©2011 by Wambli Sina Win, J.D.
To some, the sky exists above us, but to those of a spiritual mind, it is the individual characteristics of each moment spent underneath that sky which gives meaning and life to our people. In a world that is ever changing, some of our people remain within our memories and hearts as a lasting testament to the superiority of the Red man’s ability to supersede both time and space.
It seems inadequate to refer to those spiritual leaders and wisdom keepers from days past as simply “men” since their teaching and ideals are powerful enough to outlive man. A man is truly special when his ideals outlive and change the course of history. Some may even refer to us humans as “ants” but among these tiny ants, there can be great power in the physical realm of man or the spiritual realm.
My Heyoka grandfather spoke about the worker ants, the “tajuska,” who went deep into the earth to collect special stones and carried them to the surface. These stones are sacred and really special, a necessity for the Lakota Yuwipi man. Yet who remembers the tracks of the ant and who really knows the suffering of an ant? Much in the same way within our culture, who remembers our forefathers who imbued much knowledge within the short span of their human lives?
The great leader Tecumseh spoke to the Red People much like the Great Spirit speaks to the tiny ants. Tecumseh spoke of unity, culture, spirituality and gave advice on how to be successful. Other leaders may not have gained as much notoriety but have left a lasting impression upon those of us who now view this writing. The legacy, teachings and ideals of Tecumseh and other great leaders live on and influence us every day.
The sacrifices of yesterday are the gifts we sometimes fail to appreciate. How many stands were made yesterday by the warrior whose bones now lie forgotten in an unmarked grave? Was his knowledge or sacrifice any less than the great Chiefs who fell? When an ant dies, one may question “who will miss this ant within his ranks?” We Red People have had the blessing of the Great Spirit who has imparted knowledge throughout many lifetimes to our humble teachers and spiritual men.
It is sad that man is not as long lived as the many rivers which cover the United States. This knowledge flows freely and the gifts of our teachers’ time and lives becomes but a memory with the memorial only seen within our hearts. Within our lifetimes, we will remember those worthy of such a place of honor within our hearts. But question today, brothers and sisters, who will remember those mentors when we are gone?
One may wonder, who will miss the ant? Will it be the ant’s queen or the Great Mystery who will miss the void within his creation? It is said among Christians that God knows even the feathers numbered upon the sparrow. When a holy man who dies, is it the people who miss him or the Creator? We must ask ourselves today why those who remain among us, the guiding hands of the Great Mystery, are not recognized or honored while they are here. If man looks to the sky with a jaundiced eye, he may never see what answers the Mystery has within its depths for him. It is said that man fell in love with his own reflection and with this jaundiced eye, he drowned. Have we have become too jaundiced or cynical to appreciate the wisdom of the firekeepers within our culture?
They are known by many names. Some of us have been fortunate not to just know them as “mentors” or “teachers” or “idols” but as relatives. Our heroes sometimes have been very close in our youth and distant now only by the lack of their physical presence in our lives today. It seems now the Mystery has spoken an answer. It may be that we too shall become the very idols and teachers who will be the heroes we remember tomorrow- fathers, mothers, grandfathers or grandmothers.
One of my heroes is a beloved Cherokee and Osage mentor, Professor Rennard Strickland, Senior Scholar in residence at the University of Oklahoma Law Center and Phillip H. Knight Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus, University of Oregon School of law, who is an example of a humble and gracious teacher who taught his students, myself included, that retaining a sense of Indian identity is just as important as learning the law. He also taught that one of the ways to change things is challenge the very foundation of federal Indian law which he taught and helped to establish. He told us to use the law to make life better for all Native Americans.
This past week I visited with Professor Strickland in Norman, Oklahoma. He shared fond memories of Chief Wilma Mankiller and others. Not long ago, Professor Strickland traveled to New York where he received his latest award from the Independent Publisher’s Association for his 43rd book, “Building One Fire, Cherokee Lifeways and Art.” When I asked him what project or book he was most proud of, I thought he was going to mention his work as the Editor in Chief for the Cohen Handbook on Indian Law. But I was surprised when he read a passage to me from a book he had written in the 1960’s with his mentor, Jack Gregory, about the Cherokee culture, “Grandfather Was a Good Witch.” They had traveled the countryside interviewing two dozen Cherokee men who talked about what it was like growing up Cherokee during the Depression. I discovered that it wasn’t just the legal scholarship which was important to Professor Strickland, but also his Cherokee heritage and his culture. We should honor this great man while he is still with us.
We the Red People are much like the tiny ant or “tajuska” in that none of us is more important than the other. Each of us is important to the survival of our people. An ant or a single tribal member alone cannot survive culturally or as a species or as a race. Despite our tribal differences, we should remember that there is much similarity among our wisdom keepers. The legacy of a great teacher and mentor lives on in his students who are “the roots of the red tree.”
Wambli Sina Win is currently an Associate Professor and Director of the Bacone College Criminal Justice Studies Department in Muskogee, Okla.
Her grandfather was John Fire, Chief Lame Deer Tahca Uste, a well known Lakota Holy Man from the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota. One of her sons is also a Heyoka.
She has served as a Tribal Judge for the Oglala Sioux Tribal Court, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, a Tribal Attorney and as a legal Instructor for the U.S. Indian Police Academy at Artesia, N.M.
You may contact Wambli Sina Win, J.D. at