RISE UP & CALL HER NAME A Woman-honoring Journey into Global Earth-based Spiritualities
SOURCEBOOK WRITTEN AND EDITED BY
ELIZABETH FISHER
Entire curriculum re-release 2007 contains: Leader's Guide Companion DVD Music CD Sourcebook on CD-R (Personal stories included in written form for dramatic reading; no longer available in recorded form.)
For more information, please see: www.RiseUpandCallHerName.com
Graphic Designer: Video Editor: Music Consultant: Cover Design:
Robert Fisher (Sourcebook) Sue Ellen McCann Nancy Vedder-Shults Moore Anderson
©1994, 2007 by M. Elizabeth Fisher Printed in the United States of America Companion DVD and Audio CD © M. Elizabeth Fisher Produced in the United States of America Conversion to DVD and new opening title composites by Moore Anderson, Chicago Conversion of audio tapes to CD by Wynn Anderson, Chicago Final editing of original video by Sue Ellen McCann and Eric Landenburg Final mastering of original audio tapes by Gordon Winiemko Facilities: Bay Area Video Coalition, San Francisco All credits for and permission to reproduce written material, chants and songs appear at the location where the material is printed. Credits and permissions to reproduce the images on the companion video and to reproduce recorded music on the companion audio CD are presented in a separate section of the SOURCEBOOK segment of this curriculum and in the DVD segments and CD printed material. This material may be reproduced for the purpose of presenting this curriculum. It may also be reproduced for an educational public program or religious service relating to this material, providing it is properly credited by title and author. All other forms of reproduction or transmission by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) except as fair use for educational purposes require permission from the copyright holder who can be contacted through the address below.
This SOURCEBOOK in electronic format (PDF) may be ordered from the author at: Elizabeth Fisher
[email protected] www.RiseUpandCallHerName.com (510) 236-9131 Originally published by: Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation 25 Beacon Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108 (617) 742-2100
This curriculum is dedicated by the author to
Lucile Longview whose commitment to raising consciousness about the relationship of women and religion inspires me; whose encouragement to pursue my vision sustains me; and whose love of birds, mountains, and seasons touches me.
CONTENTS OF SOURCEBOOK Acknowledgments, 2007 re-release ................................................................................................... 9 Welcome!......................................................................................................................................... 11 Map of the Journey .......................................................................................................................... 17 Special Thanks!................................................................................................................................ 19
PART ONE: THE PREPARATION — POINTS OF VIEW ............ 25 Forewords Journey of Creating "Rise Up & Call Her Name" by Kay Aler-Maida ..............................27 Glorious Colors, Shapes and Sounds by Shirley Ranck......................................................29 Introduction: Crystallizing the Vision by Elizabeth Fisher..............................................................33 Key Concerns ¾Ritual ................................................................................................................................ 43 ¾Earth-based Spirituality and Unitarian Universalitst Principles .......................................45 ¾Language........................................................................................................................... 51 Perspectives ¾Life Span Education .........................................................................................................55 ¾Why Creative Play? But I Can't Even Draw a Straight Line by Margaret Pearce....................................59 Creative Artistic Expression by Velma Snow .........................................................63 Resources on Developing Creativity .......................................................................67 ¾Storytelling Telling Her Story by Katherine Klohr .....................................................................69 Storytelling Resources .............................................................................................73 ¾What's in it for Men? What If Men Are Included? by Elizabeth Fisher...................................................... 75 What Cakes Means to Me by Robert Fisher.............................................................77 Why This Man Needs the Goddess Too by Robert Aquinas McNally .....................81 Why Men Need to Reconnect with the Goddess by Robert Gass .............................85 Resources on Men and Feminism ............................................................................87 ¾Personal Views Doorways of the Spirit by Rev. David Johnson.......................................................89 The Importance of the Goddess to a Non-Believer by Margaret Pearce.................. 91 Recommended Music and Songbooks .............................................................................................95
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PART TWO: THE JOURNEY — NOTES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE ...........................................105 Session One: Session Two: Session Three: Session Four: Session Five: Session Six: Session Seven: Session Eight: Session Nine: Session Ten: Session Eleven: Session Twelve: Session Thirteen: Video Credits Scored Music for Chants
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Tools for Traveling ...........................................................................107 Beginning the Journey ......................................................................125 Ancient Africa................................................................................... 135 Sub-Saharan Africa...........................................................................149 African America................................................................................173 Asia – India .......................................................................................199 Asia – China......................................................................................211 Asia – Japan ......................................................................................227 Pacific Islands ................................................................................... 237 Mesoamerica .....................................................................................253 Native American ...............................................................................271 Native American ...............................................................................309 The Return ........................................................................................325 ........................................................................................................... 361 ........................................................................................................... 375
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Acknowledgments 2007 Re-release
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 2007 Re-release Moore Anderson, a video and audio producer from Chicago, Illinois, is primarily responsible for this re-issue becoming a reality. He took the initiative to approach the Unitarian Universalist Women’s Federation, the original publisher of RISE UP, suggesting he could help update the formats of the RISE UP video to DVD and the music to CD, something I had wanted to do for some time but did not have the technical know how to do so. Moore was familiar with the course because Phyllis Anderson, his wife, teaches it nearly every year. After so many years the video and audio tapes were really degenerating. Due to Moore’s and his son Wynn’s expertise and generosity, the DVD and MUSIC CD are now available. Moore is also the designer of the cover that appears on all the newly updated components. I am so pleased he was able to create a collage of images from RISE UP and my own travels that introduces the visual feast RISE UP provides. My husband Robert Fisher deserves special recognition for his invaluable collaboration on the content of RISE UP as well as the numerous hours he spent on the production of all of the components of the course and this re-issue. The original SOURCEBOOK was designed and produced by Robert and this re-issue was managed by him as well. I want to acknowledge the support that I received from members of the UUWF at the time of the curriculum development as well as the professional treatment of production, fulfillment and information referrals that Ellen Spencer, Executive Administrator of the UUWF, has provided over the years. Without Ellen’s connecting me to Moore, these current updates would never have been developed! Cope Cumpston, the original designer of the LEADER’S GUIDE who was generous with her time as well as her exceptional skill and talent, made a lasting contribution to the success of RISE UP. Nancy Vedder-Shults, the composer and choir director who created several important songs for RISE UP as well as recorded several others for the MUSIC CD, desires renewed acknowledgment for the beauty of her compositions and her singing as well as her invaluable consultation on the music portion of this project. I also want to especially honor all who have used this material over the years, either facilitating or participating in groups. I have received numerous comments about the profound personal value RISE UP has had in the lives of those participating. Without the support for personal development and community building provided by feminist spirituality and religious education facilitators, these life changing experiences would never have happened! So many other folks were involved in the original development of RISE UP. Each one is credited in detail throughout the SOURCEBOOK. I think of the wonderful hours I spent in dialogue with these women and men and honor their deep and sensitive contributions. I also honor the writers and artists whom I never met personally but who spoke volumes in their art and writings. Even though years have passed since the material was developed, it is still timely today, due in significant part to the authenticity of so many and the high quality of their contributions.
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Acknowledgments 2007 Re-release
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Rise Up & Call Her Name Sourcebook
Welcome!
WELCOME! by Elizabeth Fisher I am excited about this re-issue of Rise Up & Call Her Name (originally published in 1994) in up-to-date formats, including this Sourcebook in PDF searchable format. With so many new forms of technology available, I felt it was time to take advantage of the flexibility they lend to the rich array of material that makes up the Rise Up journey. The material included in this Sourcebook, and in the other components of the course, has not changed but is now much easier to use. (One exception: The Journal Pages have been eliminated. Since participants often prefer to use their own personal journals, this PDF file no longer contains journal pages. Hence the change in title from Sourcebook and Journal to Sourcebook.) This Sourcebook file contains hyperlinks between the Table of Contents and the text. Simply click on entries in the Table of Contents and you will be taken to the section you selected. You can also search for any word you choose by using the "Find" feature. Note the file itself is set up in book-style which means it includes a few blank pages in appropriate places so that if you print from this file the output will be set up like a normal book. You can print the entire book with one command or select any shorter range of pages to print. Also, check www.RiseUpandCallHerName.com for interesting updates, newly discovered resource links and related points of interest. I know you will find these new formats and the RISE UP website a delight to work with!
NEW PROGRAMMING POSSIBILITIES In addition to the change in format for the SOURCEBOOK, this re-release includes the video, songs, chants, and instrumentals in DVD and CD formats. (The personal stories are no longer available in recorded form, but are included in this text.) The original LEADER’S GUIDE is now spiral bound for easy use when undertaking the full course. These changes also make it possible to experience the RISE UP multimedia adventure in a totally different way. For example, it only takes two hours to watch the DVD and a little more than one hour to listen to the CD. Now, each 10-minute segment of the video can be viewed non-sequentially and songs played in any order, making for many more programming options. Now with these new formats you can select just a few video segments, play a couple of songs, and presto, you have a wonderful short program that can fit into an hour or less. Or, if you are taking this journey individually, you can tailor your selections of what to experience to the time and energy you have available.
A REFLECTION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF RISE UP When developing RISE UP, I encountered a wide range of attitudes within all cultures I reviewed. I felt the need to look at each culture through a lens that is based on values—not cultural, racial, or gender biases. Woman-honoring and respect for the Earth were central to everything I selected. Further, I searched for aspects of varied traditions where a commitment to the values of equality, compassion, nurturance and creativity were openly expressed; where a priority was placed on maintaining the common good as well as exploring individual spiritual growth and
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Welcome! fulfillment. I then synthesized some of what I found to be the most profound and inspirational aspects of a variety of cultures, past and present. After more than 13 years of use by thousands of people, you can imagine I have received some very meaningful reactions. One in particular I found to capture the essence of my intent. It came from Rev. Gregory Stewart, now the senior minister of the Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco, who also has an impressive background in Religious Education. He says: The RISE UP curriculum is simply so rich in the areas of pre-christian and world religious approachs to thealogy/theology, and is presented in such an engaging way that everybody will benefit from the spiritual and social transformation that the curriculum makes possible.
AN INVITATION I invite you to travel openly with the female divine. For me the values that are articulated by Her in many of the cultures I have reviewed are multifaceted. She can be outraged at injustices as much as She can understand and forgive. She can bring life forward and She can be the force that dissolves when the process has been completed. She is both demanding of integrity and amused by the child within all of us. She comforts us and guides us. She is presented in RISE UP in many guises—ready to meet each of our inquiries, dialoguing with us as we evaluate our own value systems and shape our actions. Whether you are in a RISE UP group or are taking this course solo, you are about to embark on a metaphorical journey. Consider for a moment what this can mean to you. Learning to appreciate what other people believe, especially if such a study is undertaken deliberately and with respect, can be a profound experience. It can enrich your intellectual, emotional and psychological life as well as aid you in defining your own philosophical, ethical and spiritual understandings. This imaginary journey has the potential of being more challenging and meaningful than some of the physical ones you may have undertaken. My hope is RISE UP & CALL HER NAME: A WOMANHONORING JOURNEY INTO EARTH-BASED SPIRITUALITIES will be such an experience for you. While traveling through the continents touched upon in RISE UP — Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas — you will have a chance to explore: • • •
Art forms and expressions which are both historical and contemporary Varied concepts and personal expressions Myths and stories
As you take part in a variety of activities, you will: • • • • • •
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Create visual images Meditate Record thoughts and impressions in your journal Dialogue with others on the journey Sing unique chants and songs Listen to international instrumental music
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Welcome! Stops on your journey will provide exposure, in the video segments, to a range of visual images and religious constructs. These are designed to help you become aware of the pervasive presence of women-honoring viewpoints present in religious traditions in varied locations. Then, in order to provide an opportunity for more in-depth exploration and sharing, the majority of time within each session will focus on a few select elements of several spiritual traditions. This SOURCEBOOK is designed to accompany you on this journey. It contains valuable materials you will need to refer to during the time you are with the group, including: • • • •
Words for chants and songs (Scoring for most of the chants and songs included at the end of the SOURCEBOOK.) Readings done in unison or read around the circle during the sessions Opinion and perspective pieces Background readings occasionally required for a session activity
During the development of this curriculum, many important pieces of writing, additional information on subjects covered, and recommended reference material were discovered. I have selected from a large body of material what seemed to be some of the most useful, interesting and accessible pieces and included them for your consideration and enjoyment. Just as the dark moon was seen in the ancient mystical interpretations of the moon cycle as the distillation and concentration of the wisdom of the previous cycle, this SOURCEBOOK is a distillation of what has been discovered during the development and crafting of RISE UP. It can act as the beginnings of the new cycles that will take place among those of you who are committing your time and attention to this and other Earth-centered ventures. I hope some of these pieces will act as seed ideas for your future visions. These resources are for you to use when you are alone, considering the material you have experienced and perhaps seeking more information about what you have seen and done during a group gathering. They can also be used in future group gatherings to stimulate further dialogue. Or, if you are taking this journey alone, you will find these pieces expand and deepen what you have experienced through using the LEADER’S GUIDE. These materials are presented in the following subsections.
MAP OF THE JOURNEY This "Map" provides short descriptions of each stop on our travels during RISE UP and the Earth-based themes touched upon there. It gives you a sense of the progression of the journey.
SPECIAL THANKS! Many of the people who contributed their ideas, time and expertise to this project are acknowledged in this section. Each section of the SOURCEBOOK also contains a list of contributors and indicates the scope of their contribution to the session.
FOREWORDS These two forewords are authored by Kay Aler-Maida, President of the Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation, and Reverend Shirley Ranck, author of the feminist thealogy curriculum CAKES FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. They provide commentary on the creation of RISE UP.
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Welcome! INTRODUCTION: "CRYSTALLIZING THE VISION" I have written this piece to share some of my understandings which have resulted from my experience and study and have informed the ways in which I have shaped this journey. Topics I selected to comment on are: Awareness of Interconnection, What's so Important about Religious Imagery?, Cultural Appreciation, Global Community and Local Diversity, Why Multicultural Exploration? and more. KEY CONCERNS While developing RISE UP, several areas surfaced as ones that are important to the themes of this curriculum. This section gives these special attention. These are: • • •
Whys and how’s of ritual Unitarian Universalism and Earth-centered Spirituality Issues of correct language, spelling, and pronunciation
PERSPECTIVES Selected essays by a variety of authors on topics that are relevant to the themes of RISE UP have been grouped in this section. These essays are meant to encourage exchange of ideas and discourse. They cover a range of related topics that may stimulate your individual reflections as well as possible follow-up group discussions. The Table of Contents tells you the titles and authors of these pieces.
RECOMMENDED MUSIC AND SONGBOOKS A list of commercially available music and songbooks containing the chants and instrumental music presented in RISE UP and where they can be purchased are supplied in this section. Short descriptions of the artists and their work provide additional background about these resources.
SESSION SECTIONS Each session in the curriculum has a corresponding section in this SOURCEBOOK that contains biographical notes about contributors and a few thoughts on the importance of the deities central to the session and why they were selected. The words to chants and songs as well as group readings are included here. Additional information, background essays and excerpts that expand upon the material presented in the session are included. These selections are designed to aid understanding of material presented in the sessions and can be read, in most cases, at anytime before, during or after the sessions. (Occasionally, the material needs to be read as preparation for a dialogue during the session which is so indicated.) Lists of additional resources that include books, videos and audios are supplied. Many of these resources were used to craft the sessions and can be used for further research and study. When a piece has been excerpted from a published work, the title of the work and the author(s) are listed with the excerpt. A fuller reference to the work, listing the publisher and date of publication, is usually included in the Resources section which contains works related to the focus of the Session, many of which were used to develop the curriculum. Many of the works are annotated so you will have more information about the orientation and scope of the work to help you decide whether you wish to search it out for your own further study. The resources are listed by the title, followed by the name of the author(s), followed by publication information in order to make the entries easier to read. Resources sections are meant to be lists and not bibliographies and so are not organized in any particular alphabetical order.
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Rise Up & Call Her Name Sourcebook
Welcome! As you undertake this Woman-honoring Journey into Global Earth-based Spiritualities, I hope this SOURCEBOOK, will be a valuable companion!
LIST OF VIDEO IMAGES AND MUSIC SOURCES This list of credits is included to properly acknowledge the owners of the images and music included in RISE UP. It is also provided to allow you to locate the original art and music if you are interested.
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Welcome!
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Map of the Journey
MAP OF THE JOURNEY RISE UP & CALL HER NAME: A WOMAN HONORING JOURNEY INTO GLOBAL EARTH-BASED SPIRITUALITIES is a journey of thought, activity, feeling and exchange. It uses various forms
of art, dialogue and reflection to explore together what we believe and feel. It carries numerous qualities; most important among these are:
Bringing awareness of the processes of nature into our contemporary spiritual life
Nurturing self-respect in women and respect for women in men by making known the range of emotions and actions attributed to female deities and the respect accorded them in many spiritual traditions
Expanding appreciation and respect given Earth-based spiritual traditions as well as the Earth-honoring aspects of several well-known religious belief systems
Opening doors to cross-cultural interaction by fostering a respect for the richness of diversity
Beginning the journey, we contact the Jewish/Semitic first wife of Adam, Lilith. We learn the lesson that many religions considered patriarchal may indeed have strong feminist roots as well. We also explore the inner and outer nature of a spiritual journey. We learn the inherent worth of darkness by honoring the Dark Goddess Hekate from the ancient Mediterranean/Pre-Hellenic region. We encounter the three faces of this Goddess — maiden, mother, and wise woman — and begin to appreciate the processes of life, death and rebirth as central to existence, both in a physical and a metaphorical sense. We next move toward Africa, the cradle of civilization. We become acquainted with the formative and central influences of black Africa in the highly developed Egyptian culture. We enter the temple of Isis, the ancient primal Goddess that was the source of much of the original Egyptian mythology. We consider healing power which is often made available through honoring the female and the Earth. The stories of three Yoruban Orisha that originate in West Africa next capture our attention. They are: Oshun, Goddess of the River; Yemaja, Goddess of the Sea; and Oya, Goddess of the Winds of Change. We dance to drumming rhythms as we begin to experience the multi-dimensional aspect of spiritual communication. Following the movement of African people to the "new world,” we experience aspects of contemporary African American culture. We honor the Ancient Ancestral Mother and the belief that the sacred and secular are one. The experience of improvisation is brought alive through the uniquely inspired method of Afro-traditional quilting.
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Map of the Journey Continuing our global adventure, we arrive on the Asian sub-continent and hear of the power of Kali, a Mother Goddess in India, and explore the creative power of Shakti, the feminine principle, which teaches us that passive and active is not a true female/male dichotomy. Moving through Asia we stop in Tibet and China and meet the popular Goddesses Tara and Kwan Yin, becoming familiar with some of the female-honoring aspects of Buddhism and Taoism. These religions teach us that compassion is an important quality to develop and that direct experience of the sacred, which is sometimes called intuition, is of considerable value. Many of the teachings of these traditions also demonstrate that when acting it is important not to be attached to the outcome, but rather to be concerned with integrity. Culminating our Asian visit, we arrive on the islands of Japan and encounter the Shinto Goddess Amaterasu and her lessons of self-empowerment. We learn from the tale of her withdrawal and then return to society that our impact on our communities can be significant even though, at times, it is difficult to accept the behavior of others. Next we move toward Central and North America. We first land in Hawaii and contact Pele, the exciting Goddess of the volcano. Here we acknowledge the ties between ecology and Earthbased spirituality and consider how the processes of the Earth are held sacred by some indigenous peoples. Arriving in Mesoamerica, we also meet the Goddess Tonantzin who is at the core of contemporary devotion to the Mexican Virgin of Guadalupe. We also discover the ancient Goddess Corn Mother and meditate upon the ways the fruit of our harvest becomes the seed of our future undertakings. We next touch the roots of the First Peoples of the Americas through the stories and masks of a Lakota Sacred Pipe Woman. We discover the North American continent is steeped in ancient female-honoring traditions as we encounter the American Indian Goddesses White Buffalo Calf Woman, Spider Woman and Changing Woman. We also consider how sacred truths sometimes come directly to individuals if they are able to recognize them. Knowing that we must return to our everyday lives, yet realizing how we have changed, we share what we have learned and explore where we wish to go from here.
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Special Thanks!
SPECIAL THANKS! A project of this magnitude is touched by many people who played a myriad of roles and provided invaluable support. In later sections of this SOURCEBOOK that correspond to the sessions, I have provided notes about those who were involved under the heading "Who Contributed?" These are intended to be acknowledgements, credits, and expressions of appreciation. Here, I wish to recognize the unique participation of several additional people, as well as some mentioned again later. I want to first thank the Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation Board (UUWF) and Mairi Maeks, Executive Director of the UUWF, for supporting my vision for the form and approach of RISE UP. The appreciation they have shown for the creative element that comes to play in such a complex endeavor has allowed me to struggle through challenging issues and cutting edge concerns that demand sensitive consideration. Members of the Board who were especially important to the development of this project were Peg Carlson, Carol Graywing, Sue Haskin and Arlene Johnson. Their willingness to midwife this project by contributing their time and talents to the successful development and promotion of RISE UP is an important factor in its birth. (After all, it is an eight pound baby that gestated over twice as long as an elephant does!) I also wish to thank Ellen Spencer of the UUWF staff for assuming the marketing and distribution responsibilities for RISE UP and for being willing to put her name on all order forms and ads as primary contact person. A most important role! Lucile Longview, whom I have dedicated this project to, deserves mention here so that those reading these credits who do not know her will appreciate her contribution to the field of women and religion. Her authorship of the Women and Religion Resolution, which in 1977 was passed unanimously by the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association, is legendary among those most involved when it was passed. What has personally impressed me about Lucile includes: her vision of future possibilities; her championing of non-hierarchical forms of organization; her international work on behalf of women's human rights at earlier Global Women's Conferences; her unwavering commitment to changes in our family structures where they support sex-role stereotypes; and her interest in the current Women and Religion movement, even as she moves into her mid-80's and the deserved peace of her advanced cronehood. Her passion for gaining ever increasing understanding of the relationship between women and religion has enlarged my own commitment to this endeavor. I am most grateful to those who were instrumental in developing and producing this curriculum. Here are a few words about the key players. The design of RISE UP is inspired by the successful diversity of activities included in the feminist spirituality curriculum CAKES FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN created by Reverend Shirley Ranck. Not only was Shirley's ground-breaking work the original inspiration for RISE UP, but Shirley's counsel and friendship sustained me through the many phases of this project. Carol Graywing's efforts throughout this project — particularly in the initial planning stages and on the final review committee — supported a breath of vision and a risk-taking ethic that
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Special Thanks! encouraged my spirit of adventure, which both expanded and deepened RISE UP. Her leadership on the UUWF Board helped to keep this project on track. Elinor Gadon, Director of the Women's Spirituality Program at The California Institute of Integral Studies, furnished valuable critiques of early material as well as continued encouragement throughout the development process. Her belief in the importance of this project steadied my inquiry and strengthened my resolve to continue to travel down the sometimes unpredictable path that unfolded during the creation of RISE UP. My partner, Bob Fisher, deserves special recognition. Those who have worked with me on this project know how much Bob has contributed in every way possible. Not only has he furnished support, he has been a model of feminist process and an embodiment of feminist values. His presence continues to remind me that gender is not the problem, and that the true meaning of feminist is "belief in the equality of women and men." Bob lives this definition and needs to be acknowledged as the co-creator he has been of RISE UP. His contributions have included: consultation on content; photographing many of the images for the video; associate production of the video which included extensive involvement in the creation of both the visual and audio portions as well as the final editing; primary production assistance on the audio tapes; compilation and annotation of all bibliographies; and desktop publishing of the SOURCEBOOK. Cope Cumpston deserves uncommon praise for lending her exceptional graphic design skills to RISE UP. She has been stalwart, working with me over a period of several years to create the cover, text and dividers in the Leader's Guide, and promotional materials including a canvas bag, display, buttons and posters. I am grateful for her sensitivity to the content and her patience with the process. I also wish to extend my heartfelt appreciation to her spouse Walter Matherly for his hours of work in assisting Cope with the desktop publishing. His willingness to support Cope and this project was a key factor in making its final production possible. Nancy Vedder-Shults graciously acted as music consultant for the curriculum. She wrote many chants and songs specifically for the curriculum as well as orchestrated and recorded others that are included on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. Nancy also advised me on the quality of music I had selected and contributed valuable suggestions for additional music that would further enhance the curriculum's themes. Her counsel was a great help during this project. (Many of the songs Nancy recorded for this curriculum also appear on her CD entitled CHANTS FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. Details on how to obtain the CD appear in the "Recommended Music and Songbooks" section of this SOURCEBOOK.) Sue Ellen McCann and David Bolt, video producers, gave generously of their time and expertise to help create the beautiful video that accompanies this curriculum. Making still shots interesting on video is not an easy task, the mere thought of which intimidated me. The sensitive interpretations of David's camera work and Sue Ellen's film editing, however, have brought forth from these images even deeper beauty than the still slides conveyed. I also want to acknowledge Jane Mickelson's talented delivery of the narration accompanying these images, which accentuates and enhances them. For me, creating this video, while one of the more challenging parts of the project, was also one of the most rewarding. This, in no small part, is due to the people who contributed their professional talents to this process.
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Special Thanks! I want to formally thank my father, James Turner (1917-1999), who willingly interrupted his retirement from a life-long career as a journalist, editor, and publications director, to donate his copy editing expertise. I also want to thank him for being so enthusiastic about my efforts to share woman-honoring and culturally diverse material with the world. He and my mother, Mary Bryan Hunter Turner (1912-1980), deserve considerable credit for raising me to be a proud feminist and religious liberal. Many people aided in the development of the material in this curriculum. While I have attempted to acknowledge specific contributions at the beginning of each session, I want to also thank a few contributors here for the exceptional gifts they made to this innovative educational effort. Muriel Antoine's openness and commitment to sharing with me her deep felt spirituality, which she expresses through her art and writing, were invaluable to me as I felt my way through the shaping of this multicultural project. The risks she was willing to assume in order to collaborate with me are testaments to her standing in her own community and her clear vision of the positive effects embracing diversity can have. Her immense spirit and her sense of humor were joys to experience. Betty Soskin was an important encouragement to me as I sought to gain an understanding of some of the various intellectual and philosophical outlooks present in the African American community. She also possesses an intellectual honesty that both challenged and motivated me to expand my vision and redouble my commitment to this project. Sue Ying Lee Mossman has been a friend for many years. Her commitment to this project from its original conception to the last read, when she supplied valuable editorial corrections, has meant a great deal to me. Her willingness to share her personal feelings and life circumstances has also been an inspiration. Grace Coan and Laura Parra Codina both deserve distinction for their quick response to my call for collaboration. Their insights and ability to express their personal visions, and their willingness to share those visions, took a unique courage that touched me deeply. Reverend Toni Vincent's participation in discussions about this project and her involvement of her friend Eli Leon, an expert in Afro-traditional quilting, produced a unique approach to improvisation, an important aspect of African American spirituality. Her participation attests to Toni's belief in sharing the traditions of various cultural heritages, which she trusts will enrich our entire community. Martha Ann provided ideas and insights, as well as many images from her goddess collection, which her husband Jerry Bartling graciously photographed so they could appear in the video. Priscilla Hinckley was most accommodating by entertaining me for a weekend of intense exchange about the cultures of Africa. Her follow-up in providing sources of images that could be used in the video aided the forward movement of that element of the curriculum considerably. Prill's good humor and insights came at just the right time.
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Special Thanks! Pat White deserves recognition for her varied involvements in the development of this program in several key roles. She graciously co-lead with me a week long version of RISE UP at Ferry Beach, Maine in the Summer of 1992, an experience that was both fun and enlightening. During that week, she shared her facilitation skills, her extensive collection of international art objects and books, and the knowledge she has gained from her cross-cultural experiences, which greatly enriched that experience for me and the group. Pat also took on the responsibility of working with Mairi Maeks, Executive Director of the UUWF, to coordinate the continental training for regional leaders of RISE UP — no small task. Judging from the reactions to that program, she and Mairi did an excellent job. Finally, she read portions of the final draft of the curriculum and supplied insightful commentary. Allyson Rickard has shown unusual dedication to this program. Her sensitivity to Earthbased spirituality and her generous donation of her time, thoughts, insights, and her artistic creations enriched many parts of this curriculum. Her involvement included: leading a test group; consulting on the nature and placement of the Asian material (Allyson had traveled to Asian with a focus on spirituality which added to her understanding of Asian religions); photography of Hawaii used in the video segment on Pele; and more. Caroline Finch's unwavering belief in me and this project has done much to bolster my spirits when the breath and depth of this undertaking seemed about to overwhelm me. As a test group leader, contributor, a final review committee member, and co-trainer of leaders in the Pacific Central District with Allyson Rickard, she always made extra efforts, both physical and interpersonal, to back the concept and reality of RISE UP. Her special blessings, her invaluable intuitions, her tolerance, and her ability to connect people with one another made many key aspects of this project blossom. The final editorial readers — those who watched for misspellings, awkward wording and transitions, and possible ambiguities that could cause misunderstandings — deserve thanks, particularly for their willingness and ability to read so much material quickly while making worthwhile catches and corrections. They were: James Turner, Sue Ying Lee Mossman, Gustavia Gash, Carol Graywing, Sue Haskin, Allyson Rickard, Meg Bowman, Helena Knox and Peg Carlson. I want to also thank here the leaders and participants in the over 35 test groups across the continent who, in 1991-1992, field tested the original version of this curriculum, providing valuable feedback and suggestions which aided in the shaping of this final version. The support of the many women of the PCD Women and Religion Task Force was the life blood that sustained me. The ongoing activities, sisterhood, and talent of this group has contributed immeasurably to my ability to pursue my ever-growing interests in the role of women in religions. Just being a part of this network, which includes so many women, has truly changed my life. In addition to those already mentioned who are part of that network, I want to add a few specific words about Margaret Pearce, Emily Champagne, Meg Bowman, Gustavia Gash, Dorothy Satir, and Carolyn Taylor and the ways they were involved. Margaret Pearce agreed to lead the first test group, working with very raw material that grew, over several years, into the journey of RISE UP. I am indebted to her for her flexibility, her
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Special Thanks! adventuresome spirit and her graceful deliverance of critiques, as well as writing her thoughtful commentary included in Part One of the SOURCEBOOK. Reverend Emily Champagne helped organize initial meetings to plan several of the sessions and shared her insights and considerable wisdom. Meg Bowman provided images, research and valuable editorial feedback and encouragement throughout the development process. Gustavia Gash reviewed and critiqued several drafts of RISE UP, freely sharing her thoughtful responses and providing moral support. Dorothy Satir joined the UUWF continental marketing team at my request and suggested several effective promotional ideas. Dorothy's personal belief in the approach of RISE UP meant a great deal to me. Carolyn Taylor, who has a deep and abiding knowledge of goddesses in their many forms, generously assisted during the final stages of the curriculum's development in ways that have been invaluable to me. And finally, I wish to especially thank singer and song writer Carolyn McDade, a friend over the years, who first used the phrase "Rise Up and Call Her Name" in one of her musical pieces which inspired the title of this curriculum. Carolyn's dedication to multicultural and justiceseeking work has afforded a model for many of us, including me, to keep on keepin' on. Elizabeth Fisher Berkeley, California, 1994 Reissue – Richmond, California, 2007
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Special Thanks!
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Part One: The Preparation — Points of View
PART ONE THE PREPARATION — POINTS OF VIEW Forewords.............................................................................................................. 27 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 33 Key Concerns ¾ Ritual........................................................................................................... 43 ¾ Earth-based Spirituality and Unitarian Universalist Principles.................. 45 ¾ Language..................................................................................................... 51 Perspectives ¾ Life Span Education ................................................................................... 55 ¾ Why Creative Play? .................................................................................... 59 ¾ Storytelling ................................................................................................. 69 ¾ What's in it for Men? .................................................................................. 75 ¾ Personal Views ........................................................................................... 89 Recommended Music and Songbooks .................................................................. 95
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Part One: The Preparation — Points of View
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Foreword by Kay Aler-Maida
FOREWORD: JOURNEY OF CREATING "RISE UP & CALL HER NAME" by Kay Aler-Maida, President Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation Like the process you are about to begin, publishing this curriculum has been a journey — in this case, as is often the case with truly innovative undertakings, much of the journey's road was made as we traveled it. The idea for RISE UP & CALL HER NAME began after a UUWF-sponsored panel discussion on Cakes for the Queen of Heaven at the 1988 UUA General Assembly in Palm Springs, California. It grew in subsequent discussions among Elizabeth Fisher (author/editor of RISE UP), Carol Graywing (UUWF board member), Mairi Maeks (UUWF Executive Director), and Shirley Ranck (author of CAKES) about the need for a curriculum that would not only explore the multicultural roots of feminist thealogy, but also educate about and honor the diversity of our spiritual roots. When the idea for RISE UP & CALL HER NAME first surfaced in 1988 it was immediately appealing to UUWF's program development people. For several years women had clamored for follow-up material on women's spirituality after participating in CAKES FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN courses. CAKES was a far-reaching, profoundly important curriculum, one that changed forever the way many UU women relate to their spiritual roots. Equally important was an emerging recognition that we needed to reach outside of UU experience and circles if we wished to understand and welcome diversity. Our UUWF purposes charged us to:
Recognize and promote better understanding of the multiplicity of differences among us and to value these differences
Value, preserve and celebrate women's rich and unique experiences
Enrich our spiritual lives and reflect on the power of our beliefs
RISE UP & CALL HER NAME follows in a long tradition of innovative work by Unitarian Universalist women. Our history includes early feminists, the first fully-ordained woman minister in America, abolitionists, suffragists, women leaders in the fields of health, education, and the arts. The Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation, an independent membership organization for UU women, was begun by many of these early foremothers to serve as a vehicle for carrying out and carrying on our UU women's work. While many people worked on RISE UP & CALL HER NAME, we are all indebted to Elizabeth Fisher for the creation of this curriculum. Without her it would be an unrealized vision. Liz is the author and editor and guiding spirit of RISE UP & CALL HER NAME. She's done an extraordinary job.
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Foreword by Kay Aler-Maida We also want to recognize Margaret M. Morris, a UU woman whose bequest to the UUWF made an important contribution to the publishing of this curriculum, as well as contributors to the UUWF annual giving program which provided institutional support for developing RISE UP & CALL HER NAME. We are especially grateful for the support of the UUA's Fund For Unitarian Universalism, which has provided much of the funding for the development and training stages of RISE UP & CALL HER NAME. Last but not least, I want to thank the UUWF board and staff. Every one of them participated in making this an organization that could support an undertaking like this. Especially central to the development of the curriculum were Phyllis Rickter, who was President of UUWF when we began this curriculum, Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, Carol Graywing, Sue Haskin, and Mairi Maeks. This guide is now in your hands. May your journey be joyful and may it forever enrich your own spiritual exploration. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Kay Aler-Maida is president of the Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation; a member of the UUA Racial and Cultural Diversity Task Force; and serves on the UU Task Force on Clergy Sexual Misconduct. She is the administrator of the Community Church of New York and a member of the First Unitarian Church, Brooklyn. Her past district activities have included serving as Chair of the Religious Education Committee; Women and Religion Chair; and participation in UNILEAD LEADERSHIP SCHOOL. In the community she is active with the Brooklyn Pro-Choice Network.
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Foreword by Shirley Ranck
FOREWORD: GLORIOUS COLORS, SHAPES AND SOUNDS by Shirley Ranck Do not box me in in your narrow racial jackets too tight to move in, too thin to wear. — Luisah Teish Out of all the vivid and striking images I looked at when discussing the design of this new curriculum with Liz Fisher, two stand out for me. They speak to me across the boundaries of time and race and culture without even any need for explanation. One shows the terrible side of female history. The other envisions our hope. At the foot of the steps of the Aztec temple in Mexico City there was found an oval stone eleven feet long, carved with the image of a dismembered goddess — Coyolxauhqui. We do not need to know her story in order to know her fate. There she lies, dismembered, for all the world to see. Is there a woman anywhere of any color or culture who does not understand and suffer with her? I believe that the message is clear and universal: with patriarchy comes the dismemberment of female power. The other image comes from Africa — a vessel in the shape of a woman's head which has two faces. On one side a black woman's face; on the other side a white woman's face. The hair and headdresses blend into each other, telling us without words or story that we are one. I believe that such an image is the source of our hope. I mention these two images and the meanings they hold for me because this new curriculum attempts to take us on a journey into the indigenous religions of many lands and peoples and that effort is a very risky enterprise. We Unitarian Universalists are after all predominantly white middle class Americans. How dare we claim these native religions as our own? As one Native American woman said, "I feel as if you are invading my religion just as you invaded my land." I hope we do not come to this journey as invaders. The very language of invasion speaks to me of patriarchy, not of a woman's, or a man's, spiritual journey. It is that very mind-set of invasion and conquest that we would challenge and set aside. We come to this journey as learners, as women and men who affirm, intellectually and I hope passionately, the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. We come now to experience directly the diversity of that web. If we are to survive we must have the courage to find and celebrate the universals at the heart of all Earth-centered, woman-honoring religion. We need to know the truth about female power and its dismemberment, and about the desacralization of the Earth under patriarchy because it is part of our history as human beings. And we need to envision and celebrate our oneness even as we learn to rejoice in our colorful
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Foreword by Shirley Ranck diversity. We do not come to invade or colonize but to re-member and to create together a new vision for the future. In the process of writing CAKES FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN, I discovered some aspects of pre-patriarchal religion that I had not expected. Perhaps the most important was reverence for the Earth and the cycles of nature. As a thoroughly urban person, I was only minimally aware of the phases of the moon, the coming of an equinox or solstice. I had long been in love with the crashing waves and iridescent life of the oceans. I had stared in wonder at the beauty of the California redwoods. But I had related these feelings only peripherally to my religion. For the Old Religions, Earth was another name for the divine female creator. I learned to sing "We all come from the Goddess and to Her we shall return, like a drop of rain flowing to the ocean." I began to see the connection between the dishonoring of women and the exploitation of the Earth. CAKES was about women and their lives. While we meditated upon the phases of the moon and called for harmony with Earth's elements, we did not take up directly the relationship between the powerlessness of women and the ecological crisis of the Earth. It is exciting to me that this new curriculum makes central a respect for the Earth and for women. Another aspect was ritual. As a former Episcopalian, I had delighted in the relative absence of ritual in Unitarian Universalism. The rituals I had known earlier did not resonate with my life experience. They seemed like vain repetitions. But Sappho spoke of women dancing in the moonlight and the very title I chose for my curriculum came from the description of a ritual for baking cakes for the Queen of Heaven. Everywhere I looked I found that ancient people created rituals. The rituals, however, were part of their everyday lives. I wanted CAKES to connect women's religious history with issues in women's lives. In trying to accomplish that goal, I stumbled warily into the realm of ritual. Only a little bit of ritual — lighting a candle and reading a poem; passing a candle around the circle as each person spoke; closing each session with a poem or song. I didn't realize how starved we all were for meaningful ritual or how effective it was in touching our lives until I began to teach the course and then to hear about the rituals other women had added to the sessions. I am delighted that in this new curriculum ritual is lifted up and looked at more directly as a tool for you to use on your journey. It is a marvelous outlet for your creativity. Enjoy! Another aspect of pre-patriarchal religion that I bumped into in writing CAKES was the notion that our ancestors are still part of the community. When I decided to open the first session by having a candle passed around and each woman asked to name her female ancestors, I thought it was just a way to make us aware of how few names we knew and how seldom we had an opportunity to value our mothers and grandmothers. Something else happened in the actual experience. Women spoke gently of the strengths of their mothers or the hard lives of their grandmothers. There were tears. There was laughter. Many said afterwards that they felt their mothers and grandmothers were really there with us. We had quite inadvertently called upon our ancestors, something so often done in pre-patriarchal indigenous religions that this new curriculum has taken its title, RISE UP & CALL HER NAME, from a chant written by Carolyn McDade that is part of just such a ritual, one created by Reverend Adele Smith. In this new course, learning to honor our female ancestors is given its rightful emphasis and importance — another important tool for your journey.
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Foreword by Shirley Ranck Night and darkness also took on new meaning for me as I learned that ancient women gathered on hilltops in the light of the moon to celebrate their menses or the stages of their lives. No longer could light be all good and dark be all bad. It is no accident that in our own patriarchal times we have had to call special rallies and marches in our cities to "take back the night." CAKES did not address this issue, and women of color rightly wondered where the goddesses of their cultures were in our very limited slice of women's religious history. This new course intentionally explores the implications of our language and assumptions about light and dark as a necessary tool for this particular spiritual journey. It is a great pleasure to me to see that these issues of respect for the Earth, of ritual, of ancestors and of darkness which were not addressed directly in CAKES will now be brought dramatically into our awareness. The Great Goddess, that symbol of divine creativity within the world, emerges here in all her glorious colors and shapes and sounds and I would say with Luisah Teish: I will not wear |your narrow racial jackets as the blood of many nations runs sweetly thru my veins. Blessed be! BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Shirley Ranck is a Unitarian Universalist minister and a psychologist who is the author of the ground-breaking curriculum on feminist thealogy entitled CAKES FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. She has been active in the Women and Religion movement within the UU denomination since the 1970s. She retired in 1994 and is currently working on a book entitled FEMINIST THEALOGY FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. She is a member of the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists.
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Foreword by Shirley Ranck
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Introduction: Crystallizing the Vision
INTRODUCTION: CRYSTALLIZING THE VISION by Elizabeth Fisher RISE UP & CALL HER NAME: A WOMAN-HONORING JOURNEY INTO GLOBAL EARTH-BASED SPIRITUALITIES is designed to be a unique experience of imaginary travel through time and space. While developing RISE UP, I relied on my self-crafted orientation to life — a combination of the outlook and styles used by mystics, journalists and essayists. For me, a mystic is someone who relies on their innate sense of truth using the tools of intuition and direct experience; a journalist is someone who interviews, observes, absorbs and reports; and an essayist is someone who shares insights and opinions based on a set of well-honed beliefs, ethics, and values. Early in the process of crafting this work, I realized that for RISE UP to be as rich as it should be, it must incorporate the participation of a range of people. As a result, the evolution of the structure of RISE UP took place over several years in consultation with a variety of individuals some of whom practice feminist, Earth-based spirituality. Many of those who participated also draw upon varied cultural sources to shape their personal spiritual practice. In order to finally organize contributions into a useful pattern, however, one firm grasp was needed to shape the whole into a piece with inner continuity. That has been my joyful task. The final selections and patterns of sessions of RISE UP consist of what I have felt would be the most stimulating, relevant material and activities.
AWARENESS OF INTERCONNECTION Spiritual journeys are about all kinds of webs. Webs of ideas. Webs of impressions. Webs of feelings. Webs of beings. These webs are not linear but multidimensional and multidirectional. They sometimes leave dreamlike impressions that, when visited later, unexpectedly reveal an aspect of existence we have been seeking to understand. Those individuals who consciously participate as part of these webs rarely find life static. They feel that much of what they encounter changes them profoundly, sensing they are also affecting what they are perceiving, thus altering what they experience as it reforms them. Once they become comfortable with the ambiguity this world view produces, they report that living becomes more dynamic and involving with the possibility for a wider range of discoveries opening up to them. (I am becoming aware of more and more scientists and philosophers who are adopting this view of the nature of experience.) In their healthiest forms, natural systems are complex, subtle, diverse and inherently beautiful. To respect this beauty and to feel a part of it is to be Earth-based. Numerous spiritual traditions around the globe build their beliefs on a respect for these natural processes which exhibit interdependence. An active concern for the well-being of all parts of the web of existence is a central precept of these religious practices. This profound respect for nature can be found within the belief systems of religions such as Buddhism and Taoism that currently have, or have had, multitudes of followers. Localized spiritual systems, such as the practices of the Sande women's society of the Sierra Leone people of Africa, or the Lakota and the Dineh (Navajo for "The People") of North America, to name
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Introduction: Crystallizing the Vision only three of thousands, all prominently display aspects of Earth-based spirituality. Providing ways to bring awareness of the processes of nature and this interconnected web into our contemporary spiritual life is a chief purpose of this curriculum.
HONORING THE FEMALE A second chief purpose of the activities that comprise this curriculum is to make known the honor myriad spiritual traditions accord the female. As I approached the task of crystallizing my vision of RISE UP, I went about discovering and uncovering essential aspects of Earth-based spiritualities, past and present that honor the female around the globe. All too often it has been said there is very little evidence of woman-honoring traditions in most religions. Over the years, as I read in the field of world religions, occasionally I would see a mention of a goddess. However, these mentions were minimal at best. At first, I was confused by the incomplete and strangely worded references that contained partial, often conflicting observations and interpretations about the few goddesses that managed to receive mention. When the opportunity to write and edit RISE UP became available, I welcomed the chance to find out more for myself. The last several years of research, personal inquiry, and discussion with people from a variety of backgrounds has unearthed for me an impressive array of fresh voices and insights about how important honoring the female has been and, in many cases, continues to be in Earth-centered religious practices. Thousands of powerful female religious images have existed throughout time all over the globe. (Martha Ann, a contributor to the curriculum, has recently published a dictionary of global goddesses. She covers 11,500 goddesses from locations all over the globe and says she is just scratching the surface!) This is a startling fact for most people raised on the male-only imagery of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, the three branches of western monotheistic religion. For this reason among others, it is my belief that a first step to recovering an honored position for women is knowing about the cultures throughout history right down to the present that have included and continue to include female divine beings. Many contemporary ethical thinkers are also realizing the profound connections between attitudes held toward the female and those toward the natural world. They feel that as they explore positive female divine imagery that incorporates high regard for the processes of nature, they are developing a more holistic spiritual and ethical framework. For them, this framework encourages a vision that fosters respect for all humanity, regardless of gender and ethnicity, while, at the same time, valuing the multitude of life forms that interconnect in the web of existence.
WHAT'S SO IMPORTANT ABOUT RELIGIOUS IMAGERY? While RISE UP focuses on prominent goddesses from select areas of the globe we are visiting, what is being explored is far larger than the lore of individual deities. Religious imagery often reflects the core social and ethical values of a culture. For this reason, approaching the study of a culture by learning something about its religious beliefs can be a very powerful and respectful way to undertake a multicultural education.
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Introduction: Crystallizing the Vision No matter how secular and atheistic a society becomes, the religious beliefs prominent in that society seem to still exert a great impact on the overall social outlook of all its members, whether or not they practice rituals or ascribe to religious systems. For example, if a dominant religious system acknowledges only one god who is male, this will affect the way all members of society are forced to interrelate. This is why expanding the knowledge concerning religious models to include female-honoring aspects is critical to social change. By considering the full range of religious thought and iconography, we are better equipped to find effective and appropriate ways to live in the global, human society in which we all find ourselves. The one drawback to a study of religious beliefs as it is currently taught is that aspects that tend to over emphasize male-centered interpretations of religion are often the only focus. This distorts our view of cultures, leaving us with a lopsided impression that undervalues or misrepresents the role of the female and the honor accorded her. The current teachings of world religions also frequently undervalue the Earth-honoring aspects of these spiritual traditions. Focusing on goddesses and Earth-honoring aspects of spiritual and religious practices, then, provides a needed balance. This endeavor is often interdisciplinary, drawing on cultural anthropology, social history, world religion, mythology, archeology, and so on. It can help us freshen our perspective as we come to know some of the not-so-well publicized, underlying values of Earth-centered traditions. Esteeming goddesses also has another social consequence. Traits that have often been attributed to the female — such as compassion, caring, and deep feelings expressed freely — carry added value when they are associated with divinity. Because of the power of religious images, I believe this is true even for those who see the divine as a metaphor rather than a transcendent and/or immanent force. When female deities take prominent positions in a religious tradition, perspectives of all of those practicing the tradition sometimes change — radically. Goddesses are not only honored; they are seen as powerful. They provide models for a wider variety of female behavior. The wide range of qualities that are identified as suitable for the female create a much richer array of behavior for women to emulate, and men to appreciate in women, and perhaps if they are able to overcome gender typing, in themselves. In contemporary Western society, these values — which include nurturing, compassion, and community cohesion — are often considered private activities. After experiencing the power and depth of these qualities as revealed in stories about goddesses and how they have affected various people's lives, however, some individuals, both male and female, have been known to make conscious decisions to commit additional time and resources to making these traditionally "feminine" qualities more valued components of their personal emotional expression. They often also adopt new forms of action that create vehicles for expressing these qualities in their public as well as private lives.
