Thoughts on Ancestral Rights

I couldn’t help laughing when I came across an article that contained this quote from Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark) where he states: “The Jewish people’s legal and historic rights to Judea and Samaria goes back thousands of years.  The U.S. should stop using the politically charged term West Bank to refer to the biblical heartland of Israel.” [Emphasis added.]

What does that have to do with this blog mostly dedicated to Native Americans? Can you not see where I’m going with this?

Okay, let’s say the quiet part out loud:

If the U.S. believes that Israel has “historic rights that go back thousands of years,” what about Native American’s rights to their lands? Like, for example, let’s say the entire Western Hemisphere!

In my mind, the most shameful is land seized by conquest to say nothing of attempted genocide, while purchases like Manhattan Island for $24’s worth of trinkets aren’t much better.

Did the white man steal Native Americans’ land?

You bet they did!

I don’t believe in coincidences for a variety of reasons. Thus, I don’t consider it an accident that the same day I encountered that article about Israel I also came across one recounting the Fort Robinson Breakout back in January 1879.

If that incident doesn’t ring a bell, that is when Chiefs Little Wolf and Morningstar (a.k.a. Dull Knife) refused to return to Indian Territory in Oklahoma as directed by the U.S. Army. Rather, they insisted on returning to their homeland. After being nearly starved and frozen to death, they decided to escape. The hardships they suffered and loss of life they endured to return to their ancestral home is heartbreaking.

Land they maintained was given to them by the Great Spirit.

If you’ve read “The Revenge of Dead Horse Canyon: Sweet Medicine Spirits – Novavose,” then you can fully understand why the Israel statement’s irony struck me like it did.

If not, let me explain.

Karl Schlesier’s book, “The Wolves of Heaven: Cheyenne Shamanism, Ceremonies, and Prehistoric Origins” was an important reference developing the final book in the Curse of Dead Horse Canyon Trilogy. Schlesier is a German anthropologist who attributed the Bighorn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming (shown at the top of this article) to the Cheyenne and provided evidence that led him to believe it was the site of their ancient ceremony called the Massaum. (You can see my review of his book here.)

The Massaum, which Schlesier describes in fascinating, albeit laborious, detail, is also known as the “Earth Giving Ceremony.” It is likewise referred to by George Bird Grinnell and Peter J. Powell in their works about the Northern Cheyenne people. The first Massaum was conducted tens of thousands of years ago by Cheyenne prophet, Sweet Medicine, when he accepted land gifted to them from Maheo as their ancestral homeland. That land was centered on the Sacred Mountain in the Black Hills with them also given the right to expand their hunting ground by conducting the same ceremony.

I don’t know about you, but I suspect the reason the U.S. Government yielded and eventually gave them the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeast Montana was because it was part of the land consecrated for them by the Creator God through the Massaum.

But what about the rest of their land, “from sea to shining sea?”

Another thing that really gets me riled up is how much the U.S. Government has done for other “conquered” lands, e.g. Japan and Germany. Who attacked us or our allies during World War II! Yet, they allowed those countries to remain in the hands of their original occupants while giving them a whole lot of financial help rebuilding.

What have they done for First Americans other than break treaties and allow far too many to suffer in Third World conditions? Then an even bigger slap in the face, when for the past four years, illegal aliens were welcomed with payments far larger than my monthly Social Security benefit, which I earned.

That sounds an awful lot like speaking with a forked tongue, don’t you think?

But that’s another blog (or should I say rant?) for another time.

Meanwhile, I got my personal “revenge” in the grand finale of the Curse of Dead Horse Canyon Trilogy. I suspect there isn’t a single Indigenous person who would disagree.

P.S. And just for the record, I’m about as white as you can get. My ancestry is strictly Western European, some of which goes back to the Colonial Era in the late 1600s in Connecticut. That said, I’m ashamed and embarrassed by what my forefathers did.

[NOTE:–If you’re interested in more information related to the Israel issue, you can find the full article I referenced here.]

Review of “Memories of MK-ULTRA: Journey of Discovery from Darkness to Deliverance” by Bill Yarborough

This book deserves to be a Best Seller for more reasons than I can count. For one thing, it’s informative. If you’ve never heard of MK-ULTRA, this will give you a close-up-and-personal view of what it was about.  If you’re naive or unaware of some of the things that the U.S. Government has done, then it’s going to enlighten you in that area, also.

