goals Contributions by this team: 120 hours elder care; 216 hours labor toward improvements to alleviate poverty; 20 hours outreach for nutrition and health. In addition, we provided 63 hours direct administrative and clerical support of cultural education.

Final Service day: written by Anita, Woodville, WI

Sierra, Sherry and David to Eagle Shield – Sierra to ride the meal van, Sherry to serve dinner, and David to work and converse with Frank, who discussed his recycling program for Browning and to take David to visit a Buffalo jump.

Justin, Jeni, Erica and Jamie to Blackfeet Care Center – to work the dirt and to entertain the residents. Todd and Tim to the Community College – to work some construction project.
Peg- to drive and assist Françoise in meeting our host leaders and to familiarize herself with Browning. Maureen and Anita at the Head Start complex – to clean up and later to tour the hospital, along with Justin.

We gathered for supper at the Care Center and ate heartily the Indian Tacos. Carol was wonderful in explaining the ancestral ratios needed for the Blackfeet Indians to gain some Reservation revenue and why they are poverty-stricken. After eating, the 56th Global Volunteers team to Browning, MT presented a talent show to the Care Center residents during their supper. Here is the order of talent; by Jeni, Master of Ceremonies:

1) Tim – juggling three pins, three balls
2) Jeni – yoga poses x 3
3) Erica – piano solo x 2 songs
4) Jamie – song solo – “On Top of Spaghetti”
5) Francoise – song solo – “Dans le jardin de mon pere / in my father’s garden.”
6) David – recital of a poem he composed during this week – Montana Time Line
7) Justin,Jamie, Peg Maureen – a song with revised words to, “It’s a Small World After All.” And joined by other team members in the chorus lines.

After goodbyes were shared with the residents, the team said farewell to David, Sherry, Tim and Erica Staub and wished them well on their trip back to Great Falls, MT and on to Davenport, IA. The rest of the team returned to Head Start and prepared ourselves for the next morning departure. We were surprised and pleased with Sam and his wife, Lisa and smallest child, Brennan, when they visited us at 10:30PM and wished us goodbye. We all appreciated Sam in being our driver and introducing us to Blackfeet traditions.

Sat., June 20, 2009
Return to our lives, with our familiar family and friends and places we live and work and play….many of us experienced a bit of a “culture shock.” Thank you, Global Volunteers, for the opportunity to be a Service Learner.

This experience met my goals and each of you contributed wonderfully to this first, and I hope future, volunteer trip. I am entering the decade of my 60’s and I want to become a worthy elder. My 60th birthday was June 14 and I was happy to share it with you.

“OKI”….I never learned the Blackfeet word for goodbye…..

"Getting to Know You"

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: given by Tim (from Davenport, IA)
(From Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson)
Chp. 15 introduction: “Not hammer-strokes, but dance of the water, sings the pebbles into perfection.”
**Global Volunteers are part of the continuum in completing projects for their hosts. **

JOURNAL ENTRY: written by Todd (from Jeffersonville, IN)

It’s funny –living with strangers. Time truly is a trickster. He possesses a supernatural ability that allows him to manipulate environments, intensify experiences, and distort reason. That’s not a bad thing: in a brief span of time friendships are kindled, bonds are formed, circles are connected….has it only been a week? And it was Jamie who reminded me it is time the trickster who is now telling us that those prairies and mountains and streams and Indians who beckoned us to come here are now bidding us a gentle goodbye. Our tribe must disband…but time has a way of doing those things, doesn’t he? Indeed, it is a tribe here: a small band of humble warriors, wise men and sages, elders and care-givers, complete with a chief and yes, even our own medicine man. However, as we return home, it gives me comfort to know that our circle will not be broken, only pulled in different directions, acting not unlike a net to include those we live with and love and even those who may not understand. You see, true bonds can never really be broken, only altered. Personally, I look forward to returning to my own sacred circle to share my experiences with family and friends and students and to ask them to join us. I urge you to do the same…there’s plenty of room at the table.

As for yesterday, the team traveled to Glacier National Park, guests of the Blackfeet Confederacy. It was truly an honor to be included and acknowledged in the opening ceremony. The group was in high spirits on this day of medicine wheels and mountain tops, winding roads and waterfalls. The goodwill and humor was evident among the group, and why shouldn’t it have been given our spectacular surroundings. The day culminated with a short hike and a good meal at the lodge—a full day of listening and laughing, sharing and learning. Yes, it was a good day.

I’m sorry I could not be a better record keeper of the day’s events, but each of us will take away his or her own memories and experiences, and they will be our own. It’s sometimes difficult to explain the significance of our experiences much like it is difficult to find the words to explain the beauty and grandeur of these mountains…but they are there and they mean different things to each of us. Norman Maclean spoke of “spots of time,” a molecular moment frozen in time expounding beauty, harmony, and perfection; a moment forever unaltered when it is recalled in times of “tranquility.” Believe me when this bus driver tells you he has learned something along the way. I respect and enjoy each of you. As you conclude your journey and return to your own sacred circle in British Colombia, Iowa, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Georgia, or Maryland, I hope you see your home with new eyes as you enter it from the East.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: given by David (from Davenport, IA)

Montana Time Line
Father Time, overcomes
Mother Earth, conceiving
Geologic time.
Tectonic plates move:
West on East.

