A True Warrior

Courage to standThe true spiritual warrior knows the only enemy he has is what he has yet to shed light upon in himself, therefore, he/she never postpones a battle that must be engaged. The true spiritual warrior always remembers that his enemy never forgets his weaknesses.The true spiritual warrior starts life over all over and over again. The true spiritual warrior works every day, every moment, to sharpen his battle skills. The true spiritual warrior leads by example, never fearing to make an example of him/herself -- no matter what the cost.The true spiritual warrior is never afraid to look at what he doesn't want to see. The true spiritual warrior commits himself to his best choice and realizes that to live in conflict over what is or is not best is the refusal of responsibility.The true spiritual warrior never fears feelings of helplessness, because he recognizes such states as the heralds of new powers to come . . . like storm clouds before spring flowers. The true spiritual warrior knows that the path of spiritual liberation that he/she has chosen must lead him to one encounter after another with conditions that always seem greater than he is. Welcome to the spiritual life!Pray......... Believe and Know a Clean Spirit R E Sebastian
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The Mountain Wizard

Three young warriors with little experience of mountain life decided to go hunting for the big elusive mountain goats, a prize any hunter would like to bag!
Two tender-foots who had little knowledge of our mighty life threatening mountains and a young warrior who remembered some of the tricks to walk in the footprints of these surefooted creatures.
The semi-knowledgeable man was not taken seriously, in his quest to keep all in the party safe! When he would mention safety tasks the two witty partners snickered but did what they were told. After all what was there to lose, just their lives.
The three had left they’re camp which was down in a gully and far below the mountains tops where the goats make they’re homes and feed. The day was clear and warm with no sight of danger making the mood light and a little carefree, not a good sign when everything you did could be your last. The five hour summit was easily reached and the goats were not found.
At this point a dense fog engulfed the trio, it seemed to come from nowhere. They were blinded and could not see, even the perky ledges they had just walked up. They were at a stand still. It was at this point that the main warrior took charge, he had remembered a old wizards trick to get them out of their predicament. He said I will take the lead you two will walk behind me and throw pebbles in front of me when I say so. The two misbelievers did what they were told. There was not only a dense fog it now became dark with night and a lightening storm had begun. The three were deathly afraid, was this the way they were to breathe their last breath?
Slowly they would walk ahead using the time consuming method of moving down the mountain by walking down ward throwing stones, listening to the sound result of the stones hitting the barely walk able incline. When they would hear the stones land on the ledge ahead of them they would move to that spot. The lightening also helped them see the small path but the lightening light was a split second glance and only came periodically. They moved downward.
At a single point one of the followers had thrown a stone and no sound came back to them, they stopped in their tracks and waited for the lightening to see where they had come to? The lightening came and there they were, on a small out cropping staring down at a sure death. That next step would have been their last!.
The leader pondered the situation and said, “Just wait, wait for the lightening again”, when it hit he could see the faint out line of their tarp, at the camp, off to the left of them, safety!
They made it to the camp but all was not over, this camp was but a small ridge, and if they fell asleep and rolled they would roll over a huge crevasse. The leader told them they had to find a mountain tree and tie themselves to the tree before going sleep! Again the doubting-pair smiled but did what they were told. They could only find two small tree’s so the leaders asked if he could be tied to either of the two and they refused. Laughing they both said I’m not letting you tie yourself to me. So the leader did what he could to make himself safe. The tired trio fell quickly to sleep.They woke up in the morning both young men were hanging from the small trees and the leader had rolled some sixty feet below them, during the night, but was safe. They went home that morning safe with no goats, with the leader saying, “next time we go for goats, I will tie myself to a tree first, then tell you what you have to do, to have a safe sleep!” from my friend Barry Bush a Gitxsan warrior (the teams leader) ! RESebastian LOL bobeng25@yahoo.ca

Wise people from up above lead us!

