Inspired by Native American Culture

 

The medicine wheel/ sacred symbol among the Lakota Sioux. Circle shape is continuous life cycle & death. The cross-over lines represent man's & the sun's paths. The center where the lines cross-over is where man prays. The four colors, black, red, white, & yellow are sacred to the Lakota Sioux people. The eagle is sacred also to the Lakota Sioux people. 
Meaning by
 https://www.stjo.org/native-american-culture/native-american-beliefs/medicine-wheel/

I grew-up with the beautiful influence of Native American tribes: the Ojibwe and the Chippewa.

 I used to wear my Native American necklace, carry a leather fringed coin purse, and wear my leather moccasins from day to day.

I grew-up eating Wild Rice every Thanksgiving. And now, we eat it all the time.

Today, I live near and among the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Native Americans in Watertown, SD.

On this page, I will share Native American photography by Cynthia.

Some of my first photos I took while being new to photography are of an Eagle Release ceremony located on the grounds of the Dakota Sioux Casino & Hotel, owned by the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribe.  

A Bald eagle had been wounded, brought back to full, physical health by Bramble Park zoo, and with the help of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribe, released back into the wild to become whole in health again.

The ceremony was done on October 1, 2018, in cooperation with the Bramble Park zoo of Watertown, SD and Dakota Sioux Casino & Hotel of Watertown, SD. 

The day was cold. cloudy, and dreary.  The ceremony was open to the public to watch.

The ceremony was a ritual performed by the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribe and consisted of talking, singing/drumming, and handling the Bale eagle.

Slowly, people of the area; town's people and the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribe members, gathered around in small groups of friends and acquaintances. You could feel  joy rise in anticipation of seeing the healthy Bald eagle released into the wild. People sat down excited to hear and see the ritual.

The ceremony began with  introductions of the people involved with coordinating the Eagle release ceremony. A story was told with blessings.

Soon, drumming and singing began. The eagle handler walked over to the Bramble Park zoo truck and gently took the Bald eagle out of his/her carrier. 

We watched the eagle with curious eyes. Many of us had never seen a Bald eagle up close before.

The excitement mounted as the eagle's head cover was removed. The eagle handler at one point had a hard time holding on to the strong, aggressive eagle.

With much thankfulness and joy, the Bald eagle was released into the sky near Watertown, SD and the Dakota Sioux Casino and Hotel.

Along the healing process, many dedicated people, and a lot of love went into healing and releasing the wounded eagle.

Bald and Golden eagles are well respected, revered, and are sacred to the Native American tribes.

Enjoy the photos.

-Cynthia

                                                     

Singing and drumming.

                                     

   

                                      

                                   

                                 

                                         

The Bald eagle is held securely with his head covered to keep him calm.

                                  

                            

                          

Free and healthy!

Prayer For Peace

"Oh Great Spirit who dwells in the sky, leads us to the path of peace and understanding, let all of us live together as loving brothers and sisters. 

Our lives are so short here, walking upon Mother Earth's surface, let our eyes be opened to all the blessings you have given us.

Let us reflect on the past, seeing what you want us to see, but not live our lives in the past. 

Let us live our lives in the present moment, one day at a time, in peace with our brothers, sisters, and Mother Earth. 

Please hear our prayers, oh Great Spirit."

-Native American Prayer (altered from it's original version.)

_______________________________

Native American-like  Style necklace

Handmade Native American-like Style necklace

I designed the Native American -like Style necklace to resemble what I feel is "Native American" art.  I designed and created this necklace from "scratch".  

I grew up  and was influenced by the Ojibwa & the Chippewa culture.  I enjoyed wearing Native American jewelry, leather, and eating Wild Rice.   Now I am around and influenced by the Lakota (Dakota) Native Americans.

So, here is my rendition of what I feel is Native American.

 * Note, this is not Native American made. 

Also note the Elk Ivory was legally harvested.