CULTURAL APPRECIATION A third goal of this curriculum is to expand appreciation and respect accorded Earth-based spiritual traditions as well as the Earth-honoring aspects of several well-known religious belief
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Introduction: Crystallizing the Vision systems. In no way do I claim this curriculum provides comprehensive coverage of any tradition. Nor do I wish to diminish the complexity that exists in any spiritual pursuit. The intent of RISE UP is, rather, to provide a non-traditional approach to learning. RISE UP is not primarily a study, though study is an important tool of this journey. This curriculum is, rather, an experiential journey. It is a collection of contemplations, a highlighting of points of view and impressions. It is more about process than facts — the process of listening, reflecting, and expressing. My research has revealed Earth-based belief systems and the Earth-based components of more dominant religions to be sophisticated, intellectually challenging, and spiritually fulfilling. These cultures, which honor goddesses and respect the processes of nature as valuable teachers, venerate both continuity and change. They accept the primary process of nature which is birth, life, decay, gestation, rebirth and remember that new life grows from the spent energy of previous effort. This is not to say that death caused by neglect, wanton disrespect, waste, and outright arrogance is honored. Rather, these traditions assert death caused by poisoning and assault now rampant on the Earth has thrown the natural processes out of balance. They feel this great power of the human species to bring about death unnaturally threatens to destroy the natural process. Those of us who value western technological advances and also value Earth-based spirituality have the task of actualizing our spiritual convictions so that technology and science are used to create human harmony with nature, not destroy her. As we experience aspects of traditions that have honored the Earth as a teacher for centuries, we begin a profound dialogue with ways, people, and practices we may never have heard of before. This is a beginning — the first sentences in a continuing conversation with those whose cultures, practices, and contemporary artists and thinkers have something quite valuable to say about how they experience themselves on the Earth. RISE UP is an attempt to delve into the following characteristics of these systems. Although during our journey we often explore these characteristics in connection with only one culture, these qualities and beliefs appear in many traditions that exhibit Earth-honoring beliefs. •
A spiritual journey has both an inner and outer nature.
•
A healing power is often made available to us through honoring the female and the Earth.
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Spiritual communication is multi-dimensional.
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Sacred and secular worlds are one.
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Passive and active is not a true female/male dichotomy.
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Spiritual knowledge can present a key to fearlessness.
•
Appreciating the process of life, death and rebirth, both in the physical and metaphorical sense, is central.
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Introduction: Crystallizing the Vision •
Compassion is an important quality to develop.
•
Direct experience of the sacred, sometimes called intuition, is of great value.
•
When acting, it is important not to be attached to the outcome, but rather to be concerned with integrity.
•
Participating in society is important even though, at times, it is difficult to accept the behavior of others.
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The processes of the Earth are sacred.
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The fruit of our harvest becomes the seed of our future undertakings.
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Sacred truths come directly to individuals it they are able to recognize them.
•
Returning to our communities and working to communicate the truths we have learned is an important aspect of a spiritual journey.
My hope for this curriculum is that it will create an interest in and excitement about the multitude of Earth-centered global traditions; and that participants will continue their own journeys. Judging from the reactions of those who have experienced the material, RISE UP has the ability to inspire travel down paths to self-discovery, empowerment, and most importantly, respect for the value of diversity. After working on this project for nearly five years, I realize what a dynamic endeavor it is.
GLOBAL COMMUNITY AND LOCAL DIVERSITY Even though RISE UP takes the form of an international journey, this curriculum is both an international and a North American encounter with a two-fold purpose. One is to enhance our feeling of connection to Earth-based cultures on all continents so we can become more sensitive to global realities. The other is to tap into the variety of ancestral roots that form the contemporary North American community. RISE UP draws on the experiences and creations of various individuals who have traveled the world. For sessions that cover parts of the globe outside North America, I sought multiple sources that represent the perspectives of those originating from Africa, Asia, and Mesoamerica rather than those of the North American dominant culture. Although the budget for RISE UP did not allow for foreign travel, I benefited greatly from conversing with several women who had lived for some time with Earth-based cultures around the globe. I have also relied on writings and visual images for insight into Earth-based cultures I have not experienced directly. RISE UP, however, is not intended to be primarily a preparation for international travel, but rather a small step toward beginning to understand the diversity that is in our midst in North American communities. For this reason, while developing RISE UP, I felt that in order to be really in touch with what women of color were thinking about their religious traditions, I needed to be able to have personal, in-depth conversations with a variety of women from different racial and ethnic ancestry. These women needed to feel they could be honest with me. We had to be able to tell
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Introduction: Crystallizing the Vision our stories and hear one other. In other words, who are you and who am I? It was important to me to know if these women saw and felt woman-honoring roots in the traditions of their ancestors, and if so, where? We did talk and compare perspectives. The outcome of these conversations lead to numerous activities included in RISE UP as well as personal reflections by several women who have been touched by world religions and by their own racial and ethnic heritages. I am grateful to these women for their willingness to model this approach to communication which I believe is our best opportunity to begin the bridge building needed for creating a harmonious multicultural community that honors, rather than diminishes, the special gifts of our diverse experiences. I hope RISE UP will inspire others to explore this type of sharing in their own communities.
WHY MULTICULTURAL EXPLORATION? The media is full of commentary on multiculturalism as a wave of the future. The overpowering volume of information and conflicting viewpoints, however, is enough to discourage most of us from doing the necessary investigation needed to gain a useful perspective on this important concern. However, our society is also in danger of becoming more and more fragmented as cultural and racial groups become further isolated from one another. Further, because of our lack of vehicles for sharing the deepest parts of our lives, which includes our spiritual and religious outlooks, religious belief and cultural practice tend to separate us rather than enrich our communities. For this reason alone, it seems critical to begin somewhere to learn about the spiritual viewpoints of a range of ethnic and racial groups. This knowledge holds the promise of laying a foundation for the acts needed to reverse racial and ethnic abuse which supports social inequities. RISE UP, by opening some doors to cross-cultural interaction, is undertaking this fourth purpose which is to foster a respect for the richness that diversity of all types can bring to us. By becoming more aware of the contributions of a variety of cultural traditions and racial groups that share Planet Earth, diversity can begin to take on its proper identity as a gift rather than a problem to be solved. When we know more about a variety of cultural beliefs and practices we become more capable of appreciating those who have different experiences and heritages from our own. This attitude allows us to become more able to honestly respect the worth and dignity of every person as well as to work effectively to create a society where equality and the rights of all species are the operating standard. Achieving healthy relations among those from varied races seems to be tough. I believe, however, that isolation is tougher; and, I am confident, history will bear this out. I feel more honest and mutually supportive human relations among all varieties of people is a must if we are to survive and flourish into the twenty-first century. To move toward this ideal community, we must also be willing to recognize our similarities. Affirming similarities as well as honoring differences creates the possibility of drawing people
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Introduction: Crystallizing the Vision out of the continuing isolation of closed systems that are supported by a perception of racial or ethnic hierarchy in which cultures are ranked. Pursuing a network that creates a mutually supportive paradigm is the vision motivating RISE UP. The journey of RISE UP is about reaffirming our ability to appreciate religious diversity and discover similarities, reinforcing the inherent value of cultures existing simultaneously, and recognizing that cross-cultural contact will enrich the entire world community. As a side effect of the myriad of efforts toward multicultural education of which RISE UP is just one, perhaps a time will come when we have created a global community where violence against women and racial and ethnic hatred have become a part of a sad history and not a major feature of contemporary societies.
WHAT IS TRUE? As we begin to exchange information and ideas about a range of cultural traditions, it is natural to worry about what is historically and culturally accurate. The study of any culture is a massive undertaking. There are frequently varied interpretations of traditions and an ever-present possibility for distortion. There is also legitimate concern about a tendency to see only the positive aspects of another culture when working from a sympathetic orientation and inadvertently ignoring its weaknesses. Faced with these cautions, I decided to approach my task from another vantage point. Instead of worrying about the right or wrong of my inquiries, I decided to approach my adventure of creating RISE UP the way young children venture into the world or a blind person learns. Children intuitively seem to know they cannot learn everything at once. Rather, if left to their own devices they often follow their curiosity, uninhibited by a set of criteria that prevents them from approaching difficult or complex subjects. They pursue what is interesting and enticing to them, a bit at a time, using what they are able to assemble to support their next efforts at exploration. It is well-known that many blind people exquisitely develop their other senses. They often gather information carefully and depend on collaboration with others to gain a wider range of perception about their environment. A classic folktale demonstrates this point. In this folktale, several blind people are trying to determine what this large animal they have encountered looks like. Each touches part of the animal but can not tell what the overall look of the creature is until they combine all of their perceptions. Once they had collaborated, the entire group was able to assemble a vision of the parts they perceived, making them into an image of the whole animal, an elephant. This story conveys what I feel the experience of developing RISE UP has begun to teach me about sharing perceptions and gifts in community. RISE UP is presenting possibilities, not doctrine. It is not asking participants to leave their own, well established, beliefs. Far from it. If, however, the ethics of any belief system include exclusion of all who believe differently, then trouble is sure to follow. If the exclusive possession of the "one truth" is a tenet of a given group, it really doesn't matter what the particulars are. We know where that group will concentrate all of its efforts. But if tolerance, compassion and respect for others is at the core of an ethical or religious system, then diversity of opinion about deity can stimulate everyone's spiritual, ethical and/or intellectual journey.
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Introduction: Crystallizing the Vision Following a process of discovery rather than merely promoting "one truth" can foster a greater ability to hear and consider points of view that are new to us. Developing an ability to dialogue with an emotionally open attitude, rather than seeking to limit and standardize experience, is the most needed step toward realizing a world community that supports interconnectedness while honoring maximum diversity. When creating this curriculum, I came to believe it is far more important to judge a person by their ethical intent than the particulars of their personal belief concerning supernatural forces or deities. I have come to believe that atheists can sit down next to deists, that animists and monotheists can conceptualize the existence of spirit differently and still interrelate to the benefit of both. All they have to be able to do is tolerate, even appreciate, a position that varies from their own. It is my hope this curriculum will pique interest in continuing cross-cultural exchange that fuels outer exploration and inner growth.
WHAT'S INCLUDED? When undertaking the creation of RISE UP, it soon became clear there was no way to present a comprehensive coverage of the divine feminine in world religious traditions. This would be impossible in a 13-session curriculum. What RISE UP does do, however, is something I think is long overdo. It brings to participants a visual, literary, auditory, and participatory experience reflecting a range of positive images of global goddesses. To acquaint those who participate in RISE UP with these images, I have chosen to include in the video portion historical depictions of a selection of goddesses from around the world in order to broaden appreciation for Her diversity and prominence throughout the centuries. I feel it is also crucial that we become aware as well of the ways we communicate our living vision with one another. For this reason, I have also included icons, art, and writings created by contemporary women and men of varied traditions who offer their own interpretations of the feminine divine and Earth-based spirituality. Music and storytelling are key elements in RISE UP. This curriculum's repertoire, presented on the RISE UP MUSIC CD, is made up of songs and chants that are both traditional and contemporary, written by those who value multiculturalism that is also woman-honoring. Stories by North American women from varied ancestry are included in the SOURCEBOOK. These provide a unique opportunity to engage with women who reflect on their own spirituality in the context of their varied cultural heritages. The MUSIC CD also includes selections of music from several traditions that are part of rituals and activities along the journey of RISE UP. An important tenet of this curriculum is participation. To accomplish this, a variety of activities make up each session. Creative ritual opportunities that celebrate feminist values and the divine as female open each session. There are also opportunities to explore, within community, fuller stories of several goddesses selected for their colorful qualities and representative natures. I have fashioned exercises and dialogues dealing with only a few of the goddesses from Africa, Asia, and the Americas so there will be time to relate, in depth, to Her powers and the texture of Her presences.
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Introduction: Crystallizing the Vision There is also time set aside to dialogue about a variety of qualities associated with goddesses in Earth-based spirituality, personally sharing how they manifest in our own lives. Creating art, telling stories and dancing are all ways we, during our journey into global Earth-based spiritualities, explore, discover and communicate to one another what we are feeling. We also experience together guided and silent meditation, improvisation, and we take time for a bit of journal writing. To aid further study and exploration, a SOURCEBOOK containing essays, excerpts and resource lists and an auxiliary booklet of historical, artistic and literary treatments of goddesses are provided.
PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE As we travel on our global journey, we will relate to the past, the present and the future. The new paradigm of interrelatedness has two faces, one that turns backward toward history, and one that looks forward to a fresh mode of living. For thousands of years, people the world over held a common belief: the Universe was alive. For this reason, continuity with the past is part of the new pattern. Earth-based spiritualities often reach back into history to a time when change was a part of the understanding of how the world works. We honor change when we speak the name of goddesses who embody natural processes which are all about change. Honoring these goddesses also reclaims a sense of continuity upon which to base a future vision. When we think about what we want the future to be, change is also the key. Many prevailing beliefs and activities of today that we take for granted must be radically altered if Earth-based practices are to become a reality. It has been observed by social scientists that there is usually great resistance to change in orientation because many humans are more comfortable maintaining their existing world view, even if it is incorrect, than moving to somewhere they have never been. The illusion that change is not real, however, inevitably causes greater suffering. On the other hand, if we honor both continuity and change, we can accept the primary processes of nature and remember that new life grows from the spent energy of previous effort. In this context, continuity and change can coexist. They are no longer irreconcilable dichotomies. I invite you now to wander a bit, perhaps, and discover for yourself that a new paradigm of interconnection can become real, especially if you are accompanied by goddesses. I have found that goddesses are about process. For me, they are close to the Earth, rarely transcending the planet on which we live. Rather, they live with us, advising, not dictating — drawing us into an understanding when we are ready, showing compassion when all seems lost. They are fierce defenders of their people and powerful role models. They are not in contrast to gods but live among them. They are collaborators who need humans to work with them. In these times of trouble globally, goddesses are offering us wisdom. In the words of the Japanese American artist Mayumi Oda, “Goddess is Coming to You; Can You Come to Her?”
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Introduction: Crystallizing the Vision ABOUT THE AUTHOR Elizabeth Fisher, working with numerous contributors and a wide range of resources, wrote and edited this curriculum. She has been active in a variety of Unitarian Universalist groups for over twenty-five years including two local congregations, a district Women and Religion Task Force, a district Social Justice Committee, and a chapter of the Covenant of UU Pagans. She and her husband Bob served as Regional Coordinators for the UU Service Committee in Northern California for two years. Liz lives in Richmond, California, and is a professional writer and editor. She has a degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and has worked as a therapist with families, groups and individuals. She also teaches seminars on new forms of non-hierarchical leadership and effective group process. She holds a Certificate in Publishing from the University of California and has studied law, creative writing and feminist spirituality.
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Key Concerns: Ritual
KEY CONCERN: RITUAL Ritual is controversial in liberal religious practice, especially among those of us who have experienced ritual as dogmatic. Many of us have been forced to participate in rituals designed to uphold an authoritarian hierarchy and indoctrinate us against self-respect and personal expression. Ritual, however, means something far different when included in Earth-based spiritual practices. The rituals which are so important to these practices are designed to celebrate the continuity of Earth-honoring beliefs. This ceremonial life brings into the community the elements needed to restore the web of nature to its proper balance. Ritual has served a similar purpose in the Women's Spirituality community.
ANOTHER CULTURE'S RITUALS When exploring multicultural religious material, the issue of whether or not it is respectful to partake of ritual elements from another tradition frequently arises. Many writers and academics have resolved the issue by only describing practices, allowing those who are interested to receive information about varied cultural traditions, but not to experience directly any ritual practices. However, RISE UP is not only or even primarily intellectual in approach. It is about experiencing the emotional content of a religious practice. It upholds the commitment of the feminist spirituality community to interact as well as analyze. RISE UP, however, is also designed to be a respectful, not intrusive interaction. What has been included in RISE UP, therefore, are not specific ritualistic activities traceable to particular peoples. Rituals in this curriculum are not attempting to simulate secret spiritual practices of existing or past specific spiritual traditions. Rather, they are attempts to represent essences of underlying principles of various cultural traditions. These essences are intended to echo the larger constellation of Earth-based spiritualities, both historical and contemporary. In other words, they are creative rituals.
CREATIVE RITUAL Feminist spirituality has embraced creative ritual as a means to self-discovery and realization. Those creating rituals adopt the vernacular (~ of, relating to, or characteristic of a period, place, or group) of specific rituals and celebrations they have experienced and apply their own unique expression to the form. They arrive at something profound in its newness as it also carries on, however subtly, a continuity with traditional communication. This curriculum offers rituals that combine this creative feminist practice with a respect for woman-honoring traditions to provide opportunities for sacred celebration of the feminine and the processes of the Earth. Creative ritual can be one of the highest forms of respect paid to traditional cultures as long as those of us participating acknowledge the presence of our own piece of spirit at the core of the ritual's creation. By placing our energy into creating ritual, we are honoring the inspiration of traditional cultures and religious practices as we seek to express our own authentic insights into the profound mysteries at the center of all spiritual quests.
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Key Concerns: Ritual Native American writer Jamake Highwater, in RITUAL OF THE WIND: NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN CEREMONIES, MUSIC, AND DANCE shares his view of ritual which reflects the attitude adopted when developing the rituals included in RISE UP. He says: Native Americans are not alone in their hope for the rebirth of a strong, lifesupporting mythology. There are many people of many races whose power resides in one of the few facilities of intelligence in which the West has had little aptitude or awareness. In the articulation of the spiritual body, in the overlay of ancient and ultramodern mentalities is a new expertise and creative force that has been emerging for more than one hundred years. Rituals which resound with great antiquity and power are being revived and newly created: ceremonies and myths that celebrate the past as well as the present. In their most nostalgic as well as their most avant-garde forms, these rites transcend ethnicity and become metaphors of the relentless tensions that exist between the ceremonial life of a people and the universality of human experience.
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Key Concerns: Earth-based Spirituality and UU Principles
KEY CONCERN: EARTH-BASED SPIRITUALITY AND UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST PRINCIPLES As the philosophical basis of the expansive and open tradition of Unitarian Universalism seeks to respond to changing needs and approaches to ethics and religion, questions concerning the appropriate place Earth-based spirituality deserves within the walls of Unitarian Universalist institutions continues to be raised. Following is a brief look at the historical expressions that honor the Earth which Unitarian Universalists have tended to embrace, as well as a refocusing on the values Unitarian Universalists have frequently articulated.
PHILOSOPHICAL EXPRESSIONS OF THE PAST Unitarian Universalism has strong historical ties to an appreciation of the rhythms of nature. Reverend David Johnson, in his essay "Doorways of the Spirit" appearing in the Perspectives: Personal Views section of this SOURCEBOOK, presents us with many historical ties between Unitarian Universalism and Earth-based multicultural woman-honoring spiritualities. During the nineteenth century, Transcendentalism, a philosophy that later was embraced by many Unitarian Universalists, was articulated by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Henry Thoreau, and others, who championed the view that the "ordinary course of nature was endowed with divine significance." Numerous Universalists, many of whom were women, praised the spiritual quality of nature and honored the feminine divine. Reverend David Johnson tells us our Universalist history began at the dawn of the eighteenth century with a tiny ascetic community gathered awaiting the divine Sophia, the “woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and the twelve stars on her forehead.”
UU VALUES AND THE FUTURE The Unitarian Universalist Purpose and Principles proclaim respect for the interconnected web of all existence of which we are all a part. This element of our covenant has inspired numerous declarations as well as provided the centerpiece for both worship and reflection. As the world becomes even more complex and the importance of learning how to honor and benefit from diversity — both human and interspecies — seems to be the only possibility for continued survival of the planet, the urgency of prophetic witness presses even more firmly upon us. As we continue to undertake the free and responsible search for truth and meaning, the Earth-centered traditions that also value equity for all persons — regardless of ethnicity, race, gender or sexual preference — while respecting for the interdependent web of all existence promise to be an important source of future inspiration.
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Key Concerns: Earth-based Spirituality and UU Principles
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST PRINCIPLES We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: The inherent worth and dignity of every person; Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; A free and responsible search for truth and meaning; The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. The living tradition we share draws from many sources: Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life; Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love; Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life; Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves; Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit. Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature. Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support.
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Key Concerns: Earth-based Spirituality and UU Principles MULTICULTURAL EARTH-BASED SPIRITUALITIES AND UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST PRINCIPLES1 Contemporary Unitarian Universalism, as projected in this Covenant of Member Congregations, shows respect for beliefs and practices that are also common to many Earth-based traditions. The following commentary relates each of the segments of the Principles to values exhibited in many Earth-based traditions as well as offers perspectives on what an appropriate reaction to Earth-centered traditions might be, given these Principles.2
We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: The inherent worth and dignity of every person; Many Earth-based traditions, because they respect all life, also exhibit an inherent respect for the worth and dignity of every person. In order to respect the worth and dignity of every person, it is important to hear what others feel and think who have experiences that perhaps vary from our own. Only by taking time to become aware of varied religious traditions, including rich Earthbased spiritualities and woman-honoring traditions around the globe, can we truly begin to know what affirming and promoting the "inherent worth and dignity of every person" really means. Many Earth-based traditions honor both women and men equally. Including aspects of some of these woman-honoring traditions in our community life is also key to ensuring the dignity of women who have so long been deprecated in most dominant cultures. Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; Many Earth-based spiritualities advocate participating in society to promote justice even though, at times, it is difficult to accept the behavior of others. Compassion is a quality that is nurtured in many Earth-centered traditions. Returning to the larger community and working to communicate truths learned while undertaking personal development, which often includes advocating for justice, equity, and compassion in human relations, is also an important aspect of an Earth-based spiritual journey. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; Accepting that Earth-based spiritual journeys are multi-dimensional with both an inner and outer nature is a key to developing tolerance for those who value Earth-centered traditions. This acceptance will encourage the spiritual growth of some members of our congregations who find 1
UU Principles are printed in italic type; remarks relating to Earth-based spiritualities are printed in roman.
2
The Purposes and Principles were adopted in 1985 after an extensive, participatory process was undertaken throughout the Association. The original impetus for this process grew out of a Feminist Spirituality Convocation held in the early 1980s where the need to craft a document more reflective of contemporary Unitarian Universalism was perceived and articulated. This process included extensive discussions at the local level with the hope these Principles would be more inclusive and reflective of a broad perspective.
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Key Concerns: Earth-based Spirituality and UU Principles respectful involvement with Earth-based traditions essential to their spiritual development. Acceptance is also a tenet of many Earth-based spiritualities. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning; Exploration of a variety of cultural traditions, if done with respect, can be a vital component of a responsible search for truth and meaning. Earth-based spiritualities are concerned with personal truth and meaning. Actions undertaken to explore these truths and search for meaning are best done in an atmosphere of freedom, without attachment to a particular outcome. Rather, the primary concern is for action with integrity. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; Respect for individuals who hold Earth-based spiritual beliefs will strengthen the democratic process of our congregations by encouraging full participation of all members as well as promote full participation in the larger society. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; To accept indigenous, Earth-based and woman-honoring traditions as legitimate expressions of spiritual and religious belief is to support the goal of a tolerant world community which strengthens the values of peace, liberty and justice for all. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. Central to Earth-based spiritual traditions is an appreciation for the cyclical process of life, death, and rebirth, both in the physical and metaphorical sense. All forms of life are seen as part of a web of existence sometimes called "All My Relations."
The living tradition we share draws from many sources: Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life; Direct experience of the sacred, sometimes called intuition, is given great value in Earth-centered traditions. The openness created by embracing intuition provides personal insight into the wonder of creation. Spiritual knowledge is believed to be a key to developing a fearlessness which acts as a continual renewal of the spirit. Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love; Prophetic words and deeds are often spoken and performed by those who practice Earth-based spiritualities around the globe, many of whom are women. In order to represent all of our sources of wisdom, it is important to begin to incorporate these words and describe these deeds in our collective worship.
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Key Concerns: Earth-based Spirituality and UU Principles Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life; As Earth-based traditions are gaining more recognition, the category of world's religions must be expanded to include these spiritual traditions with ancient roots and modern practices. Living by a spiritual and ethical code is an essential tenet of many Earth-based traditions since Earth-based spiritualities usually make no distinction between the sacred and secular worlds. Experiencing Earth-based traditions can aid understanding about how to lead a more holistic life that allows fuller expression of our ethical and spiritual beliefs.
The following sources are named in the UU Purposes and Principles: Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves; Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit; Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature. Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support. As we grow in our understanding of the values of multicultural exchanges and varied spiritual explorations that embrace a wide variety of approaches, our faith will be even more enriched, inclusive and ennobled. With the expansion of religious pluralism within the walls of our churches, fellowships, and societies to include Earth-centered traditions, we will be modeling a diversity that is unfolding in the world, thus impacting the future of the Unitarian Universalist Association and the larger community of which we are a part.
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Key Concerns: Earth-based Spirituality and UU Principles
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Key Concerns: Language
KEY CONCERN: LANGUAGE Language is an evolving communication tool. It can help or hinder our attempts to relate to one another. It can be used to express our thoughts and feelings accurately or be woefully inadequate. While developing this curriculum, many issues around what has come to be called "politically correct" language surfaced. The areas this term has come to describe are also among some of the most sensitive and volatile. This section covers the guidelines used in this curriculum so that you will be aware of the reasons why various choices of language, spelling, punctuation, and usage were made.
SPELLING Most of the names of goddesses and deities have multiple spellings, depending on the source used. Instead of trying to standardize the spelling, material quoted retains the original author's choice of spelling.
PRONUNCIATION An attempt has been made to supply phonetic pronunciations whenever possible for words that originate in an "other than" English language. The narration of the video also contains accurate pronunciation of most, if not all, of the "other than" English words used in the curriculum.
HYPHENS When names of ethnic communities are used as adjectives, such as African American, Native American and so, the choice has been made to not use hyphens so that each word in the name carries equal weight.
FEMININE, FEMINIST, FEMALE, WOMAN-HONORING In the Women's Movement, much debate has taken place about the correct use of these terms. In this curriculum, all of these terms appear because they are all used in contexts that reflect positively on women and show respect for the attributes that may have, traditionally, been assigned to the female. Feminist is a word that is particularly controversial. In this curriculum, feminist carries its classic definition which is simply "one who believes in the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes." Feminine is sometimes considered derogatory by some feminists. However, feminine in its purist definition simply means "characteristic of or appropriate or peculiar to women." Female distinguishes the gender that has anatomical features associated with the ability to procreate.
WHAT IS NON-SEXIST LANGUAGE? Non-sexist language is sometimes difficult and awkward to achieve. Many rules have been created to cover the general issues arising when you wish to use non-sexist language. One of the
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Key Concerns: Language most difficult problems to solve, however, has been what is called the use of the singular they and their. Although use of the singular they or their has been considered colloquial, support among professional editors to make this choice legitimate is mounting. Usage will finally dictate its acceptability. Because I feel it is the most reasonable solution to avoiding sexist pronoun references, I have adopted it's usage, rather than she or he, throughout the curriculum. The first sentence in each example shows the style used in Rise Up. used
When a participant is ready to read they should nod.
not used
When a participant is ready to read she/he should nod.
used
If a participant brought something to share, they should place their sacred object on the altar now.
not used
If a participant brought something to share, she or he should place her or his sacred object on the altar now.
Sensitive use of language is one of the most important aspects to successful multicultural exchange. In this field, language is dynamic, not static. Perceptions of history and current social context are continuing to affect what language is considered respectful and appropriate when referring to a variety of ethnic and racial groups. In an effort to be as up-to-date as possible on all aspects of bias-free language, I have consulted a member of the committee of the Association of American University Presses that is preparing guidelines for preferred language use to be published in 1994. As of the writing of this curriculum, these standards of usage were found by this group to be the most acceptable. African American
1st preference; not hyphenated
black
avoided by some because it carries political connotations which may not be intended; still widely used, however. OK to use when referring to Africans in Africa. Usually lower case.
Individual tribal designation for indigenous groups in North America
most preferred, e.g. Lakota, Hopi
American Indian
preferred if referring to indigenous people of North America as a group, although carries colonial connotation.
Native American
OK to use although more preferred by those referring to indigenous people rather than the people themselves; most books written by and organizations administered by indigenous people use term "American Indian" to identify nations, tribes and groups of indigenous people in the Americas collectively.
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Key Concerns: Language white
preferred; Caucasian no longer considered meaningful or accurate; when appropriate use Euro-American. Usually lower case, a parallel to black.
Asian
preferred; Oriental considered colonial and by some derogatory.
Asian American
preferred; also specific country designation preferred.
Japanese, Chinese, Korean American
preferred
Latin American
can be resented because it shows insensitivity to national difference; also perceived as inaccurate since not all people referred to as Latin American speak a Latin-based language.
Hispanic
means descended from Spanish ancestry; not preferred since does not acknowledge indigenous ancestry.
Latino(a)
Spanish speaking from Central America, not Mexico, although sometimes used by people of Mexican ancestry. Preferred by some groups to Hispanic. Preferred use is individual country designation. (Nicaraguan, El Salvadoran and so on.) Ending in "a" indicates the feminine.
Mexican American
U.S. resident of Mexican ancestry. Ok to use.
Chicano(a)
U.S. resident of Mexican ancestry. Carries a connotation of political identity.
Eskimo
Eskimo literally means eater of raw flesh and though used widely is not preferred.
Inuk/Inuit
This is an Arctic tribal name and is preferred to Eskimo. Inuk is singular and Inuit is plural.
Race
highly questionable scientific designation, but still widely used for people with similar visible characteristics who may not have been specifically grouped scientifically.
Ethnicity
cultural characteristics
Third World
considered pejorative; usually a political designation often applied to countries not aligned with the United States, or the Soviet block when it existed.
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Key Concerns: Language REFERENCES ON BIAS-FREE LANGUAGE The Bias-Free Word Finder: A Dictionary of Nondiscriminatory Language by Maggio Rosalie, Beacon Press, Boston, 1991. Contains an expanded edition of The Nonsexist Word Finder. Excellent, extensive dictionary of problematic terms, from "abbess" to "youth," including many troublesome set phrases (e.g., "man for all season"), with usage recommendations; contains appendixes of writing guidelines and brief readings, and a bibliography. The most complete usage glossary available and an essential reference for editors, including categories of usage other than nonsexist writing. Doesn't cover ethnic designations, however. "Bias-Free Publishing" In The McGraw-Hill Style Manual: A Concise Guide for Writers and Editors, edited by Marie Longyear, pages 272-84, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1983. A standard style manual offering excellent guidelines for bias-free writing; racism and sexism are treated extensively and handicapism and ageism briefly. The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing: For Writers, Editors, and Speakers, by Carey Miller and Kate Swift, HarperCollins, New York, 2nd edition, 1988. Originally published in 1980, this essential paperback handbook has now been reissued with a brief thesaurus of gender-free terms, revisions of troublesome maxims, and a list of inclusive language resources for religious worship. Practical Guide to Non-Sexist Language from the National Organization for Women, St. Louis, MO. Two-sided flyer of recommended usages, handy as a brief style sheet for authors and others requesting guidance. Available from South and West St. Louis County Chapter, N.O.W., 1025 Barry Court, St. Louis, MO 63122.
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Perspectives: Life Span Education
PERSPECTIVES: LIFE SPAN EDUCATION Following are thoughts about the ways characteristics of "Life Span Education" are reflected in RISE UP & CALL HER NAME. These were stimulated by a sermon entitled "The Interdependent Web as Dream Catcher," written and delivered by Reverend Makanah Morriss, Director of Religious Education, Unitarian Universalist Association, Boston, Massachusetts. Excerpts from that sermon are used by permission. When discussing her ideas about Religious Education, Reverend Morriss points out this education is something that is best undertaken at all stages of life. Among the ideas she conveys in this presentation, she includes the following concepts and qualities which she attributes to varied ages but which can, and most likely should, be considered when undertaking religious education at any age. The insights shared here provide an orientation to several key aspects of the journey of RISE UP & CALL HER NAME.
MYSTICISM Reverend Morriss tells that Maria Harris, well-known religious educator, defines the mystical as "the sense, belief, or awareness that at some fundamental level, everyone and everything is related to everyone and everything else." Reverend Morris feels this sense of the mystical is innate in our young children. She encourages us to nurture this gift in them so that it may become a cornerstone for their religious and spiritual growth. Along with a strong sense of mystical connection, Harris feels young children have an intuitive capacity that is amazing and one to be emulated. Reverend Morriss recounts how, in his book NEVER CRY WOLF, biologist Farley Mowatt described how an Eskimo (Inuit) "minor shaman" placed his five-year-old son with a family of wolves for 24 hours. When he returned, the child was playing happily with the wolf cubs, the adult wolves casually watching the antics of the child and the wolf cubs. Later, it was this son who could interpret the calls wolves use to signal from pack to pack over long distances, informing each other of the whereabouts and movements of the herds of caribou. This was vital information to the Inuit, too, and was available through the boy who had in some way been plugged into the wolf communication network at the appropriate time. Mowatt comments that this father knew precisely what the maneuver was for and how to go about it. This was part of his calling as a shaman, his legacy and heritage. He did not prime the child with a set of expectancies, prerequisites, or instructions. He simply placed the child with the wolves, and the child spontaneously played with the cubs. This issue was not a matter of intellect but an affair of the heart — the heart of the life system that moves for the well-being of all. As we embark on this journey through Earth-based spiritualities in a variety of cultures around the globe, the question of reclaiming and enhancing our own sense of the mystical and intuitive will become central to our travels.
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Perspectives: Life Span Education The material quoted by Reverend Morriss appears in the following sources. Teaching and Religious Imagination by Maria Harris, HarperCollins, San Francisco, 1987 (p. 15). The Magical Child Matures by Joseph Chilton Pearce who reports material from Farley Mowatt, Bantam Books, New York, 1986 (pp. 77-78).
COMMUNITY Reverend Morris believes that for our youth, it is their budding idealism and their innate drive toward community that we need to find new ways of tapping and channeling. She asks: how can we link their idealism and desire for creativity with their inner creative spark so as to encourage new solutions to current problems, solutions that are free of limiting presuppositions and that are filled with compassion? This also seems to be a good question for all of us to ask when embarking on this curriculum that deals with a variety of multicultural spiritual and religious considerations. Among the purposes of the journey of RISE UP is the desire to motivate: • Searching for understanding of contemporary social problems • Seeking creative solutions to these problems • Expanding community building beyond our sometimes homogeneous groupings Central to spiritual journeys at any age is discovering how to rekindle our idealism and uniting our desire for creativity with our inner creative spark. Once we unite the inner and the outer, new solutions to current problems are often forthcoming. The suggestion that we should approach this work without imposing limitations and filled with compassion is good advice for all ages.
IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY Reverend Morriss quotes Dwayne Huebner, a professor at Yale Divinity School, who writes that "to be in the world in an educational way is to be conscious of how the present is shaped and reshaped by the past and the future." She feels our adult education programs can offer encouragement of just such consciousness. We need to look at how we are connected to and affected by the strands of history. Reverend Morriss feels that just as we would have our children and youth know of our roots and heritage, so too, we as adults, need to re-experience the religious roots and traditions which have nurtured ours. For it is in the clarity of knowledge and understanding of the past that we are able to take the sacred thread of "now" gently in our hands and weave our next connections with creativity and compassion. As we undertake the explorations included in the journey of RISE UP, we consider how the past, as it is reflected in ancient traditions, acts to inform the present. These together — past and
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Perspectives: Life Span Education present — very likely will be significant factors in defining the parameters of our future choices and possibilities. Quoted material is from: "Religious Education: Practicing the Presence of God" by Dwayne Huebner appearing in Religious Education, Vol. 82, Number 4, Fall 1987 (p. 570). Life span education, then, means education at all ages of life. The needs and characteristics of such an education, no matter what our ages, seem to have startling similarities. You can expect inclusion of these characteristics — encouragement of openness, compassion and the nurturing of our unique capacities for creativity — when you become a part of a group traveling the journey of this curriculum.
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Perspectives: Why Creative Play?
PERSPECTIVES: WHY CREATIVE PLAY? BUT I CAN'T EVEN DRAW A STRAIGHT LINE: FORCES INHIBITING CREATIVITY IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY by Margaret Pearce Looking at a blank piece of paper, with pen or brush in hand, can be scary. The poem or picture we create isn't going to live up to our standards for beauty: it isn't going to be slick or professional. It may even be silly. The immediate access we have to great works of art through books, film and museums may make us feel there are standards we can never live up to. These standards, coupled with the habits of our hectic lives, have crippled out ability to create. The world we live in not only does not provide opportunities for creativity; it actively discourages us from seeking them out ourselves. We are presented with pre-packaged items for consumption and encouraged on every hand to BUY when we would find more satisfaction, more joy, more spiritual rewards if we occasionally created the same items for ourselves. The ready availability of consumer goods, from fast foods to designer jeans, is supposed to be an improvement to our standard of living. Some improvements just haven't improved things very much. We've all noticed this about the modern world: we've improved our means of transportation to the point that we have incredible freeway snarls; we’ve improved our means of defending ourselves to the point we can destroy the whole world with relative ease; we’ve improved our means of production to the point that we've just about destroyed the environment. We've all noticed the havoc wrecked by these improvements on the grand scale. But like so much else in the male-controlled world, women have suffered greatly from improvements on a homier level: mass produced, professional entertainment; prepackaged, tasteless and non-nutritious food; ready made clothes. These, and much else, are all laborsaving: they are supposed to save us time and improve our lives. I am NOT recommending that women return to wash boards and wood stoves. Our foremothers worked hard, along with our forefathers, to create a better life for their families. I realize that when the men started working in the factories, leaving the women in progressively more isolated homes, much of the labor of maintaining the family become the sole responsibility of the woman. She needed and deserved all the help she could get. In contemporary society, this often is still the case. Today, women usually maintain two jobs: the paid job in the work place, with at least the advantage of well-defined work hours, and the unpaid, unending job of maintaining the home and family. Enter the need for labor-saving devices: well deserved, but bearing a hidden price. The small, routine, life-affirming tasks that called for our ingenuity and our inventiveness have been replaced with a quick trip to the store.
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Perspectives: Why Creative Play? The automation of these functions has deprived us of many opportunities for creativity that were a routine part of women's lives in the past: baking bread, making clothes, creating a garden, providing our own entertainment. In the past, we might not have created the perfect end product, but we had the joy of creation and the satisfaction of providing our loved ones with a needed and often well-loved product, whether it was Mom's apple pie, a beautiful garden or a favorite party dress. Still, we have a need to create, to modify our environment to make it home. That need is not satisfied by simply purchasing a pillow. You would need to purchase a lot of pillows to receive the satisfaction you get from needle pointing one. Perhaps that's at the root our society's compulsive consumerism: we desperately need to shape our surroundings to make them our own. Merely shopping does little to satisfy that need. We are forced to shop and shop more and still more to attempt to fill a need better met by creating change ourselves. When we replace the act of creation with the act of purchasing, we deny an important part of ourselves, both to ourselves and to our family and friends. Not only have we lost the opportunity for creation in much of our daily lives, the mass produced, slick professional nature of what's available has convinced us that commercially produced is better. No two cakes I might bake could ever hope to match the uniform perfection of the rows of cakes on the bakery shelf. No garment, however lovingly sewn, that I would make could ever come close to the machine sewn seams on the dress rack at Macy's. None of us is going to become Maria Callis by singing in the shower, but we can derive more joy from creating our own music or our own entertainment than we can ever receive from watching television or going to the movies. We may never hope to become a Rembrandt, but we can find much satisfaction in our own creation, both in the process of creating and the creation itself. Creativity, of course, is not limited to the fine arts: a beautifully composed salad is an every day work of art. Needlepoint pillows, like quilts, give an opportunity to create a thing of beauty, and provide a soothing, repetitive meditation that settles our souls as we weave the pattern. The workbench your husband lovingly hammered in the basement provided both joy and labor in its creation, and remains useful over the years. The process of creating is as important as the end product and adds to its value. My cakes may not be as beautiful as those in the bakery, but they taste better, at least to me. When we exclusively purchase rather than make, we save the time it takes to find or make the pattern, select the material and create the garment, but we lose the labor of love. I'm not suggesting that EVERYONE should sew all their own clothes, or bake their own bread, or make quilts or workbenches, or sing opera. I am suggesting that we each need to find a way to express ourselves that involves making choices, working at our creation, and producing a finished product, whether it's a material product like a dress or an abstract product like a song or poem. It expands our souls and fills a need that even the newest, best stocked shopping mall cannot meet: it introduces us to another part of ourselves. I also feel our own efforts to create will not diminish our appreciation of fine performances or beautiful creations. Rather, they will instead enhance our enjoyment of the truly talented artists and performers. We will understand more fully the talent and effort required for a premier
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Perspectives: Why Creative Play? performance or a beautiful work of art when we have discovered within ourselves the joy and effort of creation. So, be nice to yourself. Bake a cake. Build a shelf. Take a risk: paint a picture; write a poem. You may love it. You may find your life enriched by far more than the mere dollars you saved. You'll create a richness of the soul more important than consumer goods. When taking the journey of RISE UP, allow yourself to enjoy the craft activities. I have found they also enriched my soul in ways being a mere observer of other's art could never do. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Margaret Pearce has been an active Unitarian Universalist since the mid 1970s. She served in the Pacific Central District as Co-convener of the Women and Religion Task Force as well as delegate to the District from the First Society of San Francisco. She has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Society of San Francisco for two terms, during which time she was treasurer and finance committee chair. She has chaired several church committees and served on the ministerial search committee for her Society. Professionally, she is a Senior Accounting and Financial Analyst at a Regional Water Utility in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Perspectives: Why Creative Play?
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Perspectives: Why Creative Play?
PERSPECTIVES: WHY CREATIVE PLAY? CREATIVE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION by Velma Smith Snow What do we gain from doing arts and craft projects? Why use creative artistic modes in a course of study exploring women-honoring traditions? What do they add?
WHOLE EXPRESSION To emphasize participation as well as study, as RISE UP does, brings participants engaged in exploration of the feminine divine closer to the diverse cultural traditions represented. The use of all of our senses in trying to understand cultures and histories makes the experience more real and whole, thereby deepening and enriching our spiritual nature.
CREATING WITH OUR HANDS A marvelous aspect of being human is the ability to express ourselves wholly. To be concrete, to create what shows, to see the effect of finding and knowing what may issue forth is to add special value to our actions. Every move we make, even our thoughts, have an influence on others and our world. Creating with our hands shows how our thinking can manifest itself in forms that engender deep emotions, learning, and pleasure. When using our hands and minds to make objects that can be seen, felt, contemplated, revered and enjoyed, we are being expressively, uniquely human. M.C. Richards3 believes, "All acts seem to contain meaning deeper than matter-of-fact." What a release of tension can come with the expression of ideas in many different ways — not only in speech, song and dance — but in the manipulation of materials separate from ourselves. It gives us ways of going out of ourselves, beyond ourselves into the world, allowing another way of touching and reaching others with our individuality. It helps us to make further connections. It is the physical nature of crafts that pleases. "I learn through my hands and through my eyes and through my skin what I could never learn through my brain," to quote M.C. Richards again. How wonderful it can be to delight, to startle, to excite, to surprise even shock ourselves and others with images, patterns and colors. How marvelous to lose ourselves in time, to expand learning and knowing through creative art — to help us deepen insights and stimulate ideas. How great to feel, see and let ourselves go free while shaping objects reflecting such diverse stimuli. 3
Centering in Pottery, Poetry and the Person by Mary Caroline Richards, Second Edition, (c) 1989, Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, Connecticut. M.C. Richards is a potter, teacher, and poet. She received her doctorate in English from the University of California at Berkeley, and has been a faculty member of several colleges. This book has sold 116,000 copies since it was first published in 1964. M.C. Richards calls for a search for wholeness in thought as we find integration between ourselves and our world.
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Perspectives: Why Creative Play? CHILD'S PLAY It is always a wonder to observe uniquely individual ways of expression and to see and note how others use similar materials and objects in our world; to find where we are sure, and then unsure. Arranging and ordering our world, trying to make sense of it comes naturally to most of us. As infants we feel, touch and continually observe and absorb our surroundings. As we grow older we explore all we can reach outside ourselves, to know who we are, where we are, how we are! We benefit when we fully continue the awareness so second nature in childhood. When working with children, it seems only a matter of providing a varied selection of materials and a safe environment in which to work and play, to show how to begin perhaps, to have examples of possibilities, to encourage, to guide and appreciate. To know when to let go in order for them to create their own forms is enough. On the other hand, as we become adults we find that we often get too busy to take time to use arts and crafts materials unless they are needed as a part of a professional life. We may tend to look on using arts and crafts as too childlike. However, if we think about it for a moment therein may lie the benefit of such activity — adopting a child's way of expressing enthusiasm and freedom, as they play, often without concern. Is it possible to return to that innocence and fun?
ADULTS AND THE CREATIVE EXPERIENCE As we adults work with creative projects, we must encourage ourselves to let go, to act intuitively, to tap unknown resources, to act unselfconsciously, to relax and enjoy ourselves without judgment, and with not too much seriousness. We must remember our reputation doesn't depend on the results of these experiences with arts and crafts. Keep in mind that it's the creative experience, not the end result that has the most value.
HELPFUL TECHNIQUES Take a bit of time to explore the materials to be used in a given project and become familiar with their nature. If you are a leader, first doing the activity yourself before you undertake teaching it greatly enhances your ability to empathize with those you are teaching. Also, remember interconnection and individuality can coexist without contradiction according to Alfred North Whitehead's theory of process theology. For me, this means we can work side by side in a meditative way, and still feel a part of the group. While working, it helps if extraneous conversation is kept to a minimum. Avoiding comments and comparisons of each other's work is also important since these could be discouraging to some in the group. Some of the activities in RISE UP include sharing of work and telling what was intended when creating it. Remember that judgment of the product against social standards of skill is not the purpose of the exercise. Rather, self-expression using whatever means comes naturally is what we are about. If you are a leader, try to set a supportive tone for everyone — no matter what level of skill. Then, the activity will be more fun for all, and more successful. If you are a participant, try to contribute to the supportive atmosphere.
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Perspectives: Why Creative Play? USEFULNESS OF USELESSNESS The inclusion of creative artistic modes of expression, in a course of serious study, without a doubt enriches experience and enhances meaning and can be wonderful fun! Keep in mind the usefulness of uselessness if you tend to think arts and crafts are a waste of time. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Velma Snow is a retired elementary school teacher and amateur potter. Her family has been active in Unitarian Universalist Churches (11) since 1956. Velma served on the Boards of Trustees in six churches with terms as secretary and president; was R.E. director in four churches, newsletter editor in two churches, membership chair in two, women's group chair, and book group discussion leader. She helped organize two Unitarian churches; she was employed as manager of the First Unitarian Church in Houston, Texas, from 1979 to 1982 — where she oversaw adult programming, facilities, and finances. Her great grandmother was a Universalist, teaching Industrial Arts at the turn-of-the-century at Cal Tech in Pasadena, established by Universalists. Her parents were Unitarians. All inspirations to her! Now living in California, she continues to pursue interests in art, music, theater, books, society and travel as well as pottery. Most of all, it's people that she finds fascinating. She says, "I feel most fortunate in my family life and marriage and I'm grateful for and indebted to many wonderful Unitarian friends; they keep expanding my world."