Indigenous people were not the only people the government lied to and abused. Many of their own natural-born citizens were used in experiments, often without their knowledge, much less consent.

Previous to reading this story I knew the basics of this program, specifically that it involved the CIA following up on work in mind-control techniques conducted by the Nazis during WWII. That alone, much less being highly classified, should be enough to demonstrate it was nothing short of evil.  

I happened upon this book at an opportune time. Based on what I knew, I used MK-ULTRA as a backstory for a character in my latest book, “Revenge of Dead Horse Canyon: Sweet Medicine Spirits – Novavose.”

Oddly enough, while writing the story, MK-ULTRA arrived at my muse’s bidding and I wondered if it was a credible explanation for one of the character’s idiosyncrasies. My research seemed to validate it, but it was gratifying when nothing in this story contradicted what I’d assumed. Numerous scenarios in this book fit my character’s odd traits perfectly.  Synchronicity, perhaps?

Actually, I have some very sharp muses who lead me to all sorts of things that turn out to be accurate and a perfect fit for the plot. Which is what I love about writing fiction.

The fact that the author is an MK-ULTRA survivor says it all. While written as a novel, the level of detail is such that its reality is inescapable. It pulls you right in, moving along at a fast pace and alternating between Tommy Matthews’ life after being subject to their experiments and flashbacks indicating what was done to him to motivate it.

While all the antagonists in the story are certainly evil, some are darker than others. From the purely scientific side, understanding how the brain and memory work is fascinating, useful data. It helps psychiatrists understand and help their patients. But when it turns to controlling another person’s life by programming them as an innocent child to pursue a malevolent destiny it’s another story. Using torture such as isolation, hallucinatory drugs, electric shock, and ritual sexual abuse to achieve it definitely treads on criminal as well as unethical ground.

Preventing this sort of thing is what the post-WWII Nuremburg Trials were all about!

It was fascinating to read of Tommy’s perceptions, then learn how that particular impression was programmed into him in the next chapter. One question that ran in the back of my mind was how on earth could responsible parents subject their children to such experiments? This was clarified by the end, which made it even more tragic. Some people simply should not be allowed to have children.

Yet who is qualified to define the criteria? Years ago, Indigenous people were subjected to forced sterilization as a means of genocide. Again, by the U.S. Government. See what I mean? Who decides who’s qualified to be a proper parent? Certainly not the government!

If brain research tell us anything, it’s that there are other realities outside the corporeal world and that “consciousness” goes beyond what is visible with our natural eyes. Aliens, UFOs, remote viewing, prophecy, shamanism, near-death experiences (NDEs), and everything else defined as “paranormal” are elusive when it comes to scientific investigation. Thus, closed-minded people dismiss them as hoaxes, imagination, superstitions, and so forth.

While this story did not emphasize the paranormal, there were enough references to sense its presence, which gave it all the more interest. My jaw literally dropped when I read the last sentence in Chapter 76.

When the three children grow up and start to remember and compare notes, it’s impossible to put the book down. I’m not a fan of “horror stories” and elements in this story fall into that realm, some downright gruesome, cruel, and heartbreaking. While it’s shocking that these innocent children and numerous others were subjected to these horrific experiments, the author presented them in an objective, journalistic way rather than exploit them in a graphic, gratuitous manner. Nonetheless, you cannot “unsee” what was revealed.

Anyone who doesn’t believe that a battle for the minds and souls of men has existed for millennia  needs to read this book. If you know nothing about MK-ULTRA you are likely to be shocked. But being blind to unpleasant realities is what allows evil to persist, often right beneath our noses.

You can get a copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Memories-MK-Ultra-Discovery-Darkness-Deliverance/dp/1963844262/

The End is Here! The “Dead Horse Canyon” Trilogy is now Complete!

The final volume of the award-winning trilogy is now available! The paperback will be released on January 7, BUT if you act between January 4 – 7, you can get an electronic version of the explosive conclusion for a bargain price at the vendors listed below.

Loaded with new twists and turns, familiar characters and a few new ones, fans of this saga can now find out “the rest of the story.”

