What Did You Do To Get That Feather

I stopped at a gas station called the 59er, situated just on the outskirts of Winnipeg. I saw an Eagle Feather attached to the wall. It made me curious as the story behind the Feather on this non-Native establishment. I asked the lady who was the owner and she said (deceased) Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Grand Chief Rod Bushie had given it to her. Rod was a frequent customer of the gas station and decided to give it to the Lady. I have seen a few Eagle Feathers at different places, which were not connected to Natives. At a business where they engrave grave-stones, an Eagle feather was on a window sill. I asked the owner about it. She had found out in the country by her property. I resisted the urge to ask her for the feather. I was in Mahnomen Minnesota a number of years ago. My Dad and brother were still living at the time. Two of my brothers and I had taken my Dad to the casino, Shooting Star. While there I took a drive to a car wrecker yard. I was looking for a vehicle license plate for my brother, Pancho. Pancho collected license plates and tacked them up on his shed. At the wrecker I bought a license plate for ten bucks. Behind the cashier a few Eagle Feathers were hanging up. I asked the white guy behind the till where he got those Feathers from. It is against the law in the United States for white people to have Eagle Feathers, or at least that's my understanding. He told me he finds them in the cars. When cars either get wrecked or however the cars end up in the yard, he finds them. 

I have some Eagle Feathers. I danced Sundance and participated as a Helper for many years. Still I have to ask, "What did I do to get those Feathers?" When I was growing up in the Reserve, the 1960's 1970's, I never saw an Eagle Feather anywhere. People really didn't have them in their possession or their homes. The only Feathers I saw were with Chief of our Reserve, Mr. Dave Courchene. The Eagle Feather has come back to our Reserve and to many other Reserves and people. I see them. It is really good to see. There are some folks who are upset and say "they didn't earn those Feathers." For sure this is a sentiment and could have some merit in the criticism. Still who am I to critique the ownership of an Eagle Feather. 

I have given away Eagle Feathers that I have acquired. In fact I have even given away the Eagle Bustle and an Eagle Headdress.  I got those from my friends from the North of our province, Manitoba.  Whether I had the Right or gave those Feathers or Bustles to someone worthy is another story.  Growing up, we did not see Eagles in the South. The Eagle was not to be seen in our community for many years, in my youth.  I think it was when the DDT was in full use. DDT was a widely used pesticide in the early century and lot of it was used in the 1960s. The  effect of DDT was far reaching and devastating to the bird population, especially birds of prey, like the Eagle. DDT caused a high death rate in the Eagle population. Seeing an Eagle was a rarity. Even rarer is the Golden Eagle Feather. Golden Eagles are pretty rare to see. Seeing an Eagle is considered a Blessing for many an Indian. Social media has numerous posts by Indians haven seen an Eagle or two. 

I was a post-secondary Powwow a number of years ago. The Powwow was honoring graduating Indigenous students. At the honoring, each Indigenous student was presented an Eagle Feather. Honor indeed. The Indigenous Students achieved something many other Indigenous people have not, they met the challenges of the White system and succeeded in getting certificates and degrees. Not an easy feat in a system that once denied them. I would agree those Indigenous people earned their Feathers. I think there are many in today's society who should be recognized. Then again, there are many different opinions of who gets to hold a Feather. Years ago at our Reserve, the Chief was getting a Headdress bestowed onto him by the community. I was standing close to this older guy, and he is Traditional (Traditional is a title to describe people who live by the Indigenous Teachings). This guy started saying those people "shouldn't be giving the Chief a Headdress, he doesn't even know what it signifies, and didn't earn it." In his defense this guy is a pure Arsehole and doesn't have much positive things to say about anything or anyone in the Reserve. I didn't think much of it at the time, when he made those remarks. 

My daughter takes part in this club, it is  called the Butterfly Club. It is hosted and sponsored by Ka Ni Kanichihk, a social organization which supports Indigenous Women who suffered from trauma. The Butterfly Club provides Elders, Teachers, activities for young girls/women in efforts for positive learning related to Indigenous Teachings and practices. It is something that we appreciate. The program is lead by Young Women. The Leaders of this program have come and gone as there are other more lucrative or better opportunities out there. It is great when this young leaders are able to stay for a period of time and establish relations with the young participants. I wanted to honor the two young leaders so my Girl and I gave them a couple of Walking Sticks, which me and my Girl make. I wanted the Young Women Leaders to know we appreciate them. A few days later I was thinking about how they look after the young girls and how my Girl gets to enjoy activities like Sweat Lodge Ceremony, making drums, listening to Teachings, etc. I have some Eagle Feathers which I received from an Elder friend of mine. The Feathers are a mix of small ones and some flight feathers. I got a few Feathers from this White guy I met a while back. He lives in British Columbia and finds Feathers on his property. It was the first time meeting him and I asked him to bring Feathers next time he came to Manitoba. Turns out he did what I asked him. Anyways, I decided to Honor these Young Women Leaders with an Eagle Feather each. I told them to dress up those Feathers and don't let them sit around. I feel they earned the Right to carry a Feather. 