Today as days of old, becoming a Chief is a very important event, for the Gitxsan and Wetsuweten tribes here are some of the rules. Firstly the Chief is mostly picked from birth, then groomed all his/her life for that position. In the grooming the child is held very strictly and habits are drilled into the child much like the modern day child in a royal family. Both education and manners are essential to him/her becoming a community leader and a religious person. They are constantly watched and all behavior is noted to see what kind of a leader they will make.
I heard it expressed by one of our chiefs that a Chief is looked to; much like a Bishop, in modern day churches. Now! You must remember that this ancient system has been here (British Columbia) for over a thousand years,
A modern day Chief must walk his/her territory, all houses or clans have designated land holdings, fishing holes and members. They must lead in all the attributes of the society, including laws written and unwritten, common law, and constitutional (or Feast Hall) laws. Chiefs do not react to just anything that bothers them, as they do not want to bring shame to their family, or “Dirty their Official Blanket!” They are extremely careful and they walk softly on the breath of their Grand parents. It is said that they are led by the wise from “up-above”

Many young people try to make their mark in our ancient system, but these new comers can be seen miles away. They are humored. In order to speak in one our feasts you must log hundreds of hours in the system before people will even acknowledge you being there. Even then you may not get a chance to say a word. This is not a democracy, but there are avenues to make your point in the feast hall. If the point you want to make is so crucial to the path of our people you must bring it to the feast hall through your father’s side of the family, and to do this you must pay your father Clan for this privilege. In that way you will be heard.
At one Feast at Hagwilget years ago, it was this one Chiefs turn to speak, no one dared say a word before this Chief took his turn to speak. The Chief pondered, ached, a thought about what he was going to say. A day and a half went by, finally the Chief rose to feet to speak. This was recorded by one of the first Doctors to the Hazelton area at contact time. A day and half, people waited for the man to take his turn to speak, can we do that today, I doubt if we could sit and be quite for one hour let alone 36 hours. I understand now why they call our village (Hagwilget) village of the quite people! RES

Honesty will save Christmas

What does Christmas really mean to us? Well personally I look at the opportunity to get close with my friends, it is more importantly a time when Christians remember the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. He came 2,000 years ago and I don’t think Man/Women have taken to heart what his message was? Many of us do not enter into a holy path until disaster has struck or our lives are at the final breath.
As a Native Canadian I was lucky to be brought into this world as, “who I am!” One born in a culture that existed here in northern BC for some 10,000 years led by a doctrine of honesty that help my people thrive. 10,000 years Yes! And life boils down to simple pray and honesty, that is the footprints my ancestors left me to teach my children.
Have you ever noticed that a person who has lived his/her life on a honest bases passes on to the “other-side” as if they were not even on this earth. They simply came here to show us how to live, by doing it, live honestly.
All our laws of the Gitxsan and the Wet’suwet’en speak to living a honest life. Never taking what is not yours! Earning what you have and it will stay with you and your kids. Never wasting or playing-with, what you have, especially food. Don’t take things for grant it! Learn to ask for what you need and always say ,thank you! Wake up every morning with God on your lips. This is how we native people have thrived here on earth for 10,000 years.
How have we changed? It has only been 100 years here in northern BC that a new culture has come and we have all but destroyed ourselves, and we have allowed a new culture to kill us! Yes we have had help, look at the cruel genocidal history of Canada and the western world. We are dam lucky to be alive some racists still want us dead!
We will be the conscious of Canada. It is time to put a new memory into the western world. Put the past behind us, don’t forget the past but let it forge our future. We are all Gods children.
Merry Christmas all! Let your spirits soar like eagles, let all people’s kids be strong, may God bring food to all on earth! Let us live a simple honest life, forgive all in the past take our next steps in Gods shoes and leave honest footprints for our kids to follow. Yes! We can make a difference, me then you, then another, then another! RESebastian

Horse whisper-er!