The paperback is 581 pages long, which tells you something right there! A tremendous amount of research was done to embellish the story with Cheyenne history and traditions, which fit beautifully into the story.

Learn more about the book here.

We believe the ending should make Native Americans and their supporters smile.

Get your ebook copy now for only $3.99 at most vendors, the other books in the series on sale for that amount as well until the official release of the paperback on January 7.

Don’t wait! Get your copy now!

Amazon

Google Play

Kobo

Vivlio

Fable

More Sources Coming Soon!

Native American Heritage Day 2024

The Sacred Mountain (Bear Butte State Park, South Dakota)(Photo by John Brueske, Shutterstock)

Today is Native American Heritage Day, a time to remember and appreciate Native Americans and their rich culture. An important element of indigenous culture has always been their sacred sites.

The main theme of the third and final book in the Dead Horse Canyon saga, “Revenge of Dead Horse Canyon: Sweet Medicine Spirits — Novavose” is the importance of the Sacred Mountain, known also as Bear Butte State Park, in South Dakota.

In the final volume of the trilogy Charlie fulfills his vow to make a pilgrimage to the site for a four day ceremonial fast. What he learns there is not only startling, but charges him with the responsibility of bringing his people back to their sacred ceremonies as originally taught by Sweet Medicine, specifically a five-day ritual known as the Massaum, the “earth giving ceremony.”

The video above notes the importance of sacred sites. You can find more information related to the video in the article on the Native American Rights Fund website here.

In writing the Dead Horse Canyon Saga, I have done a tremendous amount of research. Many of the books you see below I have read and/or referenced in writing the trilogy to assure accuracy as well as discover new material to integrate in the plot.

Of course coauthor, Pete Risingsun, is the final authority on Cheyenne culture, but he also discovered new information, especially from the two volumes of Peter J. Powell’s “Sweet Medicine.” What a godsend they were as was the work of many other anthropologists such as George Bird Grinnell and, in more modern times, Karl H. Schlesier. Without their work, the Dead Horse Canyon story would not have all the rich detail we were able to incorporate. We have made every effort to be as accurate as possible with reference to historical events as well as Northern Cheyenne ceremonies.

What I have learned writing this trilogy with Pete has opened my eyes to the many injustices Indigenous people have suffered for hundreds of years due to colonization, not only in the United States but also abroad.

The release date is January 7, 2025! It has taken far longer than expected, for which Pete and I apologize. However, we believe it will be worth the wait.

If you haven’t yet read the first two books, you have time to do so before this one comes out. Without knowing the entire story, you may be able to follow this final volume, but it will have far more meaning if you’re familiar with the other two.

I’m confident that Indigenous readers will be very pleased with the ending as well as those of us who love and appreciate Native American culture and pray they eventually receive the retribution they deserve for centuries of abuse. It’s truly a travesty that immigrants are welcomed and allowed to retain their culture while America’s original inhabitants continue to be treated so unfairly.

On this special day, may we all pray with them that they will receive the respect they deserve and gain access to their sacred sites and cultures and that they will be preserved.

Where have all the leaders gone?

As always, Navajo Wally Brown does a fantastic job in the following video summing up what it takes to be a great leader.

Sad but true, lack of leadership has brought the United States to where we are today. Caring for the people you lead is paramount. Who wants to follow someone who is exploiting their people for power and financial gain and sets a poor example of a moral individual?

Once again, Native Americans have shown that their culture is far superior to what has been the norm in Western culture for millennia.

Leadership starts in the home. Respect for authority is important, but must be earned and deserved. Just because someone has a title does not mean they’re worthy to be obeyed or followed. Do you have the courage to stand for truth?

Like Wally says in the video, leaders are not necessarily born. They are raised. Everyone has the capability with the right training and example. His story about the blind sheep is so apropos for today’s world.

What qualities do you think are essential for a leader? How many of those traits do you have? What can you teach to those around you, especially the youth who will inherit the mess the world is today?

Returning to true principles based on love is the only way.

Native Power!

November is Native American Heritage month! To kick it off, the organization, IllumiNative, has produced a short video highlighting Native American accomplishments.

Our world has so much to gain by recognizing and adopting Native American principles. Take a few moment to browse the IllumiNative website to see the many influences that have not received the publicity they deserve. Native influence is everywhere! Celebrate and share!