We have some many cliches; "the future is our youth, Women are the life-givers, We must protect our children, young people are gifts, young ones are not given to us-just lent to us," and so many more sayings.  Lot of it is bullshit. We adore the baby of course, we love the women. In reality we, society that is, just plays so much big-lip service to the Youth and the Women. People who are employed as Teachers, Day-care attendants, nurses, are not valued. It is really funny (in a very sad way), when the Pandemic-COVID had people on lock-down, politicians and corporations were praising the front line workers as "The Heroes." Don't hear any of those praises no longer.  Those people, the youth working in the care industry, those Women working in the care industry earn those Eagle Feathers. Very few will ever be honored, be recognized for their achievements, their work, their worth. Never mind ever be bestowed an Eagle Feather. 

“The Eagle Feather is one of the highest honours that an Indigenous person can bestow on someone doing something great,” said local Indigenous leader Myeengun Henry. “The Eagle is the highest flying bird, the one closest to the Creator, which brings messages back to us on earth. The Eagle is very significant in Indigenous culture.”

"God, Allah, Creator, Pick me"

 I have heard the message a few times from Elders, Traditional Teachers and Indigenous people from different countries; that the Earth provides. The Creator, (God, Allah, Jehovah, etc.) is said to have provided everything people need to live. We are to exist through the provisions of the Earth. We have everything we need to live. The Atheists have it summed up when they don't believe a God, person, entity is out there granted them wishes. The Atheists have no notion about being heard by anyone other than their own ears or brain. I guess that is fine, but I wonder if they ever wish for something? 

The Earth provides everything we need, so what is the purpose in wishing for things? I think it is a natural thing to wish, to hope and maybe even to pray for something. Now whether or not those wishes come true is another thing. I really use to believe without a doubt I was looked after by some power. I believed it was my Mom's prayers for my safety which kept me alive. There were close calls where I should have been injured or died. Was it just luck, circumstance, happenstance or divine intervention? Just like when Jules and Vincent were shot at by Jerry Seinfeld. Jerry had a large handgun,  all shiny and big, with big bullets. Jerry was no more than 3 meters away, approximately ten feet for those old boomer types or Americans. Jerry emptied the gun at the two men, Jules and Vincent, but missed them completely. Either Jerry was a very, very bad shot, or an intervention took place. An intervention where a Higher-power, like the Higher-power in Alcoholics Anonymous, moved the bullets away from Jules and Vincent's heads. If the intervention didn't happen, Marvin would not have had his head explode by the bullet of Vincent's gun. 

I am sure you have your experiences or know first hand, of a situation where it was nothing less than miraculous, where someone escaped death or injury. I guess it can be a miracle. It could be luck. The thing is, how come someone is selected to beat death, or injury while others are not so lucky or worthy? For some reason the southern United States has some unlucky people. There are children being killed by people, children with assault weapons. Many of the children in those schools dodge the bullets and some don't. I guess they did not have their prayers or wishes answered. In September there are numerous reminders of the Two Towers and the people who were killed; 2977 dead. No miracle in those circumstances. In 2024, Israel in engaged in a slaughter of Palestinians. It is a Genocide and there has been no intervention, divine or United States backed. 

When being interviewed for television audiences, many politicians, athletes and other famous (and semi-famous) people will acknowledge God, Allah, Jehovah as the reason for their success. The combatants of some contest, will publicly pray for their victory. I wonder how the Great Intervenor decides who is to benefit from their intervention? In the case of the recent Genocide, I imagine it is both Jehovah and God, who are picking the winners. Where the heck is Allah? Allah is not picking for the folks, the Women, the Children who are wishing, begging and praying to be saved. 

I don't know how in the heck, the imaginary Boss lets someone die and someone live. 

Gaza Baby. 

I watched a video, it might have been an incident in India. A man is kicking, hitting a young girl, a child actually. The girl is screaming, crying, holding her arms up to protect herself. The man is ruthless in his beating of her, all the while someone is in the room video taping the beating. Her cries fill the room. I watched it. Rage, anger, extreme sadness, hopelessness just overwhelmed me. The responses from the public towards the video are as expected, people were livid. Some people expressed the desire to kill the man. No one could blame them, for feeling that way. So why is it, this visceral backlash does not apply to other children? There are Children being slaughtered, being blown-up, quite literally to little pieces, with limbs and heads torn off their tiny bodies. Still it is being supported, even celebrated by, seemingly regular people. 

I guess they are not chosen for a miracle, for divine intervention. Their wishes, their begging, their prayers go unanswered. So fuck you God, fuck you Allah, fuck you Jehovah, fuck you.