The Rainbow Children
by Linda Living Joy Lorenzo on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at 1:02pm
The Rainbow Children
by Bright Garlick
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It had been a long hot summer for the old Cree Indian.
He had had an exceptionally good year.
His children were all happy and he had many grandchildren to keep his life full of joy.
There were many among the community who came to him for wisdom, just as there were many who came to him from lands afar.
But in his own eyes, he was still just a child.
He knew little about the world and even less about how men should live.
It was the year that white man had landed on sister moon and it was the year that the Great Spirit began to talk to him.
When the voice of the Great Spirit first came to him, he was dreaming about his wife Josephine Medicine Bear, who had died last summer.
She had been walking with him, holding his hand, telling him about the wonders of the great plains of heaven.
As she spoke, he remembered that she had been given the gifts of the spirits and the gifts of the bible but he himself felt that he had been given no gifts.
With that thought his precious Josephine turned to him and said My beautiful husband, have you not raised a healthy family ?
Did you think this good fortune had nothing to do with you ?
You have been given a great gift – soon you will see !
Then, as quickly as she had reprimanded him, she turned into a bear and ran away to the hills.
He called out to her but it was too late – she was gone.
He stood watching the place where she had been, an ache in his heart, her words echoing in his old body.
Slowly he allowed his body to fall to the ground and as his head landed on mother earth,
a great eagle came down from the sky.
The eagle’s wings covered the landscape.
And suddenly he felt the presence of the Great Spirit.
He lifted his head slowly and the Great Spirit spoke to him saying Little Eagle Feather, the great hoop has been broken.
The world of mankind has turned away from me.
The white man has fed poison to mother earth and now all people are sick.
You must listen and remember for your brothers and sisters and all those from lands far away who will come seeking your council.
There is to be a new earth. I will make it so.
The old Indian could see a great circle gathering on the horizon and from that circle he could see men and women of every different colour of the peoples of earth.
Each one walking, carrying some gift in his hand for the Great Spirit.
And the Great Spirit said to him
These are my rainbow children.
I have given them each a gift.
When they come together the great hoop will be healed.
But you must watch for them, for they will not always stand out.
Some will be quiet, some will be small, others will make noise and be easily noticed.
But all will carry my gift. Among them there will be 7 who I have chosen.
To these I give many gifts.
They will be known by the gifts they bear but they will not know who they are.
You must remember them, for one day each of them will seek your council.
Little Tail Feather looked carefully for the seven.
And from the circle, he saw 5 women and 2 men come forth.
They were not much different to the rest.
But he looked at them and could see the Great Spirit burning brighter inside them,
each with fire in their eyes.
He would remember.
Then the Great Spirit lifted it’s wings and began to fly away with his children.
His voice echoed back to the old man Your gift is your vision.
See with wisdom.
When the old Indian woke, he was shaken and confused.
He had seen much suffering in the world of men,
since he had become an old man and the north wind had brought much misfortune to his people.
But he had faith in the words of the Great Spirit and knew them to be true.
In the days that followed, he began to see signs that the Great Spirit had laid a path before him.
A path that would help him to honour the gift that the Great Spirit had given him.
While he was not considered a great elder, there were many who began to seek his council,
who had not previously considered him worthy.
Towards the end of his life,
he developed great wisdom and was asked often to talk about spiritual matters to people from all walks of life.
Slowly, he began to see the rainbow children.
Sometimes just a glance here or there,
sometimes a hug from nowhere,
perhaps a chance meeting and sometimes they came looking for him.
And in his spirit Little Eagle Feather knew that his dream was unfolding and that it was true -
the Great Spirit was already making a new earth and that the hoop of life would be healed.
"When the Earth is sick, the animals will begin to disappear; when that happens, The Warriors of the Rainbow will come to save them." Chief Seattle
"In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." From the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy
by Bright Garlick
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It had been a long hot summer for the old Cree Indian.
He had had an exceptionally good year.
His children were all happy and he had many grandchildren to keep his life full of joy.
There were many among the community who came to him for wisdom, just as there were many who came to him from lands afar.
But in his own eyes, he was still just a child.
He knew little about the world and even less about how men should live.
It was the year that white man had landed on sister moon and it was the year that the Great Spirit began to talk to him.
When the voice of the Great Spirit first came to him, he was dreaming about his wife Josephine Medicine Bear, who had died last summer.
She had been walking with him, holding his hand, telling him about the wonders of the great plains of heaven.
As she spoke, he remembered that she had been given the gifts of the spirits and the gifts of the bible but he himself felt that he had been given no gifts.
With that thought his precious Josephine turned to him and said My beautiful husband, have you not raised a healthy family ?
Did you think this good fortune had nothing to do with you ?
You have been given a great gift – soon you will see !
Then, as quickly as she had reprimanded him, she turned into a bear and ran away to the hills.
He called out to her but it was too late – she was gone.
He stood watching the place where she had been, an ache in his heart, her words echoing in his old body.
Slowly he allowed his body to fall to the ground and as his head landed on mother earth,
a great eagle came down from the sky.
The eagle’s wings covered the landscape.
And suddenly he felt the presence of the Great Spirit.
He lifted his head slowly and the Great Spirit spoke to him saying Little Eagle Feather, the great hoop has been broken.
The world of mankind has turned away from me.
The white man has fed poison to mother earth and now all people are sick.
You must listen and remember for your brothers and sisters and all those from lands far away who will come seeking your council.
There is to be a new earth. I will make it so.
The old Indian could see a great circle gathering on the horizon and from that circle he could see men and women of every different colour of the peoples of earth.
Each one walking, carrying some gift in his hand for the Great Spirit.
And the Great Spirit said to him
These are my rainbow children.
I have given them each a gift.
When they come together the great hoop will be healed.
But you must watch for them, for they will not always stand out.
Some will be quiet, some will be small, others will make noise and be easily noticed.
But all will carry my gift. Among them there will be 7 who I have chosen.
To these I give many gifts.
They will be known by the gifts they bear but they will not know who they are.
You must remember them, for one day each of them will seek your council.
Little Tail Feather looked carefully for the seven.
And from the circle, he saw 5 women and 2 men come forth.
They were not much different to the rest.
But he looked at them and could see the Great Spirit burning brighter inside them,
each with fire in their eyes.
He would remember.
Then the Great Spirit lifted it’s wings and began to fly away with his children.
His voice echoed back to the old man Your gift is your vision.
See with wisdom.
When the old Indian woke, he was shaken and confused.
He had seen much suffering in the world of men,
since he had become an old man and the north wind had brought much misfortune to his people.
But he had faith in the words of the Great Spirit and knew them to be true.
In the days that followed, he began to see signs that the Great Spirit had laid a path before him.
A path that would help him to honour the gift that the Great Spirit had given him.
While he was not considered a great elder, there were many who began to seek his council,
who had not previously considered him worthy.
Towards the end of his life,
he developed great wisdom and was asked often to talk about spiritual matters to people from all walks of life.
Slowly, he began to see the rainbow children.
Sometimes just a glance here or there,
sometimes a hug from nowhere,
perhaps a chance meeting and sometimes they came looking for him.
And in his spirit Little Eagle Feather knew that his dream was unfolding and that it was true -
the Great Spirit was already making a new earth and that the hoop of life would be healed.
"When the Earth is sick, the animals will begin to disappear; when that happens, The Warriors of the Rainbow will come to save them." Chief Seattle
"In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." From the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy
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