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Perspectives: Why Creative Play?
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PERSPECTIVES: WHY CREATIVE PLAY? RESOURCES ON DEVELOPING CREATIVITY Centering In Pottery, Poetry, and the Person by M.C. Richards, foreword by Matthew Fox (25th Anniversary Edition), Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, Connecticut, 1962, 1964, 1989. M.C. Richards is a potter and poet who, in this exceptional book that was originally written 25 years ago, tells about her work of "Centering" which is the balancing of our selves and our world. She calls for a radical reformulation of art, education, and life and feels that "there is wisdom in all creative works." Freeing the Creative Spirit: Drawing on the Power of Art to Tap the Magic and Wisdom Within by Adriana Diaz, foreword by M.C. Richards, Harper San Francisco, 1992. This work melds art and spirituality, treating painting and drawing as playful yet powerful tools for connecting with the self, the world, and the divine. It is written as a self-guided journey into creating your own art, built around a series of well-planned art exercises. The Creative Spirit by Daniel Goleman, Paul Kaufman and Michael Ray, Dutton, 1992. This lively, thought-provoking companion book to the PBS "Creative Spirit" television series reveals the hidden anatomy of the creative process and offers dramatic examples of how you can put creativity to work in whatever you do.
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Perspectives: Storytelling
PERSPECTIVES: STORYTELLING TELLING HER STORY by Kathy Klohr I tell Her stories to live. I listen to Her words reflected in the experiences of women around the world so that I can remember how to be a woman. Women have come from religious traditions that did not honor Her story or that distorted or forgot this creation story. As women, we need models for honoring and listening to ourselves. All of us are involved in the ongoing work of creation, of giving and receiving that sustains us. I tell Her stories to thank Her and celebrate our relationship as Mother and daughter. Telling the stories of our Great Mother and of the women who have served her is like eating nourishing food: each word from my mouth causes my heart, womb, hands and mind to grow and flourish. The women in the stories I tell become friends who dance and cry and laugh inside me and their stories resonate like a mom, a mentor, or a trusted friend all day long. I tell Her stories regularly. I want to hear Her song and drink life from her breasts constantly. I carry Her stories like a soon-to-be-born child in the womb, like a chant repeating constantly on my lips. My Goddess screams at injustice in a powerful voice that sounds just like me and She embraces me protectively when I am being chased by a stranger intent on doing me harm. During an earthquake, when I thought I might die, I heard her comforting words and I saw her calm face. I hear her laughter and satisfaction in sensual moments. Her beauty, creativity, compassion and life-death-life cycles run like a thread, a nourishing umbilical cord through everything. I learn who I am when I tell Her stories. I continue telling Goddess stories and women's stories until I find the one where I recognize myself. Like a kid listening to a favorite bedtime tale, I want to hear my beloved Goddess tale over and over; the one about how I was created and what I will do with my life and how I am loved by Her. I did not grow up hearing this story. No mother or father held me close and whispered it lovingly to me. I yearned for this story. I heard snatches of it in the media, or read bits and pieces in certain fairy tale books. But story books and television did not reflect my experiences as a woman. I longed to find this Mother and connect with her. When I began to discover Her stories, I felt as if I had successfully completed a hero's journey and discovered a priceless treasure. I read them over and over excitedly and shared them with my daughter. The stories worked themselves into my life. I felt my worth as a woman. I appreciated the grandness of potential life that sprang from within me, as powerful as from the Goddess, and like any woman, I recognized, for the first time in my life that the ordinary, everyday acts of kind service I offered were miraculous, beautiful, and life-affirming, indeed. Eventually, I wrote my own creation story which resonated with my life experiences, those of the women I loved as well as reflecting descriptions of the Goddess in diverse traditions from Judeo-Christian to native Canadian. There is something remarkable and powerful about hearing and telling your own story. I experienced what it felt like to listen to my own deepest and hardest feelings in a non-judgmental, non-distancing manner. I felt how good it feels to have others listen as I shared this story. Yet, it is risky and dangerous. Painful feelings and memories
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Perspectives: Storytelling emerge. People are soothed and get uncomfortable hearing the story. But behavior and perception and actions can be transformed when I say the right words, the truthful words, the magic words. The sacred words that She spoke to bring forth life itself, I speak to name myself and place myself in history. I matter. Listening to and telling Her stories and mine, I can live, not happily ever after, but live accepting that I will die (I tell a story about my own dying and how She bears me through it) and yet live with great conviction knowing that what I do matters. The telling of Her stories is a spiritual practice, a daily discipline that reminds me to take care of myself, celebrate life, and is where I encounter the perspectives of many people besides myself. In our contemporary Western tradition, stories are told mostly for entertainment or commercial purposes. Yet, few individuals have access to or the means to tell stories that will be printed or filmed and distributed for a wide audience. In communities with an oral tradition, stories were not only valued as entertainment or knowledge, but were a form of community prayer, a way to listen to what most needed to be listened to in the community. Anyone could have access to or could have the responsibility of telling the stories that needed to be told. The stories contained images that empowered and united individuals to work for the good of the community. (See works of Jack Zipes for more on this.) When I first began telling stories to my friends as an elementary school-aged child, I would memorize whatever particular book version I had found and attempt to do a good job of reciting. The story might have been entertaining, but it lacked its inherent transformative quality. Now when I tell a story, I listen for what most needs attention in my life, in the life of my family, my congregation and my community and world. What emerges is often a perspective very different from the perspective I cherish most. Yet what we desperately need in life is to be able to know and listen to and hold with respect and compassion not only our own most cherished beliefs but the values and experiences of others as well. Once, while telling stories at a school, I began to tell a Celtic tale about a woman who loses her son to the fairies and must get her child back. As I started to speak, I noticed a dad with his children balanced on his knees. In a flash, some clue he gave made me decide to tell a story about a dad who must get his child back from the fairies. This story, I realized as I told it, was about the struggles of a father to be a good parent. So that was how the story came out. Afterwards, the father in the audience came up to thank me with a big grin on his face. "Nobody ever tells stories about how hard it is to be a good father," he said. He was right. I had never known one either until I saw him with his kids that night. I never tell a story exactly the same way twice. The point of reclaiming the Goddess stories is not to learn to tell them but to practice listening to a particular story and be in relationship with the story over a long time. Sometimes people complain that I do not tell a story the way they have read it. There is always more than one version of a story. Each of us has our own version, based upon our experience. There are, for example hundreds of versions of the tale of Little Red Riding Hood from many time periods and cultures. When a story begins to name and reflect my deepest needs and wishes then it becomes a "real" version of the story for me. Sometimes I am asked by someone for permission for them to tell one of the stories I tell. Anyone can memorize a story and tell it, acknowledging the source. But I usually advise people to take the story home and tell it for about a year, practicing it regularly the way one would practice a piece of music to be learned. Tell it to the people you care about most. See what kinds of images arise and how the story can give you clues to resolve the concerns in your life. See how it needs to be adapted. Most likely you will learn after awhile if you need to tell this story or not.
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Perspectives: Storytelling The best stories don't make me feel good; they stir me up and compel me to act. One of my favorite tales, The People Could Fly, comes from the African American tradition. I can not tell this tale the way it would have been told during the time when people were forced to be slaves. But each time I tell it I imagine the pain of being in slavery, and I marvel at the power of this story to help people endure and to find a better life. Each time I tell it, I confront my racism, classism and complicity for hurting people. I mourn and I am compelled to live with people in ways that I hope are more equitable. Stories exist for us to access them as our teachers. When I tell a story that is not from my tradition, I try to honor the tradition and the original tellers. I want to understand their need for telling the story and learn about the context of their lives, their joys and concerns from the story. While visiting Wales, I listened to a woman from Jamaica tell stories about the familiar battle of the sexes and the struggle of women to overcome oppression. Tied securely to her back was her sleeping baby. Listening to her tell, I became another child born safely on her back. Later when another teller rose to share a story, the storyteller from Jamaica could sit down and rest, refreshed and carried safely by someone else's arms. Our lives are no longer so private and lonely when we can reach across cultures to confront, comfort and stand in solidarity of spirit with one another through our stories. Goddess stories are part of the litany of creation that we can share with family and friends as well as members of our religious communities. In times of transition, loss, anguish, and joy, these stories can minister to us. I admonish us to become storyteller/listeners (too often there is no one in a particular family or community who tells stories) and to continue telling the story of how we began since, in this way, we keep creating and sustaining our future. This is how She works. She lives through the stories we tell about Her. We live by learning to listen to Her and to those telling Her story. Through Her story we can learn to more deeply appreciate our own and other's visions of what it means to live "in the beginning/happily ever after" and find a common ground upon which to stand. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Reverend Kathy Klohr, a Unitarian Universalist minister, has been sharing stories for a long time with people in churches, prisons, hospitals, libraries, schools, and on street corners. She has worked as a family day care provider and a correctional officer/parole agent. She currently serves the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Desert in Palm Springs, CA as their minister.
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Perspectives: Storytelling
PERSPECTIVES: STORYTELLING STORYTELLING RESOURCES Sacred Stories: A Celebration of the Power of Stories to Transform and Heal edited by Charles & Anne Simpkinson, Harper San Francisco, 1993. Celebrating a renaissance in storytelling, an assortment of authors, storytellers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers explore the healing role of stories in our individual and communal lives. Included in the reader are Maya Angelou, Mary Catherine Bateson, Robert Bly, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, V.P. Al Gore, Sam Keen and Matthew Fox. The Storyteller's Goddess: Tales of the Goddess and Her Wisdom from Around the World by Carolyn McVickar Edwards, Harper San Francisco, 1991. Includes stories of Pele, Amaterasu, Hecate, Kali, Changing Woman, Isis, Kuan Yin, Sedna, Shakti, Devi, Lilith, Yemaya, and many more Goddesses. Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D., Ballantine Books, New York, 1992. Grandmothers of the Light: A Medicine Woman's Source Book by Paula Gunn Allen, Beacon Press, Boston, 1991. Stories of Native American goddesses, wise women, shamans, and spirit beings are collected and beautifully told. Storyteller's Journal: A Guide for Story Research and Learning by Barbara Budge Griffin, P.O. Box 626, Medford, OR 97501-0042, 1990. This is a splendid book covering personal and traditional stories, and performance considerations. California Storytellers Catalog of books, CDs, videos, and calendars. Contact: Sandra MacLees, California Storytellers, 6695 Westside Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448. Includes highlights from the Sierra Storytelling Festival.
YELLOW MOON PRESS - BOOKS Yellow Moon Press brings you the oral tradition with books and CDs of storytelling, music, and poetry. They can be reached at P.O. Box 1316, Cambridge, MA 02238. Tel: (617)776-2230, and Fax: (617)776-8246. Orders call toll free: (800)497-4385. Here are some of their enticing titles: Creative Storytelling: Choosing, Inventing, and Sharing Tales for Children by Jack Maguire, Yellow Moon Press, 1985. This book will enable parents, teachers, day care workers, and librarians to become successful storytellers. Tips on tone, pacing and atmosphere are given. One section examines how storytelling leads to a wide range of other creative activities that can be shared with children.
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Perspectives: Storytelling A Celebration of American Family Folklore by Steven J. Zeitlin, Amy J. Kotkin, and Holly Cutting Baker, Yellow Moon Press, 1982. This is a collection of tales and traditions from the Smithsonian Collection, includes illuminating photographs. Joining In: An Anthology of Audience Participation Stories and How to Tell Them, compiled by Teresa Miller with assistance from Anne Pellowski, edited by Norma Livo, Yellow Moon Press, 1988. From the Introduction we are told, "A storytelling occasion can include spoken, sung or incanted words, dance, songs, sound effects, poetry, call and response, theatre and musical accompaniment. Benefits of this style of performance include: bringing people together, engendering happiness, instilling social responsibility, heightening awareness, synchronizing mind and body, and renewing one's sense of the sacred in the everyday world." The Ghost & I: Scary Stories for Participatory Telling edited by Jennifer Justice, Yellow Moon Press, 1992. Divided into sections for children ages five to 12, these selections consciously elicit participation, control it, and nurture it along. The use of repetition, actions, sounds, anticipation, questions, empathy, ritual phrases, musical instruments, and active listening are explained.
YELLOW MOON PRESS - CDs Wopila: A Giveaway Lakota stories retold by Dovie Thomason, Yellow Moon Press, 1993. Ages seven & up. Stories include: "The Pet Donkey," "The Spirit Wife," "The Rabbit People," and three stories about Iktomi. Spiderwoman: A Celebration of Women Heroes by storyteller Jennifer Justice, Yellow Moon Press, 1986. "Spiderwoman" is a creation story from the Pueblo Indians of the southwest. Jennifer's version is a composite of many different accounts of Spiderwoman as the creator of the world, including Merlin Stone's ANCIENT MIRRORS OF WOMANHOOD. Other stories include "The Jugglers," "Lia," and "The Last Panther in Eastern Kentucky." Iroquois Stories by Joe Bruchac, Good Mind Records, New York, 1988. Side One: Tales from the Longhouse include "How Buzzard Got His Feathers," "Turtle's Race with Bear," and "Raccoon and the Crayfish." Side Two: Iroquois Women's Stories include "The Wife of the Thunderer" and "The Brave Woman and the Flying Head."
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Perspectives: What's in It for Men?
PERSPECTIVES: WHAT'S IN IT FOR MEN? WHAT IF MEN ARE INCLUDED? by Elizabeth Fisher I believe both men and women will gain strength and understanding from positive images of the female offered by diverse religious practices. I have found that women and men who are committed to equality between the sexes are heartened to find religious images that are clearly honoring the female. Whether or not individuals believe in extra human intelligence — such as deities — the fact that the female is not and has not been globally and universally viewed as secondary and servile is still a profound revelation to most who live within a traditional Western religious construct. RISE UP is an effort to build a respect for a more balanced imagery of divinity by bringing into focus the richness of the divine feminine for both sexes to appreciate and benefit from. To learn the female was and is honored and the Earth was, and still is, considered sacred by numerous spiritual traditions, allows for many varied possibilities. When women become aware of the divine female, they report they feel freed from abuse created by misinformation resulting from multiple sources that all of us have been subjected to. When men become aware of the divine female, they often feel much more comfortable expressing some of their feelings and outlooks which, in dominant Western society, are considered feminine — for example, compassion for others and valuing relationship. This appreciation of goddesses is not about female versus male biological traits. The goddesses we are experiencing, rather, teach significant lessons about the challenges of the human condition. For me, understanding the cycle of physical creation from conception through birthing vitality, maturity, waning, death and a recycling into new form is not primarily about physical reproduction. Unfortunately, the images that honor the female in Earth-based spiritual traditions have often been reduced by Western investigators to mere fertility fetishes, whose sole purpose is to glorify the female in her procreative role. In my view, this interpretation minimizes the real lessons of honoring female process that are so much broader. What I have discovered is a range of human behavior these goddesses are related to that touches many people's deepest personal concerns. Most men and women, at some time in their lives, experience the need to nurture, provide protection, relate to others, love, be cared for, bring some form of new life into the world and release that which has been expended — in other words, to work with the cyclical process of Nature. This cyclical process, often associated with the female and female deities, can be a powerful metaphor designed to teach all of us about realizing our creative and compassionate potential in every avenue of endeavor. In the cultural traditions explored in RISE UP, goddesses are part of pluralistic pantheons of deities of both sexes, honored equally by both women and men. Judging from the range of icons that honor female deities throughout the history of many varied religions, these goddesses carry considerable and wide-ranging power. They are valued by both men and women for their creativity and positive contributions. Men do not seem to feel, in these cultures, less valued or powerless because the female is honored. Men who practice religions that included female
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Perspectives: What's in It for Men? deities do not hesitate to honor these deities openly and with great feeling. In indigenous cultures, these goddesses are perceived as bringing wisdom and understanding to all the people — male and female. By extension, in healthy, Earth-based spiritual traditions women are perceived as wise people who are capable of being spiritual leaders who have many lessons to teach. For these reasons, men who love women, who value their own feminine tendencies, respect the Earth, and who care about equality and fair treatment of all people and species need to know about these woman-honoring, Earth-based spiritual traditions. As women, I believe it is time to open the door to this knowledge, letting men know we truly feel we can count them in the room if they are willing to join us in this search for a fuller understanding of what has been, for many, a very integral part of their cultural heritage. This is not to say we should not, sometimes, gather in women- or men-only groups for exploration and personal sharing. This separation of the sexes for sacred work has existed throughout time in Earth-based spiritual traditions. I believe, however, that ultimately we must strive to trust one another enough, regardless of gender, to feel we can sit down together to discuss and celebrate our most sacred concerns. To treat each other equally while exhibiting genuine caring, concern and respect for one another must be our ultimate goal. This section of perspectives includes the viewpoints of three men — by coincidence, all Roberts! — on how they have been touched by goddesses and why they deeply honor the female divine. Each has spent consider time and attention on the study of female divine presences which they all attest have enriched their lives. I invite you to interact with their viewpoints, and consider exploring the material in RISE UP & CALL HER NAME in mixed gender groups.
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Perspectives: What's in It for Men?
PERSPECTIVES: WHAT'S IN IT FOR MEN? WHAT "CAKES" MEANS TO ME by Robert Fisher In the Spring of 1988 at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, I participated in the feminist thealogy curriculum CAKES FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN, published by the Unitarian Universalist Association. Three pro-feminist men were in the group with a dozen women. It was a wonderful experience that I still remember. It was an opportunity to explore women's religious history and express many of my deeply held beliefs. I am intensely indebted to the women's spirituality movement for creating a space where my voice could be heard. One of the gifts we men receive from the women's movement and the CAKES curriculum is clarification of a fresh interpretation of "power" and the relationship between the sexes. I realized that what women are concerned about is the "power over" ethic of the dominant social pattern, or paradigm, of much of contemporary culture. What many women oppose is the subordination of women and the domination by men that a hierarchical structure usually advocates. They also oppose a dominate deity. So why a deity at all? I soon learned the power of the Goddess was different than the omnipotence of a traditional male God I had been acquainted with. One of the most crucial questions that women have raised is, "What do we mean by power?" The Goddess religion spoke of "power within," not dominance and "power over." The divine in many religions that honor goddesses is experienced as immanent in oneself and in the natural world, not only a transcendent power that manipulates human activity. The CAKES curriculum pointed to the pre-patriarchal religions of the ancient world searching for lost female roots. We learned that these ancient religions revolved around a powerful Goddess who was at one with the cycles of Nature. In a supportive environment we asked ourselves the question, "What would it have been like to grow up in a world where God was a woman?" This search truly affected me and opened up my heart to a direct connection with the Goddess. We also learned about a new way of carrying on social relations. Women who have become aware of their "power within" understand how critical it is that we challenge the S.P.I.R.E.4 formations of the dominant culture wherever they oppress women. Pro-feminist men acknowledge that we also need to look at the structure of society — and oppose violence against women, affirm a women's right to choose whether and when she wants to be a mother, support comparable worth and so on — not just become a movement of men trying to reclaim something that is lacking in our own lives. During CAKES we spent time seeking the divine feminine presence in Judaism and Christianity. This struck strong emotions within me as I recalled my ties to the Virgin Mary and Catholicism, a tradition within which I was raised. Discovering the contributions of ardent women who have 4 Social Political Intellectual Religious Economic — a way of presenting the current paradigm.
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Perspectives: What's in It for Men? had an effect on Church history, such as the writings of female mystics, has opened new vistas for me. Analyzing the contributions of Gnostic Christians from around the time of Jesus has put a twist on early Christianity. Knowing that women were Bishops at one time gives strong support to the fact that suppression of women in the Church was carried out for political reasons, not theological ones, and is a distortion of Christianity. The CAKES journey also ventured into a Goddess religion that never really died out, but is still practiced today as Paganism and Witchcraft. The activity of expressing our feelings in pictures while a narrative was read about the terrifying Burning Times had a transformative effect on the group. We explored the historical reality that being labeled a heretic — which could mean anyone who was unmarried (such as a woman alone) or anyone participating in an unacceptable group — had resulted in torture and terrible executions. Estimates of researchers run from a hundred thousand to as high as nine million people killed in the "witch hunts." It is thought that eighty percent of those killed were women, which means that twenty percent of the victims were men. My guess is these were sensitive, non-macho men who invariably lived by the ways of nature, the so-called "green men" among our ancestors. When describing our drawings, we were able to share fears that such persecution could occur again and reflect on what we needed to do to prevent this from happening. During that session, many of us vowed to keep alive the truths of the Old Religion, "to see ourselves as divine, our bodies as sacred, the changing phases of our lives as holy."5 One of the lasting legacies of my CAKES experience is that I continue to develop a direct connection with a female deity who puts me in touch with the creative power of the universe. I see the Goddess as Creatrix. To me the Goddess is real, She materializes as natural forces, and can be seen in trees and rivers. This is why it's so important to set aside time in our busy schedules to commune with nature and meditate in natural surroundings. By feeling Her presence in the rocks and weather, it becomes instinctive to call her Mother Earth. When relating to Mother Earth, I am able to gain knowledge of the unending cycles of the continual process and spirals of nature, birth, growth, decay and rebirth. When the opportunity to work with my wife on developing this curriculum surfaced, I was excited. The exploration of the ways goddesses have been honored around the globe has both enriched my own search for meaning and expanded my appreciation for the woman-honoring traditions — both historical ones and those that are still alive and well in many diverse locations around the globe. I feel this curriculum will give many men, along with women, an exciting format for finding ways to discover in their own lives what a personally affirming experience it can be to "Rise Up & Call Her Name." Blessed Be!
5 The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess by Starhawk, Harper San Francisco, 1979.
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Perspectives: What's in It for Men? BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Robert Fisher has been a Unitarian Universalist since 1982, active at the local, district and continental levels. He's been an advocate of human/civil rights and non-violence since the late 60's, and is an idealist and optimist who feels the world can be a better place for our being here. Bob was co-regional coordinator for the UU Service Committee in Northern California for two years and is a founding member of the local chapter of the Covenant of UU Pagans. He was moderator of the Pacific Central District Board for two years. Bob lives with his wife Elizabeth, the author of this curriculum, and their two cats Jasper and Lilith in Richmond, California. He is a Senior Consultant on global computer networking.
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Perspectives: What's in It for Men?
PERSPECTIVES: WHAT'S IN IT FOR MEN? WHY THIS MAN NEEDS THE GODDESS TOO by Robert Aquinas McNally ©1992 by Robert Aquinas McNally. Quotation in whole or part only with the written permission of the author. Because as a man I have been robbed, mugged, and left by the side of the road for dead. Because, even as I recover from this violence, I feel as many men do: more a shadow wandering in gloom than a pilgrim of flesh and blood walking the shining path toward home. And because behind this pain lies an old and deep wound that needs healing. We humans — men and women alike — urge toward mystery, toward the awe and terror of this world, as certainly as rivers flow to the sea. This is why we need the Divine — not as a fundamentalist puppet master jerking on our strings, but as the image, symbol, and reality that focuses us on our central spiritual task, which is embracing our human being. And that's where my trouble begins. The gods I grew up with as an Irish Catholic in the 1950's and 1960's, including five years in the seminary, stood against spiritual embrace. First there was God the Father, raised in all his slashing anger from the historical books of the Hebrew Scriptures. He was a nasty old man given to arbitrary and cruel displays of his cosmic powers. He turned Lot's wife into a pillar of salt for simply looking back upon her native town in compassion. He forced Abraham to wait a hundred years for a son, then told the old man to drag the boy into the desert and cut his throat. He gloried in the feeding of Jezebel to dogs, in David's torture and butchery of the unbelievers, in Jephtah's sacrificial offering of his one and only daughter for a military victory. And he saved the worst for his own son, whom he dispatched to Earth to suffer hideously on the cross — calling this outrage salvation, a word that stands emotional truth on its head. Then there was Jesus himself, the second God of my upbringing. This was not the tough Jesus who spent forty days in the desert alone, nor the prophet who stormed the temple sellers in outrage. No, I was taught another Jesus — Jesus of the fine beard, clean linen, and sea-blue Gentile eyes; Jesus of the other cheek turned; Jesus of the masochistic silence before Pilate; Jesus with his gaze raised to heaven as the nails go in — Jesus the Victim. Mary, who was by doctrine un-God, served to reinforce this divine duo. She was but a uterine emptiness filled with Jesus-fetus at God's command, a vaginal passage from the celestial to the earthly. With God's word the body was stripped from her; she was made mother but still virgin, pregnant yet never entered, would-be flesh made slave to abstract spirit. The stories of our divinities show our way; they tell us where to go and what to look for in the course of our pilgrimage toward the holy and the whole. Put that standard against the two Gods and one un-God of my upbringing, and you see how poorly supplied my brothers and I have been with images to contemplate and follow. Consider our exemplars. The Father gives us the classic model of the male abuser: angry, narcissistic, contemptuous, untrustworthy, dominating,
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Perspectives: What's in It for Men? dangerous. The Son is the flip side, the classic abused child: allowed no choice but to submit to the whips, nails, and tree of torture, never finding his own voice, never speaking for himself, serving only to fulfill the inexplicable and self-absorbed needs of the Father. And Mary completed the rejection of the female and the flesh implicit in the exclusive maleness and pure spirituality of the Father and the Son. She was the mother without sex, the vehicle without pleasure, the defeminized feminine, blue-veiled image of the Christian dictate to lay this body down and fly up to the celestial sphere less skin, bones, and crotch. This religious world did great violence to my male soul. It told me that to be divine was to be abuser, abused, and unfleshed. And it told me that divinity required abandoning and denigrating the feminine. The dualism of mainline Occidental thinking — Catholic, Protestant, Judaic, rationalist, old-paradigm scientific, and so on — categorizes masculine and feminine as exclusive opposites. The world I grew up in refined this notion and made it dogma. God was wholly masculine; the feminine was pathway and helpmeet only, never godly herself. Thus to be divine in a dualistic God world meant to repress and oppress the female. For me, the repression began internally. Every human soul contains both masculine and feminine principles, animus and anima — not polar opposites, but aspects of the same human reality, even as night and day, storm and calm, are of one piece. Now consider what happens to us men when the religious world denies worth to the female within. I wanted to be holy/wholly male in a culture that told me the male is the exact and exclusive opposite of the female. Thus, being divinely male meant purging myself of the ungodly female. It required my self-mutilation. Everything within me that was lunar, wet, round, grounded, earthy, pregnant, and receptive had to be carved out and cast aside — much as Abraham cut away his foreskin at God's command, discarding his most tender flesh because Big Daddy in the sky told him to. We men carry this habit of soul out into the world. We call it war, free trade, timber and range management, the harvesting of whales and seals, agribusiness. We are like St. George setting upon the dragon, putting the feminine face of the cosmos to the sword in the same way that we have taken the knife to our own souls. And the world offers us so much lunar, wet, round, grounded, earthy, pregnant, and receptive to destroy: native peoples, rainforests, coral reefs, the women and children we live with, topsoil, gay men, ancient trees, prairie potholes, Gypsies, wise crones, and fungi, just for starters. The list goes on. In fact, it never ends, because the real enemy is the mutilated male self. The more of ourselves we men cut away, the more our sliced-off pieces pop up in the wide world, dancing before us, taunting and haunting us into greater destruction. Add technology, and the fist raised to strike a woman or a child becomes the thermonuclear device to cinder a continent. Consider this: there is no more dangerous animal on our suffering Earth than the young human male split from the female as mother and lover, then trained to kill by older men who are likewise split from the female. We have names for these murderous young men ganged together. We call them the legions of Rome, the armies of Napoleon, and the United States Marine Corps.
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Perspectives: What's in It for Men? Soldiers are accomplished rapists and lousy lovers. They take at gunpoint, and they never stick around. Small wonder; in the God-only world woman is slave, broodmare, and spoil of war, never partner nor soul mate. Eros, which can exist only in equality between man and woman, is impossible amid domination and division. Men split from the female principle cannot love women. They are capable only of violence, contempt, and pity — the very emotions God the Father displays with alarming frequency in the long reach from Genesis to Apocalypse. Indeed how, in a world without the Goddess, can we men be fathers? True fathers are nurturing, wise, patient. They hold their children as rain falls on a forest, softly, feeding the green flow of life, prizing presence over possession. But this is not the way of our God-only culture. It praises men who amass dead things, like money (i.e., green pictures of entombed presidents), property (à la Donald Trump), and women as sexual trophies (à la Hugh Hefner). This is not patriarchy — that is, the ascendancy of true fathers. It is juvenocracy - rule by the adolescent, the disconnected, the self-alienated, the feminine-impaired, the legionaries, and the Marines. It is the basis of fascism. Salvation — that is, wholeness, which means embracing in love and wonder all that we are — lies in the direction of healing the terrible wounds we men feel as souls, lovers, and fathers. The Goddess guides me in this work. She fills in what has long been missing, and helps me rediscover myself as a man. The Goddess gives me a divine feminine on a par with the masculine. She provides the image and symbol I need to hold the feminine dear, regain my amputated soul pieces, and rediscover my capacity for eros and fatherhood. The Goddess makes me a different kind of man, too, not simply reconnected with the feminine but newly masculine. Worshipful relationship with her adds colors to my emotional palettes, gives me more brushes to paint my life. The Goddess sets my manhood free — to dance like Dionysos, to bear divine messages like Hermes, to sing like Orpheus, to grow good like the Dagda, to nurture and protect like Angus Mac Og, to love and to defend love like Diarmuid. The Goddess is central to my quest as a man. She functions as the Mother-of-All, the one who takes me in when no one else will; she is the warm hug of the cosmos. In her black and terrible aspect as Kali and Badhbh, she reminds me of death, the reality I must embrace as fully as life if I am to live wholly. And in her erotic aspect — as Aphrodite, Medhbh, and The Lady of the Woods and the Lake — she is immanent in the flesh and blood of my love and partner, reminding me that the woman I hold is Goddess too, that our joining is entry to the Divine. The male pain is not that we are too much men. It is that we are too little. Such great pieces of us have been carved off and tossed aside, leaving us wounded, bloody, and impaired. We can continue to limp along, crippled as we are and crippling others with our broken hearts, shrunken souls, and demonic capacity for the cruel and the violent. Or we can recognize these hurts for the wounds they are and direct our pilgrimage toward wholeness — retrieving our lost selves and souls, making them clean and new again, and restoring them to right place. The power of the Goddess for men is transformative. Through Her, our capacity for selfmutilation and world destruction changes into a power to love, feed, and hold precious. A few
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Perspectives: What's in It for Men? years ago, while I was spending a few days in the Mount Lassen backcountry in the omnipresence of the Mountain Mother, this vision came to me as a poem. It is a good place to end, for this poem, like all poems, is a beginning. cowboys & other men cowboys break camp with disdain kicking rocks aside dumping coffee on ashes rooting tent stakes up it is the same as slaughtering a heifer clean cold fatal other men grieve leaving a night-place restoring stones to repose smoothing pine needles callused hands tamp down broken ground their tender fingers enter the earth sweetly they know themselves making love caressing her wet root attending to her long lovely groans BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Robert McNally is a Unitarian Universalist and a professional writer, poet, and teacher. Besides co-leading the CAKES FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN curriculum for a mixed-gender group, he has taught workshops on spirituality and poetry and is currently teaching a class called "Talking Out of the Holy" at Starr King School for the Ministry.
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Perspectives: What's in It for Men?
PERSPECTIVES: WHAT'S IN IT FOR MEN? WHY MEN NEED TO RECONNECT WITH THE GODDESS by Robert Gass Following are excerpts from material published by Robert Gass who is a producer of music about Goddesses, including the CDs entitled ANCIENT MOTHER and FROM THE GODDESS: ON WINGS OF SONG (used in the last segment of the RISE UP video). For information on how to order these CDs, see the section "Recommended Music and Songbooks" at the end of Part One of the Sourcebook. From the liner of ANCIENT MOTHER: The archetype of the Great Goddess, the Ancient Mother who has appeared throughout history in Her many forms, is re-emerging. The rise of feminism in our times has sparked a renewed interest in the feminine face of the divine, images that were historically widespread until their suppression by the male-oriented religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Reconnecting with the Goddess is important not only for women and their spiritual journey. Men, especially in our western cultures, have been taught to fear and reject the "feminine" qualities of their own nature such as the ability to feel deeply, compassion and the instinct to nurture. The great social challenges of our times demand that all of us, women and men, become more sensitive to the suffering of others. The honoring of the Goddess has also always been associated with a deep connectedness to the Earth and nature. Our urgent need to learn to live in balance with the Earth ultimately depends not only on an intellectual understanding of ecology, but also on an experience of the natural world as sacred. From the liner of FROM THE GODDESS: I lay in the spring-green meadows by our house in the foothills of the Rockies. The afternoon sun was setting over the high peaks; the wildflowers and grasses danced softly in the breeze. As I closed my eyes, I felt the presence of the Goddess. I sensed the wave of energy that is spreading through our world, as Her spirit is revitalized and reborn. All at once, I understood in a new way the importance of the spirit and message of the Goddess for our time. Our Western religions have encouraged a split between ourselves and the natural world. This alienation is leading us to destroy our own habitat. The Goddess invites us to feel our connection to the Earth and total life, to embrace a spirituality that makes sacred our hearts and bodies as well as our spirit.
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Perspectives: What's in It for Men?
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Rise Up & Call Her Name Sourcebook
Perspectives: What's in It for Men?
PERSPECTIVES: WHAT'S IN IT FOR MEN? RESOURCES ON MEN AND FEMINISM Being A Man: A Guide to the New Masculinity by Patrick Fanning and Matthew McKay, Ph.D., New Harbinger Publications, Oakland, 1993. This easily accessible book covers many areas including appreciating gender differences, making partnership work, expressing your feelings, making male friends and taking care of your body. For Men Against Sexism: A Book of Readings edited by Jon Snodgrass, Times Change Press, Albion, CA, 1977. This anthology reflects the consciousness of men profoundly influenced by the women's liberation movement. While acknowledging the pervasiveness of sexism, these men seek to transform themselves and to revolutionize patriarchal society. Included are articles by working class and gay men on their special experiences of oppression. Women Respond to the Men's Movement: A Feminist Collection edited by Kay Leigh Hagan with the Foreword by Gloria Steinem, Pandora Books, Harper San Francisco, 1992. Is the Men's Movement a backlash against the women's movement, an insidious, even fashionable new form of woman-hating? Or is it a sign that men are sincerely interested in challenging the patriarchal culture that shapes and limits us all? Some of the most astute feminist thinkers of our time speak to all women and men concerned with ushering in a new era of true partnership, shared power, and gender justice. Men Confront Pornography edited by Michael S. Kimmel, Meridian, New York, 1990. Twenty-five men take a candid look at how pornography affects their lives, politics, and sexuality. Against the Tide: Pro-Feminist Men in the United States 1776-1990, A Documentary History edited by Michael S. Kimmel and Thomas E. Mosmiller, Beacon Press, Boston, 1992. It is important to know that there have been men in the past [and today] who spoke up and took risks on behalf of gender justice. This book supplies that history. How Men Feel: Their Response to Women's Demands for Equality and Power by Anthony Astrachan, Anchor Press, Doubleday, New York, 1988. The author is a prize-wining correspondent for the Washington Post. New Men - Deeper Hungers by Tom Owen-Towle, Sunflower Ink, Carmel, CA, 1988. Tom has been involved in the men's movement since 1972, leading seminars, retreats, and support groups for adult males, and is the author of several books. He is currently co-minister at the San Diego UU Church, and is a founder of the UU Men's Network. Tom can be reached at 3303 Second Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103. Green Man: the Archetype of our Oneness with the Earth by William Anderson, Harper Collins, London, 1990. Beautifully illustrated by photographer Clive Hicks, this book explores folklore, religion, art and architecture, from prehistory to the present. The reawakening of the male counterpart of the Goddess, the Green Man emerges to heal our relationship with nature.
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Perspectives: What's in It for Men? Robin Hood: Green Lord of the Wildwood by John Matthews, Gothic Image Publications, Glastonbury, 1993. Robin is seen here as the semi-divine embodiment of the mysterious, allpervading life-force of the land. The Green Man in truth, whose spirit lives on in the stories which are still told of his exploits. Gods in Everyman: A New Psychology of Men's Lives & Loves by Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., Harper San Francisco, 1989. A blend of ancient Greek mythology and twentieth century psychology, this is a sensitive and stimulating guide to the different qualities of the human psyche, by the author of the best-selling GODDESSES IN EVERYWOMAN. The Courage to Raise Good Men by Olga Silverstein and Beth Rashbaum, Viking, New York, 1994. In this book, the authors, a family therapist and a freelance book editor, and writer, challenge cultural conventions governing mothers and sons. They call for mothers and fathers alike to refuse to sanction the emotional shutdown traditionally demanded of boys, thus enabling sons to grow up to be not only strong men but whole people.
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Perspectives: Personal Views
PERSPECTIVES: PERSONAL VIEWS DOORWAYS OF THE SPIRIT by Reverend David Johnson In the carefully controlled mainstream world of received Unitarian Universalist historiography, women are only footnotes to the great roily, rushing, achieving "real" world of men. Goddess theologies, Earth-centered faith, life grounded faith seem about as welcome in these arcane historic halls as a javelin in a regal Victorian drawing room. But, as new feminist historians are now discovering, the richness and fecundity of our past, as our present, is not told in anemic tales of masculine clerics and their helpful lay attendants — as religious "history" has been told. Our Universalist history in this new land began with a tiny ascetic community gathered on a ridge over the Wissahickon in Eastern Pennsylvania awaiting the divine Sophia, the "woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and the twelve stars on her forehead" at the dawn of the eighteen century. Resonating to the heady mysticism of the radical reformation which included women like Elenora Von Merlau, many early Universalists shared a faith with vigorous feminine images of the divine, long before Universalism existed as a church. When Unitarianism was just beginning to chart its course separate from "the Standing Order," Margaret Fuller, an outspoken member of the Transcendental Circle that included Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Thoreau, was already decrying the shallow masculine materialism of her time, of Unitarianism and its opponents, of traditionalism and the reactive foolishness of her contemporaries. She declared, "It was not meant that the soul should cultivate the Earth, but the Earth should educate and maintain the soul." The Earth — the environment — had already found a voice if we had but listened. Such voices have never been absent from our midst. Though often suppressed and denied, they have not at any time been silenced. The life of Unitarian Universalist women, as all women, has been closer to the Earth, to the heart of being, the creation of life, closer to home and family, to the pulse of daily living. We can remember with relish Elizabeth Cady Stanton, arising swiftly from the birth of her eighth child to get on with her life, her hopes, her work, her dreams. Refusing to lie abed, against the orders of the medical community, she went about her business, noting, "isn't it scandalous?!" Scandalous it was, and radiant and earthy and human, just what one would expect from the editor (to be) of the Woman's Bible which turned the masculine religious world upside down and right side up. She denounced the masculine God and the traditional Bible which "degrades women from Genesis to Revelations," and its priesthood. She sang to "the glory of creation for ever and ever" but would sing to no bearded guy in the sky. Reverend Phoebe Hanaford, an editor of the Woman's Bible, spoke of the "Infinite Father and Mother" when such views were a scandal to the rightly and masculinely religious. This curriculum, RISE UP & CALL HER NAME, introduces a wondrous variety of Goddess and divine feminine imagery to this generation but it would be a mistake to assume that it does not connect with earlier Unitarian Universalist women, their ideas, their lives, their faith, their understandings. Ann Braude (RADICAL SPIRITS) and Cynthia Grant Tucker (PROPHETIC SISTERHOOD) have opened up the history of spiritualism and early women's liberal ministry —
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Perspectives: Personal Views two avenues a hundred years and more ago which opened doors for women's energies, talents and their own religious convictions and vocations. The Unitarian Universalist Women's Heritage Society and a host of new historians are struggling to unearth, record and make available the lives and dedications of liberal women. So many Unitarian Universalist women have shaped our religious life. Many are the women like Lydia Maria Child who, in need of renewal, found welcome "in the green sanctuary of Nature." Many like Julia Ward Howe claimed an Earthly piety, "not height nor depth nor any other creature," but "the immanence of the divine in the human," and the perennial task of "get[ting] heaven out of the Earth." Many like Helen Hunt Jackson (RAMONA) long ago celebrated Native American cosmology and binding to Mother Earth, loath to "wound the soft, flower-filled" Earth for planting. Many agreed with Ida Hultin, in her summary of women's participation in the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, "Learning to love each other, may we abide in the measureless, matchless love which, because we know no better naming, we call our Father, Mother God." Many Unitarian Universalist women scholars have, like Eliza Sunderland more than 100 years ago, plumbed the depths of comparative religions to better understand the nature of faith and experience. Generations of poets like African American Francis Ellen Watkins Harper struggled to put women's and human experience in words and song that could sear and soar, heal and comfort. Each section of RISE UP & CALL HER NAME connects with the living experience of all of us, but it also connects with a living Unitarian and Universalist heritage and other liberal religious women in generations before as well. You may wish to explore connections in your life, the lives of women in your congregation, or its "herstory." You may wish to contact the Unitarian Universalist Women's Heritage Society, the Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation, the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society, the Liberal Religious Scholars Collegium Feminist Section, or feminist scholars at our theological schools to explore the rich connections of women's religious experience within and outside our movement, now past and looking to the future. RISE UP & CALL HER NAME is a doorway to our lives, our future and our heritage. It is a doorway to understanding the faith experiences and expressions of others and ourselves. Do not make of this program a notebook to be closed, a closet to be shut, a blind alley to put behind. Let all the doorways of the Spirit be open. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Reverend David Johnson is a Senior Unitarian Universalist minister. He currently serves the First Parish in Brookline, Massachusetts. He is also an historian who specializes in Universalist and Unitarian history. He has published several books and monographs including CHICAGO UNIVERSALISM and UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST WOMEN'S HYMNS. He currently also teaches Unitarian and Universalist history at Andover-Newton Theological School in Newton, Massachusetts, "without treating women's history as an odd addendum."
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Perspectives: Personal Views
PERSPECTIVES: PERSONAL VIEWS ATHEISM AND THE GODDESS: THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GODDESS TO A NON-BELIEVER by Margaret Pearce If you don't believe in a divine being, why would you ever be interested in the Goddess? How can you be both an atheist and worship the Goddess? Aren't we all a little too sophisticated for belief in a Divine being of any sex? After all, we are versed in the scientific method; we can observe the evidence and conclude that there is no reason to suppose the existence of any sort of divinity. The random effects of material interacting often seem to adequately explain the world. As an atheist who finds participation in Goddesshonoring rituals meaningful and who considers myself a modern day pagan, I'd like to explain how I've come to hold these two, apparently contradictory, positions. My intellectual path to paganism has two components: the philosophical view of the appropriate role for religion in our lives; and, the political quest for justice and for religious and political freedom in the world, not only for women, but also for children, for gays and lesbians, for all. These factors reinforce the attraction I feel for the beauty and power of Goddess imagery.
THE ROLE OF RELIGION At the heart of this apparent contradiction is the role I believe religion plays, both in our society and in our individual lives. Religion, I believe, is not about the Unitarian paradigm — truth — but is, rather, about meaning. It is certainly obvious that various peoples have found greatly differing religions to be central to their lives. Using the truth model of religion, one can not expect widely divergent religions all to be true, but it is likewise quite clear that these divergent views are meaningful and important. If we try to hold religion to a factual notion of truth (that Jehovah created the earth 6,000 years ago, complete of course with fossils, making it appear much older), we often find that if fails miserably. If we look, on the other hand, to see what meaning the religion provides to its proponents, we see a different story. Religion in all ages has provided people with ways to life together peacefully (at least in small groups). It seems most religions include stories designed to make the world understandable, and means that can be used to find satisfaction in life. They provide the values which enable us to live together, honoring the contributions each of us make to our society. Not all religions or societies have had egalitarian values, but all seem to provide the basis, the social rules if you will, for living together and a set of guidelines for what it means to live life well. Within any given society, the contents of the religion depend on the questions with which the group is grappling. If, like our early ancestors, we are concerned about how to deal with violent weather which we can neither predict nor control, if we depend in a direct way on the fertility of the Earth for the success of our crops and our hunt for our very food, we will seek religious answers which deal with the physical world and provide us a means of both understanding and
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Perspectives: Personal Views controlling it. If we are concerned about the ability of our friends and family to exist in an environment that contains other, hostile tribes, we will perhaps worship a warrior god or goddess. I believe, however, our need for warrior deities to help us control the physical world and support us in our battles with our enemies is no longer truly relevant to the problems of the world in which we live. The real problems in the world today relate to how our growing species can continue to exist without destroying ourselves or much of the life on our planet. We need desperately to find a way to value our world and not destroy it as we are now, one rain forest, one endangered species, one polluted water source at a time. We desperately need to find ways to settle our differences over land, over resources, over political power without the use of the ever more sophisticated means of war. We need to find a way to support ourselves on our planet without a frantic work week that creates the stress that causes our ulcers, our high blood pressure and possibly even our cancer. We need desperately to find a way to allocate our time and energy without recourse to overuse of drugs and alcohol, or dependence on canned entertainment and ever more passive life styles.
THE QUEST FOR JUSTICE Although the twentieth century has seen important struggles for human liberty and the fullness of life, we all remain concerned about the injustice perpetuated by a society which treats many of its people as second class citizens. The subtle views which support this treatment have a religious justification. In the Jewish and Christian traditions, man most closely mirrors God the Father, woman is further from god's image and consequently flawed. These traditions claim woman's willful search for knowledge led her to "eat the apple of original sin" with which humanity has since been cursed. Her uncleanness is rooted in her sexuality which must be suppressed, or at the very least, tightly controlled. This dominant Western Religious construct that views some creatures — in this case women — as secondary creations, inferior and further from godliness than man also provides the basis for arguments for all inequalities, including, of course, inequality of women. We need a religion today that returns us to our heritage as physical creatures in a material world. We need a religion which teaches us to delight in our physical selves, not merely hope for salvation in an afterlife. We need to translate our value of the material world into ways of living that preserve that world, whether by the homely virtues of re-using and re-cycling or the political virtues of insuring that global warming is halted though international law. We need to honor our physical beings through not only joy in our own physical experiences but through guaranteed freedom for others to pursue those experiences which they cherish, always assuming no harm is caused to others. Recognizing the divine as female helps us as women to value ourselves fully and provides the necessary religious underpinning for society to treat all its members equitably. The worship of the Goddess sees the Goddess as immanent in all creation, and all creation as valued.
