Welcome to the Longhouse of the Spirit

According to my Grandparents, I am Cherokee and Chippewa by blood. In my many years I've been blessed with the teachings of other Indian Nations, as well, so you will find a mix of Native beliefs within my site. "Longhouse of the Spirit" is not so much to educate people about the particular Iroquois dwelling, but what the People teach of Life, Death, Law, Respect, Family and Spirit.

People of the Cherokee, Mohegan, Pequot, Narragansette, Wampanoag, Abenake, Mohawk, Lakota and Cree, and others, became a part of my extended family. They are great teachers and friends, who taught important life ways and traditions.
What I enjoyed most was the feeling of community and family.

Within the traditional "Longhouse" of the Iroquois, several family groups resided. Tolerance was necessary. As many as five or six families of the same matrilinial clan resided within the walls of the longhouse. Family and community are the most important aspects of these Peoples' lives. Acceptance and tolerance of those unlike themselves has been a part of their histories. I respect these people and honor them by living what they taught me and by giving their teachings a place here in the "Longhouse of the Spirit".

So long as there is but one seed of corn, one tear to remember it, the Earth Mother to nourish it and the Sun to smile upon it; just as the Pequots and the Mohegans, long believed to be extinct, returned in great numbers; a field of Indian corn, of many colors, will rise again to celebrate the Creator. The indigenous peoples of North America will always return. They cannot be erased. This is the land Grandfather entrusted to them.
by Sharon Spirit Woman

Although most of us are made up of several different bloods and backgrounds, we tend to identify with or focus on just one or two. As in my own case. My mother raised me to know I was "German, Dutch, Scotch-Irish, Danish, English, Black Dutch and Cherokee Indian". My greatest interest throughout my life has been that of the Black Dutch and Cherokee part of me. I always believed that was who I was.

I was raised in the mainstream White culture, of course, but when I set out on my own, I traveled to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. I went to the BIA office to seek answers. When I told my ancestral story of my Great-Great-Grandfather having been adopted by whites, the Director curtly told me that I would never be considered Cherokee, nor would any of my descendants! I was horrified and certainly became depressed. If not Cherokee, then who was I?

As we do, I moved on with my life and after relocating to New England, I was blessed with the opportunity to be immersed in the Native American community there. For years I learned at the feet of some very interesting and wonderful teachers. When we moved to Virginia, I again was welcomed into a Native Community. I've lived more than half my life among American Indians, learning their life ways and feeling closer to God, the Creator, than I ever had before in my childhood. I may not be able to prove my Native blood to this day, but I have lived the life and this is where I've felt the most comfortable in my own skin. I'm now in Oklahoma. Indian Territory. And all the Cherokee people I've met have been warm and welcoming!

Whatever God made you to be, you should be proud to be! And NO ONE has the right to put you down for the color of your skin, or the traditions you live with. Be proud of who and what you are!

It's sad to say, but even many Native Americans do not live with the traditions or customs of their own people. Some mixed-bloods seem to live and practice a more "Indian" life than some Fullblood Indians. This has everything to do with the history of this United States. As I was told by a full-blood,
"Mixed-bloods and Non-natives on the East coast seek out information and they educate themselves on the culture and spiritual practices of certain tribes. But, we full-bloods in Indian Territory just live with being Indian every day of our lives. It's not a novelty or something we want to get into. Unfortunately, when people see us, they see a "full-blood" Indian and expect that we already KNOW everything there is to know about being Indian. That's just not true. Our grandparents and great-grandparents weren't allowed to BE Indian! They were forbidden to speak their language or practice their spirituality. All of their traditions and customs were taken away from them and they were forced to live in the White man's world and to live with their ways. Our tribal culture and traditions were lost to us. They lived what they were allowed to know, and our generation grew up in mainstream White society. You probably know more about what my traditions are than I do! Now, the Indians to the North and West of us saw what the White man did to our ancestors and they fought to keep their ways. So, when you see us here in Indian Territory, don't expect us to already know everything there is to know about our tribal ways. We haven't been educated to know them. That was left to our Spiritual Leaders to keep for us."

Click on the flame above to go to the CHEROKEE HISTORY page and
read about the "Trail of Tears."

Click Below to Visit My Other Pages!
"Native Links"	"Enjoy the Powwow!"	"RACE & SEX CRIMES"
"HISTORICAL PEOPLE"	"Native Points of Interest"	"Trail of Tears"
"DISCOVER YOUR DNA"	MY FAMILY IN VIRGINIA!	"MY SCOTTISH HISTORY!"
GENEALOGY INFO!	"MEDICINE LODGE"	WISDOM KEEPER DOLLS!
"NEW YORK POWWOW"	MORE TO COME!	MORE TO COME!