Snows Fall,
Glaciers cut U-shaped valleys.

Original peoples trickle in;
Generation by generation.

Later peoples trickle in;
Day by day.

Conflicts arise over resources.
Productive time overcomes geologic time.

Glaciers Disappear.
Resources dwindle.
Individuals become shooting stars across the Montana night Big Sky.

David also discussed the 3rd point in the GV manual under “Why do Americans act like that?” It is a point about time and its control.

JOURNAL ENTRY: written by Justin (from Vancouver, BC)

Our morning started off with Sierra and Ed, from the community college, starting a smudge. After the group did this, Maureen gave the thought of the day and Peg read us her journal.
Calvin Weatherwax from Real People Herb’s invited us to a presentation for the evening.

Harold also came to our morning meeting and Todd and Tim would end up tilling at the community gardens today. Anita really liked her data entry work because she found the Indian names fascinating. David continued working on the lawn at Eagle Shield. His weed whacker often malfunctioned but he enjoyed the conversations he had with some Blackfeet. Sherry and Maureen switched positions for the day; Maureen worked inside Eagle Shield while Sherry delivered meals. Erica got her wish of working with children. Jamie and Jeni made collages and played bingo at the Care Center while Sierra, Peg and I worked on the patio. Allen made our work a lot easier by tilling the ground twice for us. We also received a lot of help from the community. Dorothy, an elder at the Center, helped rake the dirt; she was very interesting to work with. We also received help from Terry and Alex, ages 6 and 5, near the end of the day. They were fun to work with.

After our evening meeting, Calvin Weatherwax arrived and we went over to his house. We met his wife Pauline, who makes the products. They served us peppermint tea, taught us about Blackfeet beliefs, kept us warm with blankets and showed us numerous herbs and products. Stu, the cute little puppy, was running around and nibbling at us the entire time. In the middle of the presentation, the clouds rolled in and a few droplets of rain started to fall. However, near the end, the sun came out. Our evening at the Weatherwax home ended with a full, double rainbow. It was also Francoise’s birthday…. Happy Birthday.

"We waged our own little act of peace today."

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: given by Maureen (from Rhinebeck, NY)
Advice from a lake:
Be Clear…. Make Positive Ripples…. Look Beneath the Surface… Stay Calm… Shore Up Friendships… Take Time to Reflect… Be Full of Life…
(Taken from Maureen's bookmark card.)

JOURNAL ENTRY: written by Peg (from New York, NY)

Our work options were similar to Monday. Maureen, Sherry and David headed back to Eagle Shield. Maureen was determined to travel with Sean out into the reservation and deliver 98 meals. Sherry served in the kitchen and David mowed the lawn. Anita stayed back to work with Ardis, a Blackfeet working with the EPA, testing water quality on the reservation, or “res,” as most say.

The remaining eight of us headed over to the Community Center where we continued to both dig the patio and Jeni, Jamie, Justin and Erica played hours of Bingo indoors. Barbara, a resident, is the reigning bingo champion, playing 8 cards at a time. Jamie, our youngest GV at 9 years of age, proudly came in 2nd.

Hungry and covered with a thin layer of dirt, we happily broke for lunch. Sam, our Indian driver and organizer for the Tuesday night “sweat”, met us there. A very tall and amiable man, Sam quickly explained he had a very busy morning and that he was “ornery.” Sadly, he further explained that his Auntie, an elder, had passed away that early morning. His whole day would be spent with the preparations. Having grown up on the res, Sam has a very large family – 180 first and second cousins on his side alone. He expected 1000 people would come to participate in the funeral and invited us to join in the proceedings. He explained that Auntie’s body had to remain where it was for at least 5 hours so that her spirit would realize “she had passed.” To move her sooner might jeopardize her journey. The proceedings would be mostly Blackfeet, although as Catholics, there would also be a Catholic ceremony. Committed to his promise, the sweat would continue and arrangements were made to pick us up at 5PM and head to Heart Butte.

I spent 3 days at Glacier National Park before coming to the Blackfeet Reservation and it was magnificent. The ride to Heart Butte took my breath away. Taking this ride showed me a tiny glimpse into the great, beautiful expanse of this reservation.

For lack of an easier explanation, a sweat is a spiritual sauna set amidst the beautiful outdoors. The Indians use it as a means to pray and purify. This sweat was a 36 stone sweat and a sweat can be as large as 88 stones. Sam’s brother, Mike and cousin, Stewart, joined us. The stones are placed in the center of the sweat lodge, signifying the center of the universe. Four sessions of praying and singing ensue. Emergence from each session symbolizes the birth from the womb, each emergence approaching pureness. We began the ceremony wishing Aunt Mary a safe journey, thanking the Creator for the right to participate and praying for our families and new friends. Sierra, Jeni, Tim and Todd participated in all 4 sessions. Jamie, and Sam’s two children, Asherde and Jamison, bravely joined in the second session. Sam and Stewart kindly sang to them in Indian to alleviate their fears. He was happy to have “their Purity” adding to their prayers…All who participated were extremely moved by the experience.
A beautiful sunset ended the day and I can unequivocally say, “we waged our own little act of peace in the world today.”