The real Horse whisper person! Whoa boy! In order for you to become a horse whisper-er, you must first think like a “Human Being” who is part of this earth. I have written in a earlier blog that, we Natives don’t own the land, we are the land and the land is us! A Basic philosophy that encompasses the whole world, how we view life!
A Horse being one of us must be given the respect as a equal. My Uncle Willie learnt to horse whisper from my grandfather, both had one thing in common they seen the world through the eyes of a human being. My grandfather came to northern BC from Iowa USA and he and his brother brought some of the first great horses to the Hazelton’s early 1900’s. His name was Bill English and he married my grandmother Elizabeth Wilson. He taught my uncle Willie to horse whisper. My uncle could brake horses by just talking to them and reading they’re bodies, especially their ears!
He would get horses that people rode in the rodeo and he would brake-them for regular riding. Here I would also say, it was not a matter of braking-a-horse, it was a mutual arrangement between two “Living-beings”
Sometimes I just want to give our fellow man, a taste of his/her own medicine when people think they are a superior being and force a animal to do their bidding! Yes! There are ways to do these things, try reading a bit of the animal’s personality.
That is the first thing a good hunter does when he/she is hunting a animal, read the character of the animal. If the animal is a wild rogue, watch out you may end up on the “plate !”.
If you are clean in thought most times the animal will assist you as a equal! RES

Supernatural Power of education!

WE grew up with a fierce belief in the supernatural, the magic enthralled us all, this is how we learned our first lessons in behavior. If we didn’t go to bed the old lady of the woods was going to come and take you away! Close the curtains or a ghost was going to look into the window, we momentarily dashed a quick look at the window and wrenched the blinds closed.
One winter evening an old stranger came by the village, it was snowing at the time, he wanted to play poker. The whole village played all night with him until he had all the money. He got up quietly from his seat and walked off into the night. The men got mad, we can’t let him take all our money, lets go track him down and take our money back! The men went out side with their lanterns they followed the tracks in the snow only a few feet, to their astonishment and their horror the human tracks in the snow turned to hooves! They had just spent the night with the devil, no one played poker for a long long while!
The native legends were endless, how we were not to copy the hoot of the owl! Once a young child did this endlessly, every night he would mimic the owls. One night he simply disappeared and word came that a villager had seen an owl carrying him off in the distance. The Chief, of the household, sent hundreds of search parties, looking for him, to no avail. They looked everywhere, no sign of the young body! Broken heartedly they gave-up! There was always a empty feeling when thoughts of young boys came around,. Then 10 years to the day, out of no-where, a young man walked into the village. He spoke no language, he climbed onto tree branches and rousted, he only ate what owls ate. It was the long lost boy, he had come home! A big potlatch and celebration was put up, all the people who searched were paid, “Our son is back!” part owl but he’s back! We no longer hoot at Owls!

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A Fiery Dream

A few years ago, I had a realistic dream (I have them now and then, much like a movie but as real as you and me) the other night I had a repeat of the thought, what does it mean? A Vision?
The original dream- I had been sleeping and I awoke full of anxiety. Where had I just been? The dream started, when I came to… from my sleep, I was standing in a Fiery planet, where was I? I started to get scared, yet something assured me that I was fine! I began to look around, the air was choking, it was hot, I could barely breath. There was fire sot all over the place; everything was red and full of ashes. When I walked I could feel the earth give way underneath me. The earth was totally unstable, when I walked I half-crawled.
Then it hit me, I was home! This was Hagwilget (New Hazelton) and I was home! Was I in the future? I had no clew, yet I was relatively comfortable! I could feel the land where our old house stood. I could envision where the rivers were, now gone, I could see the valley’s of the Bulkley and Skeena rivers all were still there, at least their impressions. This was a desolate red land, one that changed 180. What had happened?
Suddenly out of no where, came a rolling thunder of a huge engine, it was a giant earth-moving tractor; it just came out of a hidden land crest. It was coming my way. I had to run, fighting the sot and ash, but I made it clear of this monster truck, that was at least four stories in height and width. The driver never stopped he/she just kept going.
During this mind trip I came to realize I was never alone, I realized I was not frightened, as I knew where I was, home! I never wondered what we as people, had done to the land, in my heart I knew. Can this message be prevented?
In our language we use words like honor, honesty, justice, love, religion, self-healing, these are the words we humans must use to prevent this dream from coming true! We need earth, wind (air) and fire. Keep our planet pure!
Saba! Amen!