Turtle Women Rising: Drum the Heart, Heal the Earth
A Photo-journal Article
by Thomas Brinson
I was most privileged and honored to take part in helping to manifest Eli Painted Crow’s vision for the Turtle Women Rising: Drum the Heart, Heal the Earth celebration, which occurred on the National Mall in Washington, DC from October 10 through October 13, 2008. As coordinator of the Guardians who provided security for the event and created a space of safety for the festivities, I was also most privileged to assist Eli, her sister, Debbie and many members of the local Native American Indian community as well as local members of Veterans For Peace, in setting up and creating the ceremonial circle within which was placed an alter and the sacred fire for the four-day ceremonies of drumming, praying and healing.
Early in the morning of October 9, 2008, I met Eli and Debbie at the site south of Constitution Avenue, NW between 14th and 15th Streets, NW for a prayer ceremony to bless the site in preparation for the celebrations. World-renowned healer and Mayan priest, Alfredo Sfeir Younis, from Portugal, with his associate Myra Jackson joined us to conduct the initial blessing ceremony. After the moving prayer ceremony, I left the site to go set up my campsite in Greenbelt National Park in the Maryland suburbs. Upon my return in the early afternoon, the sacred circle, anchored by a twenty-foot tall teepee, was beginning to take shape.
When I walked onto the site I could see people standing in rapt attention, staring up at the top of the twenty-foot tall teepee. Eli met me, tears streaming down her face -- she pointed to a splendid Red-tailed Lady Hawk perched on one of the teepee poles, excitedly relating to me how this bounteous omen indicated how blessed the event was by Spirit. She told me that for the past twenty minutes of so, the Lady Hawk had been surveying the site and dancing to the prayers and singing offered to her by Eli, her sister Debbie and others. I quickly returned to my vehicle parked nearby and got my camera so I could take the following two pictures:
The Lady Hawk stayed for at least 30 minutes as in rapture we watched and celebrated her beauty.
I wrote this poem about her “manifestation” several days later:
Red-tailed Hawk
The twenty-foot tall teepee had just been raised
An anchor for the sacred circle under construction
On the National Mall of Washington, DC
For the four day Turtle Women Rising
Drum the Heart Heal the Earth prayer festivity
Out of a white-cloud-swirled brilliant blue sky
Manifested a Red-tailed Hawk landing on of the poles
In the middle of this heavily congested metropolitan city
Jet airliners loudly taking off from National Airport
Traffic revving and honking along Constitution Avenue
The air periodically pierced with screaming police sirens
For over a half an hour she perched overhead
Surveying her land, dancing to the songs we offered her
Blessing us with her presence, gracing us with the surety
That our efforts were well enshrouded within Spirit
With a flick of fine-chiseled head
Unfolding long and broad feather-tipped wings
Tucking tufted claws beneath her
She elegantly swooped off the teepee and glided away
To her destiny on silent winds of bounteous elegance
Tears of gratitude flowed deep
As in wonder I followed her resolute flight
October 13, 2008
Washington, DC
The rest of the day was spent erecting canopies, gathering firewood, setting up the Eastern Gate, stringing the prayer ties creating the sacred circle within which the ceremony would be held and putting up prayer sticks to demarcate the sacred fire circle. On Thursday evening, Eli, Alfredo and myself conducted a panel at American University entitled “Perspectives on Warriorship, Veterans, and the role of Indigenous Wisdom within the Framework for Peace."
At dawn of Friday, October 10th, Kathleen, the fire keeper, prepared firewood for the sacred fire. Alfredo led us in a most moving fire starting ceremony invoking Spirits from the four directions as part of the initial ritual opening of the event and the continuous drumming began.
Eli prays as the drumming of the Mother Drum begins.
Debbie watches as Eli prays and the drumming begins.
The Altar with prayer offerings of sage, lavender and tobacco in front of the Sacred Fire
The Sacred Fire, Teepee, a Dancer and Eli Praying
Throughout the next four days, continuously 24 hours around the clock until the ending of the ceremony Monday afternoon at 3:00 pm, the fire burned, drums were drums were drummed, prayers were sung and healing was offered for the earth and all of its inhabitants, including, of course, the participants. Hundreds came and took part in the four-day event, including many passing tourists of multitudinous nationalities, who flooded the National Mall during the three-day holiday perfect Indian Summer holiday weekend.
Strong women drum
A Hispanic family drums
A Father and Daughter drum
Mary who drove across country with Eli and the Grandmother Drum dances
A soccer team drums
A Muslim family drums
A father and son pray at the sacred fire offering sage, cedar and lavender
One of the most moving occurrences for me during the four-day drumming event is depicted in this poem, when Duncan, a fellow Vietnam Vet, asked me to do a healing ritual with him:
Duncan
Tall, slim, long-haired, immensely good-looking
A Montanan now living in British Columbia
He asks me to accompany him to the sacred fire
For a cleansing ritual to bless his First Cav flight-jacket
While strong women drummers drum the heartbeat of the world
At the Turtle Women Rising event and sweet sage wafts the air
Of a perfect Indian Summer afternoon
We stop at the altar, gather sage, lavender, tobacco
Solemnly we stand by the sacred fire
Spread the lavender and tobacco on hot coals, light sage sprigs
He carefully lays his jacket on the hallowed ground
We kneel and bless it with smoke from the burning sage
As he chants an ardent prayer in his native Siksika Blackfoot tongue
I notice he was an Airborne Ranger, has Purple Heart
A Silver Star and Bronze Star with V devices
We stand and deeply embrace, let healing again happen through us
I look deeply into his eyes, affirm that though we shall never forget
We are both blessed to have survived in body, mind and spirit
When he and his lovely lady leave to pay respects to his dead
At the Wall, I tell her what she already knows
That he is a most beautiful man
Quickly I turn away, choke on tears too close in memory
Of my once beloved, another casualty of my war
On what would have been our 29th wedding anniversary
October 12, 2008
Washington, DC
A group of Indians from South Asia drum
Moonrise over the teepee and sacred ground
Sunset over the teepee and the Washington Monument
On the final day of the event, we were blessed with the appearance of eight of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, who represent a global alliance of prayer, education and healing for our Mother Earth, all Her inhabitants, all the children, and for the next seven generations to come. From their website here is their vision:
“We are deeply concerned with the unprecedented destruction of our Mother Earth and the destruction of indigenous ways of life. We believe the teachings of our ancestors will light our way through an uncertain future. We look to further our vision through the realization of projects that protect our diverse cultures: lands, medicines, language and ceremonial ways of prayer and through projects that educate and nurture our children.”
The attending Grandmothers offered a special healing ceremony around the sacred fire for the twenty or so veterans who were present.
Grandmothers offer prayers, blessing the veterans present
The Grandmothers also presided over and spoke to the several hundred participants in the most moving and celebratory closing ceremony.
Alfredo prays as the Indigenous Grandmothers, Eli and participants watch
Eli thanks the Indigenous Grandmothers for their holy presence
Imani leads the inspiring closing song
After the Grandmothers spoke, offering prayers of healing and renewal, Imani White lead those joyfully present in the rousing song she wrote, “We Have A New Way of Walking -- We Walk In Circles”. At 3:00 pm, Monday afternoon, October 13, 2008, the loud drumming slowly faded to silence. After several beats, a stirring cheer rose from the crowd to end the four-day Turtle Women Rising Drum the Heart Heal the Earth.
You can also view a video of this event: