Short History of Kachina Dolls (kasina / katsina)

Kachina dolls were made by the Native American Indians. These dolls originated from the southwest of United States of America. The tribes which used these dolls were Hopi, Zuni and Pueblo. The Hopi community believes that the Kachina dolls live on the peak of San Francisco. Among the types of Kachina dolls, the most important to the Hopi is called Wuya. The Zuni community believes that these dolls live in the Lake of the Dead. This lake is just a myth and is believed to be situated where River  and Little Colorado River meet.

Non-Indians cannot legally possess eagle feathers

According to federal regulations, only enrolled members of federally recognized tribes can possess eagle feathers. Non-Indians (defined as anyone who does not meet that standard) cannot legally possess eagle feathers even if the feathers were gifted to them or if they found them. Eagle feathers can be gifted to another enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe and passed on to children who also meet this requirement.

The 'Two-Spirit' People of Indigenous North Americans

Native Americans have often held intersex, androgynous people, feminine males and masculine females in high respect. The most common term to define such persons today is to refer to them as "two-spirit" people, but in the past feminine males were sometimes referred to as "berdache" by early French explorers in North America, who adapted a Persian word "bardaj", meaning an intimate male friend.

What is the wolf spirit?

We all have spirit guides. Some of us have met them and some of us haven’t. As this is Timberwolf HQ, this article is on the wolf as a spirit guide. The basic information was given to me by a long-time reader and friend of Timberwolf HQ. I wrote the article from his research. So sit back, relax and enjoy the information you are about to read.

Spirit Totem Animals

                               By Timberwolf on May 20, 2009
Animals of Spirit, Power and Totem have been a part of every major religion for centuries. The Greeks spoke to spirits and gods through oracles. The Ancient Native Americans imitated animals in dance and ceremonial rituals to establish links to the spirit world. The earliest recorded traditions teach that each person comes into life existence with one or more animal guides from the spirit world. It is also believed that the person and their “life-long” spirit totem animals share a spiritual, energetic connection in which the animals serves as an ally, guide, teacher, protector, and a source of power throughout the person’s life.

The Way of the Warrior

The Way of the Warrior reminds us that we have a responsibility to live by a code of ethics that serves to help us reach a higher standard of living.
We have this built in code in our DNA that speaks to us of right and wrong. Our duty to ourselves is to reach inside and interpret this code when we are faced with hard decisions about what to do in difficult situations.

The Cherokee Moons and Honored Days

Du-ni-n(v)-di
This is the Harvest Moon
October
This is the time of the Great New Moon Ceremony when thanks is given to the Earth Mother, Mother Selu, Lord Kanati, and the Creator. The Great New Moon Ceremony is held in this month as this is the first month of the civil calendar. The Great New Moon marks that beginning. It is believed by many that humans were created during this moon.

"Who are the Elders ?"

It seems that there are many people these days who are trying to find a spirituality that they can believe in. For whatever reason, we are beginning to pay more attention to our spirit and to our direction in life. Many of us have found ourselves drawn to the First Nations beliefs, perhaps because they are seen as clean and pure, and based on the simpler times that we all seem to miss.

What or Who Is an Indian Giver? A History of the Offensive Term

To many of us, such phrases as “Teacher, Billy gave me the ball, now he wants it back! He’s being an Indian giver!” are too often heard in school. But where did the term come from? The literal history of where the word originates is a bit murky, but perhaps this article can shed a some light on some pre-conceived notions.

First, some modern-day definitions. Merriam-Webster’s defines an Indian giver as “sometimes offensive: a person who gives something to another and then takes it back or expects an equivalent in return.”