VALUES OF GODDESS-CENTERED RELIGIONS The world we live in may well be at a crossroads. We may yet have time to clean up the environment and reduce pollution so that the planet remains habitable. We may be able to
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Perspectives: Personal Views change our social structure so that different kinds of people can live together in harmony, even though in close proximity. We may be able to handle our international differences without recourse to the incredible weapons of destruction we have created. We may be able to create forms of national government that allow groups of people to live together successfully, governing ourselves with mutual consent and sharing equitably in our natural resources. When we look at the issues that face our world today, it is clear we need a religious framework that teaches us to honor the natural world, to nurture the diversity of life, both within the human species as male and female, gay and straight, brown, black, red, yellow, white as well as the broader community of all creation — both animate and inanimate — and to find joy in life's simple pleasures. Additionally, if we wish society to accept the notion of women as equal to men, it is necessary that society replace its cultural and religious bias of male as necessarily better. Since this bias is deeply rooted in Western religious tradition, it is critical that we replace those limiting beliefs and find a religious model which can address the issues we currently face and provide us with a framework to live successfully in our world. Goddess-centered religion supports these essential, indispensable values. In joining together with others who share these values, I affirm my belief that the religion of the Goddess provides answers to questions which perplex us today. I join others who share my values, who find meaning in that which provides my life with meaning. I no more believe in the existence of a beneficent mother than in the existence of a belligerent father, but I cherish the values inherent in the worship of the mother: the nurturing of life's diversity, the love of the Earth and all its creatures, the beauty and wonder of life, the hope for the future of our species and our planet. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Margaret Pearce has been an active Unitarian Universalist since the mid 1970s. She served as Co-convener of the Pacific Central District Women and Religion Task Force and as a delegate to the District from the First Society of San Francisco. She has been a member of the Board of the Unitarian Society of San Francisco for two terms, during which time she was Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair. She has chaired several church committees and served on the Ministerial Search Committee for her Society. Professionally, she is a Senior Accounting and Financial Analyst at a Regional Water Facility in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Recommended Music & Songbooks
RECOMMENDED MUSIC & SONGBOOKS: MUSIC NANCY VEDDER-SHULTS Chants for the Queen of Heaven Some of the chants used in this curriculum are also available on a CD produced by Nancy Vedder-Shults, music consultant for RISE UP & CALL HER NAME entitled CHANTS FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN, which makes it an excellent companion to RISE UP. This CD also contains additional selections not included in RISE UP that honor global goddesses. It is available from the Unitarian aaUniversalist Women and Religion website at http://www.uuwr.org/store.htm#cd. From promotion material: Inspired by CAKES FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN and RISE UP (Unitarian Universalist feminist thealogy curricula), CHANTS FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN reflects the richness and variety of many woman-honoring traditions. Its music speaks directly to the heart, ranging from a celebratory Renaissance procession with English horn, flute, cello and a variety of percussion, to meditative Eastern incantations accompanied by Tibetan bells; from the driving polyrhythm of an Afro-Brazilian chant to the tranquil Shakuhachi flute of a Japanese song; from Nancy's simple, but haunting, modal melodies to the complex harmonies of many of her arrangements; from the bubbling passion of "Volcano Woman," a chant to Pele, the Hawaiian Volcano Goddess, to the contemplative sounds of "Kwan Zeon Bosai," dedicated to the Korean Goddess of compassion. Nancy is a minstrel for the Queen of Heaven and Earth. She has taught Women's Studies parttime at the University of Wisconsin since 1975 and has offered women's spirituality workshops since 1988. Receiving a Feminist Theology Award from the UU Women's Federation, in 1993 she recorded CHANTS FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. Nancy has performed and lectured throughout the continent as artist-in-residence, keynote speaker and weekend retreat facilitator. Her work is rooted in ritual, story and song as well as in scholarship concerning women. For a more extended note about Nancy's contributions to RISE UP, see Session 1 in this SOURCEBOOK.
LISA THIEL The music of Lisa Thiel is well-known in the women's music community. Lisa has graciously allowed two of her chants to be included in RISE UP. The Ladyslipper Catalog, at 1-800-6346044, carries all of her CDs. The following two CDs contain the chants that are included on the RISE UP MUSIC CD.
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Recommended Music & Songbooks Songs of the Spirit "White Buffalo Woman" (c) 1984 Lisa Thiel. Words from Siri Darshan (Lisa Thiel) on the liner: These chants are a gift from the spirit. They are medicine songs, because they heal and awaken the consciousness of our own divinity, the grace within us. Each song has it's own message, vibration and purpose. Each was given to me at a time when I most needed that particular energy, awareness and healing. I share them with you with hopes they will bring you all the blessings they have brought me.
Prayers for the Planet “Corn Mother Chant” (c) 1986 by Lisa Thiel. Words from Siri Darshan (Lisa Thiel) on the liner: These songs are a gift from the spirit. They were channeled to me for the purpose of healing and awakening the divinity within. They came through a variety of traditions and forms to teach the underlying unity in all religions, all peoples, all pathways to the spirit. We are a great human family, and as each one of us strives to heal and awaken ourselves, we are all healed, we are all benefited. I dedicate these prayers to the healing of ourselves, so that we may begin to heal each other, and the Earth who is our mother.
WINGS OF SONG AND ROBERT GASS Robert Gass, with the coral group Wings of Song, has produced two beautiful music CDs of Goddess honoring music entitled FROM THE GODDESS and ANCIENT MOTHER that are available from Spring Hill Music, P. O. Box 800, Boulder, CO. 80306. A free catalog that lists these and other materials is available upon request. One of the selections from FROM THE GODDESS can be heard in the last segment of the RISE UP VIDEO.
From the Goddess A weaving of three well-known goddess chants in a celebration of the rebirth of the feminine spirit. Sung by the 24 women of ON WINGS OF SONG with beautiful background instrumentation. From the liner for FROM THE GODDESS by Robert Gass: I felt Her calling my name; asking me to bring forth a new depth of beauty and power to these chants, so that all who hear, men as well as women, may share in the rebirth of the feminine spirit.
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Recommended Music & Songbooks Ancient Mother The spirit of the Great Goddess comes to life as traditional women singers, priestesses and shamans from Celtic, Yoruba, Hawaiian, Hungarian, Indian, and Native American traditions are joined by the renowned On Wings of Song singers. The music is ageless and contemporary, ranging from the twelfth century plainsong of Hildegard de Bingen, to ecstatic gospel rock. These magical songs are set in natural environmental backgrounds of rivers, cicadas and crickets, and the ocean, and have been recorded in locations including Glenstal Abbey in Ireland, on the beach in Hawaii, and underground in a shaman's cave in Montana. From the liner for ANCIENT MOTHER by Robert Gass: The music in this album invokes the Ancient Mother, honoring and celebrating Her spirit with a wide range of musical styles commensurate with Her multi-faceted, multi-cultural nature. Some of these songs arise from the contemporary goddess/pagan movement. These contacts led me to the Celtic, Hungarian and medieval Catholic traditions, where pre-Christian goddess roots still live on in their music, usually concealed within Christian images of Mary or female saints. I also explored traditions where Goddess worship still thrives: Hinduism, Hawaiian, Yoruba and Native American. I was fortunate to find priestesses and singers who were willing to lend their prayers and voices to this project. When recording indigenous music, I have attempted to authentically represent their musical traditions. My aim in creating an album that touches on so many roots and traditions is to create a musical metaphor for humankind's expression of unity through diversity. Technology and mass media have created a shrinking world, where national boundaries become permeable. Global ecological challenges demand global cooperation. Yet, perhaps in reaction to the threat of cultural homogenization, the closing of the twentieth century is also seeing a sometimes violent rekindling of ethnicity and tribalism. I believe that humanity's success in reaching towards collective consciousness and action paradoxically depends on a heightened expression and acceptance of regional and ethnic uniqueness. It may seem curious that a man has chosen to create an album of "women's music." The simple answer is that I felt called to do this, in the same way that I have in the past felt called to create Native American, Catholic, Tibetan Buddhist, Sufi and Hindu music. It is my dream to help our diverse, passionate, and struggling choir of humanity create a higher order of harmony, to find its collective songs: female and male, east and west, north and south; past, present and future. For more comments on why Robert Gass dedicates so much of his work to the Feminine Divine, see additional excerpts from his writing in the section of the SOURCEBOOK entitled "What's in it for Men?"
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Recommended Music & Songbooks
RECOMMENDED MUSIC & SONGBOOKS: MUSIC & SONGBOOK COMBINATIONS MULTICULTURAL WOMEN'S PROJECT IN MUSIC The Best of Struggles This diverse group of women produced this very important music CD and songbook project which can be obtained from Carolyn McDade Music, P. O. Box 510, Wellfleet, MA 02667. Several songs from this project are included in RISE UP. From the introduction to this songbook: We touch each other across centuries and miles and ancient hostilities, as heart meets heart and joint in one voice — from Tokyo to Seoul, from Negroes to North Carolina, from Port-of-Spain to Port-au-Prince and Puerto Rico, from Capetown to Cambodia and Chicago; from Guadalajara to Galway and the South Bronx. Within this circle, women experience a ritual of reconciliation. Women from different countries and cultures encounter each other, destroying barriers erected by the powerful to make us believe that we are one another's enemies. We come to believe in ourselves, to take back what is rightfully ours. We claim our emotions and our tears, and move the energy from the tear ducts to the gut.
CAROLYN MCDADE AND FRIENDS Carolyn McDade has produced several tape/book combinations which can be purchased individually or as a set from Carolyn McDade Music, P. O. Box 510, Wellfleet, MA 02667. From brochure about Carolyn McDade's work: For two decades, Carolyn McDade has written, sung, and gathered women to sing songs rooted in our experiences and visions of what is real and what is sacred. Her songs affirm and empower us as women of faith to trust ourselves to envision and act for a new tomorrow of justice and peace. They have been used globally in feminist and justice movements. She has participated in planning worship and music for local, national, and continental conferences, workshops, and church services. This music is excellent for retreats, liturgies, ritual, reflection, rallies and demonstrations. Two projects Carolyn offers that are particularly recommended are:
Sister, Carry On Thirteen songs for circle gatherings, reflection, and celebration sung by a chorus of 28 women, interwoven with the sounds of piano, flute, cello and guitar. These songs are composed to create community and weave together Earth spirituality and social transformation.
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Recommended Music & Songbooks This Tough Spun Web This project contains the song "Rise Up and Call Her Name" that inspired the title of this curriculum. From the introduction to this songbook: These songs of global struggle and solidarity are by Carolyn McDade. The reflection/action sections in the songbook were created from the passion and knowledge of women intimately connected with the struggles. We suggest that women move through them slowly, taking time to reflect personally and then collectively. Their purpose is to help us discern the true meaning of solidarity and how we can give shape to it in everyday living acts.
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Recommended Music & Songbooks
RECOMMENDED MUSIC & SONGBOOKS: SONGBOOKS MARY GRIGOLIA Commitment to a Vision Available from Mary Grigolia at Rev Mary Grigolia c/o ERUUF 4907 Garrett Rd, Durham, NC 27707. (As of 2007: check http://www.rbabb.com/voicesorder.html to order). Mary Grigolia received a Feminist Theology Award from the UU Women's Federation to produce this songbook, which is a collection of songs she has written. Many of these have become popular additions to worship, retreats, workshops and other gatherings. This songbook contains "The Dark" which is sung during Session 6 of RISE UP. Mary also composed and sang one of the three "Rise Up" chants that is included on the video and in Session 13. Mary sings "The Dark" and her "Rise Up" chant on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. She plans to create a CD to accompany this songbook in 1995. Mary Grigolia is a Unitarian Universalist minister serving the Southwest Unitarian Universalist Church in Strongsville, Ohio. Mary is interested in building the UU movement, spreading the word that we are a dynamic religious and spiritual alternative. She is a singer-songwriter, graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California, the mother of two young men, and partner to Amanda Aikman, also a UU minister.
BARBARA SCOTT Chants in Praise of the Lady This songbook was produced by Barbara Scott as a labor of love. She has been part of a women's spiritual circle for nine years. Over these years, she has collected, taught and sung a lot of wonderful chants and songs. Many of these (including a few of her own), are available in CHANTS IN PRAISE OF THE LADY. This songbook can be purchased for $10 which covers xeroxing and postage costs. Please write Barbara at: 235 Horizon Ave., Mt. View, CA 94043 to obtain a copy.
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Recommended Music & Songbooks
RECOMMENDED MUSIC & SONGBOOKS: INSTRUMENTAL SELECTIONS AFRICA AND AFRICAN AMERICAN S. KWAKU DADDY Life's Rhythms and Hedzoleh Tapes can be secured by contacting African Heritage Records and Tapes, G.P.O. Box 4794, San Francisco, CA. 94101. Kwaku is a master drummer from Ghana who also teaches African History and Culture at City College of San Francisco. Segments of these two pieces can be heard on the RISE UP DVD and are included on the RISE UP MUSIC CD as accompaniment for the Orisha dancing.
SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK Breaths (CD) and many other fine CDs, books, DVDs. Available from Ladyslipper Catalog at 1-800-634-6044 or Goldenrod Music at (517) 484-1712. (You can also order them on the internet.) The song "Breaths" is included on the RISE UP MUSIC CD for use in Session 4. Ladyslipper Catalog and Goldenrod Music also carry many other fine recordings by this a cappella singing group. In Session 4 of the SOURCEBOOK, background notes about Sweet Honey in the Rock provide added insight into why this group is so loved.
THE UPPITY BLUES WOMEN Saffire Available from Alligator, Records and Artist Management, Inc. P.O. Box 60234, Chicago, Illinois 60234 and some music stores. A great group that sings blues and jazz from an "Uppity Woman" perspective.
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Recommended Music & Songbooks
ASIA KARMA MOFFETT Himalayan Bowls I CDs can be ordered by calling the Tibet Shop, San Francisco, California (415) 982-0326. Karma Moffett is a master player of Tibet instruments. His music can be heard on the RISE UP DVD in the Asia segment.
NATIVE AMERICAN R. CARLOS NAKAI & WILLIAM EATON WITH THE BLACK LODGE SINGERS Ancestral Voices Available through music stores. This album includes pieces used as background music on several video segments. It is the third collaboration between Nakai and guitarist William Eaton and continues Nakai's exploration of the flute's expressive possibilities.
KEVIN LOCKE Love Songs of the Lakota Available from Indian House, Box 472, Taos, New Mexico 87571. To the Lakota, the flute is the essence of the wind. The Lakota love song is a unique form quite distinct melodically from the rest of Lakota music. They are dream-like and were often intoned in the hush of evening. A beautiful recording.
ASIAN INDIAN RAVI SHANKAR AND ALI AKHBAR KHAN Ragas for Sitar and Sarod with Tabla Available in most fine classical music stores that carry international music. These two masters of Indian Ragas have recorded together since the 1960s. The Indian Raga tradition structurally and acoustically corresponds to the total religious experience — in this case
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Recommended Music & Songbooks Hinduism. The Indian Raga conceptualizes that the essence in the human is the same as the essence in the ant, in the elephant, and indeed is the same as that in the whole universe.
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Recommended Music & Songbooks
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Part Two: The Journey — Notes from around the Globe
PART TWO THE JOURNEY — NOTES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE Session One:
Tools for Traveling .....................................................107
Session Two:
Beginning the Journey ................................................125
Session Three:
Ancient Africa ............................................................135
Session Four:
Sub-Saharan Africa.....................................................149
Session Five:
African American .......................................................173
Session Six:
Asia – India.................................................................199
Session Seven:
Asia – China ...............................................................211
Session Eight:
Asia – Japan................................................................227
Session Nine:
Pacific Islands.............................................................237
Session Ten:
Mesoamerica...............................................................253
Session Eleven:
Native American.........................................................271
Session Twelve:
Native American.........................................................309
Session Thirteen:
The Return ..................................................................325
Video Credits
....................................................................................361
Scored Music for Chants ....................................................................................375
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Recommended Music & Songbooks
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Session One: Tools for Traveling
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Session One: Tools for Traveling
SESSION ONE: TOOLS FOR TRAVELING DISCOVERIES ON THE JOURNEY During this curriculum, we will learn about a variety of cultural traditions that honor goddesses and esteem women. We will also become acquainted with some of the beliefs that are associated with these traditions and how varied spiritual practices stimulate personal inner journeys. During this opening session, we will explore what it means to take a journey to Earth-based spiritual traditions around the globe. This journey we are undertaking together will be both an outer and an inner one. We will begin to explore the tools of ritual and chanting that will aid us as we travel on the journey. We will also honor the valuable tool of study and consider how accounts of history and culture must be evaluated for sexist bias. Because woman-honoring religious imagery has often been devalued, we will together reclaim the first wife of Adam, known as Lilith.
CONTENTS Who Contributed? Why Lilith? Cultural Sensitivity Note Chants: LISTEN, SISTERS, LISTEN and WE ARE SISTERS ON A JOURNEY Group Reading: A Jewish Feminist Midrash on Lilith and Eve Image of Lilith Key Components of Earth-based Spiritual Traditions The Ritual Tradition Patriarchal Overlay Lilith Comments on Lilith Resources
WHO CONTRIBUTED? This session was added after the first draft of this curriculum was tested by over 35 groups of women and some men across continental North America. A final review committee consisting of Carol Graywing, Allyson Rickard, Caroline Finch, Sue Haskin, and Elizabeth Fisher reviewed feedback from these test groups and made decisions about the final format of the sessions. This current session grew out of a need, surfacing in the evaluations, to orient participants to activities that are helpful when attempting to understand and experience Earth-based Spiritualities. "Tools for Traveling" became the metaphor for these activities. Here are brief biographical notes about each of the final review committee members: Carol Graywing served on the UUWF Board during the development of RISE UP and was very helpful in pinpointing the most significant female deities to become acquainted with. She continued to review drafts of this project and provide important support and input along the
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Session One: Tools for Traveling journey of its creation. A more extensive biographical note about Carol is included in Session 10. Allyson Rickard has made many contributions to this curriculum. Her knowledge of Earth-based traditions and her willingness to contribute her skills and talents substantially enhanced this curriculum. More extensive biographical notes about Allyson are included in Sessions 7 and 9. Caroline Finch has supported this project ever since she lead one of the original test groups. Her encouragement and understanding, in addition to her insight into many Earth-based traditions, were great assets during the process of shaping this curriculum. A more extensive biographical note about Caroline is included in Session 7. Sue Haskin is a UUWF Board member who was a member of the Board during the development of RISE UP. She is a retired professional librarian and a committed volunteer, both in professional organizations and civic groups. She has been active in UU organizations at the local, district and continental levels. Sue lead a group that tested RISE UP material, acted as a liaison between the author and the UUWF Board, and provided very valuable support and counsel on how to best present the material. Elizabeth Fisher is the author and editor of the curriculum who drafted or compiled all of the material used in the sessions and presented in the SOURCEBOOK. An explanation of her approach to this project can be found in her introduction "Crystallizing the Vision." A more extended biographical note about her appears at the end of that introduction. This group made decisions about revisions in response to the test group suggestions. Among other decisions, to provide continuity, this group decided to adopt the motif of journeying, to suggest the creation of the sacred bundle, and to recommend singing "We Are Sisters on a Journey" at the end of each session. Nancy Vedder-Shults, music consultant for RISE UP, wrote many of the chants contained in this curriculum and recorded others with a group she convened and directed. Individual credits are listed with each chant. She also suggested the inclusion of several chants she did not write, and in some cases did not record. These contributions will be noted in the contributors' listing preceding the appropriate sessions. Nancy originally suggested the inclusion of the chant "We Are Sisters on a Journey" in the curriculum. Nancy is a minstrel for the Queen of Heaven and Earth. She lives in Madison, WI, where she has taught Women's Studies part-time at the University of Wisconsin since 1975 and has offered women's spirituality workshops since 1988. Receiving a Feminist Theology Award from the UU Women's Federation, in 1993 she recorded "Chants for the Queen of Heaven," a cassette of sacred Goddess music that contains some of the chants from RISE UP. Nancy has performed and lectured throughout the continent as artist-inresidence, keynote speaker and weekend retreat facilitator. Her work is rooted n ritual, story and song as well as in scholarship concerning women. See the section "Recommended Music and Songbooks" in this SOURCEBOOK for how to obtain her CD. Mary Heath-Walter, who holds a Masters of Divinity from the Pacific School of Religion and is an active member of the UU Pacific Central District Women and Religion Task Force, with Elizabeth Fisher created a workshop on Lilith that enhanced this session.
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Session One: Tools for Traveling Thanks also to Fran Courtsal for suggesting the Journal Entry concept.
WHY LILITH? Lilith was selected to introduce our journey for three reasons. First, her story needs to be recovered so that she can regain her proper place of honor as the truly independent female she was. Second, knowing the story of what happened to Lilith, the first wife of Adam, provides an understanding of the circumstances that mold attitudes toward women in traditional Judaism. Third, she is a clear illustration of the powerful feminist reinterpretation being undertaken by feminist theologians/thealogians and philosophers which is being applied to the theological content of many dominant religions.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY Numerous feminist theologians in Judaism and Christianity are remaining within their traditions while seeking to reinterpret their stories and religious perspectives in ways that are both honoring of women and respectful of the Earth. While this curriculum has a different focus, it is important to acknowledge the work of these scholars and philosophers and realize the value of their efforts and interpretations.
CHANTS LISTEN, SISTERS, LISTEN Words and music written by Nancy Vedder-Shults; sung by Nancy Vedder-Shults and friends on the RISE UP MUSIC CD; also available on the CD entitled CHANTS FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. Listen, Sisters, Listen Listen to the Waters Calling us like rivers Running to the Sea
WE ARE SISTERS ON A JOURNEY Previously recorded by the Colorado Midwives Association; sung by Nancy VedderShults and friends on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. We are sisters on a journey Singing out as one Remembering the Ancient Ones The women and the wisdom The women and the wisdom
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Session One: Tools for Traveling
GROUP READING A JEWISH FEMINIST MIDRASH ON LILITH AND EVE by Judith Plaskow From WOMANGUIDES by Rosemary Radford Ruether; copyright 1985 by Rosemary Radford Ruether. Reprinted by permission of Beacon Press. Based on "The Coming of Lilith" originally written at the Feminist Theology Conference, Grailville, Ohio, 1972. NOTE: This midrash should be read sentence by sentence, with each participant in turn reading one sentence while holding the red apple from the altar. When finished reading, pass the apple to the person next to you who will read the next sentence. The slashes (/) at the end of each sentence indicate where the change of reader should take place. In the beginning the Lord God formed Adam and Lilith from the dust of the ground and breathed into their nostrils the breath of life./ Created from the same source, both having been formed from the ground, they were equal in all ways./ Adam, man that he was, didn't like this situation, and he looked for ways to change it./ He said, "I'll have my figs now, Lilith," ordering her to wait on him, and he tried to leave to her the daily tasks of life in the garden./ But Lilith wasn't one to take any nonsense; she picked herself up, uttered God's holy name, and flew away./ "Well, now, Lord," complained Adam, "that uppity woman you sent me has gone and deserted me."/ The Lord, inclined to be sympathetic, sent his messengers after Lilith, telling her to shape up and return to Adam or face dire punishment./ She, however, preferring anything to living with Adam, decided to stay right where she was./ And so God, after more careful consideration this time, caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and out of one of his ribs created for him a second companion, Eve./ For a time Eve and Adam had quite a good thing going./ Adam was happy now, and Eve, though she occasionally sensed capacities within herself that remained undeveloped, was basically satisfied with the role of Adam's wife and helper./ The only thing that really disturbed her was the excluding closeness of the relationship between Adam and God./ Adam and God just seemed to have more in common, being both men, and Adam came to identify with God more and more./ After a while that made God a bit uncomfortable too, and he started going over in his mind whether he might not have made a mistake in letting Adam talk him into banishing Lilith and creating Eve, in light of the power that had given Adam./ Meanwhile Lilith, all alone, attempted from time to time to rejoin the human community in the garden./ After her first fruitless attempt to breach its walls, Adam worked hard to build them stronger, even getting Eve to help him./ He told her fearsome stories of the demon Lilith who threatens women in childbirth and steals children from their cradles in the middle of the night./ The second time Lilith came she stormed the garden's main gate, and a great battle between her and Adam ensued, in which she was finally defeated./ This time, however, before Lilith got away, Eve got a glimpse of her and saw she was a woman like herself./ After this encounter, seeds of curiosity and doubt began to grow in Eve's mind./ Was Lilith indeed just another woman? Adam had said she was a demon. Another woman! The very idea
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Session One: Tools for Traveling attracted Eve./ She had never seen another creature like herself before. And how beautiful and strong Lilith had looked! How bravely she had fought!/ Slowly, slowly, Eve began to think about the limits of her own life within the garden./ One day, after many months of strange and disturbing thoughts, Eve, wandering around the edge of the garden, noticed a young apple tree she and Adam had planted, and saw that one of its branches stretched over the garden wall./ Spontaneously she tried to climb it, and struggling to the top, swung herself over the wall./ She had not wandered long on the other side before she met the one she had come to find, for Lilith was waiting./ At first sight of her, Eve remembered the tales of Adam and was frightened, but Lilith understood and greeted her kindly./ "Who are you?" they asked each other, "What is your story?" And they sat and spoke together, of the past and then of the future./ They talked not once, but many times, and for many hours./ They taught each other many things, and told each other stories, and laughed together, and cried, over and over, till the bond of sisterhood grew between them./ Meanwhile, back in the garden, Adam was puzzled by Eve's comings and goings, and disturbed by what he sensed to be her new attitude toward him./ He talked to God about it, and God, having his own problems with Adam and a somewhat broader perspective, was able to help him out a little — but he, too, was confused./ Something had failed to go according to plan. As in the days of Abraham, he needed counsel from his children./ "I am who I am," thought God, "but I must become who I will become."/ And God and Adam were expectant and afraid the day Eve and Lilith returned to the garden, bursting with possibilities, ready to rebuild it together.
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Session One: Tools for Traveling
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Session One: Tools for Traveling
KEY COMPONENTS OF EARTH-BASED SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS These key components are often found in Earth-based spiritual traditions. They are multifaceted, making them somewhat difficult to compartmentalize into succinct definitions and hard to summarize. Here are brief reflections from a variety of sources credited here by author. When a source is indicated, sometimes a fuller reference is included in the "Resources" list at the end of this session. This collection of comments is designed to help you get started on your own journey to understanding them.
RITUAL Adapted from Tom Moore, RITUALS OF THE IMAGINATION, 1983, quoted by Gloria Orenstein in REFLOWERING OF THE GODDESS. The word "ritual" comes from the Latin ritus and the Greek rheo, meaning to flow, run, rush, or stream. A ritual is a ceremony that puts one back in touch with the stream or flow of life's energies. To be in ritual is to be in a stream like the water of the Tao...to be in ritual is to be in the river...It is to know that life is energy, and that all flows and changes. We must be clear that there are a number of different types of rituals. Not all of them are useful. A ritual that emphasizes heroics, which requires running frantically against the flow, or a psychotic ritual which blocks the flow or creates alienation from it are not the kinds of rituals we need. Native American writer Jamake Highwater, in RITUAL OF THE WIND: NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN CEREMONIES, MUSIC, AND DANCE shares his view of ritual: But Native Americans are not alone in their hope for the rebirth of a strong, life-supporting mythology. There are many people of many races whose power resides in one of the few facilities of intelligence in which the West has had little aptitude or awareness. In the articulation of the spiritual body, in the overlay of ancient and ultramodern mentalities is a new expertise and creative force that has been emerging for more than one hundred years. Rituals which resound with great antiquity and power are being revived and newly created: ceremonies and myths that celebrate the past as well as the present. In their most nostalgic as well as their most avant-garde forms, these rites transcend ethnicity and become metaphors of the relentless tensions that exist between the ceremonial life of a people and the universality of human experience.
MYTH Western intellectual tradition has often equated myth with untruth. In Earth-based traditions, however, a myth is a sacred story. Myths are transmitted by story, art and ritual. They provide us with a cosmology and a value system. They are also a form of condensed history,
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Session One: Tools for Traveling summarizing centuries of social, political and economic change in a story. Because they are alive, there are many versions of these stories, and they may vary from person to person. However, they are always important teaching devices which transmit the values of a culture, changing to meet the needs of the people. From HEART OF THE GODDESS by Hallie Austen: Myth and rituals evolve from a particular time, place and people. They cannot be transposed from one culture to another. However, we can learn from one another's example. We must explore life-supporting world myths as well as create new ones, if we are to survive. In evoking a viable mythology for our times, it is important that we look to the past and to other cultures with respect, honor that which may be healing for our particular time and situation, and create new myths and deities to teach us how to ensure our physical and spiritual survival. From REFLOWERING OF THE GODDESS by Gloria Orenstein: Myths function in their cultures as a form of "guidance." In this way, they become a living mythology, and it is my contention that the re-emergence of the Goddess today actually marks a moment in which women are attempting to live out a new mythos. From ONCE AND FUTURE GODDESS by Elinor Gadon: Primal peoples everywhere have never lost this vision of the Earth as the body of the Great Mother (and the interconnection of all that lives) and continue to tell her story in their creation myths.
SPIRIT From REFLOWERING OF THE GODDESS by Gloria Orenstein: For most tribal peoples the vital rhythms of the natural world are manifestations of a mysterious, all-pervasive power presence ... a transforming power called spirit. The transforming power invoked by a shaman (a healer and religious leader) is as real as the wind or a breath.
SHAMAN From "Shamanism and Western Psychology" by Norma Cordell in WELCOME TO PLANET EARTH: Traditionally, a shaman was one who had the ability to enter a state of unordinary consciousness in order to make contact with the "spirit world." The shaman sought help from that world for healing of the afflicted individual or community. Shamans were considered to be the mediators between ordinary people and the unordinary forces of the universe. From THE SHAMAN: PATTERNS OF SIBERIAN AND OJIBWAY HEALING by John Grim, quoted by Gloria Orenstein in REFLOWERING OF THE GODDESS:
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Session One: Tools for Traveling The shaman is the person, male or female, who experiences, absorbs and communicates a special mode of sustaining, healing power.
ANCESTORS Many of the cultures we will be visiting honor and revere their ancestors. The ancestors connect the past with the present and future, making community span history. In some cultures, ancestors are not only human but are all the inhabitants of the Earth that have come before us.
THE RITUAL TRADITION by Paula Gunn Allen From GRANDMOTHERS OF THE LIGHT by Paula Gunn Allen, copyright 1991 by Paula Gunn Allen. Reprinted by permission of Beacon Press. Ideas about "myth," as medicine stories are called, abound. The word has not been used synonymously with irrational belief until recently. Earlier it was synonymous with fable, from the Greek, where it had the connotation of moral story. The Greek terms it is derived from mean "one who is initiated" and "a mystery, secret, a thing muttered," and are based on the Indo-Germanic root MU. A related Greek term, "a sound of muttering," and its Latin forms, muttum or mutum, meaning "a slight sound," both signify muttering and muteness. Thus, while the Greek (uú, uû) has been translated as "fable," it is more accurately defined as "ritual verbalization," that is, a language construct that wields the power to transform something (or someone) from one state or condition to another. In its action myth reflects implied belief, at least on the magician's part, else why would she or he be engaged in the process? At base myth is a vehicle, a means of transmitting, of shaping paranormal power and using it to affect desired ends. Muttering, in which magicians frequently indulge, is an activity presently ascribed to the mad, the elderly, the female, and the powerless. Muttering is a word that once signified whatever mothering signified at the time the original root word was current — several thousand years ago. Even today, the German word for "mother" is mutter. Myth and mother — both discredited in the modern world — are nevertheless essential to the modern world's existence. Certainly Jungians would argue that myth is mother of life. Through it we contemplate the meaning of our existence and the significance of all our relationships, not only with human beings but with all varieties of people, animals, spirits or immortals, and divinities. Through it we capture intimations of the vastness that lies beyond linear understanding, ungraspable unless mother myth informs it with life. Myth and ritual are wings of the bird of spirit, two tiers in the four-layered headdress of American Goddesses. The one contains the knowledge of language while the other embodies that knowledge in action. Myth, you might say, is noun, while ritual is verb. Myth is weft, ritual is woof. The true shaman weaves them together in harmony with all that is to create a tapestry that furthers wholeness and enriches life for all beings. Myth and ritual are twin beings; together they function to aid the practitioner in entering and using the life-generating forces contained in and by the Great Mystery.
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Session One: Tools for Traveling The ritual tradition is nothing new. It is at least as ancient as humankind, reaching back into the distances of human tenancy on the planet hundreds of thousands of years. The ritual tradition is the great body of articulated experiential knowledge that deals with the features of the universe of power. It is the point of entry into that universe, and it contains both stories (myth) and practice (ritual). Myths can be seen as reports or recipes for ritual practice, and rituals can be seen as enactments of myth. But either seen separately from the other is seen falsely. In the ritual tradition, wholeness is the rule; in it chronology ceases to function, though both temporality and duration play a fundamental role. Ritual affirms an order of reality that secular materialists, logical positivists, and deconstructionist postmodernists believe to be false, imaginary, primitive, or impossible. Yet within the workings of ritual, the impossible becomes the very probable, the imaginary becomes the factual, the primitive becomes the sophisticated, and the false becomes the actuality. Within the ritual universe the entire matter of true/false is turned on its head, and the dancers bring down the rain. The ritual dancer with the power to transform dry air into rain-bearing clouds is similar to the card called "the World" in the Tarot deck, to Shiva of the Hindu Way, to the Dancer of the African mysteries. Rain Dancer is a key, a point of entry into the mystery, the myth-matter-mother of arcane reality. The ritual tradition is of ancient and worldwide standing, a living tradition even now, despite the horsemen of the Apocalypse who thunder through its environs attempting by war, plague, famine, and pestilence to destroy it. Why is it that the United States armed forces have a bombing range on an Hawaiian island once filled with temples and sacred sites? Do they seriously believe that bombs can destroy the gods? I hope they will soon recognize that what destroys can only destroy itself; what nurtures and nourishes can only flourish. Over time, out of time, the law of balance will always function. Even bombs can't weaken the power of the ritual tradition because its strength is in its truth. It has failed only where it has given way to destructiveness and deceit. The oral tradition, wedded inextricably to the ritual tradition, records even these lapses, maintaining its life by adherence to veracity. In this time, pagan ritual re-emerges more beautiful, more whole, and more powerful than before. The sacred tradition is the changing fourfold form of the Goddess: Maiden, Mother, Crone, and Mystery. In past ages we have cycled through each of these over and over. In this age we turn again to recognize her heart as our own. There are many Ways we can walk to greet our returning Beloved, many ways but all are the same Way. The Tao, the Sufi Path, the Way of the Madonna, the Quest for the Grail, the Good Red Road. All lead into the Heart of the Great Mystery, the Heart of Heaven that is at one and the same time the Heart of Earth. Spiritual discipline is the hallmark of any ritual path. The discipline required of those who would walk the medicine path is referred to in the oral tradition, some of it lodged in one story, some in another. As one becomes familiar with the oral tradition and the ways of the People, one learns how to "walk in a sacred manner" as the Lakota put it, "walk in beauty" as the Diné say, or "walk in balance" as the Keres term it. One learns to make of spiritual discipline a Way of life.
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Session One: Tools for Traveling BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Paula Gunn Allen, well-known writer and scholar, is a Native American feminist who has done considerable research on the role of women and female imagery among a variety of Native American peoples. She has provided valuable insights into the effects of colonialism on Native practices and attitudes, especially those toward women. For this reason, she has been quoted extensively in RISE UP & CALL HER NAME and her writings are highly recommended.
PATRIARCHAL OVERLAY Adapted from REFLOWERING OF THE GODDESS by Gloria Orenstein: Many Goddesses have fallen from the position of respect they were one accorded. Much of the work done today by feminist scholars, artists, thealogians, and writers is helping us remember the times that went before our current patriarchal belief systems were imposed on the globe. In other words, they are working to roll back what some feminists call patriarchal overlay. This overlay includes demoting powerful goddesses to minor roles in support of all-powerful male gods, or dispensing with goddesses altogether. Patriarchal religions have rewritten the creation myths around a Father God rather than a Mother Goddess. Female-honoring beliefs and practices were systematically eradicated from mainstream cultures. Goddess temples were desecrated. A committed renaissance, however, is bringing back the ancient stories in their woman-honoring forms.
LILITH by Naomi Goldenberg From CHANGING OF THE GODS by Naomi Goldenberg, copyright 1979 by Naomi R. Goldenberg. Reprinted by permission of Beacon Press. Jewish legend tells us that Eve was not Adam's first wife. Immediately after the creation of Adam, God made a woman to keep him company. Her name was Lilith. Adam and Lilith quarreled at once. She refused to lie below him while making love. He refused to lie below her as well. "I will not lie below you," he said, "for you are fit to be below me and I above you." "We are both equal because we both come from the Earth," Lilith insisted. The argument continued. Lilith uttered the "Ineffable Name of God" and flew away. God sent three angels after Lilith with this message: If she did not go back to Adam, one hundred of her children would die each day. Even so, Lilith refused to return. Throughout the centuries, rabbis have hated Lilith. They made her into a monster who visited men at night and caused wet dreams and sterility. They spoke of her as a mother of demons who killed women in childbirth and destroyed new born babies. Lilith, the first woman who attempted liberation, has received terrible press in the Jewish religious media.
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Session One: Tools for Traveling Times are changing. In 1972, Judith Plaskow, a Jewish feminist scholar, extended the Lilith story. She imagined Eve climbing the walls of Eden every night to talk with Lilith. They sat and spoke together, of the past and then of the future. They talked not once, but many times and for many hours. They taught each other many things, and told each other stories, and laughed together, and cried, over and over, till the bond of sisterhood grew between them...And God and Adam were expectant and afraid of the day Eve and Lilith would return to the garden, bursting with possibilities, ready to rebuild it together.6 Plaskow is creating a new image for Lilith, an image derived from Lilith's original biblical role of defiance to Adam but amplified by bringing her back from banishment to construct a new order. The new story of Lilith opens up channels for different visions of new religious patterns to be created while maintaining touch with the Judaeo-Christian symbol system. Lilith has inspired several Jewish women to found a feminist magazine in her honor. Lilith magazine is published quarterly as a forum for women to examine and criticize Jewish patriarchal tradition. The editors see Lilith as Adam's equal, "the embodiment of independent womanhood."
COMMENTS ON LILITH From THE CULT OF THE BLACK VIRGIN by Ean Begg: Who then is this figure who has come to stand for feminine rebellion against masculine denial of woman's right to freedom and equality? The earliest known portrait of her, dating from circa 1950 BCE, is the terra-cotta Burney relief in the British Museum. In it she is depicted as a beautiful, winged, naked woman with the feet of a bird (a cock, thought the cabbalists), standing on two lions and flanked by a pair of owls, with an ephah, for measuring grain, in her hand. Her turban is somewhat reminiscent of that of the Black Virgin of Meymac and her hands are raised hieratically to shoulder height. (NOTE: Hieratic means constituting or belonging to a cursive form of ancient Egyptian writing simpler than the hieroglyphic.) From WOMANGUIDES by Rosemary Radford Ruether: In Judith Plaskow's midrash on the rabbinic commentary on Genesis 1-3, we see a contemporary Jewish feminist drawing out the latent message of the Lilith story. Lilith represents the banished power and autonomy of women, which have been driven out beyond the boundaries of the patriarchal world. Even the very thought of it is repressed by labeling it a fearsome demon. Lilith is the banished potential of Eve herself, the subordinate and despised wife. The return of Lilith means the reclaiming of women's own wholeness of personhood. Lilith and Eve share their experiences and thereby conduct the world's first feminist consciousness-raising session. From THE WAYS WE LIE by Stephanie Ericsson appearing in Utne Reader, Nov./Dec. 1992: One day I found out that rabbinical legends tell of another woman in the Garden of Eden before Eve. I was stunned. The omission of the Sumerian Goddess Lilith from Genesis, as well as her 6
For the full text of Judith Plaskow's Midrash, see "Group Reading" earlier in this section.
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Session One: Tools for Traveling demonization by ancient misogynists as an embodiment of female evil, felt like spiritual robbery. I felt like I'd just found out my mother was really my stepmother. To take seriously the tradition that Adam was created out of the same mud as his equal counterpart, Lilith, redefines all of Judeo-Christian history. Some renegade Catholic feminists introduced me to a view of Lilith that had been suppressed during the many centuries when the strong goddess was seen only as a spirit of evil. Lilith was a proud goddess who defied Adam's need to control her, attempted negotiations, and when this failed, said adios and left the Garden of Eden. This omission of Lilith from the Bible was a patriarchal strategy to keep women weak. Omitting the strong-woman archetype of Lilith from Western religions and starting the story with Eve the Rib has helped keep Christian and Jewish women believing they were the lesser sex for thousands of years. From the essay "The Goddess in Judaism — an Historical Perspective" by Asphodel P. Long appearing in THE ABSENT MOTHER: RESTORING THE GODDESS TO JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY edited by Alix Pirani: Patriarchy has turned Lilith into queen of the demons, killer of children, particularly to be feared by mothers in childbirth. And that sums it up; instead of the Creatrix she has been made the destroyer. The symbol of women's wisdom and power, she has become a source of evil to be feared most particularly by women. She represents to us our innermost herstory. In reclaiming Her, we women throw off and pour away forever the poison about ourselves, our so-called inferiority, our evil inner selves, our guilt. On reclaiming Lilith we reclaim the breath of life that emerges as we give birth to our children, to our works of all kind; we reclaim our wisdom, our knowledge, our power, our autonomy.
LILITH AND BREATH Who has wings? The very first name to come to mind is Lilith. There is a statue of her dated to about 1500 B.C.E. where she is a naked woman with spreading wings, who has the feet of a bird and is attended by owls. This is contemporary with a story about her in Mesopotamian literature, in which she is a "dark maid" who flies off on her wings to the desert. In Genesis 1:2 it is ruach elohim, translated as the "spirit of God" or alternatively as "mighty wind," which hovers or moves over the waters. But what is ruach? Ruach is the Hebrew word for spirit or wind, and like the Latin anima or the Greek pneuma it can be used for either. Now, whose name tells us that she is also spirit or wind? None other than Lilith. The word Lilith is connected with two root words —- Layil, the Hebrew for night, and Lil, Sumerian (c 3000 B.C.E.) "wind" or "breath" or "spirit." I believe Lilith to be the Lady of the air and wind and the spirit, the living breath of life. She has all knowledge. Coincidence: Title of this curriculum – RUACH(N) BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Asphodel Pauline Long was born in London in 1921 of Jewish parents, refugees from Tsarist persecution. She is especially concerned with the influence of traditional religions in conditioning women and men to accept stereotypes. She took a theology degree as a (very)
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Session One: Tools for Traveling mature student. Her ongoing commitment is to women's (and men's) consciousness-raising, especially empowering women to understand and reclaim the past to inspire them in the present, and men to understand that they must change for an egalitarian society to come about. She has many publications in feminist and similar presses on Goddess material, and runs ongoing classes and workshops on the Female Aspect of Deity in their many forms.
RESOURCES These books provide insights into the concepts this curriculum is based upon. Each of these titles also draws on cross-cultural information focusing on woman-honoring traditions throughout the world. Several of these books include images of goddesses from around the globe.
GENERAL READING Weaving the Visions by Judith Plaskow and Carol Christ, Harper San Francisco, 1989. Subtitled "New Patterns in Feminist Spirituality," this volume contains more than 30 essays providing significant insights into feminism throughout a wide range of cultures. This is the second volume of essays edited by Carol Christ and Judith Plaskow. The first is WOMANSPIRIT RISING, one of the earliest and best loved anthologies of its kind. Judith Plaskow is associate professor of religious studies at Manhattan College. She is the author of SEX, SIN, AND GRACE and STANDING ALONE AT SINAI. Carol Christ has taught at several institutions, including Pomona College and Harvard Divinity School. She is author of DIVING DEEP AND SURFACING and LAUGHTER OF APHRODITE. She currently lives in Greece and is working on another book in the field of Feminist Thealogy. The Reflowering of the Goddess by Gloria Feman Orenstein, Pergamon Press: The Athene Series, New York, 1990. This profound discourse on the history and development of womenhonoring culture is a ground-breaking book. Journeying and what it means in shamanistic traditions provides orientation for the author's main thesis which finds its center in the power of the female image. An unusually fresh perspective on feminist art and literature of the twentieth century which offers impressive insights. Foreword by Merlin Stone. Gloria Orenstein is a professor at the University of Southern California with a joint appointment in the Department of Comparative Literature and the Program for the Study of Women and Men in Society. Once and Future Goddess: A Symbol for Our Time by Elinor Gadon, Harper San Francisco, 1989. Subtitled "A Sweeping Visual Chronicle of the Sacred Female and Her Re-emergence in the Cultural Mythology of Our Time," this book contains one of the most coherent explanations of the history and contemporary practice of Earth-based spiritualities. Many visual representations of ancient and modern art are included. Two hundred black and white plates; 52 color plates. Elinor Gadon is a cultural historian specializing in Indian art and culture and the analysis of images and symbols in their cultural context. She has taught at Harvard, Tufts, and the New School for Social Research. She is currently Director of the Women's Spirituality program at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. Elinor's interdisciplinary approach uses the methodologies of art history, history of religions, and cultural anthropology.
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Session One: Tools for Traveling Mother Worship by James J. Preston, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1982. Subtitled "Themes & Variations," this volume is a well-respected collection of essays on the cross-cultural practice of honoring female deities. Scholarly in nature, this book relies on case studies to examine the nature of societies that worship goddesses. James Preston is professor of anthropology at the State University of New York. He has edited and authored several books. The Heart of the Goddess by Hallie Inglehart Austen, Wingbow Press, Berkeley, California, 1990. Subtitled "The Art, Myth and Meditation of the World's Sacred Feminine," this book contains 90 full color pictures of images from around the globe, some of which will appear in the video segments of this curriculum. The images are grouped in three sections: Creation, Transformation, and Celebration. Each image is presented on an 8 x 11 page in full color and accompanied by a carefully crafted explanation of its origin as well as a meditation to help focus contemplation. Truly a rare gem. Hallie Inglehart Austen is also author of WOMANSPIRIT and has been leading Goddess workshops, rituals and conferences since 1974. Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood by Merlin Stone, Beacon Press, Boston, 1979, 1991. Subtitled "A Treasury of Goddess and Heroine Lore from Around the World," this classic volume has been re-issued with a new preface by the author. It brings together legends, rituals, and prayers of over one hundred goddesses from around the globe, which are grouped by geographical location. Merlin Stone has taught art history and sculpture at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is author of a number of works on Goddess history, including WHEN GOD WAS A WOMAN. Goddess: Mother of Living Nature by Adele Getty, Thames and Hudson Ltd, London, 1990. This handsome volume contains a well written essay surveying the history of goddesses and the practices of those who honor Her today. Accompanying the prose are beautifully reproduced images illustrating the text. Cross-cultural comparisons of themes and artistic portrayals of the goddess make this book an especially useful companion for this curriculum. Adele Getty has been studying Earth-based spirituality for many years. She also presents workshops on goddesses and shamanism. An Anthology of Sacred Texts by and about Women edited by Serinity Young, The Crossroad Publishing Company, New York, 1994. An innovative, ecumenical sourcebook. Readings from the world's "big seven" — Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism — accompany female-specific texts from the Near East, Greece, and Rome of antiquity, as well as from Northern European religions, shamanism, smaller tribal religions and more recent alternative movements. An exciting addition to Feminist resources. Stars in Your Bones: Emerging Signposts on Our Spiritual Journeys by Alla Bozarth, Julia Barkley, and Terri Hawthorne, North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc., 1990. To contact the publisher write to: North Star Press, P.O.Box 451, St. Cloud, Minnesota, 56302. This collaborative work of poet/priest Alla Bozarth, visual artist Julia Barkley, and cultural historian Terri Hawthorne, STARS IN YOUR BONES tracks the spiritual journeys of these women during a time of incredible change and the awakening of the women's spirituality movement. Through poetry, paintings and writings, these women trace their paths into women's spirituality and mark the signposts where their travels cross so that other women can follow. This masterpiece creates a map by which the viewer/reader can track her own journey. A beautiful presentation.