Review of “Skinwalkers” by Tony Hillerman

After binge watching the first two seasons of Dark Winds with my granddaughter, I wanted to see what the Hillerman books are like. I chose this one hoping for the mystery and intrigue seen in the TV rendition of another novel in the series, “Listening Woman,” which comprised the basis for the first season.

The story centers around three murders that Navajo Tribal Police Lieutenant, Joe Leaphorn, is trying to connect and solve. Someone has also tried to kill Officer Jim Chee by firing a shotgun into his trailer. Strange bone beads are found in the victims, one of which is also found in Chee’s trailer, which are what introduces the possibility of witchcraft into the story.

While I enjoyed it, it lacked the creepy sense of magic I expected. It had plenty of plot twists and the usual suspense regarding “whodunnit” but didn’t quite measure up to what I was hoping for, especially with such an intriguing title. Very little was mentioned about those entities, much less sorcery and the dark side of the Navajo culture, other than in a vague, informative way. All it touched on was the belief that such existed and that it may have been behind the murders. Needless to say, this is something that Navajos don’t like to talk about, but makes fascinating stories.

There were a few good tidbits about the Navajo culture, however, such as not mentioning the name of the deceased and “wearing out their name.” The significance of the bone beads was likewise fascinating, but not as creepy or scary with paranormal implications as they could have been described.

No doubt the TV show “The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch” on the History Channel, which is indeed fascinating, gripping, and usually creepier and scarier than this book, is going to send readers to this series and more specifically this particular book. If that’s your motivation, be warned you are likely to be disappointed, as I was.

I may try another book in the series, perhaps a newer one written by Anne Hillerman, Tony’s daughter, who assumed writing the series upon her father’s passing. Far be it from me as a fellow author to criticize books that are best sellers, but as a reader it did not measure up to what I expected. (The problem with being an author yourself is you’re not an unbiased reader anymore, but part editor and part critic.)

This book was written in 1986 and they’ve updated the cover, but I don’t know if they’ve also reprinted it. The hardcover copy I received from an Amazon vendor was clearly used and had a pricetag on it from Goodwill for $4.99 while I paid $17.62.

You can pick up a copy on Amazon here:

or try https://www.bookfinder.com for a better deal on books that are out of print or been around for awhile.

Sure you can trust the government. Just ask an Indian…

The quote above is often attributed to Henry Ford, but in trying to confirm that, I struck out. Several have said something similar and millions agree.

The evidence is in this book, which is both shocking and heartbreaking. Its essence is captured in its subtitle: “The case of 60,000 murdered children and the man who surfaced their fate.”

The author, Kevin Annett, was a priest associated with the United Church in Canada. In the course of his ministry he uncovered evidence of the genocide committed against Native American children in the government sponsored Residential Schools. Witnesses who’d survived the schools told horror stories of children being murdered before their eyes. He proceeded to take it upon himself over the course of decades to expose these crimes and achieve justice for the victims and the survivors. Note that these “schools” weren’t closed down until 1996!

“The day I saw my little brother Benny get beaten to death by a Catholic priest, I prayed to the Great Mystery to someday give me the chance to get justice for him.” — Albert House of the Anishinaabe-Ojibwe nation

Naturally, governments and churches wield their power to protect their own, making exposing their crimes an herculean task. In February 1998 Annett and survivor Harriett Nahanee launched a campaign to publicize the death camp crimes and prosecute those responsible.

This led to the first public inquiry in June 1998. It convened under the auspices of the United Nations affiliate, International Human Rights Association of American Minorities (IHRAAM). IHRAAM recommended to the United National Human Rights Commission that Canada and its churches be formally charged with genocide. But diplomatic pressure  prevented such action and IHRAAM withdrew its statements.

How typical.

Ten years later in 2008 Canada admitted to some of it, yet whitewashed it by indemnifying and exonerating all the guilty parties. Meanwhile, Harriett Nahanee had been murdered in prison.

In 2010 Annett helped found the International Tribunal of Crimes of Church and State (ITCCS) which sponsored the International Common Law Court of Justice (ICLCJ) that tried and convicted Canada and its churches of genocide and compelled Pope Benedict and three Catholic cardinals to resign their offices during 2013. Their success sparked a worldwide movement to establish common law courts and sovereign Republics to replace criminally convicted churches and governments.