Elk Ivory in the Native American culture symbolizes strength, endurance, and courage.

Legally harvested Elk Ivory.

I cleaned the Elk Ivory and I made a wire-wrap of 14 kt Gold-filled around the top.  The whole necklace is made with 14 kt Gold-Filled.  

My inspiration for the bead colors and design were from a book on  Native American basket designs. The stone beads were chosen due to their accuracy of what Native Americans would use and for their color and style.  Here I've used Tourmalined quartz elongated stone beads for the look I was looking for.  Although I don't think Native Americans would use this stone.  
I also used Coral, shell, and Black Obsidian.  All stones have been beaded on a Stainless steel beading wire.

Black Tourmaline, Shell, Coral, and Tourmalined Quartz.

And to help keep the layers of beads separate, I 
made 14 Kt Gold-filled, three-strand separators.

Next, I chose not to bring all the stone beads behind the neck.  And so I made a 14 Kt Gold-filled chain.  

14 Kt Gold-filled handmade chain.

The 14 Kt Gold-filled clasp on the back side is also handmade.

14 Kt Gold-filled handmade clasp.

 This necklace is 17.5 inches long.  This necklace took me about a month to finish, designing it and making each part.
This necklace incorporates the ancient technique of wire-wrapping, beading with stones, and other metal techniques.

Today, this necklace is framed.

Native American like Style necklace. Handmade by Cynthia of Cyn Jewelry.

________________________

Sica Hollow (SHE-cha) located in the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation in northeastern South Dakota, USA is a beautiful place to see, hike, and horseback ride.

The local Native Americans named Sica Hollow (Sica meaning evil/bad) because of  the red streams and what seemed to be magical happenings to the natives. 

When you enter Sica Hollow, you may feel a bit uneasy. But as you hike, you find yourself feeling full of peace, relaxed, and joy.

A very special place, Sica Hollow. 

Here are several Sica Hollow photos taken in the autumn, from the past few years.

                                

Lone horseback rider. October 2021

                                   

The hollow. October 2021

                          

Maple leaves. October 2022

                                      

Hiking a trail. October 2022

                                    

In the distance, you may see Minnesota. October 2022

                                   

In the distance you may see Minnesota. Oct. 2022

_______________________________________

Prophecy Song by Joanne Shenandoah

Prophecy Song speaks to people to stand for yourself, be authentic in who you are, and to stand up for what you, yourself stand for and believe. The Cormorant bird (a water bird) in this video represents: the spirit world (black) and the people who have been looked down upon by others. The Cormorant bird is looked at as an ugly, worthless bird by some. The Cormorant bird due to being a water bird, has the ability to dive into water, find nourishment, and fly back out. Symbolic of a person that is able to dive into deep emotions, find the nourishment, and release the emotions. Standing in their own power.

Photography & video by Cynthia Bergsbaken sharing Sica Hollow, SD and nature.

*Try watching this on your T.V. for optimum enjoyment.

________________________________

Lakota Lullaby by Robert Tree Cody

The Lakota Lullaby song placed with nature photography from: -Sica Hollow, SD (pronounced SHE-cha, Dakota language) State park in the northern prairies of South Dakota, USA -Mid-eastern prairie lands of SD -Northern Minnesota -Northern Wisconsin - Eagle Release ceremony with Bramble Park zoo and the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse performed on sacred land. marker- 2:38.46 -Bison design is from stoneware from Dakota Stoneware of Bushnell, SD. on marker 5:55.30 Photography by Cynthia Bergsbaken Video created by Cynthia Bergsbaken

__________________________________

If you are interested in having a photo made into a Giclee photo print, please contact me and I will work with you. Contact form is on the Home page. https://www.cynthiabergsbakenart.com/

***All original content is copyrighted by Cynthia Bergsbaken, Perceptive Blogger & Reiki in the Prairie LLC.

Reiki in the Prairie LLC is a legal Entity under law,  2015.
April 11, 2020
Plagiarism is a crime.