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Session One: Tools for Traveling The Goddess Re-Awakening: The Feminine Principle Today compiled by Shirley Nicholson, Theosophical Publishing House, Wheaton, IL, 1989. A collection of cross-cultural essays that provides many insights into the role of important goddesses in a variety of cultures. The Book of the Goddess: Past and Present subtitled "An Introduction to Her Religion" edited by Carl Olson, Crossroad, New York, 1987. An engaging collection of essays about Goddesses, ancient and modern, from many of the cultures touched on in RISE UP. A Feminist Ethic of Risk by Sharon D. Welch, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 1990. "Drawing especially on African American women's literature, Sharon Welch constructs an ethical and theological vision in which fragile is powerful...Her book provides the most sustained challenge of an ethics of liberation to the non-poor and the non-oppressed of the West. It is truly a landmark in the development of liberation theologies in North America." comment by Sheila Briggs of the University of Southern California. States of Grace: The Recovery of Meaning in the Postmodern Age by Charlene Spretnak, Harper Collins, San Francisco, 1991. This book on spirituality and social Criticism reclaims the core teachings and practices of the great wisdom traditions for the well-being of the Earth community. Charlene Spretnak's work has contributed to the framing of the women's spirituality, ecofeminist, and Green politics movements. She is the author of THE LOST GODDESSES OF EARLY GREECE (Beacon Press) which was included as part of CAKES FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. Lady of the Beasts: Ancient Images of the Goddess and Her Sacred Animals by Buffie Johnson, Harper San Francisco, 1988. This book is an attempt to recapture a nonverbal mode of comprehending the world through analyzing and interpreting icons related to a variety of goddesses. Highly illustrated. Women in World Religions edited by Arvind Sharma, State University of New York Press, 1987. The Feminine Face of God: The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women by Sherry Ruth Anderson & Patricia Hopkins, Bantam Books, Bantam trade paper book edition, August, 1992. Forward by Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD. From the cover: "An honest, compelling, surprising, and vastly reassuring book about the spiritual life of women...this landmark book is spiritual precisely because it is authentic." The Absent Mother: Restoring the Goddess to Judaism and Christianity edited by Alex Pirani, Mandala (an imprint of Harper Collins), London, 1991. Goddesses in World Mythology by Martha Ann and Dorothy Imel, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA, 1993. This annotated listing of 11,500 goddesses from around the world is an excellent reference, published in a hardback library edition. It will be published in paperback by Oxford University Press in 1994. Martha Ann is a contributor to RISE UP & CALL HER NAME. Rituals of the Imagination by Tom Moore, Pegasus Foundation, Dallas, 1983.
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Session One: Tools for Traveling The Feminist Companion to Mythology edited by Carolyne Larrington, Harper Collins, London, 1992. This scholarly work covers the Near East, Europe, Asia, Oceania, America and Goddesses of the twentieth century. An interesting reference. The Book of Goddesses & Heroines by Patricia Monaghan, Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN, 1981, 1990. The book includes photos from the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago. Nature Religion in America: From the Algonkian Indians to the New Age by Catherine L. Albanese, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1990. One in a Series, Chicago History of American Religion, edited by Martin E. Marty. Ritual of the Wind: North American Indian Ceremonies, Music, and Dance by Jamake Highwater, Alfred Van Der Marck Editions, New York, 1984. This book offers an intimate look at North American Indian ceremonies, music and dance. The insightful commentary is accompanied by many rare and historical photographs.
BOOKS ABOUT LILITH Womanguides: Readings Toward a Feminist Theology by Rosemary Radford Ruether, Beacon Press, Boston, 1985. The Hebrew Goddess by Raphael Patai, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 1967, 1978, 1990. Foreword by Merlin Stone. The Cult of the Black Virgin by Ean Begg, Viking Penguin, New York, 1985. The Book of Lilith by Barbara Black Koltuv, Ph.D., Nicolas-Hays, York Beach, Maine, 1986. Changing of the Gods: Feminism and the End of Traditional Religions by Naomi Goldenberg, Beacon Press, Boston, 1979.
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Session One: Tools for Traveling
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Session Two: Beginning the Journey
SESSION TWO: BEGINNING THE JOURNEY DISCOVERIES ON THE JOURNEY In this session, we will join together at the crossroads that are at the beginning of all journeys and use two more tools for traveling — personal sharing and guided meditation. We will share with one another what we bring from our own cultural heritages that gives us strength and balance. We will meet Hekate who is the triple- headed goddess of antiquity in the Mediterranean, and learn about her aspect as the protector who guards the crossroads and offers wise counsel to those who acknowledge her. We will hear about a shift in cultural attitudes that makes honoring diversity a central value. A video collage introduces womanhonoring images from around the globe, many from centuries past. As we begin our journey to Earth-based communities, we will take a moment to reflect on harmful dichotomies that breed racist attitudes. A guided meditation brings us into contact with the owl as we undertake our journey to places where goddesses are often dark, like the Earth herself.
CONTENTS Who Contributed? Why Hekate? Cultural Sensitivity Note Chants: OLD CRONE OF MYSTERY and WE ARE SISTERS ON A JOURNEY Paradigm Shift Thoughts About Reconceptualizing Darkness The Dark Season in the Cycle The Owl and the Dark Comments on Hekate Patriarchal Overlay Resources
WHO CONTRIBUTED? This session was created based on Elizabeth Fisher's research about the Goddess Hekate, who she has had an affinity for over 25 years. Introduction of the sacred bundle motif was a collective decision of the final review committee.
WHY HEKATE? Hekate is one of the most important dark goddesses of the pagans of Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. She is sometimes seen as a bridge between Africa and Europe. Knowing the true nature of Hekate is essential to understanding the important philosophical roots of Earthbased spiritualities in Europe — spiritualities that can be linked in belief and flavor to Earthbased spiritualities found around the globe.
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Session Two: Beginning the Journey CULTURAL SENSITIVITY It is important not to draw any assumptions based on a person's appearance alone. It isn't accurate to assume that just because a person comes from a particular ethnic group, she or he has a special knowledge or identification with the cultural heritage or particular practices of that group. People want to be sought out for who they are, not who others stereotype them to be. Statement by Grace Coan, Japanese American.
CHANTS OLD CRONE OF MYSTERY Words and music by Nancy Vedder-Shults; sung by Nancy Vedder-Shults and friends on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. An expanded version is available on the CD CHANTS FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. Old Crone of mystery, I must let go. Great crone of ecstasy, help me let go. Transform me, old hag, so that I will let go. Cast open the door for me, I will let go. Rebirth, rebirth, death and rebirth.
WE ARE SISTERS ON A JOURNEY Previously recorded by the Colorado Midwives Association; sung by Nancy VedderShults and friends on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. We are sisters on a journey Singing out as one Remembering the Ancient Ones The women and the wisdom The women and the wisdom
PARADIGM SHIFT by Elizabeth Fisher The way many of us understand the world is changing rapidly. The pattern, or paradigm, that we have thought correctly put forth the order of things is now being seriously challenged in disparate walks of life. A paradigm is defined as a filter for information. Everyone uses paradigms to organize what they perceive. Sometimes, a paradigm can literally impair perception. If what is taking place is beyond an individual's adopted paradigm, they often have difficulty accurately perceiving what is happening. Instead, they adhere to their familiar, though incorrect, paradigm, becoming
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Session Two: Beginning the Journey blinded to creative solutions to problems because they are limited by a set of rules and regulations that does not provide the most useful perspective. Currently, the dominant "old paradigm" asserts that all life is arranged on a hierarchical pyramid of descending value from top to bottom with God at the top, followed by elite human males, then other human males, then human females, then animals, plants, and finally what has been called inanimate objects such as rocks. Races and ethnic groups are also placed in various orders on the pyramid, depending on which culture or race is constructing it. Relationships are mechanical and can be regulated and controlled. The processes of life are believed to follow a linear pattern. The "new paradigm" centers around a global perspective that values diversity — both human and cross-species — and acknowledges the cyclical process of birth, growth, fulfillment, degeneration, death, seeds, and new birth. This understanding of the way the natural system works also has a spiral quality that allows circles to evolve into other circles indefinitely, indicating the system is not closed, but open to infinite possibility. In this paradigm, these many forms of existence are connected by web-like strands that run in all directions and affect one another. Further, humans and the processes they participate in and the products and waste they create are a part of this complex, dynamic system. When a "paradigm shift" happens, it means an individual, often a whole society, seemingly all of a sudden, adopts a new pattern — usually because the actual reality they are experiencing is so out of touch with their old paradigm they can no longer adhere to their earlier view. Paradigm pioneers, who conceptualize specific applications of the new paradigm that are actually more in tune with the way things really are, spearhead this transformation. Numerous such pioneers are currently working in diverse disciplines and areas of endeavor. Scientific research is beginning to use a model reflecting the new paradigm. Organizations are looking at the benefits of non-hierarchical management of work. Forms of this new paradigm are being used in business and government by those of varied political persuasions. Environmental urban management that considers the interconnectedness of the processes of modern cities is being recognized. Professionals in engineering, architecture and city planning are coming to realize the ecologists are trying to tell them something that is, in fact, a reality. These changes in perception may be the most profound shift in human consciousness since acceptance of the belief that the world is a round sphere and not a flat plane. An important part of this great shift is that women all over the globe are beginning to value themselves. As women esteem themselves, new possibilities begin to unfold. One important aspect of the worldwide women's movement is that many women, on a very personal level, value the natural systems of the Earth and every being and process that makes these delicate interrelationships exist and happen. Around the globe, grassroots ecology movements are bringing women into the public eye as they raise their voices for the trees, the water, and the soil they know supports their communities. This new paradigm can have important global effects. It is quite possible that if we leave the current paradigm — which is dependant on an anthropomorphic view that holds us apart from
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Session Two: Beginning the Journey the world — and discover how we are related to and embedded in all that exists, we will take a very different view of both global political and environmental concerns.
CHANGES IN SYSTEMS Old Model
New Model
pyramid hierarchy unequal relationships only males contact/interpret the divine/spiritual
networking web 3-dimensional connections circle of equality all personal experiences of the spiritual are validated
CHANGE IN PERCEPTION Old Model
New Model
static, unyielding unconnected, isolated mechanical, machinelike boundaries, closed-ended disintegration, breakdown change by authority vested interests, manipulation aggressive leaders, passive followers conformity, adjustment
dynamic, flexible interdependent, interrelated organic, lifelike fluid, open-ended regeneration, self-renewal change by consensus, inspiration respect for autonomy of others dynamic relationships that affect each other pluralism, innovation
RESOURCES ABOUT PARADIGMS Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives by John Naisbitt, Warner Books, New York, 1982. Many key concepts of the paradigm shift are explored: information, technology, world economy, decentralization, self-help, participatory democracy, and networking, among others. Megatrends 2000: Ten New Directions for the 1990's by John Naisbitt & Patricia Aburdene, William Morrow and Company, New York, 1990. Major trends: economic boom, renaissance in the arts, free-market socialism, cultural nationalism, the rise of the Pacific Rim, women in leadership, the age of biology, and religious revival, among others. This book is visionary in scope and rich in examples. Megatrends for Women by Patricia Aburdene & John Naisbitt, Villard Books, New York, 1992. Chapter by chapter, this book documents the sweeping changes women need to be aware of to be empowered in business, sports, religion, and political leadership. Fractals — The Patterns of Chaos: A New Aesthetic of Art, Science, and Nature by John Briggs, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1992. Fractals are unique patterns such as branching
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Session Two: Beginning the Journey trees, veins in a hand, and running water. The author uses over 170 illustrations to describe how fractals were discovered, how they form, and their unique properties. Chaos: Making a New Science by James Gleick, Viking, New York, 1987. New concepts in scientific thought have implications in understanding nature. Nature's Chaos, photographs by Eliot Porter, text by James Gleick, Viking, New York, 1990. A stunning book that shows that the Earth's beauty lies in disorder and wildness. Scientists and artists alike are beginning to recognize the uncanny structure underlying the jumble and turbulence of nature. The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in the 1980s by Marilyn Ferguson, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1980. Recognizing that a massive change is taking place in our cultural institutions, the author shows how the mind has the capacity to create a different kind of society that gives hope to our dreams. The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism by Fritjof Capra, Shambhala, Boston, 1975/1983. A brilliant work detailing the meeting of East and West in current social trends and sciences. The Turning Point: Science, Society, and the Rising Culture by Fritjof Capra, Bantam Books, New York, 1982. A compelling vision of a new reality, a reconciliation of science and the human spirit for a future that will work, a holistic paradigm of science and spirit. Belonging to the Universe: Explorations on the Frontiers of Science and Spirituality by Fritjof Capra and David Steindl-Rast, Harper San Francisco, 1991. A dialogue between the trailblazer of new science and a contemporary Thomas Merton (a Benedictine monk). Jointly they investigate the parallels between new paradigm thinking in science and religion that together offer a remarkably compatible view of the universe.
THOUGHTS ABOUT RECONCEPTUALIZING DARKNESS When attempting to reverse racism in our culture, it is important to be sensitive to the ways language often associates the word dark with evil, unwanted, negative, and bad as well as with people of color. Metaphors of overcoming darkness are all pervasive in our society, and regrettably in most religions. We have been taught by dominant traditions, religious and secular, to add the dark time, the silent time, the star time to our list of fears rather than reverences. Some psychological theories have labeled certain traits and qualities as undesirable, saying they come from "our dark sides." Modern mythological stories presented in books, movies, television and radio programs talk about the "dark side" of a tale, equating dark with malevolent forces we must fear and, if we are truly brave, rise up to overcome. Just as we have become more aware of how to use gender-free language, we must also become particularly careful not to use words and phrases that carry racist overtones. As we study traditions that have a radically different view of darkness, we will become able to value the dark
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Session Two: Beginning the Journey and begin to see the political reasons why qualities associated with the dark have, intentionally, been so maligned. The following is quoted from an article entitled "Misrepresentations of the Dark in Goddess Lore" by Pat Camaren, which appeared in Women of Power magazine, Issue Four. It reflects on uses of the word dark which create misconceptions and misunderstandings we seek to avoid in this curriculum. The Australian Aborigines have a less misconstrued notion of black. This is evident in the practice of "thinking black," which is to enfold one's mind without intellectual struggle into some kind of oneness with the notions of the body and spirit...This is a sacred exercise full of wisdom. "Thinking black" allows one to understand that without unity there cannot exist separation. Nor is the dark evil. It is symbolic of Earth and the inner world, not of hell and uncleanliness. The misrepresentation of the dark through political and social evolution brought about distaste for women, dislike of the night, wariness of the deep, psychological roots of our being and of our innermost desires, connotations akin to women's sexuality, fear of birth pain, prejudice toward dark people, and fear of black cats.
THE DARK SEASON IN THE CYCLE The winter, which is usually the dark time of the year, according to an American Indian legend, is the time when a person's spirit is most likely to communicate directly. It is believed that if we spend time being quiet, as we need to be when seeking the presence of a wild animal, we can actually communicate with our spirits and they will enter our being and let us know what we are to do next.
THE OWL AND THE DARK The owl is one of the animals that can teach us the most about the powers of the dark season and the night since the home of the owl is night. The owl is the protector of the deep forest; she is the one who understands the teachings of the Earth. The owl also reminds us that our hallowed home is the Earth and we must get in touch with the rhythms and cycles She is governed by so that we can be in tune with her movement. The owl is often seen by Earth-honoring spiritual traditions as the guardian of the interface between the spiritual and the material world, the "other side" as some traditions call it. Many Earth-based traditions honor these times of little light. Those who practice these traditions sought the places of dark — the caves and deep forests — for spiritual insight; and practiced silent reflection. In some of these traditions, the owl represents wisdom; she sees in the dark what others cannot. When others are deceived, Owl is believed to have the ability to know what is real.
COMMENTS ON HEKATE (HECATE) From HEKATE SOTEIRA by Sarah Johnston: Hekate makes a brief appearance in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. As Persephone ascended from her visit to the underworld, Hekate embraces her. "From that time," says the Hymn,
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Session Two: Beginning the Journey "Queen Hekate was the preceder and the follower of Persephone." In the Hymn, Hekate is present at, or at least witness to, both the descent and the return of Persephone. The language used to describe the appointment of Hekate as Persephone's companion is interesting; ...by being both behind and in front of Persephone, Hekate thoroughly protects or guides her. The literal meanings of the words also imply that Hekate accompanied Persephone on a physical journey, logically the one to Hades and back; this supports the hypothesis that Hekate traditionally was involved more intimately in the descent and return than the Hymn tells us, escorting Persephone on one of the most difficult and significant journeys imaginable. The fact that Hekate "from that time" of the original return of Persephone played these roles implies that she continued to accompany Persephone annually as she passed from Hades to upper world or visa versa. Vase paintings portray Hekate as accompanying Persephone. Hekate's role in the story of Persephone is that of an escort across a very important boundary; in later literature, as mistress of souls, she regularly guided the dead back and forth across this same line. Other references show her connected with liminal places such as crossroads and doorways; places where three roads meet; or dwelling at the crossroads. Adapted from WOMEN'S MYSTERIES by M. Esther Harding: The ancients knew no inner or psychological realm. To them, the inner world was conceived of as the underworld, the spirit realm, the place where all spirit things dwelt. We still, to a lesser extent, but in some measure, think of inner creative activity as uncanny or mysterious. For the ancients, the Underworld Queen (Hecate) is mistress of all that lives in the underworld or, as modern psychologists label it, the hidden parts of the psyche, the unconscious. She is the Goddess of magic and of magicians. Contact with the dark side of the Moon Goddess was considered to be the sole reliable instrument for the working of magic. Love and healing was also associated with the dark moon. It is interesting to note that the shines of the Black Virgin in Europe today are reputed to have great wonder-working and healing powers often in excess of the power of the shrines of the Virgin in her white aspect. From WOMEN'S MYSTERIES by Christine Downing: Most significantly, Harding reminds us that "to the Greeks the power of the moon was represented by Hecate, the Dark Moon:" The Moon Goddess is not only Goddess of Storms and of Fertility, that is of all disturbances and creations in the outer world, she is also goddess of disturbances and creative activity which take place in the inner world. She is responsible for lunacy, and on the positive side, is Giver of Vision. It is what happens in the depth, in the unconscious, in the underworld that is truly transformative. Once again, Harding highlights the importance of the mysterious, the unknown, the hidden. From MYSTERIES OF THE DARK MOON by Demetra George: Queen of the Night, triple-faced Hekate is one of the most ancient images from a pre-Greek stratum of mythology and an original embodiment of the great Triple Goddess.
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Session Two: Beginning the Journey Hekate may have been originally derived from the Egyptian mid-wife goddess Heket, who in turn evolved into Heq or the tribal matriarch of predynastic Egypt. In Greece Hekate was a preOlympic goddess, whose geographical origins place her as a native of Thrace, in the northeast part of the country, which links her to goddess worship of old Middle Europe and Asia Minor in the third and fourth millennia. Unlike many other primordial deities, Hekate was absorbed into the classical Greek pantheon. The Olympian Greeks had a difficult time fitting her into the scheme of their gods. The Titans, with whom Hekate was associated, were the pre-Olympic deities whom Zeus had ousted and degraded. However, the new conquerors bowed to Hekate's antiquity by granting to her alone a power shared with Zeus — that of granting or withholding from humanity anything she wished. While she never joined the Olympian company, Zeus honored her above all other deities by giving her a special place and granting her dominion over heaven, earth, and the underworld. According to Hesiod, she became a bestower of wealth and all blessings of everyday life, and in the human sphere she ruled over the three great mysteries of birth, life, and death. As Prytania, Invincible Queen of the Dead, Hekate became a conveyor of souls through the underworld. As Goddess of Magic and enchantments, she sent prophetic dreams to humankind. Her presence was felt at tombs and scenes of murders, where she presided over purifications and expiations. Like her namesake Kali, in India, Hekate, as a funerary priestess, conducted her rites in charnel or burial grounds, assisting in liberating the souls of the newly dead. Hekate became particularly diabolized by Catholic authorities. The church projected onto her their own inner fears and spiritual insecurities, and distorted her figure into the ugly Queen of the Witches. It was Hekate who was now responsible for inciting the pagan country people — who were simply practicing their ancient fertility and folk customs — to supposed acts of uncanny evil, unspeakable horror, and abominable rites. The people who were most dangerous to the church were precisely those whom Hekate patronized: midwives, healers, and seers. Women were burned as witches, accused of being inhabited by evil spirits, such as Hekate. PATRIARCHAL OVERLAY It is important to recognize that these shocking, hideous images associated with this torchbearing goddess who illumines the dark passageways are but the historical record, accumulated over millennia, of the patriarchy's unconscious fears of the dark feminine. While this is not the original nature of Hekate, these twisted and distorted beliefs about her are nevertheless part of the unconscious collective conditioning to which each one of us is heir. From GODDESS GUIDE ME by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber: Hekat was first worshipped in pre-dynastic Egypt where she was the symbol of the tribal matriarchal ruler. She came to be associated with women's knowledge of the mysteries of childbirth and the occult, magical side of life. In later years, she appeared in the myth of the Greek Goddess Demeter whom she accompanied in Demeter's search for her daughter Persephone. They went to Helios, the Sun, to ask where the child was hidden and were directed to the underworld. At first, Hekat was powerful in the sky and on Earth.
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Session Two: Beginning the Journey She was also referred to as Hecate Selene, another name for the moon. She gave dreams and helped lovers. She benefited humankind with riches, wisdom, and victories but later, as women's roles became diminished in society, she became the rule of Hades, the realm of darkness. She would arise in the nocturnal hours to appear at the scenes of crimes or near tombs. She was especially feared by the patriarchal church because of her ancient association with midwives, the expert practitioners of the teaching of The Goddess and those viewed by the church as most dangerous to their faith. They associated her with witches and witchcraft, their words for the ancient arts. Hekat's power to keep the secret teachings of the ages alive caused her to be associated with evil and the casting of hurtful spells.
RESOURCES BOOKS ABOUT HEKATE Woman's Mysteries Ancient and Modern: A Psychological Interpretation of the Feminine Principle as Portrayed in Myth, Story, and Dreams by M. Esther Harding, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1975, for the C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology. This ground-breaking treatise provides important insights into the sacred feminine — both her historical characteristics and her powers. Women's Mysteries: Toward a Poetics of Gender by Christine Downing, Crossroad Publishing Co., New York, 1992. Downing chairs the Department of Religious Studies at San Diego State University and is senior core faculty member at California School of Professional Psychology. Hekate Soteira: A Study of Hekate's Roles in the Chaldean Oracles and Related Literature by Sarah Iles Johnston, Scholars Press, Atlanta, Georgia, 1990, from the American Philological Association's American Classical Studies Series. Mysteries of the Dark Moon by Demetra George, HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco, 1992. Demetra George is the author of ASTEROID GODDESSES and the coauthor of ASTROLOGY FOR YOURSELF. She incorporates mythological archetypes, transpersonal healing therapies, and astrology in her lecturing, teaching, and counseling. Goddess Guide Me: The Oracle that Answers Questions of the Heart by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1992. This oracle allows you to query many female deities while presenting fascinating information about goddesses from many cultures. Wise-Woman Archetype: Menopause as Initiation A talk by Jean Shinoda Bolen, M. D. Published by Sounds True Recordings of Boulder, Colorado, 735 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO 80302 Phone 303-449-6229. Dr. Bolen is a psychiatrist and Jungian analyst, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California Medical Center, and faculty member of the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco and author of several books. Dr. Bolen discusses the goddess Hekate, the triple goddess, and her special wisdom which is also shared by female elders.
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Session Two: Beginning the Journey BOOKS ABOUT MULTICULTURALISM The Graywolf Annual Five: Multi-Cultural Literacy — Opening the American Mind edited by Rick Simonson & Scott Walker, Graywolf Press, St. Paul, 1988. Includes essays by such writers as James Baldwin, Carlos Fuentes, Michelle Cliff, Paula Gunn Allen, Ishmael Reed, and Wendell Berry. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki, Little, Brown, Boston, 1993. Ronald Takaki is one of the foremost nationally recognized scholars of multicultural studies. He is Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of the prizewinning STRANGERS FROM A DIFFERENT SHORE.
BOOKS ABOUT JOURNEYING Laughter of Aphrodite: Reflections On a Journey to the Goddess by Carol P. Christ, Harper Collins, San Francisco, 1987. Journey Toward Freedom: The Story of Sojourner Truth by Jacqueline Bernard, The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, New York, 1967, 1990. The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner, Harper Collins, San Francisco, 1980, 1990. The Journey Is Home by Nelle Morton, Beacon Press, Boston, 1985. This distinguished feminist theologian traces the development of her personal and theoretical vision.
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Session Three: Ancient Africa
SESSION THREE: ANCIENT AFRICA DISCOVERIES ON THE JOURNEY Arriving in Africa, we first will meet Isis, the Great Mother Goddess, and practice nourishing one another. We will use the tool of dialogue to reflect with others on the implications of Afrocentrism, a philosophy that affirms multiculturalism. A variety of images suggests the significant role black Africans and women played in the development of Egyptian culture. We will see several Black Madonnas of Europe and hear interpretations that attest to the extended influence of Isis and Egyptian culture. We will journey into the temple of Isis and reflect on our wants and needs and take time to appreciate the power of healing. We will use the tool of art by drawing our reactions to our meeting with Isis and share them with one another.
CONTENTS Who Contributed? Why Isis? Cultural Sensitivity Note Chant: OOMAMA Betty LaDuke The Symbolism of the Egg Hathor Nubia Gender Equality in Egypt Black Madonna Wise Woman Introduction to Afrocentrism Resources
WHO CONTRIBUTED? This session grew out of conversations with Betty Soskin, an African American Unitarian Universalist who is featured in Session 5. She made me aware of the research that has been going on for some time concerning the nature of historical African cultures. The resources she pointed me toward were invaluable. A more extended biographical note about Betty is included in Session 5. Maria Belkys, researcher and priestess who studies with Z Budapest, contributed many insights into the complicated and fascinating Black Goddess Isis. Maria has done extensive research into the myths of Isis. She presents a workshop entitled ETERNAL ISIS, GREAT AUSET, A LIVING GODDESS PORTRAIT: SHINING BLACK QUEEN OF THE HEAVENS which was influential in the development of this session. Maria Belkys can be contacted through Women's Spirituality Forum, P.O. Box 11363, Piedmont, CA 94611. FAX or Call: (510) 444-7724.
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Session Three: Ancient Africa Grant Venerable, an African American professor and Unitarian Universalist, provided valuable commentary on Afrocentrism. A more extended biographical note is included with the material he supplied for this session, which is included in this section of the SOURCEBOOK. Reverend Emily Champagne was instrumental in the early stages of planning this session as well as session 5. She facilitated meetings with contributors and participated in conversations. Emily has been a Unitarian Universalist minister since the 1960s when she was one of the first women to attend Starr King School for the Ministry. She is currently a Ministerial Consultant to the Unitarian Fellowship of Northern Nevada. She has been active in the Women and Religion Task Force of the Pacific Central District for many years as well as active around many social justice issues.
WHY ISIS? Isis is the most important Egyptian Goddess who, in her early form, was independent and central, dependant on no male deity for her identity. As Maria Belkys says: It has been said that there is no figure in the study of religion in the ancient world — and perhaps in the entire scope of history of religion — whose role is more widespread in time and space and undergoes more marked transformations than that of ISIS. Beginning in archaic Kemet/Egypt, we can trace the Great One's rise to the Mistress of the Cosmos during the reign of the pharaohs in the dynastic era; and Her role during its decline, as Patroness Goddess of Cleopatra VII. We will follow Her myriad transformations as SHE claims the Greco Roman World and her continuing reign in Black Mariology and as the archetype of the Black Madonna. In our brief visit to Africa, we will meet Isis and catch a glimpse of her extensive influence which is an important piece of a global woman-honoring journey that seeks to gain an historical perspective that highlights female deities.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY Africa is a complex and fast evolving continent. Because of this complexity and change, it is important not to over generalize about the cultures on this continent. It is also important to realize that some theologians, politicians and philosophers who draw their roots from traditional African religions and cultures refer to a PAN-African concept of intrinsic commonality among all African peoples, based on traditional worldviews, which transcends tribal and/or nationalistic uniqueness. When exploring beliefs of peoples who live on the continent of Africa or who live elsewhere because of the African Diaspora but who trace their ancestry to Africa, it is also important to keep in mind the negative ramifications of colonialism and forced residence on other continents has had on traditional world views.
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CHANT: OOMAMA South African song, originally recorded on THE BEST OF STRUGGLES and in the accompanying songbook, by the Multicultural Women's Project in Music, copyright 1989, Womancenter at Plainville (MA). Recording used by permission of Fahamisha Patricia Brown on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. Oomama bakudala babethandaza Oomama bakudala babethandaza Babethandaza, Babethandaza Babethandaza, Babethandaza
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Session Three: Ancient Africa
ALTERNATIVE VERSION OF INVOCATION TO ISIS Adaptation by Meg Bowman (For two voices) This alternative version may be used at the beginning of the Ingathering or during other celebrations or worship activities. Two readers sometimes speak at the same time (bold type) and sometimes separately.
Reader No. 1:
Reader No. 2:
I am Nature Ruler of the Elements I AM ISIS! Mistress of the Living Everlasting Undying I, Mother Nature of the sky of the sea I am omnipotent! Respected throughout the world The sole manifestation — of all gods and goddesses I am Mother And I am called by many names To the Athenians To those of Cypress Isle To those of Crete I AM ISIS! Immortal Eternal To those on the island of Sicily To the Eleusinians (Eh-loo'-sin-ians) Or simply Mother of Wheat! In China Or Kuan Yin The Goddess of Mercy But the Ethiopian people And those who dwell further to the East more than any others that are dear to me By my true name ALMIGHTY ISIS!
I am Nature Progenitor of Worlds I AM ISIS! Mistress of the Dead Immortal Eternal control the planets The helpful winds I am omnipotent! Chief of all Deities of all gods and goddesses to all Deities by many names I am the wise and valiant Athena I am Aphrodite or Venus I am Artemis or Diana I AM ISIS! Everlasting Undying I am called Persephone I am Mother Demeter — Or simply Mother of Wheat! I am Nu Qua, the Creator The Goddess of Mercy And those who dwell in Egypt Understand my ancient wisdom For they know the ceremonies And they call me ALMIGHTY ISIS!
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Session Three: Ancient Africa BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Meg Bowman, Ph.D., professor of sociology, San Jose State University, is active in National Organization for Women and the Women and Religion Task Force, Pacific Central District. Meg is co-chair of the Feminist Caucus, American Humanist Association, and the author of several books that include lay-led services. Meg also organizes international women's study tours as well as sponsorships for impoverished students in Kenya and female Unitarian ministerial students in Romania. Meg considers herself a U.S. citizen by birth, Norwegian ancestry by parentage, atheist by intellect, single by good fortune, sociologist and teacher by profession, internationalist by choice, feminist by inclination, deviant by nature, grandmother by accident, social activist by experience, and writer by inspiration.
BETTY LA DUKE Artist Betty LaDuke graciously gave her permission to use one of her paintings, "Africa: Masai Spirit Quest," on the cover of the original RISE UP & CALL HER NAME. She also gave us permission to include several of her images in various segments of the video presentations, all of which are large paintings on canvas, inspired by her travels to many areas of the globe. Her unique style captures the interconnected theme that runs through the cultural traditions she represents. Betty took a special interest in multiculturalism early in her career, which started well before this concept became fashionable. Since 1953, she has traveled extensively to search out, identify, document, and publicize women artists of all cultures and colors. LaDuke visits their homes and studios, photographing them at work, documenting their art and sharing it through lectures, articles and books, thereby extending access to this important art. She has three books and one DVD representing indigenous women artists from around the world: Companeras: Women, Art, & Social Change in Latin America by Betty LaDuke, City Lights Books, San Francisco, 1985. Africa Through the Eyes of Women Artists by Betty LaDuke, African World Press Inc., Trenton, NJ, 1991. Women Artists: Multi-cultural Visions by Betty LaDuke, The Red Sea Press, Inc., Trenton, NJ, 1992. Africa between Myth and Reality by Betty LaDuke DVD available from www.wiltonart.com From the introduction to WOMEN ARTISTS: MULTI-CULTURAL VISIONS by artist Charleen Touchette: Today multicultural art is a timely subject. With this increased interest comes the danger that "multiculturalism" will degenerate into a trend, turning the very terms multicultural and intercultural into meaningless buzz words. In contrast, LaDuke's lifelong commitment to worldwide, multicultural inclusivity stands at the center of this field, serving as an example of objectivity and sincerity.
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Session Three: Ancient Africa When Betty travels, she spends several months getting to know the women artists from the area so she can best represent their works. When she is not traveling, she lives in Ashland, Oregon where she is Professor of Art at Southern Oregon State College. Gloria Feman Orenstein has written a book about the painting of Betty LaDuke from 1972-1992 entitled MULTI-CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS, published by Pomegranate Artbooks, San Francisco, 1993. It contains well rendered color representations of much of LaDuke's work with commentary interpreting the paintings. The paintings are grouped into sections such as "dreams and creation myths," "earth survival," and "healers" to name only a few of the ten sections. This book is a wonderful experience of the artist as storyteller. To order the book MULTI-CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS, as well as cards and posters of Betty LaDuke's paintings, contact Pomegranate Artbooks, 1-800-227-1428.
THE SYMBOLISM OF THE EGG From the article "The Unfolding of Divinity" by Rev. Oakley Dyer, in CREATION SPIRITUALITY MAGAZINE, March/April 1991. (Dyer is a minister and pastoral psychologist, who was, when writing this article, serving in Mozambique with CooperationCanada Mozambique.) While traveling in Egypt in 1985, I was taken by the presence of ostrich eggs in the churches, both ancient and modern, of the Coptic Christians. They were frequently hung in prominent places at the front of the Church, in or above the altar screen. When I was told they were simply reminders of the powers of regeneration, resurrection, and new birth, I thought it was very fitting. How beautiful to have this symbol of the Easter message always in the church as a perpetual reminder. It seems that our Christianity is richer and fuller when we can recognize and accept the egg, not just as an Easter symbol of resurrection, but also for its association with The Goddess or "Divine Mother" whose body contains the miracle of birth and regeneration through the cyclical processes of Nature. From Merlin Stone, ANCIENT MIRRORS OF WOMANHOOD: It is interesting to note that the hieroglyph for the Cosmic Egg was the same sign that was used to designate an embryo in a woman's womb.
HATHOR From THE REMARKABLE WOMEN OF EGYPT by Barbara S. Lesko: Hathor is often portrayed in statues as the cow of the heavens. She heals with Her celestial milk that soothes the torn body. She is also depicted in human form wearing a headdress featuring the disk of the sun or moon held within the horns. The reverence for the celestial cow may have come to pre-dynastic Egypt from groups who lived on the more southerly stretches of the Nile in Sudan. The name Hathor was assigned to the Great Mother Goddess by the worshippers of Horus, who was the son of Isis and Osiris. Hat Hor literally means House of Horus.
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NUBIA From NUBIA: ANCIENT KINGDOMS OF AFRICA by Joyce L. Haynes, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Ancient Nubia, which exhibited many woman-honoring aspects, overlapped parts of current day Egypt and the Sudan, just west of the Red Sea. Nubian civilization is among the oldest in the world. Most of what we know about the history of ancient Nubia comes from archaeology. It is apparent that the histories of Nubia and Egypt have always been intertwined. Both countries shared a past of conquering and being conquered by each other. When one country became weak, the other dominated.
GENDER EQUALITY IN EGYPT From THE REMARKABLE WOMEN OF ANCIENT EGYPT by Barbara Lesko: From the gigantic tombs of First Dynasty queens, it is obvious that already at the beginning of Egyptian history the women of the royal family enjoyed considerable power and respect. The idea that the familial line of descent was traced through the women of the family may have been indigenous to Egypt's cultural African heritage as anthropologists believe, but it was given a theological stamp of approval with regard to the Royal Family. It was acknowledged that the inheritance of the mighty pharaohs themselves was rightly deposited with the women of the Royal Family. The average women of Egypt worked outside the home, engaging in a variety of occupations. Apparently the Egyptians did not contemplate a weaker sex, as paintings show women laboring in the fields alongside the men, harvesting and winnowing wheat and handpicking flax for linen that all Egypt wore. Many of these everyday acts were considered sacred. Women and men worked side by side at jobs indoors as well. Innumerable tomb scenes show kitchen staffs of male and female servants grinding wheat, brewing beer and baking bread. Both female and male servants waited on guests at banquets to which both women and men were invited. Women guests were not segregated in their own quarters, but intermingled with male guests at social events.
BLACK MADONNA From the essay "African Isis" by Danita Redd, IN BLACK WOMEN OF ANTIQUITY, edited by Ivan Van Sertima. Danita Redd is an educator and holistic counselor with a special interest in the roles and images of black Women in antiquity. She received her M.A. in Education and B.A. in Speech Communications from CPSU, San Luis, Obispo. In addition to authoring and directing several reader theaters, she wrote an essay on Hatshepsut, which appeared in GREAT BLACK LEADERS - VOL. 1 (DECEMBER, 1987). She has been a member of Amenta, a California-based think tank, since 1979 and took a study tour to Egypt in 1981. It is becoming increasingly recognized that the cultures of Africa had a great influence on Europe. The hundreds of Black Madonnas throughout Europe attest to this influence. Black
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Session Three: Ancient Africa Madonnas of Europe have a tradition which goes back hundreds of years, before the advent of Christianity. The African Isis was prototype for the Black Madonnas of Europe. As the worship of Isis was suppressed, the Virgin Mary was elevated into the European Christendom. The African Isis was quietly absorbed into Orthodox Christian Churches of Europe. Today, the African Isis is worshipped under the name of the Virgin Mary. But the images most venerated and held in highest esteem are those most similar in their depiction of the African Isis. Isis is best remembered through the images of the Black Madonna. Judith Gleason, author of the book entitled OYA: IN PRAISE OF THE GODDESS, says: I cannot go along with a Dutch gentleman I heard lecture on venerating a Black Madonna who claimed she wasn't in any way black except for dark paint. He saw her as a liaison to the "darker" (in his parlance), unexpressed side of his own inflexible upbringing. I definitely disagree. The Black Madonna is not merely a psychological crutch. The Black Madonna is African.
WISE WOMAN From THE REMARKABLE WOMEN OF ANCIENT EGYPT by Barbara Lesko: Woman as healer is an ancient tradition in Egypt. The "wise woman" or "divining woman" is a well-known figure in traditional societies even today, and she is mentioned in New Kingdom texts as well. How influential was the "wise woman"? Hers was a non-official power, but she was held in awe by her contemporaries. Possibly every community had a least one such revered woman, a shaman who could see beyond the obvious, predict the future, settle disputes, find lost property, and heal the sick. She was feared and respected and was a power in everyday life at the "grassroots" level of society.
INTRODUCTION TO AFROCENTRISM NOTE: Afrocentrism is an intellectual movement that seeks to discover, recognize and commemorate the valuable contributions African civilizations have made to Western culture. From NEWSWEEK, September 23, 1991: Afrocentrism ranges over the whole panorama of human history, coloring in the faces: from Australopithecus to the inventors of mathematics to that great Negro composer Beethoven. It aims to reconstruct for black Americans the cultural heritage of a homeland that other ethnic groups have as their birthright. "Blacks must reconstruct their historical memory," says Dr. Charles Finch of the Morehouse School of Medicine. "No nation, no race can face the future unless it knows what it is capable of. This is the function of history."
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Session Three: Ancient Africa AFROCENTRISM — HISTORY AND CONTEMPORARY APPLICATION OF PHILOSOPHY Dr. Grant Venerable, who is quoted extensively in this section, is an African American physical chemist teaching in the Department of Black Studies at San Francisco State University and a Unitarian Universalist who was active in forming the Black Caucus in the 1960s. Comments by Dr. Venerable are adapted from a book review entitled "Reconsecrating the `Melting Pot': A Vision of Ethnic Apocalypse in U. S. Education" by Dr. Venerable, appearing in the Spring, 1992 issue of the School of Education Review, San Francisco State University and a public radio (KQED, San Francisco) editorial WITH A PERSPECTIVE, aired December 20, 1993, entitled "Science and Afrocentrism" by Dr. Venerable. The Afrocentric contribution has greatly widened the national dialogue, however fractious, to include the African civilizations in the Nile Valley which ultimately generated the cultures of the "dead white European males," who did not, in any case, produce Western civilization in a vacuum. Africa's early development was influenced by the flood cycles of the Nile, which led the ancient Nubian people to master the rudiments of math and astronomy. Their fixing of the calendar more than 6,000 years ago was a profound intellectual development comparable to that of the microprocessor. Much later, Europe's rise as a colonial power was coupled to the rise of modern science. Afrocentrism is, at core, a mathematical idea, a vital notion of unity based on diversity. In such a perspective, each element of the whole maintains its own ethnic integrity, allowing unity to emerge through a coming to terms with the value of difference. The "pigeon-holing," "either/or" bent of Western science makes it unable to cope with vast gray areas of reality — like crime, race relations, and urban crises. This has engendered a widespread, "us verses them" attitude. Since the dawn of time, African-centered cultures have honored the full range of human experience as a "both/and" reality — in which true unity results from a respect for ethnic difference. This is what "Afrocentric" means. Therefore, if young blacks are in trouble in our society, then we are all in trouble. For the troubled they are also us — because we are extensions of one another. Such an Afrocentric outlook is the unifying force that guided humans from their origin in Africa more than four million years ago. It is also our assurance for the future.
RACE Dr. Venerable concludes, based on skin pigmentation, race itself is a racist construct devised, not by the Afrocentrists but by white supremacist Europeans whose academic traditions informed the present-day Anglo-Germanic paradigm. Ethnicity has to do with those deep cultural structures that are conditioned into a child via cultural habit and educational praxis, generation after generation. Fears have been expressed that the "cult of ethnicity" (as some foes of Afrocentrism dub the philosophy) could drive wedges between the races, thus leading to self-ghettoization, ethnic separatism, and Balkanization. Offered (in support of this viewpoint) is a litany of concerns about ethnic theme houses and black dormitories; heightened racial tensions on campuses where
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Session Three: Ancient Africa "ethnic enclaves" are encouraged; the criticism that only blacks can comprehend the black experience. All of this strikes Dr. Venerable as over-reaction to the natural transition of a segregated multicultural society to a truly integrated multicultural society. Dr. Venerable asserts Balkanization is the result of a hyper-Eurocentric, either/or approach to reality (which dictates) one is either Artist or Biochemist, but never both. The assumption is sometimes made that all African American "ethnic" activists operate in the same either/or universe as Eurocentrists do. Little wonder that many critics of Afrocentrism have behaved like common reactionaries on the matter of multiculturalism. But it is the Afrocentric ethos, itself a concept not well understood (and used much too loosely) even by many African Americans, that fosters unity through diversity and works to prevent the very sort of Balkanization that Eurocentrists fear so much. Americans must reflect on the ethnic confusion which troubles the entire society. Clearly, education's challenge is to inculcate the whole truth. The attack upon the Afrocentrists for their perceived role in stirring up latter day ethnic hostility — hostility which has always existed just beneath the surface of American society — is a false approach. It is an exercise in futility and denial of what we are as Americans. The following material is adapted from a video presentation by Asa G. Hilliard III, Educational Psychologist at Georgia State University, formerly dean of the School of Education at San Francisco State University. Numerous other books and essays by a variety of scholars develop a similar historical analysis. The Resources list references some of these materials. In November, 1985 THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC summarized long-time research that is now widely accepted in the scientific community. Namely, "Today Africa is recognized as the very cradle of the human race." This cradle is believed to be located near Lake Victoria, which is also considered the source of the Nile. This agreement among academics came after centuries of trying to prove, first, that humankind originated in Europe and later in Asia. Called the Twa people, these early African tribes were matrilineal, honoring women as leaders and sustainers of the tribe. As these tribes migrated over the globe, they took their religious beliefs with them. This is why evidence of mother worship and women-honoring traditions can be found in many divergent locations. Much of ancient Egyptian culture was developed by black Africans. As shown in the video segment accompanying this session, some of the powerful rulers in Egypt were not only black but also female. This information about ancient Egyptian culture is important because our own civilization traces its origin to the Greek and Roman cultures where white males were said to dominate. However, Egyptian culture predates the Greek and Roman empires and is said to have contributed much to these cultures which means that a more accurate understanding of Egyptian culture may affect our interpretations and understanding of Greek and Roman cultures. Further, there is increasing evidence showing that Egypt existed for centuries as a racially mixed population with very little social importance placed on skin color, and that this
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Session Three: Ancient Africa was the situation in Europe as well. In fact, there is much information indicating that race consciousness and prejudice that limited social mobility did not dominate Europe until the 16th century, after Columbus invaded new continents. Prior to this time, many individuals who were clearly African attained high positions in European societies. The following passage from TEMPLE OF MY FAMILIAR by Alice Walker is a dialogue between Fanny, an African American, and Nzingha, her African sister. Both had the same father but different mothers. They are both grown, young women and are meeting for the first time. It reflects on the subject of European perceptions of African history. Nzingha says: It seemed impossible for the professors of the Sorbonne in Paris to acknowledge that ancient Cyrene was Libya, or that the ancient Egyptians were black. This seemed as hard for them to fathom as that the Sahara Desert hadn't always been a desert, or that Egypt is a part of Africa. I don't know where they thought King Tut came from, with his little black self! When they did discuss Africa, they did so in terms of its problems, its "backwardness," never in terms of its contributions or its centuries of oppression under whites. Fanny thinks: There was more anger in Nzingha's voice than Fanny had heard the whole time she had been in Olinka. She began to wonder, not for the first time, about the bottled-up, repressed anger of the African woman, silent for so long. She thought of this anger as an enormous storehouse of energy and wondered whether the women knew they owned it. Anger can also be a kind of wealth, she thought.
RESOURCES Black Folk Here and There by St. Clair Drake, Center for Afro-American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, 1987. This is one of the most important books available on color prejudice and the relationship of African and Western culture. While highly readable, the scholarship has been widely praised. The Temple of My Familiar A Novel by Alice Walker, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1989. Black Women in Antiquity edited by Ivan Van Sertima, Journal of African Civilizations, African Studies Department, Transaction Publishers, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 1984, 1988, 1992. An important collection of essays covering historically important black female figures. A must read for anyone interested in learning about woman-honoring history. African Presence in Early Europe edited by Ivan Van Sertima, Journal of African Civilizations, African Studies Department, Transaction Publishers, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 1985, 1990. The Afrocentric Idea by Molefi Kete Asante, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1987. From the book jacket: Mr. Asante is widely regarded as the major proponent of "Afrocentricity," or the understanding of the black experience as an extension of African history and culture...He is credited with doing as much as anyone to attempt to build a theoretical base for an idea that has been around for some time. From Chronicle of Higher Education.
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Session Three: Ancient Africa Africa Through the Eyes of Women Artists by Betty LaDuke, Africa World Press, Trenton, NJ, 1991. This book covers the unique frame of reference of several African women artists. It includes biographies of the women who the author visited in Africa as well as examples of their work. This book is one of several books Betty LaDuke has written about women in a variety of cultures. See the essay on Betty LaDuke in this section for more details about her work and writing. The Cultural Unity of Black Africa: The Domains of Patriarchy and of Matriarchy in Classical Antiquity by Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop, Third World Press, Chicago, 1959, 1963, 1978, 1990. His book furnishes the basis for an honest re-examination of the relationships between men and women in societies in general and Africa in particular. The Remarkable Women of Ancient Egypt by Barbara S. Lesko, B.C. Scribe Publications, Providence, RI, 1987. From the cover: "Four thousand years ago women in the Nile Valley enjoyed more legal rights and privileges than women have in many nations of the world today. Equal pay for equal work is a cry heard now, but seems to have been the norm thousands of years ago in Egypt." Nubia: Ancient Kingdoms of Africa by Joyce L. Haynes, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1992. "The Unfolding of Divinity" by Oakley Dyer in Creation Spirituality magazine, March/April 1991. This article is written by a minister and pastoral psychologist, who was serving in Mozambique with Cooperation Canada Mozambique when writing this article. It gives an interesting perspective on the presence of eggs in Coptic Christian churches as well as other lore about the importance of the egg to religious practices, both Pagan and Christian. Where the Ancient Egyptians Black or White? by Frank J. Yurco in Biblical Archaeology Review, September/October, 1989. This article asserts a lack of race consciousness in Ancient Egypt as well as the existence of evidence of race mixing at all levels of society. Also comments on the equality women received in Egypt under the law.