Today genocide continues as part of China’s economic penetration of North America to seize oil and gas resources by displacing indigenous communities in northern British Columbia and Alberta. This is being done with the support of the Canadian government, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and the same churches, which continue to traffic and murder indigenous children. More native people die in police custody in Vancouver than any city in Canada.

Needless to say, you’re not going to hear about any of this in the mainstream media. Anyone who thinks that genocide ended with World War 2 needs to wake up. More information about these incidents can be found at the website https://www.murderbydecree.com

Of course Annett was “punished” for his actions by the United Church by defrocking him as a minister in a shamelessly biased kangaroo court. He was never told what he was accused of, witnesses in his favor were disallowed, and there were clear conflicts of interest with those conducting the hearings. All details of the bogus procedures are described in the book. Furthermore, they paid his wife to divorce him and set out to do everything possible to destroy his life and livelihood.

“Physical assaults and public smears against Kevin increased and his native supporters began to be killed by police or while in jail or in the hospital.” (p. 50)

I can’t begin to summarize the background any better than what is stated in the book and I quote:

“Between the years 1889 and 1996 tens of thousands of indigenous children across Canada were deliberately and systematically murdered by the Crown of England, the Canadian government, and the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and United Church. These killings occurred in internment camps operated by these churches and authorized by the Crown, and deceptively called ‘Indian residential schools.’

“For the first year of their operation, the annual death rate in these camps was between 25% and 70%: A genocidal mortality rate that continued for over half a century. As a result, more than 60,000 of these children died.

“This enormous mortality was caused by a deliberate and continual practice by all the churches of starving children and housing the healthy ones with those sick and dying from tuberculosis and smallpox while denying them medical treatment and any form of care; in short, by a regime of institutionalized germ warfare designed to “find a final solution to the Indian Problem,” according to Duncan Campbell Scott, the Deputy-Superintendent of Indian Affairs, in May, 1910.

“Every crime defined as genocide under international law was perpetrated in these Christian internment camps, including murder, mental and physical torture, starvation, slave labor, systematic beatings, gang rape, sex trafficking, destruction of family, sexual sterilizations, involuntary drug testing, medical experimentation, and daily, mandatory brutality.

“When I was six years old, I saw a little girl killed right in front of me by a nun… The girl she killed…was five years old. The nun kicked her hard in the side of the heck and I heard this terrible snap. She fell to the floor and didn’t move. She died right in front of us. Then the nun told us to step over her body and go to class. That was in 1966.” –Steven H, St. Paul’s Catholic Day School

“These crimes were inflicted on children as young as four years old according to a mandatory death quota and torture regimen established by these churches and the government. The purpose of this operation was genocidal: to exterminate the remaining indigenous nations and seize their lands and resources by killing off or enslaving most of their children.

“From its inception, this genocide was authorized, perpetrated, and concealed by every level of state, judicial, police, and church authority in Canada until the camps officially closed in 1996. The master plan for this genocidal operation was adopted on November 25, 1920 at a meeting in Ottawa of top officials of the Canadian government and the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches (the latter two being the forerunners of the United Church of Canada, formed in 1925 by an Act of Parliament.”

“The master genocidal plan was made Canadian law by a special Order in Council on July 1, 1920. It required every indigenous child seven years or older to be interned in an ‘Indian school’ or face arrest and imprisonment.”  (p. 11-14)

Unless you’ve had your head in the sand the past few years and/or have a naive and horrendously misplaced trust of government and various powerful institutions including the Vatican and main stream media, this should not come as a surprise. I must say I was nonetheless shocked by the scope and blatant actions of church and state, but had no trouble believing it.

“Richard Rubenstein, a chronicler of the Nazi Holocaust, observed that modern states have the legal power to render their own citizens into stateless people without rights prior to their wholesale destruction.” (p. 6)

The evidence in this book is sickening but irrefutable.

It’s essential for everyone to wake up. Recognize what is going on and that the COVID debacle is more of the same. Indigenous people have been the target for centuries.

Who’s next?

Bear in mind that no one of any skin color, religion, national origin, or ethnicity can be assured that it won’t be them.

One more thing.

For those of you who are white like myself, can you begin to understand why our race is hated?

Get your copy on Amazon here:

Native American Heritage Day

If there were ever a time when we need healing at a personal, national, and planetary level it is now. There is no greater wisdom to help achieve such peace than that found in Native American culture.

A culture that Western Civilizations tried desperately to destroy.

Yet Indigenous people survived.

The U.S. Constitution was modeled after the government in place amongst Native Peoples. Why did it work for them for millennia while it’s falling apart here after a few hundred years?

Where did we go wrong?

Reverence for the Earth Mother and all creation were integral to their culture. Resources, whether animals, vegetation, or minerals were treated with respect. Our efforts to achieve a “green” society is laughable by comparison. Our power grid can’t even withstand a hot summer day or winter storm. How will it handle millions of electric cars?

The way history is taught, Native Americans are represented as ignorant savages. Christian missionaries were sent to teach Indigenous people about God. Navajo elder, Wally Brown, sums up his culture’s beliefs in the Great Spirit and the existence of an evil one in the following video.

Maybe we should have been listening instead.

The Great Spirit and his messages were seen everywhere. The symbolism behind their ceremonies, dress, and practices is deep, often sacred, and served as a constant reminder to keep watch for messages from the world around them. In addition to physical senses they had spiritual senses, which have been beaten out of today’s “modern” culture by fake science.

People seeking the meaning in life with the desire to expand their spirituality are returning to Native American philosophies. Even science is turning to them for answers as it admits “paranormal” phenomena are real.

How ironic that so many answers lie with the very people governments tried to destroy.

On this special day may we admit the wrongs of the past and listen as we should have centuries ago.

When Life Gets in the Way. . .

I am acutely aware I’ve been a very negligent author for the past several months. Events transpired for both myself and coauthor, Pete Risingsun, that got in the way of our completing the Dead Horse Canyon trilogy on schedule. I apologize to all those who are biting their nails waiting for Book III. Clearly, it did not come out in the spring of 2022 as previously stated on this website!

Rest assured, however, that we are committed to finishing the story. If all goes according to plan (which may be expecting too much of the Universe) we hope to finish it by next summer (2024).

While we have a pretty good idea of what’s going to happen, that often changes once writing it down commences since our characters have minds of their own and don’t always do as they’re told. Furthermore, there are multiple plot threads to weave together in a cohesive way, which takes time and lots of rewriting for it to make sense.

I promise you will not be disappointed or bored! I truly look forward to getting into the story again and interacting with Charlie, Sara, White Wolf, and all the others. They are like extended family to me and I’ve missed them, no matter how weird that may sound to non-authors. (You don’t have to be crazy to be an author, but it helps.)

So what happened?

In a nutshell, events transpired that ultimately drove both Pete and I to different respective homes since the end of 2022. Previously, I was in Texas and he was in Montana. He’s still in Montana, but in a different town.

In my case, last April I finally left the sun-parched and drought-ridden wasteland of Central Texas for my ancestral homeland of New York State. I got out just in time, based on the summer they’ve been having in the Lone Star State. Triple digit temperatures and dead vegetation simply do not resonate with me in a favorable way. Today here in NY we had a “Heat Advisory” when temperatures ventured toward 90 degrees. That would be a cold front in Texas.

Thus, I traded intolerable heat and a barren landscape for what you can see in the picture at the top, which is the view from my office window in my new home.

Moving over 1600 miles is never easy, and for me it was further complicated by unprofessional and downright crooked movers. Thousands of dollars of items were left behind due to not fitting on the truck and several thousand more never made it to NY. I will post the sordid details of that debacle in my personal blog, “Marcha’s Two-Cents’ Worth.”

Getting settled into an 1898 farmhouse in rural Western New York has been very consuming, mentally, physically, and emotionally. However, it has been worth every dime lost and grey hair gained getting here. Even one of my cats, Angel, whom you can see in the picture below watching the front yard for chipmunks, squirrels, and birds, is quite content.

The purpose of this post is to let y’all know (I did bring some Texas with me after living there for 35 years) there will eventually be a Book III. It’s simply delayed, but we will make sure that it is worth waiting for.