BOOKS ABOUT THE BLACK MADONNA: The Cult of the Black Virgin by Ean Begg, Viking Penguin, New York, 1985. An important chronicle of the history of Black Madonnas throughout Europe, including a comprehensive listing of the location and lore concerning these deities. Black Madonnas: Feminism, Religion, and Politics in Italy by Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum, Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1993. Clare Fischer, professor at Starr King School for the Ministry, Berkeley, endorses this book by calling it, "a tour de force that weaves together political, mythological, and historical materials." The Black Goddess and the Unseen Real: Our Unconscious Senses and Their Uncommon Sense by Peter Redgrove, Grove Press, New York, 1987. Black Madonna by Fred Gustafson, Sigo Press, Boston, 1990.
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Session Three: Ancient Africa The Black Athena in 2 volumes. Vol. I: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization: The Fabrication of Ancient Greece, 1785-1985 by Martin Bernal, Rutgers University Press, 1987. Vol II: The Archaeological and Documentary Evidence by Martin Bernal, Rutgers University Press, 1991. "In Quest of the Black Virgin: She Is Black Because She Is Black" by Leonard W. Moss and Stephen C. Cappannari in Mother Worship: Theme and Variations edited by James Preston, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1982.
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa
SESSION FOUR: SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA DISCOVERIES ON THE JOURNEY In this session, we will explore the underlying concepts of a world view and cosmology that is embraced by some African religious traditions. We will experiment with another tool for traveling, the process of storytelling, which brings alive the Yoruban goddesses Oshun, Yemaya, and Oya. We will consider how dance is used in many Earth-based traditions as a tool to aid spiritual journeying and dance our own impressions of the energies of these three Goddesses.
CONTENTS Who Contributed? Why Yoruban Goddesses? Cultural Sensitivity Note Chant: RISE UP AND CALL HER NAME Song: BREATHS Jackie Torrence — Storyteller Story of Oshun Story of Yemaya Story of Oya Sweet Honey in the Rock Art & Religion Mbari Shrines Dance The Spectacle of Gelede Dancing Mothers The Sowo Mask: Symbol of Sisterhood Mother Water Woman Power Voudoun Resources
WHO CONTRIBUTED? Priscilla Hinckley, Ed.D. lecturer in African Art and a practicing artist, provided invaluable guidance when selecting the images and writing the video script for this session. She has lived and taught in Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya and Burkino Faso. Excerpts from her writings on the Sande Women's Society included here expand on the presentation in the video segment about this women's society. Priscilla is also an active Unitarian Universalist who has been a consultant to the Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation, developing workshops that help women's groups conduct their own programs and worship services focusing on women's issues.
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa Reverend Amy Brooks contributed to the original ideas and drafts for this session. Amy, who has a special interest in African cultures, participated in a field project in Ghana, West Africa, observing and conducting interviews on the religious beliefs and practices of the people there. She is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister currently working as a Chaplin Resident at Carolina's Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Carolyn McDade, musician, songwriter, and community organizer arranged for the inclusion of several pieces in this session. Over the years, she has shared insights and perspectives that were very valuable to the development of RISE UP & CALL HER NAME, including writing the song that inspired the name of the curriculum itself. Her multicultural work and her dedication to social justice has been an inspiration to many women over the years. See the section "Recommended Music and Songbooks" in this SOURCEBOOK for how to obtain her CDs and songbooks. Other segments of this session where inspired by a dance workshop lead by African American Luisah Teish and an interview in the magazine SHAMAN'S DRUM with her. Luisah is a storyteller, Yoruba Ifa priestess and author. A variety of resources from those knowledgeable about Yoruban lore provided the details needed to craft the stories of Oya, Yemaya and Oshun. The a cappella, all woman, singing group Sweet Honey in the Rock graciously gave permission to include one of their songs, "Breaths," on the RISE UP MUSIC CDto be used in the Ingathering during this session.
WHY YORUBAN GODDESSES? Oshun, Yemaya, and Oya — female Orisha (deities) honored in Yoruba — are among the most female-empowering deities to be found in African spiritual traditions. These Orisha are also honored in other religious practices around the globe that trace their roots to West Africa. These Goddesses were all selected for their powerful qualities, their prominence, and their accessibility.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY Since we are not initiated Yoruban practitioners, we are not invoking these Goddesses but rather honoring the belief in them and their presence in several Earth-based religions. Stories that are told about these Goddesses are often transmitted orally. The qualities and anecdotes used to weave the stories in this session represent the written reports of several writers. Some seem to attribute similar roles to a number of different goddesses, called orisha (aw ree shah) in the language of the Yoruban (Your u ban) people. This may reflect the diversity of localized beliefs.
CHANT: RISE UP AND CALL HER NAME by Carolyn McDade Words and music by Carolyn McDade, (c) 1984, used by permission. Originally appeared in the songbook entitled THIS TOUGH SPUN WEB, produced by Womancenter at Plainville (MA). Sung by Mary Grigolia on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. She who has gone before us Rise up and call her name
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SONG: BREATHS Sweet Honey in the Rock Words by Birago Diop and music by Ysaye M. Barnwell, (c) 1980 Y. M. Barnwell's Notes Pub. (BMI, Harry Fox); performed by SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK on the RISE UP MUSIC CD
NOTE: In the traditional African world view, the invisible world of spirit, human, and the visible world of nature form an organic reality. The same is true of the relationship among the past, present and future. In Birango Diop's poem BREATHS we are reminded of this interconnectedness. REFRAIN Listen more often to things than to beings Listen more often to things than to beings Tis the ancestors' breath When the fire's voice is heard Tis the ancestors' breath in the voice of the waters ah-------wssh------ah-------wssh------Those who have died have never never left The dead are not under the Earth They are in the rustling trees They are in the groaning woods They are in the crying grass They are in the moaning rocks The dead are not under the Earth (refrain) Those who have died have never never left The dead have a pact with the living They are in the woman's breast They are in the wailing child They are with us in the home They are with us in the crowd The dead have a pact with the living (refrain)
JACKIE TORRENCE - STORYTELLER Storytelling is an important way of communicating used by Earth-based societies. Jackie Torrence is one of the foremost storytellers in the United States. She has a repertoire of more than 300 stories from around the world. She has recorded nine albums and performed on radio and television and in festivals from England to Hawaii. She is one of the women included in the book of portraits and personal statements of African American women entitled I DREAM A WORLD.
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa Commenting on her own heritage and the art of storytelling, Jackie says: I am proud to know that my ancestry was from Africa. I'm proud that my greatgrandparents were slaves and they made it through. They must have been strong, because I'm here. I have found in storytelling a release. I become that story. I become that character. I completely forget about me. You have to be in that story in order to get somebody to see it. If it had not been for storytelling, the black family would not have survived. It was the responsibility of the Uncle Remus types to transfer philosophies, attitudes, values, and advice, by way of storytelling using creatures in the woods as symbols. I wish you could see all my uncles and aunts when we get together and the stories come out. They are storytellers on a higher level than I will ever be."
STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES by Jackie Torrence 1. Don't memorize a story word for word. 2. Read the story the first time to get a basic feeling for the story as a whole. 3. The second time you read a story, read it for mental pictures — visualize your characters. 4. The third time you read the story, look at the words. Change the ones that do not feel right for you. Change any words that you do not think will convey exactly what you intend. 5, The fourth time you read your story, write your words and pictures in the margin of your working copy of the story. 6. The fifth time you read your story, you are ready to tell it. Read over your words and your pictures this time rather than the original words.
STORY OF OSHUN Based on information from FLASH OF THE SPIRIT by Robert Farris Thompson. The Goddess Oshun (aw-shoon) comes from the sparkling headwaters of the river. She is fresh and quick. She is the most alluring and sexually appealing of all the orisha. In one era or another each of the male gods has tried to make her his own but, because no goddess can be controlled, all have failed. A story is told in Cuba that Oshun was born of a charming river maiden and Olofi, who is an incarnation of God himself. She grew up in a river village, where all the inhabitants loved her dearly. Not only did the villagers love
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa Oshun. Every order of creation — the birds and fish, plants and animals — was charmed by her fine features and sweet temperament. Every creature showered affection on Oshun. This made Olofi extremely jealous. Because he also loved his daughter, at first he struggled against these feelings. However, he was constantly reminded of the whole of creation's love for Oshun. If he wanted to go out on the river in his canoe, the current would not take him unless Oshun accompanied him. If he went fishing, the fish would not bite unless Oshun asked them to. He tried to reason with the creatures. At times he pleaded with them to honor him above all, but they would hear none of his arguments. Finally, the devotion of all creation to his daughter, rather than respect for him, threw Olofi into a jealous rage. He swore he would kill Oshun if she did not do something to return supreme control of the world to him. Oshun, however, had not forced the villagers, the animals, and the plants to love her. She did not control them and so could not command them to respect and honor her father above herself. Knowing this truth, Oshun was so frightened by her father's rage, she was forced to flee as fast as she possibly could in order to save her life from his wrath. Seeing her situation, the fish came to her aid, taking her to a cave beneath the waters and to Olokun, the Goddess of the ocean's depth. "Welcome, my daughter. You will stay with me and grow to your fullness. Your father is foolish and must learn his lesson. In the meantime, you must gain all of your powers so that you can come to the aid of those who really need you." Olokun continued to watch over Oshun for many years, teaching her the lessons of feminine power. From her cave, Oshun traveled the waterways of the world, always coming to the aid of sailors who called on her. Meanwhile, Olofi soon realized that he had banished the most precious being in the world from his presence. He searched and searched for her, grieving because she was nowhere he had looked. And he looked everywhere, or so he thought. Because his rage had made him so fearsome, however, Olokun used all of her magical powers, which were vast, to make sure Oshun eluded her father. Finally, Olofi realized that Olokun must be protecting his daughter. He went to the ocean Goddess and pleaded with her to let him be reunited with his daughter, proclaiming he would never again threaten her or any of the creatures who honored her. Olokun replied, "In order for me to believe you, Olofi, I must have your sacred promise that you will give your daughter dominion over all the Earth's waters, since she has become the most beloved of the orisha by those who travel the seas in search of their fortune." Olofi hated to give up any of his power. However, after years of searching in vain for his daughter, he realized that he really did not possess ultimate power. The creature's love for Oshun's innocence was stronger than his wrath. He realized that in order to be happy himself, he must admit that all the beings of the world shared the authority. He agreed, this time with no reservations, to the demands of the wise Olokun, and gave Oshun full dominion over the Earth's waters, especially those of the river from which she was born. Oshun and her father were reunited and never again suffered such a grave misunderstanding as that which forced her to hide from him. Oshun loves jewelry and is represented by the colors yellow and green.
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STORY OF YEMAYA Based on information from FLASH OF THE SPIRIT by Robert Farris Thompson. It is said that one day the Goddess Yemaya (Yeh-my-yah) was relaxing in her natural palace beneath the sands at the bottom of the sea, when a greatly ornamented group of men and women called to her from the shore. "Oh, Yemaya, we are here to ask your favor. You are the most powerful, the richest and the most lovely of the goddesses. We need your help. In order to win the respect of the people of the land to the East of our village, we must show we have the greatest quantities of riches. We need you to give us your pearls and coral so we can dazzle the people into obeying us and worshipping you." Now Yemaya loved to be praised as the most lovely of all the beings. Not that she did not know this already. Yet, from time to time, like all of us, she needed to be told of her qualities. "It has been some time since I have heard from the people of the shore. Perhaps I should respond," Yemaya said to herself. However, she was bothered by the group because their arrogance was so undisguised. She decided to tell them, "But, you already are so ornamented. Surely, if you have not gained the respect and obedience of your neighbors by now, nothing I can do will help you." Yemaya's response stunned the group and then, once they recovered, made them very angry. "If you will not give us your wealth, we will have to take it," they told her. When she heard this response, Yemaya knew she had judged them correctly. For many, many years Yemaya struggled with people who would forcibly take her riches, furiously and militantly defending her bounteous wealth. At times the greedy people thought they were going to be triumphant, only to meet Yemaya's resistance over and over. Even though Yemaya had begun to feel lonelier and lonelier, she continued to withhold the vast majority of her riches from the people who wanted them only so they could flaunt them. Since these greedy ones were the only humans she saw, Yemaya was beginning to wonder if there were any humans who understood the balance needed to renew the resources and keep them plentiful. Just at this moment, a fresh breeze passed over the ocean waters. It was twilight and the full moon shone. The tide answered the moon's pull just as Yemaya rose from the ocean floor to also respond to the moon's soft rays of light. Those who understood Yemaya's need for love and her great generosity had been busy for some time fashioning magnificent fans to cool her. They decorated these beautiful round fans with beads, cowry shells, bells and even peacock feathers, carefully constructing them to please the Goddess who had always protected the Earth's resources. This is why Yemaya had not heard from them for quite a while.
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa As Yemaya reached the ocean's surface, she saw the hundreds of magnificent fans waving. The movement of the fans and the pull of the full moon created a needed breeze that gave the tides a healthy rise and fall. The greedy ones, though, were frightened by the ocean's sudden grand display. They fled, convinced tidal waves would kill them all if they stayed. They swore to leave Yemaya to her own devices from that point on. The fan makers and Yemaya were thus reunited. From then on, the Great Goddess and her people never lost connection. Both realized that if they did not continually nourish each other, both would perish. Sometime later, Yoruba groups from Africa who honored Yemaya were tragically kidnapped and enslaved in Brazil. They brought the memory of this great Goddess with them, however. Her name became Iamanja. The people, long remembering their ancient homeland across the sea, at the Summer Solstice would gather on the shore and toss flowers into the ocean to honor the Ancient Mother Goddess, Iamanja or Yemaya, also known as the Holy Queen of the Sea. In turn, she gave them back the riches that kept their souls alive and provided the strength to pass on the old African traditions from generation to generation. Yemaya's colors are blue and white like the sea's foam and, of course pearls, and sea shells are her ornaments.
STORY OF OYA Based on information from FLASH OF THE SPIRIT by Robert Farris Thompson, and the essay "Oya: Black Goddess of Africa" by Judith Gleason from THE GODDESS RE-AWAKENING, compiled by Shirley Nicholson. Oya (Oi-yah) is known as the Goddess of the whirlwind. She can be very still and secretive much of the time. You will often see Oya quietly sitting in the corner of a room for long periods of time. In fact, in the home this is where her shrines are often located. When she is needed, however, you will suddenly feel Oya storming into the picture. One thing Oya refuses to do is stay out of places where men try to exclude her. Long ago, Oya heard about the all-male ancestral cult. Well, once she heard about that, she didn't stay quiet any longer. She stormed right into the middle of the goings-on and demanded to be placed on the staff of Sango, the ultimate male god of thunder. Being the great god that he was, he realized that he would not be able to use any of his power unless he appeased Oya first. Oya is now permanently, and for all time, set on the top of Sango's staff and always goes where he goes. Women run the markets in the Yoruban culture and lead the community in many ways. One day, like any other day, a group of women who were especially devoted to Oya went to the market to show their wares as they always had in the past. However, this time a civil authority new to their area came to the women and said, "You must pay for this spot. You can not just set up your stall." The women looked at each other and replied, "We have never had to pay for our space in the market before. This is our village and this is where we meet to trade. How dare you suggest that we should pay you for the privilege of meeting in the center of our own village?" The women's anger did not faze the taxman. He persisted in an even more self-assured manner. The women huddled together so the taxman could not hear them, and began to speak to Oya. As
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa their matron goddess, she did not disappoint them. Soon a great woman, bigger and more regal than any of the market women — who themselves were quite fine — entered the market and walked directly over to the taxman. Everything Oya does is a big production. "I hear you want these women to pay you a large sum for the privilege of meeting and selling in their own village. They tell me you say if they don't agree to pay your tax, you will limit their space to the tiniest corner at the far edge of the square. How dare you ask these women to pay you for what is their birthright and their place of power? You will withdraw your demand now or I will destroy all that is sacred to you." The man maintained his stance and replied, "I have every right to charge. If they will not pay, I can move them, forcibly if needed. Can't you see my uniform? That gives me the power to do whatever I want." Oya looked at the women. They all smiled at each other. A challenge to Oya was almost a comical sight to watch. "Do you know who I am?" she asked. "No, but whoever you think you are, you have no jurisdiction here," the man answered proudly. Oya could not waste any more time. She brought her full force into being so the man could see it. He suddenly turned pale. She then told him all the secrets about himself he had told no one. She explained the order of the universe to him and his place in it. The women knew they could rely on Oya, who, when needed, would not hesitate to wield her sharp tongue like a sword in order to cut through lies. Because the taxman came to his senses and listened to Oya, she did not create a whirlwind. After all, her major commitment is to always keep the established order honest and loyal to the ways of the Earth. She prefers to convince. However, she will use unpredictable and uncontrollable methods to accomplish this if she has to. If anyone tries to exclude her altogether, she can become violent in order to have her voice heard. Oya's colors are red and purple. Her favorite object is a mirror since she actually resides at the depths of each of us. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Robert Farris Thompson is Professor of African and African American Art History at Yale University. He has written several ground-breaking books on African Art and the relationship of Africa to the African Americas. In 1994, he curated an exhibition at the Museum of African Art in New York and at the University Art Museum, Berkeley, California entitled "Face of the Gods: Art and Altars of the African Americas."
ALTARS TO YEMANJA AND OSHUN IN BRAZIL Following is commentary that accompanied an installation of an Altar in "Face of the Gods: Art and Altars of the African Americas" at the University Art Museum, Berkeley, California, curated by Robert Farris Thompson, 1994-95. Addressing the Atlantic Ocean as a vast altar of Yemanja, Brazilian-Yoruba Goddess of waters and abundance, thousands of faithful come to Copacabana, Ipanema, and other beaches of Rio on
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa New Year's Eve. Here they ask her blessing for the coming year and dedicate altars to Oshun (Goddess of Love) and Ibeje, twin spirits (protectors of children). Some hold floral offerings aloft like banners, say a prayer, then hurl them into the sea. Others carve out cavities in the sand and light candles within these wind-protected spaces. White roses, "the most perfect of flowers," and champagne, "the foam of her ocean," are added to the altars until by midnight the beach blazes with twinkling miniature altars as far as the eye can see. Miniature banquet tables are also assembled for Yemanja. Requests for the New Year are written on paper and wrapped with things that Yemanja loves — bottles of perfume, combs, and mirrors. Candles guide her to her altars and the prayers said beside them are blessed by her waves. She is the queen who lives in the depths of the ocean and responds through water. Here the sand becomes her sanctuary and the surface of the water becomes the altar. Associated with the rise of Umbanda in the 1920s and 1930s, Rio beach altars represent an explosion of cultural improvisation and dramatize the ongoing twentieth century fusion of African, Christian and Amerindian icons and ideology. The aesthetic creativity typified by the rich blend of iconographies has given spiritual and moral sustenance to Africans in the Americas for centuries.
NATURE OF YORUBAN BASED RELIGIONS Fagbemi John Turpin, Ifa priest and founder of the Center for Ifa Studies in Oakland, California spoke on "Ifa: The Wellspring of Orisha" in conjunction with the exhibit "Face of the Gods" held at the University Art Museum in Berkeley, California in 1994-95. Here are a few of his thoughts on the nature of deity in Yoruba religion. Because of the many orisha in Yoruba, there is often a misunderstanding about the nature of deity. The central reality of Yoruba religion is Ifa which can be roughly translated essence or source, called Olodumare. Olodumare is closest to the Mother/Father God concept and is essential monotheistic in its unity. The orisha (often translated goddesses and gods) are messengers from pure, unified divinity — Olodumare, the Wellspring of Orisha. They are the ones that shape this pure spirit into matter. Turpin also feels that the fundamental principles of Ifa are very similar to those of other world religions that contain concepts of an everlasting soul, right (ethical) manner of living, respect for elders, and healing through nature. The central essence, Ifa, is the wedding of valid masculine and feminine energies within each person and the universe. He commented that one of the worst mistakes that has taken place is the marginalizing of the feminine which has meant the debasement of compassion, tolerance, and nurturing. NOTE: The relationship of monotheism and polytheism that is present in Yoruban based religious traditions is also common in various Earth-based traditions. The Goddess is often seen by those who adhere to Earth-based philosophies as the one Source with many identities who bring her pure spiritual energy into material form.
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SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK We are very grateful to Ysaye Barnwell who has given her permission to include in RISE UP & CALL HER NAME the song BREATHS, words by Birago Diop and music by Ysaye M. Barnwell, (c) 1980 Y. M. Barnwell, Barnwell's Notes Pub. (BMI, Harry Fox); performed by SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. Spirituality, liberation, consciousness-raising, social responsibility, healing, and — most of all — love resonate at the heart of Sweet Honey's repertoire. From an article by Audreen Buffalo entitled "Sweet Honey: A Cappella Activists" appearing in Ms. Magazine, Volume III, Number 5. SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK was founded in 1973 by Bernice Johnson Reagon. Ms. Reagon is currently the artistic director of this group. She is also a scholar, an historian of African American music, a curator with the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, and an activist. She received the Ministry to Women award from the Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation in 1994 for her outstanding contributions on behalf of the welfare of all women. From the Ms. article: In helping birth SWEET HONEY, Reagon brought sure knowledge of music's informational and transformative power to the task. Her musical mission is rooted in the rural southern church pastored by her father. "For the first 11 years, our church had no piano, and I'm still an a cappella singer. I grew up singing in the nineteenth-century congregational tradition — a style that can be traced to Africa. I learned three major repertoires in this style: spirituals, hymns, and children's secular play songs." When describing that tradition, Bernice Reagon says: Spontaneity is one of the characteristics that mark congregations singing. Singers create as they go along. Although a leader introduces the song, there is no solo tradition. Once the song is raised, the group joins and the creation becomes collaborative. You must be open to what will happen to the song and you in performance. SWEET HONEY meets, in the ancient way of women, communally. Each is aware of the others' unique contributions. Each serves as a master teacher in at least one repertoire or singing style and apprentices in an area covered by another member. They write, produce, discuss points of view, and develop ideas for songs and treatments. They are required to act organizationally and musically as both leaders and followers. The fluid communal spirit of the group is manifest in every performance. "There's a lot going on. Not just the vocal dynamics and nuances but the hand signals," says Ysaye Barnwell, one of the group's long-time members. Throughout the performance, says Barnwell:
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa All kinds of communication is going on. It's an amazing phenomenon. I tell people all the time that the women in the group are not necessarily friends in the sense of running buddies. When we leave that stage, we each have our own circle of friends, our jobs, our lives. But I trust them with my life every time we walk out on that stage. And I know that they trust me. I have never trusted another person in my life like I do these women.
RESOURCES FROM SWEET HONEY Many recordings by SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK are available. They can be purchased at local music or book stores or through catalog outlets, such as LADYSLIPPER CATALOG & RESOURCE GUIDE (800-634-6044). In 1993, Bernice Johnson Reagon and SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK authored a book entitled WE WHO BELIEVE IN FREEDOM which is made up of personal stories written by the members — past and present — of this unique ensemble. This book, which celebrates their twentieth anniversary, also includes photographs of the wide range of activities engaged in by SWEET HONEY over the years. Another very worthwhile resource is an interview on video between journalist Bill Moyers and Bernice Johnson Reagon entitled THE SONGS ARE FREE which celebrates the music and singing that continue to preserve and transmit the spiritual strength of African American culture. Reagon traces the history of communal singing and the repertoire rooted in the black church — from songs of resistance, courage, and pride to songs of determination and faith — and explores their roles from the Underground Railroad through the Civil Rights movement and into the 90s. This is available in local shops or through catalog outlets such as MYSTIC FIRE VIDEO (800) 292-9001.
ART & RELIGION African cultures have long been participatory societies in which complex ideas are communicated to and appreciated by ordinary people through art. Female imagery is prominent in African art. The art often carries the message of the power of women and female deities. Judith Hanna in her book, TO DANCE IS HUMAN, notes: "Sometimes art is the only ordering process whose complexity matches the complexity of what is to be ordered. There are two reasons why art...is capable of doing this: the complexity of its symbols, and its capacity for engaging all sides of the human being." The separation of art and religion in modern Western civilization makes it almost impossible for us to conceive of their full integration in Africa. So inevitable is it for us to isolate these elements that we have difficulty in describing cultures where art and religion permeate the entire society as well as each other.
MBARI SHRINES From extracts from the sixth annual South Bank Show lecture delivered on London Weekend Television by Chinua Achebe. (no date given)
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa When a mbari shrine is to be constructed, a diviner travels through the village, knocking on the doors of those chosen by the Earth Goddess Ala to do her work. These chosen people are then blessed and separated from the larger community in a ritual. Then they move into the forest and, behind a high fence and under the instruction and supervision of master artists and craft people, construct the shrine. Architecturally, the shrines are simple structures, usually a stage formed by three high walls supporting a peaked roof. This auditorium is filled to the brim with sculptures in molded earth and clay, and the walls with murals in white, black, yellow and green. At the center sits the Earth Goddess herself. She is considered both mother and judge. From IGBO ARTS: COMMUNITY AND COSMOS by Herbert M. Cole and Chike C. Aniakor: The finished mbari as an artistic complex of highly decorated display architecture, wall paintings of several types, a few reliefs, and many fully rounded sculptures, becomes a magnetic lure for people from miles around. Mbari houses renew the local "world," and people are thus better prepared for the vicissitudes of the future.
DANCE From HEART OF THE GODDESS by Hallie Austen: Dance and movement are essential ways of celebrating our bodies and spirits, and they have always been an integral part of ceremony around the world. Throughout time, women have led dances for rites of passage, rain and fertility. Dance magically reweaves the fabric of life, renewing and transforming us. As the body moves, the rational mind is stilled, and a deeper wisdom emerges. Although dance, along with other celebrations of the body, has been banished from most Euro-Western religious life, it is beginning to reclaim its place as one of the most important forms of worship. From AFRICAN ART AND MOTION: AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO THE EXHIBITION OF AFRICAN ART, National Gallery of Art, Washington: Many examples of African statuary show the flexible body and vitality of dance — bent knees, strongly disposed arms and trunk, supple hips — in short, the sensuousness and spontaneity of the dance traditions of tropical Africa. The language of mime and dance is charged with meanings relating to ideal character, spiritual bearing, balanced order of life, and strong illusion that honor the dead. Dance wraps life around spirit, and vitality around remembrance.
THE SPECTACLE OF GELEDE DANCING From GELEDE: ART AND FEMALE POWER AMONG THE YORUBA by Henry John Drewal and Margaret Thompson Drewal: "The eyes that have seen Gelede have seen the ultimate spectacle." But what do Yoruba mean by spectacle? In its broadest sense, spectacle is a fleeting, transitory phenomenon. It may be a display or performance for the gods, ancestors, or the mothers; but it
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa may also refer to mental images. Thus the Yoruba word for spectacle is the same word used to speak of a mystical vision or the power of visions. Gelede dance is stylistically distinct from other Yoruba dances, and it demands, like many others, specialized knowledge and many years of training and experience. With great energy, and embellished by masks and costumes that amplify and define social roles and physical attributes, the masked male dancers of Gelede project transcendent images of males and females, attesting to their distinct characters and behaviors. Children in Gelede families inherit the authority to perform, but the ultimate decision to become a Gelede dancer depends on personal interest and talent. Those who do not inherit the right to perform Gelede may participate as a result of the prescriptions of a diviner, who determines that in order for the individual to lead an unproblematic, productive life he should honor "the mothers" by dancing Gelede. As a dancer told Ulli Beier (Gelede Masks, Cambridge University Press, 1958) "Gelede is the secret of women. We the men are merely their vassals. We dance to appease our mothers." From THE HEART OF THE GODDESS by Hallie Iglehart Austen: The Gelede ceremony integrates art, music, costume and dance in a celebration and invocation of the magic powers of the mothers. The mothers were courted with Gelede dances so they would use their mysterious powers for the benefit of the community. The mothers are responsible for upholding justice. They become enraged by human arrogance, by those who press on in life with their individualistic ambitions, mindless of the impact of their actions upon the livelihood and security of the people. Gelede dancers, when representing females, illustrate the graceful arcs and flowing curves of the mothers. Honoring the mothers protects the community from wrongdoing. Some Gelede dances are based on the movements of Yemaya, Goddess of the ocean, wombs, and women's affairs.
THE MOTHERS From AFRICAN ART IN THE CYCLE OF LIFE by Roy Sieber and Roslyn Adele Walker: The image of the mother and child is rich in meaning because females in African society embody the power of the universe, growth and transformation. The mother is the one who passes on the life force through the birth of her children. These African maternity images vary greatly from the Christian images of Mary and Jesus. In the latter, the primary focus is on the infant, and the mother is definitely a secondary figure. This is clearly the reverse of the roles of child and mother in African examples. From YORUBA RITUAL: PERFORMERS, PLAY, AGENCY by Margaret Thompson Drewal: According to Yoruba belief, the concentration of vital force in women, their ase, their power to bring things into existence, to make things happen, creates extraordinary potential that can manifest itself in both positive and negative ways. Phrases such as "one with two faces" or "one with two bodies" and "one of two colors" aptly express this duality and allude to their alleged powers of transformation. The Yoruba word for these special powers and a woman possessing
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa them is aje, which has been translated in the literature as "witchcraft" or "witch." All elderly women are aje, as are priestesses of the deities, wealthy market women, and female title-holders in prestigious organizations. Collectively, such women are affectionately called "our mothers." The positions they have attained, it is felt, are evidence of their power. One day in the traditional Yoruba week is devoted to them. These elderly women form an important segment of the population in any town and are given respect, affection, and deference. Because of their special power, they are thought to have greater access to Yoruba deities. They occupy a position subordinate to the supreme deity, Olodumare, who is genderless, and to Orunmila, the deity of divination, but equal, or even superior, to the deities. In their roles as mediums, they are thought to exert a certain amount of control over the deities.
THE SOWO MASK: SYMBOL OF SISTERHOOD Excerpts from THE SOWO MASK: SYMBOL OF SISTERHOOD by Priscilla B. Hinckley, Working Paper #40 published by the African Studies Center, Boston University, 1980. Sisterhood validates the female experience and is characterized by women's loving concern for one another, and their commitment to ideals which work for the harmony of the larger community. A woman's society in Sierra Leone called "Sande" can be described as such a sisterhood. Sande concerns itself with enforcing behavioral norms for women, transmitting cultural values, developing leadership skills, and providing medical and vocational education. Sande is widespread in southeastern Sierra Leone, northeastern Liberia and parts of Guinea. Women, historically, have held positions of political and social power in Sierra Leone. Sande provides training in leadership which enables women to go into politics, in elected as well as appointed positions. The Sande society has been credited for much of the women's success.
MASKS The Sande ceremony involves several older women each donning a black wooden mask, the symbol of the Sande. This is the only known region in Africa where women dance wearing masks. The older women who wear the masks are held in high regard and are very powerful in the community. This mask is connected with Sande's main charges — operating the girl's initiation school and representing the corporate body of women on public occasions. (This mask and photographs of the dance are included in the video segment accompanying this session.) It objectifies the spirit of the women's society, which comes to its potential owner in a dream and asks for a physical presence. The mask then made becomes a symbol of ideal womanhood, female power, and all that is considered beautiful in the culture. One scholar believes the mask's form resembles the
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa chrysalis of a local butterfly, an appropriate symbol for the transformation that takes place during the girl's initiation experience.
DRAMA AND DANCE In Africa, dance and drama are considered more appropriate than literary forms for the communication of cosmologies, as well as the reinforcement of cultural values, and the celebration of mystical union with the unseen world. Known as "Sowo," the masked dancer unites the individual person, a concrete object, and a spirit into a powerful symbol. The Sowei masker is not thought of as a static sculptural object but as a dynamic personality and a talented performer. The masked Sowo figure impresses those who see it with its air of dignified mystery. Sowo is always silent in keeping with her spiritual status. The black helmet mask completely covers the head to the shoulders.
BLACKNESS The mask's important messages are encoded in multiple symbols. The blackness of the mask echoes the hidden deep pools in the forest where the female spirit lives. Among the Mende, the color black symbolizes civilization and mystery. To the Mende people the shiny blackness of the mask is one of its most important characteristics. The word for black in Mende is teli, which also means wet or wetness, underlining the importance of the Sande spirit's riverine home and recalling the practice of oiling initiates for ceremonies to convey the look of having recently emerged from the dark and glistening pool.
ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF SANDE When Sande first developed is not clear. An important ingredient in its development, an active respect for the participation of women in society, seems to have been brought by the "Mane," or Mande, migrants from the interior in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is important to note that the cosmology of the original Mane people embraced a belief in the complementarity of the sexes. Cosmologies positing original androgynous beings were known in the area of the inland Niger from whence they came. The female component remained very strong in these groups as they migrated from their ancestral lands. With the first wave of colonialism and Westernization, the women of Sierra Leone dropped away from Sande. With the rise of black pride and independence movements, that has changed and indigenous cultural institutions are once again respected. With the world-wide liberation of women, Sande takes on a new relevance. The Sowo mask may continue to symbolize ideal womanhood, to an even larger audience than before, calling attention to Sande's validation of the female experience, to the loving concern women have for one another, and to women's ideal to work for harmony in the large community.
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Priscilla B. Hinkley, Ed.D. has taught courses on African Art for many years at various institutions. She has lived and taught in Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya and Burkino Faso. She is also an active Unitarian Universalist who has been a consultant to the UUWF, developing workshops that help women's groups conduct their own programs and worship services on women's issues. EDITOR'S NOTE: One part of the Sande initiation is the ritual excision of either part or all of the clitoris accompanied sometimes by the enlarging of the vagina. (This practice goes by various names including: clitordectomy, infibulation, and genital mutilation depending on the extent of the incision and who is referring to the practice.) While the Sande society has been included in this curriculum because of its woman-honoring qualities which are substantial, the practice of ritual excision, no matter what the rationale, is not condoned. Many international organizations are working to reverse this widespread practice. African women and others who are concerned about eradicating this practice, while still respecting the positive aspects of indigenous cultural rituals and protecting their right to exist, are working to educate those women and men who impose this practice on girls about the health issues — both physical and psychological — surrounding this practice. In Session 13 of this SOURCEBOOK in the section dealing with international violence toward women you can find references to organizations that provide information and suggestions about what actions can be taken to aid efforts to eliminate female genital mutilation around the globe.
MOTHER WATER From an essay entitled "Cosmos, Cosmetics and the Spirit of Bondo" by African art curator Frederick Lamp: Among the Sande, water is the gestating fluid of rebirth, called in esoteric language of initiation yankoila or "Mother Water."
WOMAN POWER Excerpts from WOMAN POWER AND ART IN A SENUFO VILLAGE by Anita J. Glaze, African Arts, Vol. XV, No. 3: To avoid possible misunderstanding of what exactly is meant by "woman power" in the Senufo context, let it be noted at the outset that in Senufo thought, all powers and positions rest ultimately on supernatural authority. There is rarely a question here of women usurping male authority; if anything, the opposite can be said to be historically the case, as the Senufo have come increasingly under the impact of both Islamic and Western pressures. It would be a travesty of the Senufo world view to diminish in any way the legitimate authority of the male in the socio-political order. Rather to speak of "woman power" is an attempt to restore to discussions of Senufo culture that desired balance of male and female components which will be seen to constitute a basic tenet of Senufo ideology. A dearth of information regarding Senufo kinship structures has been a serious barrier to understanding more fully the woman's role in their culture. For instance, as recently as 1967, in
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa Murdock's ETHNOGRAPHIC ATLAS, the Senufo are purported to be patrilineal, yet it is clear that they are predominantly matrilineal in character and that the true head of the men's society is a woman. A high degree of matrilineality in the Kufuru area was evident in the number and kinds of rights, status, obligations, and property that were said to pass through the mother's line. Even to those families and groups that have shifted to a patrilineal system under increasing Islamic and Western influences, the matrilineage seems to retain an ideological significance not readily dismissed. A deep respect for women, particularly the elder leadership, is expressed in traditional Senufo culture not only in their art but in a great number of formal gestures and honors paid to them within various structured, living art situations. In the Senufo system, women are ultimately more responsible than men for seeking the goodwill and blessings of the supernatural world — the Deity, the Ancestors, and the bush spirits. The evidence suggests that as activities...move toward a more critical relationship with the supernatural and spiritual world, the more secretive the objects and events become, and the greater is the role of women (real or mythological).
VOUDOUN by Reverend Melanie Morel Sullivan Like the rest of human culture, religions are not static and unchanging. Instead, the way human beings worship or acknowledge divinity is constantly under revision, even within one culture or ethnic group. Religions vary according to the experience of the people; an invasion by outsiders, a mass exodus from one place to another (whether forced or voluntary), contact with people of different religious beliefs, a cataclysmic natural event — all will find their place in a people's cosmology and ritual. Within the Judeo-Christian tradition, it is well known that the early Hebrews were influenced religiously through their contacts with the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Canaanites. Early Christianity underwent a dramatic change following the defeat of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple, as well as through the elements of Greek philosophical thought introduced by Paul and others. For the peoples of West Africa, all of these factors were present at one time or another in the period immediately preceding and during the time of the slave trade. The invasions by neighboring peoples are reflected especially in the creation myths of the Yoruba, which show an older son of the ultimate deity being supplanted by a younger son. The regular occurrence of natural disasters such as droughts, storms, and crop failures can also be discerned in the presence of rituals designed to protect the believers against them. African tribes that had little or no trading or cultural contact with one another were thrown together in the holds of the slave ships. And, once the slaves arrived in the Caribbean, Brazil, and the continental United States, they were given a perfunctory veneer of primitive Christianity. Inevitably, all of these influenced and changed religion as the West Africans had known it. What emerged from this religious, cultural, and political stew was a syncretistic religion and practice, strongly based on West African — especially Yoruban tradition, overlaid with elements
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa of faith and ritual from Christianity, as well as parts of the Ibo, Dahomeian, and Ghanaian religions. The result has been called Voudoun, Vodun, Voodoo, Hoodoo, and in Haiti, Santeria. Voudoun is characterized by strong personal relationships with particular deities, or orisha. Indeed, this relationship can be called an identification with that God or Goddess. Rituals are earthy and emotional; they can include music (especially drumming), eating, drinking wine or beer, dancing, and, in some areas and groups, the sacrifice of small animals. A reverence for nature is an important part of this religion. Everything is or can be a sacred object; containing the precious breath of the creator-god, all life is sacred, all places (especially out of doors) can be sacred space. The orisha are everywhere, influencing nature and human behavior, and they must be placated, appeased, and pleased through human gifts, prayers, and rituals. The influence of the orishas could occur or be sought either for good or ill. Spells could be cast or undone through ritual. Possession of a human being by a god or goddess or the spirit of a dead person could be beneficent (that is, the person thus possessed would be considered under the protection of that orisha and might become an oracle), or harmful, as when the discontented spirit of a dead ancestor takes over the life of a person and wreaks havoc. Through rituals and special charms, believers could rid themselves of a harmful spirit, or use their guiding orisha in service to themselves and others. Much of what is popularly known about Voudoun is a distortion of the true nature of this diverse religion. Few writers, especially whites, have been able to get close enough to practitioners to be trusted, and those few researchers of color who have been trusted (for example, Zora Neale Hurston and Luisah Teish) are unwilling to share everything they have learned. The popular view of "Voodoo" is that it is highly superstitious, practiced only by the primitive and/or ignorant, that it is given to blood sacrifices, sexual orgies, and that "powerful" charms, such as oils and candles, can be purchased by anyone at any botanical. These racist misconceptions have served to protect the real religion and its adherents from the merely curious, but have also reinforced negative racial stereotypes. It is certain that the practice of Voudoun in Haiti, New Orleans, and Brazil helped the enslaved and oppressed peoples maintain their identity and keep a measure of cultural and spiritual freedom safe from the whites in charge. (It is interesting to note that in all three places, women of color and white women were able within Voudoun ritual and practice to reach across racial lines to build a tenuous sisterhood in their mutual gender oppression.) It is also certain, if less provable, that in these and other places, Voudoun is alive and well, practiced by blacks and whites alike, and that its heartbeat can be heard — if not always understood — in the popular music of jazz, rock, and reggae. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Melanie Morel Sullivan is a fifth-generation New Orleanian of Creole, Irish, and Italian descent. She has had a life-long interest in Voodoo and its relationship to and effect on the music, mores, religion and culture of the Crescent City — and, by extension, on the rest of the United States. She has been active in social justice causes (civil rights, reproductive rights, environmental
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa issues, feminism, and so on) in Louisiana, Washington, D.C., and now in Tennessee. Currently, she is parish minister to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Chattanooga. Every chance they get, she and her son Stephen visit the grave of Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau in New Orleans' historic St. Louis No. 1 Cemetery.
VOUDOUN BIBLIOGRAPHY (provided by Rev. Sullivan) Asbury, Herbert. The French Quarter: An Informal History of the New Orleans Underworld. Garden City, New York: Garden City Publishing Co., 1938. Blassingame, John W. Black New Orleans. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973. Hart, Mickey (with Jay Stevens). Drumming at the Edge of Magic: A Journey into the Spirit of Percussion. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1990. Kane, Harnett T. Queen New Orleans: City by the River. New York: William Morrow & Co. 1949. Ray, Benjamin C. African Religions: Symbol, Ritual, and Community. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1976. Saxon, Lyle, et al. Gumbo Ya-Ya: A Collection of Louisiana Folk Tales. Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican Publishing Co., 1987 (1945). ——. Old Louisiana. New Orleans: Robert L. Crager, 1950. Tallant, Robert. Voodoo in New Orleans. Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican Publishing Co., 1983 (1962). ——. The Voodoo Queen. Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican Publishing Co., 1983 (1936). Teish, Luisah. Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1985.
VOUDOUN EXPERIENCE: Making "Gris Gris" Bags (personal charms)7 Offered by Melanie Morel Sullivan. ¾ For preparation: mirrors to gaze into music for meditation (see Footnote 2)
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Gris Gris (pronounced "gree gree") means a Voudoun fetish or charm or spell. It can have either positive or negative connotations — which probably explain the etymology of the word, which is French for "gray."
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa ¾ Materials needed for the bag: cloth or leather or suede (suggested dimensions approx. 7 1/2" x 3") needle and thread or yarn scissors for each person safety pins (one for each person) string, cord, silk, and so on, for drawstring (28-30") ¾ Decorating the bag (any or all, as desired): small beads, as desired rhinestones, sequins, and so on feathers permanent markers or fabric paints embroidery thread and needles glitter and glue ¾ Contents of the Gris Gris bag (these are, or course, only suggestions): small chakra crystals sacred earth (tiny amount) poetry or other writing, folded very small keepsakes such as ticket stubs, buttons, baby teeth, and so on small natural objects (stones, acorns, seeds, leaf, petals, shells, and so on) photo of someone or something special "lucky" objects (coins, rabbit's foot, and so on) Prior to the session on Africa and Voudoun, participants are given (or asked to obtain) material for their Gris-Gris bag. This can be silk, cotton, wool felt, and so on, or leather or suede (i.e., any natural substance). Since it will be folded to form the bag, the length of the cloth should be double the desired length of the finished bag, plus one inch for the drawstring (see suggested dimensions above). The color should have personal meaning for the maker, or be a color associated with a particular Voudoun orisha. During the week, participants should sleep with the cloth under their pillow, slipped inside their pillowcase, or inside their pajama pocket. (Since the maker will be having so much personal contact with the Gris Gris bag, it ought to be made of a fabric that feels comfortable next to the skin.) To begin, participants gaze at their reflections in mirrors while meditating to appropriate music.8 (Or they could simply close their eyes.) Participants should visualize their finished bag, what it will look like, the decorations, what special objects should go inside, and what they will use the bag for.
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A tape of Voudoun drumming may be used, such as "Drumming at the Edge of Magic" by Mickey Hart; particularly good and wonderfully appropriate is the Voudoun-inspired Litanie des Saints by Dr. John from his "Goin' Back to New Orleans" tape.
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa After the meditation, participants begin the work of making their bags. No sewing skill is necessary. Running, basting, overhand or backhand stitches can all be used, whichever is easiest. The material should be folded right sides together for sewing, unless suede or leather is used. When the two sides are sewn, fold down about 1 - 1 1/2" at the top for the drawstring casing and stitch with raw edge tucked under (if using leather/suede, simply punch holes for the drawstring). Turn bag right side out. Using the point of the scissors, make a small hole for the cord to come through on right side. Make a small knot in one end of the cord; pin a safety pin to knot. Insert the pin into the hole and bring the cord around until the pin comes through the hole again. Remove the safety pin; knot the two ends at the desired length for wearing around neck. See sketches for details. Bags can now be filled with small items of personal meaning for the wearer. If earth or potpourri is to go in, use a small piece of plastic wrap to protect bag and wearer. Contents of bag may be added to over time as events occur. To use your finished Gris Gris bag: Keep it always in a safe secure place, a place of honor. If you have a household altar, that is the place. Wear it to rituals, or when you need an extra boost of confidence. Put inside whatever you are asking for - if you want money, put a penny or dime in; if you want love, put in a heart locket or paper valentine; if you want a job, put a symbol of that job in, and so on.
RESOURCES Flash of the Spirit: African and Afro-American Art and Philosophy by Robert Farris Thompson, Vintage Books, a division of Random House, New York, 1983. This book shows how five African civilizations — Yoruba, Kongo, Ejagham, Mande, and Cross River -- have informed and are reflected in the aesthetic, social and metaphysical traditions (music, sculpture, textiles, architecture, religion, idiogrammatic writing) of black people in the United States, Cuba, Haiti, Trinidad, Mexico, Brazil and other places in the New World. Gelede: Art and Female Power Among the Yoruba by Henry John Drewal and Margaret Thompson Drewal, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN, 1983, 1990. African Art in the Cycle of Life by Roy Sieber and Roslyn Adele Walker, published for the National Museum of African Art by the Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., 1987, 1992. Igbo Arts: Community and Cosmos by Herbert M. Cole and Chike C. Aniakor with contributions, Museum of Cultural History, University of California, Los Angeles, 1984. Yoruba Ritual: Performers, Play, Agency by Margaret Thompson Drewal, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 1992. From the cover: "Yoruba peoples of southwestern Nigeria conceive of rituals as journeys — sometimes actual, sometimes virtual. Performed as a parade or a procession, a pilgrimage, a masking display, or possession trance, the journey evokes the reflexive, progressive, transformative experience of ritual participation."
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa A thirty-minute video featuring segments of the performances analyzed in Yoruba Ritual is available from Indiana University Press, 601 N. Morton St., Bloomington, IN 47404. Black and African Theologies: Siblings or Distant Cousins? by Josiah U. Young, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New York, 1986. Women in Africa and the African Diaspora edited by Rosalyn Terborg-Penn, Sharon Harley, and Andrea Benton Rushing, Howard University Press, Washington, D.C., 1989. An interdisciplinary study that covers pre-colonial African female healers, priestesses, and deities and their cultural counterparts among black women singers such as Ma Rainey, Dinah Washington, and Aretha Franklin. As Radiance from the Waters: Ideals of Feminine Beauty in Mende Art by Sylvia Boone, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1986. The Sowo Mask: Symbol of Sisterhood by Priscilla Hinckley, Working Papers, African Studies Center, Boston University, Brookline, Massachusetts, 1980. Africa Through the Eyes of Women Artists by Betty LaDuke, Africa World Press, Trenton, New Jersey, 1991. Beautifully illustrated. Oya: In Praise of an African Goddess by Judith Gleason, Harper San Francisco, 1992. Originally published by Shambhala Publications in 1987 with the subtitle: In Praise of The Goddess. Judith Gleason has traveled extensively in Africa and the Caribbean in the past two decades to research the ancient and contemporary Yoruba and Santeria traditions. This book celebrates in folklore, mythology, music, and art the Goddess Oya, one of the most dynamic and vital Yoruban orisha. African Canvas: The Art of West African Women Photographs and text by Margaret CourtneyClarke, foreword by Maya Angelou, Rizzoli, New York, 1990. Binding Cultures: Black Women Writers in Africa and the Diaspora by Gay Wilentz, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 1992. The author is Assistant Professor of English at East Carolina University. She examines three West African writers and three African American writers. The Cultural Unity of Black Africa: The Domains of Patriarchy and of Matriarchy in Classical Antiquity by Cheikh Anta Diop, Third World Press, Chicago, 1959, 1963, 1978, 1990. His book furnishes the basis for an honest re-examination of the relationships between men and women in societies in general and Africa in particular. African Culture: The Rhythms of Unity edited by Molefi Kete Asante and Kariamu Welsh Asante, Africa World Press, Trenton, New Jersey, 1990. Essays by some of the most important voices in the African World discuss commonalities and similarities in what they see as "African Culture." In the Shadow of the Sacred Grove by Carol Spindel, Vintage Books, a division of Random House, New York, 1989. A true account of life in an Ivory Coast village. "Reading In the
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa Shadow of the Sacred Grove is like having one's ancestral home described by an unlikely outsider who has almost come to feel at home there...Carol Spindel learns how not to be a stranger among other women; how not to be merely a `white woman from another place,' how not to be a `foreigner,' left on the fringes of another people's life." — Alice Walker. The Redemption of Africa and Black Religion by St. Clair Drake. Third World Press, Chicago, and the Institute of the Black World, Atlanta, 1970, 1991. African Designs From Traditional Sources by Geoffrey Williams, Dover Publications, New York, 1971. Dover Pictorial Archive Series: 378 linocut prints captures the power of the originals. African Folktales: Traditional Stories of the Black World selected and retold by Roger D. Abrahams, Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library, New York, 1983. Designs for Living: Symbolic Communication in African Art by Monni Adams, The Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts in cooperation with the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1982. "Woman Power and Art in a Senufo Village" by Anita J. Glaze from African Arts (Vol.xv No.3). African Proverbs compiled by Charlotte and Wolf Leslau, The Peter Pauper Press, Mount Vernon, New York, 1962. The Arts of the Dan of West Africa by Eberhard Fischer and Hans Himmelheber, Museum Rietberg, Zurich, 1984.
BOOKS ON YORUBAN RELIGIONS IN THE AMERICAS Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals by Luisah Teish, Harper San Francisco, 1985. Born and raised in New Orleans, Luisah Teish is a priestess of Oshun in the Yoruba tradition. This book is a blend of memoir, folk wisdom, and AfroAmerican beliefs. Also available from Harper San Francisco as an audio adaptation performed by Luisah Teish, two hours, 1988. Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn by Karen McCarthy Brown, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1991. "Karen Brown makes an eloquent contribution to the emerging feminist paradigm of scholarship as engaged, embodied, and life-affirming." — Carol Christ. "Mama Lola is not simply the life story of a Haitian Vodou priestess, but an account of how the author discovers a peculiarly female mode of research, research as a form of friendship. This is a book of magical power and beauty." — Christine Downing. Santeria: An African Religion in America by Joseph M. Murphy, Beacon Press, Boston, 1988. A vivid first-hand account of the African-Cuban religion. "Murphy leads us step by step into a `primordial Africa of the heart.'" — Harvey Cox. Walking with the Night: The Afro-Cuban World of Santeria by Raul Canizares, Destiny Books, Rochester, Vermont, 1993. Also available: Sacred Sounds of Santeria: Rhythms of the Orishas
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Session Four: Sub-Saharan Africa collected and presented by Raul J. Canizares, Destiny Recordings, Rochester, VT, 1993. Tel: 802-767-3174. MUSIC: "Breaths" by Sweet Honey in the Rock. Available from Ladyslipper Catalog Call 800-634-6044.
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Session Five: African American
SESSION FIVE: AFRICAN AMERICAN DISCOVERIES ON THE JOURNEY On a brief return to North America, we will explore the cultural continuity that exists between West African culture and African American culture. We will have a chance to experiment with improvisation, a characteristic of both African and African American cultural expression, by learning about Afro-traditional quilt making and by creating our own improvisational patterns. We will also consider how the Afrocentric world view informs African American spiritual traditions. Two concepts — “the sacred and the secular are one" and the "outraged ancestral mother" — will be the focus of our dialogue, a group reading and a traditional song we will share.
CONTENTS Who Contributed? Why the Outraged Ancestral Mother? Cultural Sensitivity Note Ritual: SEEKING THE GODDESS IN ANCESTRAL FACES Dialogue Questions Afrocentrism and the Outraged Mother What Constitutes Black Feminism? Definition of a Womanist African American Spirituality Afra-American Experience and the Outraged Ancestral Mother Sojourner Truth Group Reading: The Gospel According to Shug Song: I'M SO GLAD Commentary about Alice Walker Improvisation Living the Lives We Sing About Resources
WHO CONTRIBUTED? Betty Soskin, an African American who has been a Unitarian Universalist for over 25 years, has been active in several congregations in the San Francisco Bay Area and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Starr King School for the Ministry. She also served on the Board of the Unitarian Universalist Black Caucus during the 1960s. Betty operates a shop that services the religious needs of the African American community as well as provides secular educational material about African and African American historical and cultural topics. Betty feels that one of the most important elements of African American spirituality is the concept that the "Sacred and the Secular are one" which she suggested as one of the focuses for this session on African America. Betty has also been active in civil rights and community action projects all her life and sees these as central to her religious life.
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Session Five: African American Reverend Toni Vincent describes herself as a disenfranchised political activist who struggled to survive the Reagan era who felt "burned-out" after eleven years of working with women and children in crisis at the Berkeley YWCA's Women's Refuge. She left her position as Executive Director of the Berkeley Community YWCA in 1985 to pursue Unitarian Universalist ministry as another path to community service, finding Starr King School for the Ministry was "...one of the best kept secrets in Berkeley." Ms. Vincent (then a Berkeley resident for 25 years) found her time at seminary a revelation and a delight. She became committed to parish ministry as a way to involve more people from diverse racial and ethnic communities in the Unitarian Universalist movement. She founded a new congregation in San Francisco with one of its purposes being the inclusion of diverse populations. She also leads an African American Spiritual Quest group from her home in San Francisco. She suggested and helped to develop the Afro-traditional quilting segment of this session which she feels conveys many of the essential components of African American Spirituality. Reverend Emily Champagne was instrumental in the early planning stages of this session. See Session 3 for a more extensive biographical note about Emily. Eli Leon contributed background used to create the video script about Afro-traditional quilting as well as the images of the quilts and African material that are shown. Eli is a collector of Afrotraditional quilts who has curated many Museum shows of these quilts as well as written two books on the subject which are included in the Resource list for this session. Allyson Rickard contributed an image of her quilt which she made after viewing the Afrotraditional quilts included in this session during the pre-release testing of curriculum material. Her quilt is actually an appliqué which was inspired by material she located in a craft supply depot, just as many of the quilts in the video were inspired by the material the quilter was able to locate. A more extended biographical note about Allyson is included in Session 9. Reverend Rebecca Parker, president of Starr King School for the Ministry, suggested the important book WILD WOMEN IN THE WHIRLWIND which explained clearly the concept of the Outraged Ancestral Mother and demonstrated how it related to woman-honoring traditions. The writings of Robert Farris Thompson, considered the nation's foremost expert in the relationship between Africa and African American art, were very helpful when developing the video accompanying this segment.
WHY THE OUTRAGED ANCESTRAL MOTHER? Much has been written about the strong female presence in the African American community. The concept of the Outraged Ancestral Mother, however, is one that was developed by several African American scholars interested in analyzing literature by African American women. They also examined the links between the traditional African world view of women like Sojourner Truth and contemporary spiritual expressions by African American women writers.
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Session Five: African American CULTURAL SENSITIVITY Remember that African American culture is quite diverse. Much of the religious practice within the African American community is Christian, though many researchers have analyzed what they believe to be the African roots in the forms used to practice Christianity. It is also important to remember that we are concentrating in the journey of RISE UP on woman-honoring and Earth-based qualities of all of the cultures we are visiting. We must also be aware that other qualities exist which are part of the total constellation of a religious practice.
RITUAL: SEEKING THE GODDESS IN ANCESTRAL FACES by Adele Smith A ritual by Reverend Adele Smith, used by permission; presented by Nancy Vedder-Shults and friends on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. Also available on the CD entitled CHANTS FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
NOTE: The chant included in this ritual, "She who has gone before us, rise up and call her name" was written by Carolyn McDade and incorporated in this ritual by Adele Smith. We honor the work of both of these women for inspiring the title of this curriculum. This ritual calls out the names of African American women and South African women who have made significant contributions to struggles for justice. Leader: When Capetown womyn gather in celebration and prayer, they dance in a circle, invoking the ancestral spirits who have come before. We are not the first to wonder, grieve, laugh. The circle encompasses sisters present and distant, alive and dead. So today as we form this circle we invite the spirits to be present. Let us open ourselves to those among the most oppressed. Let us chant together "Oomama bakudala babethandaza," words opening South African womyn gatherings which mean "Our mothers used to pray." With our sisters, let us chant: All: Oomama Bakudala Babethandaza Oomama Bakudala Babethandaza Leader: To the womyn who slaved in factories and kitchens, who built dreams in bricks and books. All: Oomama Bakudala Babethandaza Oomama Bakudala Babethandaza
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Session Five: African American Leader: For Lukele, Nokwe, Batengi. For the Fannie Lou Hamer and Sojourner Truths. All: Oomama Bakudala Babethandaza Oomama Bakudala Babethandaza Leader: Let us raise their names knowing that the Goddess is found in ancestral faces. Amidst our personal grandmothers and the historical truth seekers, we know the divine. All: Oomama Bakudala Babethandaza Oomama Bakudala Babethandaza CALLER: Our foremothers trod this Earth molding dreams and fashioning pathways. May we now imprint this clay with a theology of relation, reclaiming those moments of connectedness between past and present. Let us forge new designs from impressions left by former souls. Each in turn, we will shape visions in clay while saying aloud the names of those who guide us. We will go around the circle, working the clay and invoking the womynspirits. After each person speaks, let us chant. (Caller passes clay to be worked by each woman as she calls out the name/names of women to honor.)
NOTE: The version of the ritual on the RISE UP MUSIC CD does not include the use of clay. Leader: For our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters … All: She who has gone before us, Rise up and call her name. Leader: For the stubborn shakers who understand that love is radical and anger necessary: Mary Church Terrell, Albertina Sisulu, Mary McLeod Bethune . . . All: She who has gone before us, Rise up and call her name.
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Session Five: African American Leader: For the creators who know that art is sacred and very black: Katherine Dunham, Clementina Hunter, Ma Rainey . . . All: She who has gone before us, Rise up and call her name. Leader: For the fighters who ache so for freedom that their lives become a prayer for justice: Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Lillian Ngoyi . . . All: She who has gone before us, Rise up and call her name. Leader: For the womyn who keep us keeping on . . . All: She who has gone before us, Rise up and call her name. Leader: We open the circle to these womyn who embody the Goddess. Go forth justly, united with the ancestral spirits. All: Oomama bakudala babethandaza. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES Adele Smith is a Unitarian Universalist minister and lesbian mother of three. She finds the Goddess in music, wind, and folk. Carolyn McDade is a songwriter and recording artist and social justice activist. She is a Unitarian Universalist who has dedicated her life to working within the women's multicultural peace and justice movement.
DIALOGUE QUESTIONS The following questions are suggested as possible jumping off points for the discussion during the session.
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Session Five: African American • Have you felt a merging of the sacred and the secular in your own religious outlook? If so, can you describe how this makes you feel? • The Ancestral Outraged Mother, so intensely experienced by black women, may also be a more universal archetype. Have you seen it operating in your own life?
AFROCENTRISM AND THE OUTRAGED MOTHER The essays in this section should be read in preparation for the dialogue in this session. They include: What Constitutes Black Feminism? The Recurring Humanist Vision Definition of Womanist African American Spirituality Afra-American Experience and the Outraged Ancestral Mother Sojourner Truth
WHAT CONSTITUTES BLACK FEMINISM? The Recurring Humanist Vision by Patricia Hill Collins This essay by Patricia Hill Collins appeared in BLACK FEMINIST THOUGHT, published by Unwin Hyman, London, 1990. A wide range of African-American women intellectuals have advanced the view that black women's struggles are part of a wider struggle for human dignity and empowerment. In an 1893 speech to women, Anna Julia Cooper cogently expressed this alternative world view: We take our stand on the solidarity of humanity, the oneness of life, and the unnaturalness and injustice of all special favoritisms, whether of sex, race, country, or condition...The colored woman feels that woman's cause is one and universal; and that...not till race, color, sex, and condition are seen as accidents, and not the substance of life; not till the universal title of humanity to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is conceded to be inalienable to all; not till then is woman's lesson taught and woman's cause won — not the white woman's nor the black woman's, not the red woman's but the cause of every man and of every woman who has writhed silently under a mighty wrong. (Loewenberg and Bogin 1976: 330-31) Like Cooper, many African American women intellectuals embrace this perspective regardless of particular political solutions we propose, our fields of study, or our historical periods.
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Session Five: African American Whether we advocate working through separate black women's organizations, becoming part of women's organizations, working within existing political structures, or supporting black community institutions, African American women intellectuals repeatedly identify political actions such as these as a means for human empowerment rather than ends in and of themselves. Thus the primary guiding principle of black feminism is a recurring humanist vision (Steady 1981, 1987).9 Alice Walker's preference for the term Womanist, a term she describes as "womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender," addresses this notion of the solidarity of humanity. To Walker, one is "womanist" when one is "committed to the survival and wholeness of entire people, male and female." A womanist is "not a separatist, except periodically for health" and is "traditionally universalist, as is 'Mama, why are we brown, pink, and yellow, and our cousins are white, beige, and black?' Ans.: 'Well, you know the colored race is just like a flower garden, with every color flower represented'" (1983, xi). By redefining all people as "people of color," Walker universalizes what are typically seen as individual struggles while simultaneously allowing space for autonomous movements of self-determination. In assessing the sexism of the Black Nationalist movement of the 1960s, black feminist lawyer Pauli Murray identified the dangers inherent in separatism as opposed to autonomy, and also echoes Cooper's concern with the solidarity of humanity: The lesson of history that all human rights are indivisible and that the failure to adhere to this principle jeopardizes the rights of all is particularly applicable here. A built-in hazard of an aggressive ethnocentric movement which disregards the interests of other disadvantaged groups is that it will become parochial and ultimately self-defeating in the face of hostile reactions, dwindling allies, and mounting frustrations...Only a broad movement for human rights can prevent the black Revolution from becoming isolated and can insure ultimate success. (Murray 1970: 102) Without a commitment to human solidarity, suggested Murray, any political movement — whether nationalist, feminist or anti-elitist — may be doomed to ultimate failure. bell hook's analysis of feminism adds another critical dimension that must be considered. Namely, the necessity of self-conscious struggle against a more generalized ideology of domination:
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My use of the term humanist grows from an Afrocentric historical context distinct from that criticized by Western feminists. I use the term to tap an Afrocentric humanism as cited by West (1977-78), Asante (1987) and Turner (1984) and as part of the Black theological tradition (Mitchell and Lewter 1986; Cannon 1988). See Harris (1981) for a discussion of the humanist tradition in the works of three Black women writers. See Richards (1990) for a discussion of African American spirituality, a key dimension of Afrocentric humanism. Novelist Margaret Walker offers one of the clearest discussions of Black humanism. Walker claims: "I think it is more important now to emphasize humanism in a technological age than ever before, because it is only in terms of humanism that society can redeem itself. I believe that mankind is only one race — the human race. There are many strands in the family of man — many races. The world has yet to learn to appreciate the deep reservoirs of humanism in all races, and particularly in the Black race." (Rowell 1975, 12).
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Session Five: African American To me feminism is not simply a struggle to end male chauvinism or a movement to ensure that women will have equal rights with men; it is a commitment to eradicating the ideology of domination that permeates Western culture on various levels — sex, race, and class, to name a few — and a commitment to reorganizing U.S. society so that the self-development of people can take precedence over imperialism, economic expansion, and material desires. (hooks 1981: 194) Former assemblywoman Shirley Chisholm also points to the need for self-conscious struggle against the stereotypes buttressing ideologies of domination. In "working toward our own freedom, we can help others work free from the traps of their stereotypes," she notes. "In the end, anti-Black, anti-female, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing — anti-humanism...We must reject not only the stereotypes that others have of us, but also those we have of ourselves and others" (1970: 181). This humanist vision is also reflected in the growing prominence of international issues and global concerns in the works of contemporary African American women intellectuals (Lindsay 1980; Steady 1981, 1987). The 1986 volume, edited by economists Margaret Simms and Julianne Malveaux, SLIPPING THROUGH THE CRACKS: THE STATUS OF BLACK WOMEN, contains articles on black women in Tanzania, Jamaica, and South Africa. Angela Davis devotes an entire section of her 1989 book WOMEN, CULTURE, AND POLITICS to international affairs and includes essays on Winnie Mandela and on women in Egypt. June Jordan's 1985 volume ON CALL includes essays on South Africa, Nicaragua, and the Bahamas. Alice Walker writes compellingly of the types of links these and other black women intellectuals see between African American women's issues and those of other groups: "To me, Central America is one large plantation; and I see the people's struggle to be free as a slave revolt" (1988: 177). The words and actions of black women intellectuals from different historical times and addressing markedly different audiences resonate with the strikingly similar theme of the oneness of all human life. Perhaps the most succinct version of the humanist vision in black feminist thought was offered by Fannie Lou Hamer, the daughter of sharecroppers, and a Mississippi civil rights activist. While sitting on her porch, Ms. Hamer observed, "Ain' no such thing as I can hate anybody and hope to see God's face" (Jordan 1981: xi). Taken together, the ideas of Anna Julia Cooper, Pauli Murray, bell hooks, Alice Walker, Fannie Lou Hamer, and other black women intellectuals too numerous to mention suggest a powerful answer to the question "What is black feminism?" Inherent in their words and deeds is a definition of black feminism as a process of self-conscious struggle that empowers women and men to actualize a humanist vision of community. Books quoted in this essay: Asante, Molefi Kete, 1987. The Afrocentric Idea. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Cannon, Katie G., 1988. Black Womanist Ethics. Atlanta: Scholars Press. Chisholm, Shirley. 1970. Unbought and Unbossed. New York: Avon.
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Session Five: African American Harris, Trudier, 1981. "Three Black Women Writers and Humanism: A Folk Perspective," Black American Literature and Humanism, edited by R. Baxter Miller, Lexington: University of Kentucky Press. hooks, bell. 1981. Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism. Boston: South End Press. Jordan, June. 1981. Civil Wars. Boston: Beacon. —— 1985. On Call. Boston: South End Press. Lindsay, Beverly. ed. 1980. Comparative Perspectives of Third World Women: the Impact of Race, Sex, and Class. New York: Praeger. Loewenberg, Bert and Ruth Bogin, eds. 1976. Black Women in Nineteenth-century American Life. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press. Mitchell, Henry H. and Nicholas Cooper Lewter, 1986. Soul Theology: The Heart of American Black Culture. San Francisco: Harper. Murray, Pauli. 1970. "The Liberation of Black Women" in Voices of the New Feminism, edited by Mary Lou Thompson. Boston: Beacon. Rowell, Charles H. 1975. "An Interview with Margaret Walker." Black World. 25(2):4-17. Simms, Margaret C. and Julianne Malveaux, eds. 1986. Slipping through the Cracks: The Status of Black Women, New Brunswick, N. J. Transaction. Steady, Filomina Chioma, 1981. The Black Woman Cross-culturally. Cambridge, MA: Schenkman. —— 1987. "African Feminism: A Worldview Perspective." In Women in Africa and the African Diaspora, edited by Rosalyn Terborg-Penn, Sharon Harley, and Andrea Benton Rushing, 3-24. Washington, D. C.: Howard University Press. Turner, James E. "Foreword: Africana Studies and Epistemology: A Discourse in the Sociology of Knowledge," 1984. In The Next Decade: Theoretical and Research Issues in Africana Studies, edited by James E. Turner, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Africana Studies and Research Center. Richards, Dona, 1990. "The Implications of African American Spirituality" by Dona Richards in African Culture: The Rhythms of Unity, edited by Molefi Kete Asante and Kariamu Welsh Asante, Trenton, NY: Africa World Press. Walker, Alice. 1983. In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Walker, Alice. 1988. Living by the Word. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
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Session Five: African American West, Cornel, 1977-78. "Philosophy and the Afro-American Experience" Philosophical Forum 9. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Patricia Hill Collins is associate professor of Afro-American studies at the University of Cincinnati and is author of numerous articles on black feminist thought.
DEFINITION OF WOMANIST This definition of "womanist" by Alice Walker appears in IN SEARCH OF OUR MOTHERS' GARDENS: WOMANIST PROSE, copyright 1983 by Alice Walker, reprinted by permission of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. Womanist: 1. From womanish. (Opp. of "girlish," i.e., frivolous, irresponsible, not serious.) A black feminist or feminist of color. From the black folk expression of mothers to female children, "You acting womanish," i.e., like a woman. Usually referring to outrageous, audacious, courageous or willful behavior. Wanting to know more and in greater depth than is considered "good" for one. Interested in grown-up doings. Acting grown up. Being grown up. Interchangeable with another black folk expression: "You trying to be grown." Responsible. In charge. Serious. 2. Also: A woman who loves other women, sexually and/or nonsexually. Appreciates and prefers women's culture, women's emotional flexibility (values tears as natural counterbalance of laughter), and women's strength. Sometimes loves individual men, sexually and/or nonsexually. Committed to survival and wholeness of entire people, male and female. Not a separatist, except periodically, for health. Traditionally universalist, as in: "Mama, why are we brown, pink and yellow, and our cousins are white, beige, and black?" Ans.: "Well, you know the colored race is just like a flower garden, with every color flower represented." Traditionally capable, as in: "Mama, I'm walking to Canada and I'm taking you and a bunch of other slaves with me." Reply: "It wouldn't be the first time."
AFRICAN AMERICAN SPIRITUALITY Excerpts from the essay by Dona Richards entitled "The Implications of African American Spirituality" which appears in the book entitled AFRICAN CULTURE: THE RHYTHMS OF UNITY edited by Molefi Kete Asante and Kariamu Welsh Asante. THOUGHTS ON THE TRADITIONAL AFRICAN WORLD VIEW SOMETIMES CALLED AFROCENTRISM
The idea of spirit is especially important for an appreciation of the African American experience. Spirit is, of course, not a rationalist concept. It cannot be quantified, measured, explained or reduced to neat, rational, conceptual categories as Western thought demands. Spirit is ethereal. It is neither touched nor moved, seen nor felt in the way that physical entities are touched, moved, seen and felt. These characteristics make it ill-suited to the analytical mode most favored by European academics. We experience our spirituality often, but the translation of that
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Session Five: African American experience into an intellectual language can never be accurate. The attempt results in reductionism. The African American ethos refers to our unique spirit and spiritual being. It is a result of our shared cultural history and is derived from Africa. A people's world view affects and determines behavior. A universe understood totally in materialistic or rationalistic terms will discourage spirituality. African Americans are forced to ask and to answer the question: "What happens when a people are forced to live (survive) within a culture based on a world view which is oppressive to their ethos?" The African universe is conceived as a unified spiritual totality. We speak of the universe as cosmos, and we mean that all being is organically interrelated and interdependent. The Western/European materialized universe does not yield cosmos. The essence of the African cosmos is spiritual reality; that is its fundamental nature, its primary essence. But realities are not conceived as being in irreconcilable opposition, as they are in the West, and spirit is not separate from matter. To the African, the sacred and the profane are close and can be experienced as unity. All of this is so because of the multi-dimensional nature of the African universe. Phenomena and events are understood on many different levels at once. The African universe is alive and rich, filled with myriad possibilities. It is a phenomenal universe. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Dona Richards is Associate Professor, Department of Black and Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College, City University of New York. She has published in numerous journals.
AFRA-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE AND THE OUTRAGED ANCESTRAL MOTHER Comment by Joanne Braxton in the MASSACHUSETTS REVIEW: As black American women, we are born into a mystic sisterhood, and we live our lives within a magic circle, a realm of shared language, reference, and allusion within the veil of our blackness and our femaleness. We have been as invisible to the dominant culture as rain; we have been knowers but we have not been known. This paradox is central to what I suggest we call the Afra-American experience. Excerpts from the essay by Joanne M. Braxton entitled "Ancestral Presence: the Outraged Mother Figure in Contemporary Afra-American Writing." This essay is part of the volume entitled WILD WOMEN IN THE WHIRLWIND: AFRA-AMERICAN CULTURE AND THE CONTEMPORARY LITERARY RENAISSANCE edited by Joanne M. Braxton and Andree Nicola McLaughlin. The ancestral figure most common in the work of contemporary black women writers is an outraged mother. The outraged mother embodies the values of sacrifice, nurturance, and personal courage — values necessary to an endangered group. She employs reserves of spiritual strength. The outraged mother is more afraid of what is behind her than what is in front of her;
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Session Five: African American she must create the New World and with it a new way of life. For example, Maya Angelou, through a description of her experience, in one of her stories invites others to follow her grandmother's model — to stand courageously and full of faith — not to turn back and not to falter. This outraged mother has resurfaced over and over again in the form of countless black women who have led struggles for equality. Not only does this ancestor figure lend a "benevolent, instructive, and protective" presence to the text, she also lends her benign influence to the very act of creation, for the black woman artist works in the presence of this female ancestor, who passes on her feminine wisdom for the good of the "tribe," and the survival of all black people, especially those in the African Diaspora created by the Atlantic slave trade. The great African American female writers, including Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker, all represent this maternal ancestor in their works, this strong woman who protects her children as she fights for justice for the community. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Joanne M. Braxton is Frances L. and Edwin L. Cummings Professor of American Studies and English at the College of William and Mary. She is author of many articles and a collection of poetry.
SOJOURNER TRUTH The following background and historical quotation about Sojourner Truth appears in THE AMERICAN READER edited by Diane Ravitch and published by HarperCollins, 1990. Sojourner Truth (c. 1797-1883) was born into slavery in Ulster County in New York state and named Isabella. Before slavery was abolished in New York in 1827, she was sold to a master named Van Wagenen, who set her free. She moved to New York City, where she worked as a domestic and became involved in evangelical activities. In 1843, she renamed herself Sojourner Truth and began to travel across the country as a religious missionary. A riveting speaker, she preached and sang and called on people to accept the word of God and the brotherhood of man. Her message was a mixture of religion and abolitionism, and after she discovered the women's rights movement, of feminism as well. During the Civil War, she worked on behalf of the Union cause, gathering supplies for black regiments. In 1864, she visited Washington, D.C., where she helped integrate the streetcars and was received at the White House by President Abraham Lincoln. In 1850, Sojourner Truth attended a Woman's Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she was the only black woman. The following year, Sojourner Truth attended the Ohio Woman's Rights Convention in Akron (held in a Universalist church); many participants objected to her presence, fearing that the feminist cause would get mixed up with the unpopular abolitionist cause. As Sojourner Truth rose to speak, there was a hiss of disapproval. But when she finished, there were "roars of applause" from the audience.
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Session Five: African American ADDRESS TO THE OHIO WOMAN'S RIGHTS CONVENTION: AND AIN'T I A WOMAN? Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the Negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about? That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm. I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man — when I could get it — and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne children, and seen them most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman? Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [Intellect, someone whispers.] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or Negro's rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half-measure full? Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him. If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them. Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say. Excerpts from the essay by Gloria I. Joseph entitled "Sojourner Truth: Archetypal Black Feminist." This essay is part of the volume entitled WILD WOMEN IN THE WHIRLWIND edited by Joanne M. Braxton and Andree Nicola McLaughlin.
NOTE: These excerpts give historical background on this important African American woman and provide insight into the Afrocentric world view, which Gloria Joseph argues profoundly, informed Sojourner Truth's life. African American women have always played a vital and significant role in American history, community and culture just as women were central to African life. One woman who could serve as a model for all interested in justice is Sojourner Truth. She has been described as abolitionist, lecturer, women's rights activist, freedom fighter, domestic servant, evangelist, author, social worker, and a concerned and militant champion for the rights of her black brothers and sisters. To list these occupations and roles alone, however, does not adequately convey Sojourner's super ordinate experiences, her uncanny wit, or her intellectual genius. As an archetypal black feminist, Sojourner was a revolutionary whose life reflected the integrity and commitment to
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Session Five: African American oppose any force that sought to deny black people and other oppressed groups their basic human rights and dignity. Who was this woman called Sojourner Truth? Isabella Baumfree was her given name, her surname being a Dutch nickname, applied to her father. It is said that Sojourner Truth was born in 1797, but her birth was not accurately recorded. It is known that Sojourner was born in the latter part of the eighteenth century in New York State's Ulster County; she died November 26, 1883, and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Battle Creek, Michigan. Historical accounts of Sojourner's life commonly cite that Sojourner was deeply religious and that her beliefs had a great bearing on the way in which she lived her life. Her piety is invariably placed within the context of Western, patriarchal, organized religion and not within the African culture with which she and many others of her contemporary black brethren were closely identified. But if Sojourner's religious experience was in any way typical of the millions of African people in the Americas, it can be reasonably assumed that her beliefs were informed by a combination of the African world view and the Judeo-Christian ethic. The African world view provides insight into the manner in which Sojourner lived her life — a style that has been interpreted as fearless, peculiar, extraordinary, and unique. African cosmology grows out of a fundamental belief in an indivisible and inexhaustible relationship among God, humankind, and the cosmos. For the Afrocentric perspective, the material and spiritual worlds are inseparable — a view which informed all aspects of the social, political, educational, moral, and psychological dimensions of African community life. The quality of "fearlessness" associated with Sojourner could very well have been based upon her unequivocal dedication to structuring her reality to maximize the possibility of the most positive earthly experience. Sojourner's involvement with diverse groups in a variety of settings and often under trying conditions conformed to the African world view which holds that the route to perennial happiness and peace is cooperation with your fellow human beings to create or sustain a life force. Interpersonal relationships are accorded highest value in the Afrocentric conceptual system, in contrast to the Western belief system, in which the highest value of existence is the acquisition of material objects. In terms of the African cosmology, what happens to one affects all. Since [the African] reality is at once both spiritual and material, all is interrelated, interdependent, interconnected, and integrated. In this way of looking at things, everything becomes "spirit manifest." There is no "pie in the sky" separate from a hellish material existence. Sojourner's activism was, in the most religious and African of senses, manifestation of the "Spirit." In many traditional African societies, women were socially and economically independent and held in high esteem; aspects of egalitarian social organization were carried to and retained in the Americas by African people. Debunking the Western claim that women's autonomy was "foreign to the cultural heritages of Third World peoples," Eleanor Leacock wrote in the 1980s that, even today, "women anthropologists...are finding many attitudes and practices that indicate women's former status and persisting importance."
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Session Five: African American Undoubtedly, the prejudices of the times in which Sojourner lived did not validate her on any level — as a black person, woman, slave, or domestic servant. To speak or act independently in the face of such prevalent biases would have provoked a range of reactions. Thus, for Sojourner, validation of her sense of mission and her importance as an African woman would have found only one source — the African world view.
GROUP READING THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SHUG by Alice Walker THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SHUG from THE TEMPLE OF MY FAMILIAR, copyright 1989 by Alice Walker, reprinted by permission of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. NOTE: Shug is a famous character from Alice Walker's novel THE COLOR PURPLE. Shug is a woman who has done everything secular, and much that her father, who is a preacher, does not approve of. Yet, by the end of the novel and the movie, she and her father are reconciled just as the secular and the sacred are brought together in the living religious philosophy of some African Americans. Helped are those who are enemies of their own racism: they shall live in harmony with the citizens of this world, and not with those of the world of their ancestors, which has passed away, and which they shall never see again. Helped are those born from love: conceived in their father's tenderness and their mother's orgasm, for they shall be those — numbers of whom will be called "illegitimate" — whose spirits shall know no boundaries, even between Heaven and Earth, and whose eyes shall reveal the spark of the love that was their own creation. They shall know joy equal to their suffering and they will lead multitudes into dancing and Peace. Helped are those too busy living to respond when they are wrongfully attacked: on their walks they shall find mysteries so intriguing as to distract them from every blow. Helped are those who find something in Creation to admire each and every hour. Their days will overflow with beauty and the darkest dungeon will offer gifts. Helped are those who receive only to give; always in their house will be the circular energy of generosity; and in their hearts a beginning of a new age on Earth: when no keys will be needed to unlock the heart and no locks will be needed on the doors. Helped are those who love the stranger; in this they reflect the heart of the Creator and that of the Mother. Helped are those who are content to be themselves; they will never lack mystery in their lives and the joys of self-discovery will be constant.
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Session Five: African American Helped are those who love the entire cosmos rather than their own tiny country, city, or farm, for to them will be shown the unbroken web of life and the meaning of infinity. Helped are those who live in quietness, knowing neither brand name nor fad; they shall live every day as if in eternity, and each moment shall be as full as it is long. Helped are those who love others unsplit off from their faults; to them will be given clarity of vision. Helped are those who create anything at all, for they shall relive the thrill of their own conception, and realize a partnership in the creation of the Universe that keeps them responsible and cheerful. Helped are those who love the Earth, their mother, and who willingly suffer that she may not die; in their grief over her pain they will weep rivers of blood, and in their joy in her lively response to love, they will converse with trees. Helped are those whose every act is a prayer for harmony in the Universe, for they are the restorers of balance to our planet. To them will be given the insight that every good act done anywhere in the cosmos welcomes the life of an animal or a child. Helped are those who risk themselves for others' sakes; to them will be given increasing opportunities for ever greater risks. Theirs will be a vision of the world in which no one's gift is despised or lost. Helped are those who strive to give up their anger; their reward will be that in any confrontation their first thoughts will never be of violence or of war. Helped are those whose every act is a prayer for peace; on them depends the future of the world. Helped are those who forgive; their reward shall be forgetfulness of every evil done to them. It will be in their power, therefore, to envision the new Earth. Helped are those who are shown the existence of the Creator's magic in the Universe; they shall experience delight and astonishment without ceasing. Helped are those who laugh with a pure heart; theirs will be the company of the jolly righteous. Helped are those who love in all the colors of all the human beings, as they love all the colors of animals and plants; none of their children, nor any of their ancestors, nor any parts of themselves, shall be hidden from them. Helped are those who love the lesbian, the gay, and the straight, as they love the sun, the moon, and the stars. None of their children, nor any if their ancestors, nor any parts of themselves, shall be hidden from them. Helped are those who love the broken and the whole; none of their children, nor any of their ancestors, nor any parts of themselves shall be despised.
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Session Five: African American Helped are those who do not join mobs; theirs shall be the understanding that to attack in anger is to murder in confusion. Helped are those who find the courage to do at least one small thing each day to help the existence of another — plant, animal, river, or human being. They shall be joined by a multitude of the timid. Helped are those who lose their fear of death; theirs is the power to envision the future in a blade of grass. Helped are those who love and actively support the diversity of life; they shall be secure in their differentness. Helped are those who know.
SONG: I'M SO GLAD This traditional song was brought to the MULTICULTURAL WOMEN'S PROJECT IN MUSIC by Fahamisha Patricia Brown and published in the songbook and tape entitled THE BEST OF STRUGGLES (c) 1989, Womancenter at Plainville. Ms. Brown first learned this song from her grandmother. Later it was renewed in the Kuumba Theater of Chicago and the Blakluv Company of Boston. I'm so glad trouble don't last always I'm so glad trouble don't last always I'm so glad trouble don't last always Oh, my mothers, oh, my mothers what shall I do? They said, Take care of yourself Take care of yourself Take care of yourself, daughters, Take care of yourself I'm so glad trouble don't last always (3x) Oh, Harriet, Harriet Tubman, what shall I do? She said, Be free or die Be free or die Be free or die, my child, Be free or die I'm so glad trouble don't last always (3x) Oh Sojourner Truth what shall I do? She said, Speak the truth Speak the truth Speak the truth, woman, Speak the truth I'm so glad trouble don't last always (3x) Fannie Lou, Fannie Lou, what shall I do?
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Session Five: African American She said, Let your light shine Let your light Let your light shine, my child Let your light shine I'm so glad trouble don't last always (3x) Oh, my mothers, oh, my mothers, what shall I do? They said, Take care of yourself Be free or die, speak the truth and let your light shine So I'll take care of myself Be free or die, speak the truth And always let my light shine
COMMENTARY ABOUT ALICE WALKER Excerpts from the essay by Rudolph P. Byrd entitled "Spirituality in the Novels of Alice Walker: Models, Healing, and Transformation, or When the Spirit Moves So Do We." This essay is part of the volume entitled WILD WOMEN IN THE WHIRLWIND: AFRA-AMERICAN CULTURE AND THE CONTEMPORARY LITERARY RENAISSANCE edited Joanne M. Braxton and Andree Nicola McLaughlin. "I am preoccupied with the spiritual survival, the survival whole of my people." This statement, which in point of fact is a fierce, unambiguous declaration of purpose, frames and informs each text in Alice Walker's growing canon. Although Walker states that she is immersed in the spiritual trials of "my people," that is to say, of all Americans — males and females — of African descent, Afro-Americans are plainly not the only group that has responded to and benefited from the healing effects of her probing, knowing voice, nor are they the only group for which she, as writer, as womanist, as artist speaks. Since Walker's material is the stuff of human experience each situation is, in its essentials, universal. This fact explains her broad appeal and immense popularity. But this rare ability to conjure several faces with one, to invest the soloist with the attitude and feeling of the chorus, is ordinary work for the womanist writer who is, so Walker tells us, "traditionally universalist." As a womanist, as a writer, Walker not only loves the catholic truth that glitters at the very core of the most specific circumstance, but she also loves music, dance, the moon, love, food, roundness, struggle, the folk, and herself — regardless (here she is, hands squarely on her hips, truly womanish!). But she also loves, perhaps most of all the Spirit. If it can be satisfactorily defined, the Spirit for Walker is that ubiquitous, pansophic incorporeality that creates and sustains all life and in Whose benevolence all life discovers its meaning, its purpose. Walker is concerned with the spiritual well-being, the spiritual health if you will, of all the people. ubiquitous - omnipresent pansophic - universal wisdom, knowledge
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Session Five: African American incorporeality - without a body; not consisting of matter Excerpts from the essay by Joanne M. Braxton entitled "Ancestral Presence: the Outraged Mother Figure in Contemporary Afra-American Writing." This essay is part of the volume entitled WILD WOMEN IN THE WHIRLWIND: AFRA-AMERICAN CULTURE AND THE CONTEMPORARY LITERARY RENAISSANCE edited by Joanne M. Braxton and Andree Nicola McLaughlin. While there is no single figure in the THE COLOR PURPLE to represent the ancestral presence, there is yet a real sense in which Walker's work is performed in the presence of the ancestors. In an essay called "Saving the Life That Is Your Own," Walker writes: In that story I gathered up the historical and psychological threads of the life my ancestors lived, and in the writing of it felt joy and strength and my own continuity. I had that wonderful feeling writers get sometimes, not very often, of being with a great many people...ancient spirits, all very happy to see me consulting and acknowledging them, and eager to let me know, through the joy of their presence, that, indeed, I am not alone." Alice Walker has described her role as that of "author and medium," a mediator between this and the world of the ancestor spirits. As intermediary and avenger, she helps to right great wrongs and to unfold the meaning of her ancestors' lives. She works in the presence of those ancestors. Alice Walker, "author and medium," fulfills a dual role: artistic and spiritual. As author, she both creates art and connects the ancestors with the living by distilling the oral wisdom, values, and unwritten history of those who have gone before into a written language to be preserved for future generations... Afra-American writers like Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Angelou, Gayl Jones, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker call on ancestors from whom they derive strength, and they perform in the "holy heat" of an ancestral presence. As often as not, especially in the case of these writers, the ancestor figure is an outraged mother who embodies the values of sacrifice, nurturance, and personal courage — values necessary to an endangered and embattled minority group. In speaking for themselves, they extend the feminine version of the black heroic archetype and nurture a tradition of Afra-American writing that is as mystical and real as life.
IMPROVISATION Excerpted from the essay "Audre Lorde and Matrilineal Diaspora" by Chinosole appearing in WILD WOMEN IN THE WHIRLWIND: In addition to improvisation being essential to the survival of any culture, in African-based cultures, it functions both as a cultural principle and a highly privilege skill. Privileging improvisation by African-based cultures makes it the most markedly persistent cultural mode. The persistence of improvisational skills in (African American) music, dance, and language carries and gives evidence of African cultural origins.
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LIVING THE LIVES WE SING ABOUT By Fahamisha Patricia Brown First appearing in the songbook THE BEST OF STRUGGLES: MULTICULTURAL WOMEN'S PROJECT IN MUSIC.
Reprinted here by permission. "If you want to know who I am, hear my songs."
Within African American Culture, there exists a rich and varied black women's culture recorded, described, delineated in song...songs which tie past, present and future; songs which record sorrow, struggle, and survival over the centuries. The African American song tradition contains the historical record of the people, beginning in Africa. In traditional Africa, women share the role of song-maker. African women sing praises; chronicle past glories and defeats; celebrate rites of passage: the births/comings of age, marriages and childbirths, and deaths. They also ridicule foolish public officials; market their wares and sing their children to sleep; till their fields and sing of/to their lovers. In short, they make songs to suit any and every occasion. Their songs instruct the young and entertain family and friends. It is this song-making tradition which enslaved Africans brought to America. The song-making tradition survived the Middle Passage, slave trade, and resultant dispersals. The merging of the old traditional ways and values with the new languages, circumstances and customs saw the evolution from an African to an African American song-making tradition. The new songs lamented a lost past and bewailed a bewildering present. Song moved the slaves from, "can't see in the morning to can't see at night." Song helped the people work together harmoniously in the way of their ancestors. Songs also passed messages...messages of hope and messages of defiance. "Tis the old ship of Zion, get on board." And, "I'm on my way, and I won't turn back." Women were among the "black and unknown bards" who created the Negro Spiritual or "Sorrow songs," who led the prayer meetings, who testified "how I got ovah," who conducted the underground railroad, who sang lullabies to slave mistresses' children while their own were left unattended. Women, too, were among the creators of the blues tradition...the tradition that moaned, "I don't know what I did to be treated this away," the blues that laughed to keep from crying, the blues that shouted, "No matter what you do to me, I'm still here." Song accompanied the journey from slavery to freedom, from chattel to wage slavery, from South to North, from farm to city. Song accompanied women workers into domestic service, onto assembly lines and picket lines. And song fueled the civil rights movement. When Fannie Lou Hamer stood up and sang, "This Little Light of Mine, I'm gonna let it shine," she sang it for all of us. Hearing and singing these songs, adapting old ones to new conditions and making new ones gives us strength to carry on, reminds us how we arrived at the ground on which we stand today. If you want to know who we African American women are, hear our songs. Learn from us, and "be renewed."
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Session Five: African American BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Black cultural worker and teacher Fahamisha Patricia Brown learned her African American song heritage live from her great-grandmother and performers on the stages and in the clubs of South Side Chicago, as well as from the hundreds of recordings by black women artists in her mother's jazz, blues, rhythm and blues collection. An aspiring singer in her youth, today she sings for justice.
RESOURCES VIDEO: The Songs Are Free by Bernice Johnson Reagon with Bill Moyers, Mystic Fire Video, New York (800-727-8433), Color, 58 minutes, 1991. Reagon, founder and artistic director of the vocal group Sweet Honey in the Rock, is also an activist, scholar, and curator at the Smithsonian Institution. In this video, Reagon traces the history of communal singing from the Underground Railroad through the Civil Rights Movement and into the 90's. Ms. Reagon received the Ministry to Women Award in 1994 from the Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation. "From the House of Yemanja: The Goddess Heritage of Black Women" by Sabrina Sojourner from The Politics of Women's Spirituality edited by Charlene Spretnak, Anchor Press/Doubleday, Garden City, New York, 1982. Flash of the Spirit: African and Afro-American Art and Philosophy by Robert Farris Thompson, Vintage Books, a division of Random House, New York, 1983. This book shows how five African civilizations — Yoruba, Kongo, Ejagham, Mande, and Cross River — have informed and are reflected in the aesthetic, social and metaphysical traditions (music, sculpture, textiles, architecture, religion, ideogrammatic writing) of black people in the United States, Cuba, Haiti, Trinidad, Mexico, Brazil and other places in the New World. Inheriting Our Mothers' Gardens: Feminist Theology in Third World Perspective edited by Letty M. Russell, Kwok Pui-lan, Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, and Katie Geneva Cannon, Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1988. Includes the essay entitled "Be a Woman, and Africa Will Be Strong" by Mercy Amba Oduyoye. Her Blue Body Everything We Know: Earthling Poems 1965-1990 by Alice Walker, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1991. The cover reads: We have a beautiful Mother, her green lap immense, her brown embrace eternal. In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose by Alice Walker, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1967 through 1983. The Color Purple A novel by Alice Walker, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1982. The Temple of My Familiar A novel by Alice Walker, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1989.
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Session Five: African American Possessing the Secret of Joy A novel by Alice Walker, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1992. Just A Sister Away: A Womanist Vision of Women's Relationships in the Bible by Renita J. Weems, Lura Media, San Diego, 1988. The black Christian feminism of Weems has universal significance as she recasts the Biblical stories of Hagar and Sarah, Naomi and Ruth, Martha and Mary, and many others. Black Foremothers: Three Lives by Dorothy Sterling (Ellen Craft — The Valiant Journey; Ida B. Wells — Voice of a People; Mary Church Terrell — Ninety Years for Freedom), The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 1988. Sister Outsider Essays and speeches by Audre Lorde, The Crossing Press, Freedom, CA, 1984. Lorde wrote from the particulars of who she was: black woman, lesbian, feminist, mother of two children, daughter of Grenadian immigrants, educator, cancer survivor, activist. When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women On Race and Sex in America by Paula Giddings, William Morrow and Company, New York, 1984, distributed by the National Women's History Project, Windsor CA, 707-838-6000. Drawing on speeches, diaries, letters, and other original sources, Giddings describes black women from the first slave in the seventeenth century to the present; she gives an account of the black women's club movement, the conflicts with white feminists and black male leaders. Here, too, are portraits of the antilynching journalist Ida B. Wells, the Roosevelt-era black braintruster Mary McLeod Bethune, and "Mississippi's angriest woman," Fannie Lou Hamer. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment by Patricia Hill Collins, published by the Academic Division of Unwin Hyman, London, 1990. (Volume 2 of the Perspectives on Gender Series.) The author provides an interpretive framework for black feminist thinkers such as Angela Davis, bell hooks, Alice Walker, and Audre Lorde, and introduces us to the core themes in black feminist thought. Wild Women in the Whirlwind: Afra-American Culture and the Contemporary Literary Renaissance edited by Joanne M. Braxton and Andree Nicola McLaughlin with a foreword by Audre Lorde, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, NJ, 1990. Includes essays: "Sojourner Truth: Archetypal Black Feminist" by Gloria I. Joseph; "Ancestral Presence: The Outraged Mother Figure in Contemporary Afra-American Writing" by Braxton; "Spirituality in the Novels of Alice Walker" by Rudolph P. Byrd. Black Women Makers of History: A Portrait by George F. Jackson, 1975, 1985, distributed by the National Women's History Project, Windsor, CA, 707-838-6000. The book has sketches of over 116 black women in the areas of freedom fighting (both in bygone years and the twentieth century), pioneering, opera, gospel, education, poetry and sculpture, entertainment, science and business, athletics, and the military, as well as unsung community activism. "The Face of Mama is the Blackfaced One" by Asungi. Woman of Power magazine, Issue 15.
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Session Five: African American I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America Photographs and interviews by Brian Lanker, foreword by Maya Angelou, published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang, New York, 1989. Daughters of the Dust: The Making of an African American Woman's Film by Julie Dash with Toni Cade Bambara and bell hooks, New Press, New York, 1992. The film (the first nationally distributed feature by an African American woman) tells the story of an African American sea-island family preparing to come to the mainland at the turn of the century. Journey Toward Freedom: The Story of Sojourner Truth by Jacqueline Bernard, The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 1967, 1990. Known for her wit, her courage, her songs, and her great common sense, Sojourner Truth (c. 1797-1883) was born a slave in New York state, gained her freedom when she was in her thirties, and at age 46 began a new life, traveling the country to preach about women's rights, black emancipation, prison reform, and better working conditions. Ain't I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks, South End Press, Boston, 1981, 1991. This book examines the impact of sexism on black women during slavery, black male sexism, racism within the women's movement, and black women's involvement with feminism. Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center by bell hooks, South End Press, Boston, 1984. Continuing where Ain't I A Woman left off, bell hooks suggests that feminists have not succeeded in creating a mass movement against sexist oppression because the foundation of women's liberation has not accounted for the complexity and diversity of female experience. Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination by Toni Morrison, from the William E. Massey Sr. Lectures in the History of American Civilization, 1990, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1992. Binding Cultures: Black Women Writers in Africa and the Diaspora by Gay Wilentz, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 1992. The author is Assistant Professor of English at East Carolina University. She examines three West African writers and three African American writers. Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now by Maya Angelou, Random House, New York, 1993. This is Maya Angelou talking from the heart, down to Earth, real — an inspiration. Push Back to Strength: A Black Woman's Journey Home by Gloria Wade-Gayles, Beacon Press, Boston, 1993. With grace and humor she evokes passionate, lyrical, often playful memories of intense and timely events that are personal while also instructive to those who choose to share them. Shadowed Dreams: Women's Poetry of the Harlem Renaissance edited by Maureen Honey, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, 1989. An anthology of 148 poems by 34 black women, covering the years 1918 through 1931.
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Session Five: African American Naming Our Destiny: New & Selected Poems by June Jordan, Thunder's Mouth Press, New York, 1989. She addresses racism, oppression, and dispossession with a call for justice and sensitivity to our world. Been in the Storm So Long A meditation manual edited by Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed and Jacqui James, Skinner House Books (UUA), Boston, 1991. The words of the title of this work are taken from a traditional African American spiritual. This small book includes more than 40 inspirational readings that embody the struggles and triumphs of black Unitarian Universalists. Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life by bell hooks and Cornel West, South End Press, Boston, 1991. In this provocative and captivating dialogue, hooks and West grapple with dilemmas, contradictions, and joys of black intellectual life. Creating a spiritual, progressive, feminist, and ultimately organic definition of black intellectuality, they discuss issues ranging from theology and the Left, to contemporary music, film and fashion. Black Womanist Ethics by Katie G. Cannon, American Academy of Religion, Academy Series (No. 60), Scholars Press, Atlanta, 1988. A pioneering and multi-dimensional work, this study articulates the distinctive moral character of the Afro-American women's community. Beginning with a reconstructive history of the Afro-American woman's situation in America, the work traces the life and work of Zora Neale Hurston, and also examines the work of Howard Thurman and Martin Luther King, Jr. The Bluesman: The Musical Heritage of Black Men and Women in the Americas by Julio Finn, Interlink Books, New York, 1992. This is a study of the roots, spiritual, social and anthropological, of the Afro-American musical form known as the blues. It's a wide-ranging survey of the subject, embracing African animist religion, the slave trade, Voodoo, Hoodoo, the early country blues and its modern urban electric equivalent. African Culture: The Rhythms of Unity edited by Molefi Kete Asante and Kariamu Welsh Asante, Africa World Press, Trenton, NJ, 1990. Covers Afrocentrism and African dance and African American spirituality. Double Stitch: Black Women Write About Mothers and Daughters with poems, stories, and essays by Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, June Jordan, Sonia Sanchez, and others, Beacon Press, Boston, 1991. The book is divided into parts along the themes of quilting: Threading the Needle — Beginnings; Piecing Blocks — Identities; Stitching Memories — Herstories; Fraying Edges — Tensions; Binding the Quilt — Generations; and Loosening the Threads — Separations.
The following books cover quilting and african textiles: African Designs from Traditional Sources by Geoffrey Williams, Dover Publications, New York, 1971. Dover Pictorial Archive Series: 378 linocut prints capture the power of the originals. Stitching Memories: African-American Story Quilts by Eva Ungar Grudin, Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MA, 1990.
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Session Five: African American Who'd A Thought It: Improvisation in African-American Quiltmaking by Eli Leon, with a preface by Robert Farris Thompson, San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum, 1987. Models in the Mind: African Prototypes in American Patchwork by Eli Leon, The Diggs Gallery and Winston-Salem State University, NC, 1992. Hands All Around: Making Cooperative Quilts by Judy Robbins and Gretchen Thomas, Prentice-Hall, New York, 1984. This is both a how-to and a sampler book. Highly recommended for group quiltmaking projects. Gretchen is a Unitarian Universalist Director of Religious Education. African Textiles by Christopher Spring, Crescent Books, New York, 1989. Large format (11" x 15") Poster Art Series has 40 full-color plates.
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Session Six: Asia – India
SESSION SIX: ASIA - INDIA DISCOVERIES ON THE JOURNEY We next arrive on the Asian sub-continent where we will experience our own feminine power, or Shakti. We will see an array of images of female deities, many who continue to be honored throughout much of Asia today. We will hear what some Hindus feel about the great Mother Goddess of India, Kali, who is loved by many. We will have an opportunity to reflect on our own feelings about darkness, fear and fearlessness, and take time to transform our fears and express our hopes.
CONTENTS Who Contributed? Why Kali? Why Shakti? Cultural Sensitivity Note Song: THE DARK Dialogue Questions Shakti Patterns Lessons the Goddess Teaches Mandalas, Yonis, and the Resurgence of the Feminine Spirit Nature of the Goddess in India Goddesses in Hinduism and Buddhism Women's Connection with the Soil in India Kali and the Tantric Tradition View of Kali Resources
WHO CONTRIBUTED? Shuma Chakravarty, a respected leader of the Vedanta Society, a Hindu religious order, shares her views in an excerpt from an interview with Kathleen Alexander-Berghom, an editor of WOMEN OF POWER magazine. Ms. Chakravarty is from Calcutta, a city in India where Kali is especially revered. Mary Grigolia is a Unitarian Universalist minister serving the Southwest Unitarian Universalist Church in Strongsville, Ohio. She received a Feminist Theology Award from the UUWF to produce the songbook COMMITMENT TO A VISION, a collection of songs she has written. This songbook contains "The Dark" which is sung during this session and also included on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. Mary is interested in building the UU movement, spreading the word that we are a dynamic religious and spiritual alternative. She is a singer-songwriter, graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California, the mother of two young men, and partner to Amanda Aikman, also a UU minister. See the section "Recommended Music and Songbooks" in this SOURCEBOOK for how to obtain Mary's songbook and CD.
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Session Six: Asia – India Peggy Leedberg, an active member of the Women and Religion Committee of the Massachusetts Bay District, contributed research and ideas during the early development of this session. Peggy is a regional trainer for leaders of RISE UP. She has had extensive experience in convening women's spirituality activities. Caroline Finch suggested the Kali Fire ritual included in this session. Please see the Contributors List in Session 7 for a more extensive biographical note about Caroline. Terri Hawthorne, a Unitarian Universalist for over 20 years, contributed the last image in the video segment accompanying this session, which is also the cover of a beautiful book she coproduced with two other women entitled STARS IN YOUR BONES: EMERGING SIGNPOSTS ON OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS. Julia Barkley painted the image DANCE OF SHAKTI, CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE and Terri's words are used as the narration that accompanies this image. Terri is an educator and writer who has explored the correlations between Earth-based traditions and the newest scientific findings.
WHY KALI? Among those interested in female divine imagery, Kali is one of the most interpreted goddesses. For many western women, Kali has become a metaphor for their feelings of anger and frustration which can sometimes distort what she seems to mean to Hindus who worship her as part of their religious practice. For this reason, the exploration of what Kali means in this session of RISE UP is centered on remarks made by an East Indian woman who honors Kali as part of her religious practice.
WHY SHAKTI? The power of the Shakti concept and Mandala has come to the attention of many feminists who are interested in female empowering religious imagery. It is also an integral component of some ancient and contemporary religious practices popular in India.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY It is important to be aware that there is a diversity of qualities attributed to the Goddess Kali, some of which are contradictory. Keep in mind RISE UP & CALL HER NAME is purposefully concentrating on woman-honoring interpretations of religious imagery which are presented by individuals who practice these traditions.
SONG: THE DARK by Mary Grigolia Words and Music by Mary Grigolia. This song first appeared in the songbook entitled COMMITMENT TO A VISION a collection of songs written by Mary Grigolia. Copyright 1988. Recorded on RISE UP MUSIC CD by Mary Grigolia. Used by permission. I sing to the light that I see out the door, and it's dark, dark inside.
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Session Six: Asia – India I sing for the challenges this path has in store, and it's dark, dark inside. CHORUS: Oh the darkness takes courage, the darkness takes time, living in the darkness brings a different state of mind, the darkness knows healing, the darkness knows change, Oh, Mother darkness I return to you again. I sing for the friendship that seems to have died, and it's dark, dark inside. I sing for forgiveness, God knows how hard I tried, and it's dark, dark inside. CHORUS I sing to the curtain surrounding my fear, and it's dark, dark inside. I'm breathing the grief I've been holding for years, and it's dark, dark inside. CHORUS I sing for the patience to learn how to spin, and it's dark, dark inside. I sing to remember that still small voice within, and it's dark, dark inside. CHORUS I sing to the void that embraced me with love, and it's dark, dark inside. The one who enfolds me below and above, and it's dark, dark inside. CHORUS
DIALOGUE QUESTIONS •
What were your experiences with the dark when you were a child — both affirming and disempowering ones?
•
How do you envision fearlessness? How would you see yourself acting if you were fearless?
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LESSONS THE GODDESS TEACHES Rita Gross in her essay "Hindu Female Deities as a Resource for the Contemporary Rediscovery of the Goddess," appearing in THE BOOK OF THE GODDESS PAST AND PRESENT edited by Carl Olson, argues that the symbol of the Goddess has five lessons to teach modern Westerners. 1. The Goddess's obvious strength, capability, and transcendence validate the power of women as women that has been denied in Western religion and culture. 2. Goddess symbolism involves the coincidence of opposites — of death and life, destruction and creativity — that reminds humans of the finitude of life and points to its transcendent ground. 3. Goddess religion values motherhood as symbolic of divine creativity, but without limiting female power to biological destiny. 4. Goddess symbolism also associates women with a wide range of culturally valued phenomena, including wealth, prosperity, culture, artful living, and spiritual teaching. 5. The Goddess requires the explicit reintroduction of sexuality as a religious metaphor in a symbol system where God is imaged as both male and female.
MANDALAS, YONIS AND RESURGENCE OF THE FEMININE SPIRIT Excerpted from the book KALI: THE FEMININE FORCE by Ajit Mookerjee, 1988, Thames and Hudson, Ltd., London, published by Destiny Books, New York. Ajit Mookerjee was a distinguished author of several books on the spiritual traditions of India. Many mandalas or geometric patterns are drawn as pictures to aid meditation. These often feature the yoni triangle. The downward pointing triangle is the yoni-yantra, the sign of feminine energy and the Great Goddess. There is also a belief that the feminine yoni triangle interacts spiritually with the masculine triangle, the vahni, which points up. The shakti or yoni triangle, however, from which all life emanates, is central to a shakti design. Mookerjee feels the development of the pan-Indian Shakti movement, from its deep and ancient roots to its presentday expansion, is a great non-violent resurgence of the feminine spirit such as the world has never seen.
NATURE OF THE GODDESS IN INDIA Excerpted from an unpublished paper by Elinor Gadon, Ph.D., entitled SACRED PLACES OF INDIA: THE BODY OF THE GODDESS. Elinor Gadon is Director of the Women's Spirituality program at California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco. In a tradition that dates back to 3000 B.C.E. and earlier, the Mother Goddess religion, in which female divinities predominate constituted the indigenous religious beliefs of the prehistoric
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Session Six: Asia – India period. She is the Power that creates and destroys, the womb from which all things proceed and to which all return. In many parts of India, megalithic domes are built as wombs, and their entrances resemble the Great Mother's yonic passage. Cave sanctuaries are identified with the womb of Mother Earth. The Sanskrit word for a sanctuary means womb-chamber. In India today, every village has its Mother-Goddess, sacred to that place, with her own name and her own story. Her residence is often marked by a humble stone or a tree stained with the red color of the Goddess. It is here that her devotees come with their petitions and offerings. Although her powers are specific to that locality, she is linked to the greater pan-Indian Great Mother.
GODDESSES IN HINDUISM AND BUDDHISM Excerpted from WOMEN, AUSPICIOUS AND DIVINE: IMAGES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA AND INDIA, notes by Dr. Nancy Hock, curator of Southeast Asian Art, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. These notes accompanied an exhibit in 1991 by the same name at this institution. Hinduism, a polytheistic religion that originated in India but extended to Southeast Asia by the fifth and sixth centuries C.E., had its roots in the Vedic texts, written from 1500 to 800 B.C.E. Hinduism grew and evolved through the incorporation of local deities into its pantheon. This process can be followed, in part, in the Puranic literature of the fourth through the sixth centuries C.E. in which we see both the Vedic gods and village deities redefined as Hindu gods and goddesses. The rise of Shaktism firmly established Goddess worship within Hinduism. With the rise of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism in the fifth through the seventh centuries C.E., Buddhists incorporated the idea of the feminine principle which they called prajna, or wisdom.
WOMEN'S CONNECTION WITH THE SOIL IN INDIA Excerpted from an article by Indian activist Vandana Shiva entitled "Time is Out of Joint" in the magazine RESURGENCE. In India, the soil itself is considered the mother of the community. As the people see it, the soil where they live is their home, the home of their ancestors, and the home of future generations. They are one with The Mother. Because of this, to save the trees of their village, indigenous women whose families have lived on the land for centuries have actually chained themselves to their trees to protect them from being cut down. One word keeps echoing and reverberating in the songs and slogans of people struggling in India against development. The word is "mati" — soil. Soil, for most struggling people, is not just a resource. It provides the very meaning of their being. The soil is still, for large segments of Indian society, a sacred mother. Soil has embodied the ecological and spiritual home for most cultures. It is the womb not just for the reproduction of biological life but also of cultural and spiritual life. It epitomizes all the sources of sustenance. It is "home" in the deepest sense. Soil is the cultural and spiritual space which constitutes memory, myths, stories, songs that make the daily life of the community.
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Session Six: Asia – India
KALI AND THE TANTRIC TRADITION Excerpted from the essay "Kali, The Mad Mother" by C. Mackenzie Brown, appearing in THE BOOK OF THE GODDESS, PAST AND PRESENT, edited by Carl Olson. C. Mackenzie Brown is professor of Religious Studies at Trinity University, Texas, and author of GOD AS MOTHER — THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FEMININE THEOLOGY IN INDIA AND RADHA, WIFE AND MISTRESS: A STUDY OF RADHA DEVOTIONALISM THROUGH THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. NOTE: This essay provides an interesting perspective on the various interpretations of Kali and the role of Tantric writings, which are woman-honoring, as opposed to other, womandeprecating descriptions of Kali. On a higher, transcendent level, Kali's horrific, terrifying nature comes to be seen as symbolic of her power to destroy maya-induced ignorance, to shatter the delusions of ego. Accordingly, her destructive energies, on this highest level, are seen as a vehicle of salvation and ultimate transformation. The black Goddess is death: but to the wise, she is also the death of death. To the liberated sage, her character is wholly benign. Only to the ignorant does she appear terrifying, and with reason, for she threatens destruction of the ego/individual at every moment. It is hardly surprising, then, that Kali comes to be seen as one of the most important aspects of Shakti, the supreme essence of the universal Goddess. In summary, the esoteric interpretation of Kali in the Tantra stresses three aspects. On the cosmic level, Kali is the supreme controlling power bringing forth and withdrawing the universe; she is not really a destroyer, for nothing is absolutely destroyed; the world appears, disappears, and reappears. On the ultimate level, Kali is the one nondual reality, identical with Brahman, formless and beyond all qualities; or, from a slightly different perspective; she is one with Shiva, the two forming the polar aspects of the universe that at the highest level dissolve in perfect unity. And on the salvific level, Kali is the transforming-liberating power that breaks through all illusion, destroying the finite to reveal the infinite.
VIEW OF KALI Excerpts from the article "Kali, the Savior" by Lina Gupta, appearing in the book AFTER PATRIARCHY: FEMINIST TRANSFORMATION OF WORLD RELIGIONS.
THE MYTH OF KALI Atop the golden peak of a mighty mountain, the Goddess (Devi) Durga appeared mounted on her lion. Seeing the smiling Durga, the demons Canda and Munda approached with their army to seize her. Realizing she was about to be attacked, Durga became enraged, her face became as black as ink, and suddenly the Goddess Kali appeared from her forehead with protruding fangs, a gaping mouth, and a lolling tongue. With a fierce roar she tore the demons into pieces with her hands, crushing and devouring them and their horses. In this magnificent myth depicted in the Devi Mahatmya (otherwise known as Durga Saptasati) Durga is an unconquerable, invincible warrior-maiden, incarnated out of the collective wrath of
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Session Six: Asia – India all the gods joined in a council to save the world from the demons (Devi Mahatmya 7.3-22). In Durga we have a manifestation of the Dark Goddess known to Hinduism as Kali. Who is this Goddess? Is she merely another projection of the hostility and masculine fear of the feminine that characterizes patriarchal traditions within Hinduism and many of the other world faiths? Or does the Goddess embody traits that can be a source of social and spiritual liberation for all women and men? Is she the mythic Great Mother whose symbolism depends on male fascination with female biology, or is she the Goddess who represents the ultimate principle of Hinduism that transcends any form of duality? I argue that we can understand her in either of these ways, and that we can and must emphasize the latter understanding if we are to move into a healthier, more just world after patriarchy.
POST-PATRIARCHAL IMAGE OF KALI The evidence that the systematic subjugation of women has often been sanctioned by mythological stories, symbols, and images in world religions is too overwhelming to overlook. However, we have reached a point in history when it is simply not enough merely to recognize and analyze the patriarchal mindset and its effects on our religious and social lives. It is essential for us to seek new forms of religious experience and expression, either through the reinterpretation and reconstruction of our traditions or through alternative models of Ultimate Reality that will emphasize as well as include female experience. In search of an alternative, feminists have realized the overwhelming need for women to identify personally with positive images and role models, models that can reassert the importance of the "feminine" in all religious experience. I believe that Hinduism does indeed contain a model and image that could be used to fit the needs of today's women, and that this model lies at the very heart of Hinduism itself. This image centers on the Goddess Kali and her many manifestations. I also believe this image must be extricated from patriarchal interpretations and understandings that have clouded its essential meaning even while tapping into — and using — the many layers of meaning that surround it. In part, such extrication must occur using a method similar to that of Rosemary Ruether, in which feminists select as resources those aspects of tradition that support the well-being of women (and men). In part, such extrication involves re-appropriating the essential messages of the scriptures as those messages are made clear in the Tantric writings.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF KALI Looking back, I realize how important Kali was to me. As far as I can remember, both daily worship of Kali at home and weekly visits to the Daksineshwar temple with my parents were part of my life. As a child I saw Kali as something to fear, but also something inspiring and empowering. At the temple I watched as people — male and female, old and young, sick and healthy — joined together in worship, waiting patiently to see their beloved goddess at least once. It was incredible to see the joy and reverence expressed at the slightest hint that the temple door would open.
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Session Six: Asia – India KALI AND THE MEANING OF DARKNESS Darkness absorbs all colors. In this sense Kali represents a totality that transcends all forms of duality and separation. Kali's dark complexion possibly indicates her ancient origin as a tribal fertility goddess worshipped by the dark-skinned indigenous people who populated India prior to the Aryan invasion. Her dark color apparently suggests her connection to the Earth and its fertility and therefore establishes her as the Great Mother. The universal devaluation of women could be explained in terms of the assumption that women are closer to the Earth than men; it is natural, in this thinking, for men to dominate and subjugate women just as one tries to dominate the Earth. In this view, the dark Kali reflects a reality to be dominated, as women (and wives) must be dominated by men (their husbands).
KALI AS CREATOR AND SHAKTI In spite of the description of Kali or Shakti as the consort-wife of Shiva, understood in her highest form — that is, understood as the Ultimate One — she is his creator. As Adyasakti she is primordial energy itself; she is the Brahman existing before creation. In the later Shakti phase the Devi, the Goddess, is transformed into the eternally existing, all-powerful female principle who in her concrete form is often personified as Kali or Durga. Shakti, Devi, or Kali is thus the Brahman manifested in its mother aspect as the Creator and sustainer of the world. As Shakti, Kali grants prosperity and prowess to her devotees. The sound s in Shakti stands for welfare and prosperity and kti refers to prowess. As Shakti she is the embodiment as well as the giver of this blessing. In her ultimate unity with Brahman, Kali is creator and sustainer, as well as destroyer of the world. Kali, the personification of Shakti, the female principle of creation, is present in all. All of creation therefore embodies some aspect of her femaleness.
KALI'S ANGER Kali's anger is an expression of a deep, long-buried emotion, a character trait that symbolizes deep emotional response to her situations and surroundings. She is not simply malevolent. Her "terrifying howls" are also a demand for equality where femininity is equated with meekness and subservience, since such anger is the only language that can be heard.
KALI AS FORCE OF LIBERATION Furthermore, she associates with the sudras (lowest cast). Sudras, according to the social stratification of the Hindu caste system, fall at the bottom of the social structure and lack any possibility of ever transcending that role and status in one lifetime. Consequently, they are looked down upon by the rest of the community. Social stratification becomes counterproductive because it segregates and separates people and ultimately leads to oppression and bondage. Kali's companionship with the sudras throws an interesting insight on her rebellion against any structure that is oppressive in any form, and on her determination to reverse that destructive order. Narendra N. Bhattacharya articulates this view very clearly: A constant characteristic of the Shakti religion, which we must not overlook or underestimate, is that throughout the ages the Female Principle stood for oppressed peoples, symbolizing all the liberating potentialities in the
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Session Six: Asia – India class-divided, patriarchal, and authoritarian social set-up of India, the rigidity of which was mainly responsible for the survival and development of the opposite principles represented mainly by Shaktism (Bhattacharya, 165).
KALI AS FREEDOM FROM EGO AND SEPARATION According to Tantric interpretations, Kali represents, not only to women but to all people, a way of facing and transcending any limitation, whether the limitation is self-created or imposed by others, thus offering a way of liberating tradition itself from its patriarchal bias. Breaking away from existent structures, stereotypes, and limitations necessitates facing an unknown and uncertain future. Similarly, the freedom and absolute liberation, which Kali signifies, goes beyond the restrictions imposed on our understanding, on our perception and energy; it implies freedom from one's ego and from one's attachment to particularity and separateness. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Lina Gupta is assistant professor and lecturer with the Department of Asian Studies at California State University in Long Beach and Northridge. She received her Ph.D. in Asian and Comparative Philosophy from Claremont Graduate School and her Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Calcutta, India. She has participated in numerous conferences on Women in Religion, Asian and Comparative Philosophy, and Advaita Vedanta. Her publications include articles on Samskara, Buddhism, and Sikhism.
RESOURCES "The Buddhist Female Deities" by Eleanor Olson appearing in The Goddess Re-awakening compiled by Shirley Nicholson, Quest Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1989. "Kali, the Savior" by Lina Gupta, appearing in the Book After Patriarchy: Feminist Transformation of World Religions edited by Paula M. Cooey, William R. Eakin and Jay B. McDaniel, published by Orbis Press, Maryknoll, New York, 1991. This collection of essays is a ground breaking effort well worth reading. "Time is Out of Joint" by Vandana Shiva in Resurgence Magazine, Sept/October 1990. Kali: The Feminine Force by Ajit Mookerjee, Destiny Books, New York, 1988. Profusely illustrated, this book covers Shakti worship, and Kali as the Divine Mother. The Sculpture of Indonesia by Jan Fontein, Harry N. Abrams, New York, 1990. This heavily illustrated museum publication accompanied the traveling exhibition sponsored by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Stars in Your Bones: Emerging Signposts on Our Spiritual Journeys by Alla Bozarth, Julia Barkley and Terri Hawthorne, North Star Press, St. Cloud, MN, 1990. To order this book, write to North Star Press, P.O.Box 451, St. Cloud, Minnesota 56302. This book is a moving combination of the work of three women — Alla Bozarth, a poet, Julia Barkley, a painter, and
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Session Six: Asia – India Terri Hawthorne, a teacher, philosopher and scholar. The four color renderings of Julia's paintings set in combination with Alla's poetry and placed in context by Terri's commentary provide a rich experience. Woman of Power magazine has been published for ten years and carries many articles as well as literary and artistic works by and about woman of all cultures. It is published quarterly by Woman of Power, Inc., P. O. Box 2785, Orleans, MA 02653. Tel: (508) 240-7877. These five articles relate to material in this session. (The issues are identified by number, not date.) "Where Goddesses Walk the Earth: Some Cultural Images of Indian Women" by Sohaila Abdulali (Issue Four). "The Dark Devi: An Interview with Shuma Chakravarty" by Kathleen AlexanderBerghorn (Issue Eight). "The Embrace of the Mother Goddess" by Phoebe Phelps (Issue Fifteen). "Searching for the Goddess" by Chitra Divakaruni (Issue Fifteen). "Sky Dancer" by Tsultrim Allione (Issue Fifteen). "Shakti: The Essence of the World" by Heinrich Zimmer, PARABOLA magazine, (Vol. 5, No. 4). (Volumes are identified by number, not date.) Mother Worship edited by James J. Preston, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1982. See sections on "The Great Goddess in South Asia" and "The Divine Feminine in Southeast Asia." The Once and Future Goddess: A Symbol for Our Time subtitled, "A Sweeping Visual Chronicle of the Sacred Female and Her Reemergence in the Cultural Mythology of Our Time" by Elinor W. Gadon, Harper San Francisco, 1989.
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SESSION SEVEN: ASIA - CHINA DISCOVERIES ON THE JOURNEY As we continue our journey through Asia, we meet Tara, or "She who liberates." A variety of visual images continues to reveal the wide range of female-honoring imagery emanating from this area of the globe. Intuitive insight, so important to Taoism, becomes the focus of our exploration of this classic religious system. We take a few moments to consider the power of meditation as it is practiced in several religions of Asia. The quality of compassion, which is embodied in the Goddesses Tara and Kuan Yin, is given expression.
CONTENTS Who Contributed? Why Tara and Kwan Yin? Cultural Sensitivity Note Chant: OM TARA Tao Te Ching - #21 Dance: KWAN ZEON BOSAI Dances of Universal Peace Tara Devi and Tara Thoughts on Tara Taoism Bodhisattvas Queen Mother of the West Tao As Great Mother The Truth of Inter-Relatedness in Buddhism Buddhism After Patriarchy Resources
WHO CONTRIBUTED? Caroline Finch has been an active member of the Palo Alto Unitarian Universalist Church for over 10 years where, as well as serving on many committees, she manages the Church bookshop. She is active in the Pacific Central District Women and Religion Task Force which she has coconvened for three years. During her lifetime journey, two tools she has used in her search for her own sacred feminine stand out as vital to her spiritual growth and practice. These are: Vipassana (Mindfulness) Buddhist Meditation and Cross-cultural Earth-based spiritual studies. Caroline is co-leader of the PCD leader training for RISE UP & CALL HER NAME. Allyson Rickard is a Unitarian Universalist who has been active for several years in the First Unitarian Church of Oakland. She has taken leadership roles in a variety of Pacific Central District (PCD) committees, including Starr King Seminary Community Programming, Stebbins Institute, PCD Spirit Camp, and PCD Leadership School. She has also studied a variety of
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Session Seven: Asia – China Earth-based traditions. Allyson has made several significant contributions to the content of RISE UP & CALL HER NAME has served on the final revision committee, and is co-leader of PCD leader training for this curriculum. dawn rose is a Unitarian Universalist who also practices Tibetan Buddhism. A more extended biographical note accompanies her essay "Thoughts on Tara" included in this section of the SOURCEBOOK. Sue Ying Lee Mossman, Beverly Allen, and Mary Thelander, participants in activities of The Women and Religion Task Force of the Pacific Central District performed much of the original research for the Session 7 and 8. Sue contributed a personal statement to Session 8. Sue and Bev are currently active members of the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship where they both have been members for over twenty years. Bev is serving as co-President of the Fellowship in 1994-95. Nancy Vedder-Shults, music consultant for RISE UP, originally suggested inclusion of OM TARA and KWAN ZEON BOSAI.
WHY TARA AND KUAN YIN? Tara and Kuan Yin are among the most commonly honored female deities throughout Asia. They appear in a variety of forms, depending on the culture that reveres them. Both carry qualities and powers that, in many Asian cultures, are held in high esteem — especially by the women.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY Traditional eastern religious practices require much discipline. It is important to remember that people who spend considerable time carrying out religious rituals feel great reverence for all their religious activities. When taking part in any activity that relates to a traditional practice, it is important to honor the spirit of devotion that more traditional practitioners demand of themselves.
CHANT: OM TARA Arrangement from SONGS OF THE EARTH by Anna Kealoha; used by permission; sung by Nancy Vedder-Shults and friends on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. An expanded version is available on the CD CHANTS FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. Om Tara Tu Tara Om Tara Tu Tara
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TAO TE CHING - #21 From TAO TE CHING translated by Stephen Mitchell. The Master keeps her mind always at one with the Tao; that is what gives her radiance. The Tao is ungraspable. How can her mind be at one with it? Because she doesn't cling to ideas. The Tao is dark and unfathomable. How can it make her radiant? Because she lets it. Since before time and space were, the Tao is. It is beyond is and is not. How do I know this is true? I look inside myself and see.
DANCE: KWAN ZEON BOSAI Copyright 1975/1990 S.I.R.S./Center for the Dances of Universal Peace, 444 Northeast Raven Blvd. #306, Seattle, WA 98115, (206)522-4353. Reprinted by permission. Sung on the RISE UP MUSIC CD by Nancy Vedder-Shults and friends. Also available on the CD CHANTS FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. Kwan Ze-on Bo-sai Kwan Ze-on Bo-sai Kwan Ze-on Bo-sai Kwan Ze-on Bo
DANCES OF UNIVERSAL PEACE In the early 1970s, the Dances of Universal Peace, originally created by Samuel L. Lewis, were first introduced to the public in a little booklet entitled INTRODUCTION TO SPIRITUAL DANCE AND WALK. These dances have been revised, renamed, and expanded upon. Several volumes of DANCES OF UNIVERSAL PEACE as well as other related books and CDs are available from PeaceWorks, Center for The Dances of Universal Peace, 444 Northeast Ravenna Blvd. #306, Seattle, Washington 98115; Tel: (206) 522-4353. From the book SPIRITUAL DANCE AND WALK: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE DANCES OF UNIVERSAL PEACE AND WALKING MEDITATIONS OF SAMUEL L. LEWIS: Lewis's original vision of the "Dance of Universal Peace" was to communicate not only the universality of mystical experience behind all religious traditions, but also the importance of bringing to the world "peace through the arts."
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Session Seven: Asia – China Samuel Lewis dedicated the first Dances of Universal Peace to his sacred dance teacher, Ruth St. Denis, and gives her equal credit, with Hazrat Inayat Khan, for their inspiration. Ruth St. Denis, one of the pioneers of modern American dance (being a teacher of Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey), devoted most of her life to investigating forms of sacred dance that would transform both worship and the arts. It was from her that Samuel Lewis caught the importance of revisioning a form of American sacred dance which can be shared in groups. The Dances have also been given to the world to be "danced free forever." They now play a large part in many gatherings devoted to peace on Earth. Dances of Universal Peace have been shared in groups throughout the English-speaking world, Costa Rica, Mexico, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, France, the old Yugoslavia (now partitioned), Turkey, Pakistan, and India.
TARA Excerpted from the essay "The Buddhist Female Deities" by Eleanor Olson appearing in the book THE GODDESS RE-AWAKENING compiled by Shirley Nicholson. Tara is one of the most important female deities of Southern Asia. She is honored in Buddhism, particularly in Tibet and Nepal, although she is sometimes adopted as a Hindu deity in India. She is one of the first feminine deities to enter Mahayana Buddhism. Tara, the Savioress, appearing in the second century, is the epiphany of the Great Mother whose worship had in ancient times extended over a vast Afro-Aegean-Asian territory and who has always been worshipped by the pre-Aryan population of India. Tara is also honored as the "Mother of the Buddhas." White and Green Taras are both seen as compassionate saviors of all beings. She is considered "She who liberates." BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Eleanor Olson (1905-1982) was Curator Emeritus of the Oriental Collections of the Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey, and made a special study of Buddhist, and especially Tibetan Buddhist art and religion. She is author of a five-volume catalogue of the Newark Museum's famous Tibetan collection and a catalogue of Tantric Buddhist Art published by the China Institute in America, New York. She also contributed many articles to museum and art journals.
DEVI AND TARA Excerpted from the essay "Kali, the Savior" by Lina Gupta, appearing in the book AFTER PATRIARCHY: FEMINIST TRANSFORMATION OF WORLD RELIGIONS: She is also called the Devi, the goddess, literally "the self-manifested one." The term devi comes from the root div meaning "the shining one." That is, Devi is someone who shines through all that has been imposed upon her. She is also referred to as Asita which means that she is free from bondage (sita is "bound"; asita, "unbounded" or "ultimately liberated"). She is called Kalika, "a long-standing cloud threatening to rain." She is Tara, "the savior." She saves the world from all forms of oppression.
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THOUGHTS ON TARA by dawn rose Morning sunrise lights the way to the altar. Offering bowls are filled with water and grains, incense is lit and candle light offered to Tara, benevolent and compassionate mother of all Victorious Ones. I bow and sit to begin the daily practice, renewing my Bodhisattva vows to work for the benefit of all beings. I then go for refuge to Arya Tara, embodiment of pure awareness. I try to imagine Tara as a source of ultimate comfort and strength. As I generate these thoughts, I imagine the Goddess Tara appearing before me and I evoke from her forehead, throat and heart a stream of rainbow light. This light touches me and all other living beings, purifying the fruit of negative action. Like dew in the morning sun I imagine that all obstacles dissolve and merit, wisdom, glory, wealth and longevity increase beyond measure. Chanting my prayers and mantra, I ready myself to enter the stage of transformation into the wisdom body of the Goddess herself. As I rest in this meditative state of natural awareness, I will attempt to hold the perception of pure phenomena as much as possible throughout the day. I end by dedicating the merit and virtue of the practice to the welfare and benefit of all sentient beings and close with the Auspicious Wish for all.
OM TARE TAM SO HA The Goddess Tara is viewed by some to be a Bodhisattva, Mother Goddess, and Tantric Deity. As a Bodhisattva she, upon attaining Perfect Enlightenment, made the commitment to work for the benefit of all until all beings attain enlightenment. She also committed to work for the benefit of all, forever, in the form of a woman. As a Mother Goddess, she is an expression of the Feminine archetype which resides in the mind and psyche of us all, both male and female. She holds reign in the Underworld controlling the nagas and guardians of the hell realms and oversees the underworld states of the human psyche: greed, anger and hatred. Residing in the wild places of nature, Tara is in relationship with plants, animals, and the mud of Earth itself and as a Tantric Deity she is latent within the mind of all and is revealed through empowerment and practice of Vajrayana Yoga. However, the true essence of Tara is revealed within the context of her ritual which is daily enacted by her devotees. She is most available as a personal deity and appears as one of the most trusted and revered images in the Tibetan Buddhist practice. Tara appears most often seated in a posture of royal ease upon a throne of lotus and moon. In the Twenty-One Tara practice she sits surrounded by twenty-one aspects each manifesting an aspect of the divine nature of Tara. In these twenty-one aspects she appears as a swift and heroic deity capable of hindering demons, defeating diseases and evil spirits, taming ghosts, dispelling poverty and granting the highest life and good fortune to her aspirants. As a Western woman practicing in the Tibetan Vajrayana path, I find in this practice the opportunity for relationship with a consciousness which transcends both the Buddhist and Tibetan forms of which the practice is constructed. Tara, though she is portrayed as a Tibetan Goddess in outer form, calls to recognition inner aspects of courage, strength, love and compassion; all aspects of the divine. Through this practice I experience a direct and personal
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Session Seven: Asia – China relationship with my own divinity and know intimately the power of transformation offered by such recognition.
BODY, SPEECH AND MIND Tara ritual and practice is a profound manifestation of both inner and outer realization of the creation of sacred space which honors and values all aspects of the whole and requires the integration of oneself with the divine not as a personal achievement, but on behalf of all life. Because we tend to focus on and to value the "material," it is important that the practice of recognition and integration with the divine begin with the mundane. The creation of the altar to the Goddess is an act which celebrates all life and calls one into relationship with the worldly out of recognition of the sacred. Water, earth, air and fire are all offered to the Goddess because they are the cornerstones of all life itself. In this act of ritual, a mandala of the universe is held in form through recognition of the divine in the elementals and ourselves as well. As one progresses through the ritual, body, speech and mind are all transformed through the intent and will of the practitioner who, through the use of mantra, enlightened speech and visualization, and enlightened mind brings the totality of the human form into relationship with the Goddess herself. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE For ten years, dawn rose served as Director of Religious Education at two Unitarian Universalist Societies in California. Coincidental with being a UU, she practices Tibetan Buddhism. She also engages in a variety of artistic activities that combine art and ritual.
TAOISM The Tao Te Ching is a book of approximately 5000 words written in the sixth century B.C.E. by a gifted Chinese scholar, Lao Tzu. There are more than 50 translations of this book. Reading more than one translation may give you a wider insight into the essence of this unique religion.
BODHISATTVAS From the book SACRED TIBET by Philip Rawson: One of the most important attributes every practicing Buddhist cultivates is kindliness, which when pushed to the limit, develops into total compassion. In this, Buddhism is almost unique among the world's religions; only Jainism matches it. The Bodhisattvas are the archetypal personifications of such total compassion and of metaphysical insight. The Bodhisattva figure represents the last human stage before total Enlightenment of a Buddha-to-be.
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QUEEN MOTHER OF THE WEST Excerpts from TRANSCENDENCE AND DIVINE PASSION: THE QUEEN MOTHER OF THE WEST IN MEDIEVAL CHINA by Suzanne E. Cahill. This book examines the greatest Taoist Goddess of the T'ang dynasty (618-907), the Queen Mother of the West, Hsi Wang Mu, through the eyes of medieval Chinese people. Medieval Taoists considered the Queen Mother the embodiment of the ultimate yin, the dark female force who governed both immortality and the means by which it might be achieved. During a period of over two thousand years, the Queen Mother of the West goes through several transformations. She may begin as the Western Mother, an archaic directional deity who received sacrifices during the Bronze Age; a few centuries later we find references to cults to several Queen Mothers, who may be different goddesses with the same name. Records of the first century B.C.E. show her as the maternal savior of a messianic peasant cult as well as an object of worship among the elites. By the fifth or sixth century C.E., she reaches her mature form as a divine matriarch and teacher, the most honored goddess of the school of Taoism dominant among medieval literati. When we reach the Warring States period (403-221 B.C.E.), also known as the period of a hundred schools of philosophy, we leave the realm of wild speculation to stand on firmer textual ground. We must make a leap of over a thousand years — an intriguing but so far unexplained gap — from the Shang oracle bones to the next mention of the Queen Mother of the West. During this era, several traditions about a Goddess worshiped as the Queen Mother of the West emerge. They tell us more about her character and function than about actual cult practice. Various texts seem to describe several different goddesses, each called Hsi Wang Mu. Perhaps these deities represent different local cults and social strata. They include a teacher, a directional deity, spirits of holy mountains, a divine weaver, a shaman, and a Star Goddess. The texts in question have been claimed by early Taoism, Confucianism, and Legalism. By the end of the Warring States period, this constellation of different goddesses combines to form one being. During the Warring States period, works by philosophers and geographers show familiarity with the Queen Mother of the West as a mountain deity who dwelt in the exotic west, where she controlled immortality and heavenly asterism. As a powerful shaman, she joined human and divine realms in communication. The first reference to the Queen Mother after the oracle bones, and the first secure mention of her in any text, appears in an early classic of natural mysticism known as the Chuang-tzu. This work, dating to perhaps the third century B.C.E., was later incorporated into their canon by the Taoists, who revered it as a primary source of their beliefs. In a chapter entitled "Great Instructors," the author of the Chuang-tzu lists beings who had attained the Tao or the Way. He characterized the Way as invisible and immanent, preceding and outlasting Heaven and Earth, underlying yet extending beyond the cosmos. One passage reads: "The Queen Mother of the West obtained it and took up her seat at Shao kuang. No one knows her beginning; no one knows her end." The author of the Chuang-tzu ranks her with the high gods of antiquity who possess divine powers and immortality conferred by the Way. Aside from listing her as a teacher, the passage gives no indication that she communicates with humans. Perhaps she is a silent model who instructs by example, like the sun and moon.
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Session Seven: Asia – China BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Suzanne E. Cahill is a Lecturer in Chinese history at the University of California, San Diego.
TAO AS GREAT MOTHER Excerpted from the essay "Tao as the Great Mother and the Influence of Motherly Love in the Shaping of Chinese Philosophy" by Ellen Marie Chen. The author comments: "My purpose in writing this commentary is to recover the archaic vision of the TAO TE CHING, a vision which was already blurred at the time of Confucius (551-479 B. C.E.)." Of all ancient Chinese classics, the TAO TE CHING stands alone in explicitly speaking of Tao as the Mother of the world. All symbols of the Great Mother — dark, night, chasm, cave, abyss, valley, depths, womb — are present in the descriptions of Tao. Tao is the empty vessel, the bellows, the dark unborn, preceding all gods, the mystical female which is the door of heaven and earth, the mother, the hen, the mare, the Great Mother. Tao is also water that nourishes and benefits all things, the valley that nourishes and benefits all things, and the valley that is productive due to its lowliness. Tao as wu is the Archetypal Feminine which contains and produces all things from within its emptiness. Recently there has been speculation that the meaning of Tao in THE BOOK OF CHANGE and the TAO TE CHING originated from the worship of the moon. When we look deeper, we find that the duality of male and female in the I Ching is founded on a unity. I, Tao, or the Great Ultimate (t'ai chi) is represented by an empty circle, which as the Great Round is a familiar symbol of the Great Mother. Thus the I Ching's celebration of love between Heaven and Earth is founded ultimately on the fertile productive activity issuing from the Eternal Mother as the Great Round. Then this great round bifurcated into a duality of yin and yang. Eventually the yang became strong and dominant, and we have the I Ching since Chou times as a text which celebrates the creative power of the male. I believe the I Ching has undergone a long history of evolution, reflective of the evolution of consciousness in China. There is a significant lead in the Li Chi that Confucius once discovered an earlier version of the I Ching, called the K'un Ch'ien, in which the feminine power was given priority. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Ellen Chen lectures and teaches on the subject of Taoism and oriental philosophy. She has written numerous articles for various journals, including PHILOSOPHY EAST AND WEST and HISTORY OF RELIGIONS. She is currently a Professor of Philosophy at St. John's University in Jamaica, New York. She has completed her own translation of the TAO TE CHING, with extensive commentary, published in 1989 by Paragon House.
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THE TRUTH OF INTERRELATEDNESS IN BUDDHISM Excerpted from the essay by Stephanie Kaza entitled "Acting with Compassion: Buddhism, Feminism, and the Environmental Crisis" that appeared in the book ECOFEMINISM AND THE SACRED Edited by Carol J. Adams, Continuum, New York, 1993 where she referenced David Kalupahana's book THE PRINCIPLES OF BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY, State University of New York Press, Albany, N.Y., 1987. The fundamental law in Buddhism is the Law of Dependent Co-Arising: that all events and beings are interdependent and interrelated. The universe is described as a mutually causal web of relationship, each action and individual contributing to the nature of many others. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Stephanie Kaza, Ph.D., M. Div., assistant professor of Environmental Studies, teaches feminist and environmental ethics at the University of Vermont. She has been a student of Zen Buddhism for sixteen years, training in the area of engaged Buddhism and social action.
BUDDHISM AFTER PATRIARCHY The following commentary is based on excerpts from the article "Buddhism after Patriarchy?" by Rita Gross appearing in THE BOOK OF THE GODDESS:
BUDDHISM In this essay, Gross asks the question whether there can be a post-patriarchal form of Buddhism. She admits that Buddhism has frequently been interpreted as a world-denying religion, the goal of which is to cut all involvement in ordinary existence by means of radical denial of conventional concerns. She also admits that most forms of Buddhism still discriminate against women who would gladly enter into the non-conventional paths recommended by Buddhism. Gross feels, however, that some of the force of this interpretation results from Western misperceptions of Buddhism. She feels that Buddhism can be seen as a path to freedom within the world process rather than a freedom from the world process. To see Buddhism as providing freedom within the world is more compatible with post-patriarchal vision than the more familiar interpretation of Buddhism as freedom from the world. Gross takes the position that the Buddhist situation can also be discussed in terms that are quite similar to reformist Christian feminist theology. She feels the core teachings and concepts of the tradition are essentially egalitarian and liberating for all; the patriarchal overlay is unfortunate, but just that — an overlay that does not affect the heart of the teachings. Gross feels this patriarchal overlay can and should be cut immediately by righting past wrongs and belatedly granting women their rightful full participation in Buddhist institutions.
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Session Seven: Asia – China COMMUNITY Gross agrees with two basic theses of more recent feminist thought. She is willing to concede that there are real and profound differences between men's and women's cultures. She does not, however, regard these differences as inevitable or biologically based. She points out that a friend of hers once put the difference between women's and men's cultures succinctly, perhaps in an oversimplified and certainly very harsh fashion. "Men achieve identity through separation and women through relationship, which creates a lot of hell." She goes on to say that we live in a hyper-masculine society, a society in which alienation, loneliness, and lack of community have reached dangerous levels but are still tolerated and even encouraged — a society in which violence and separation receive more support and approval than nurturance and relationship. In patriarchal thought those same differences between women and men are also posited, though they are interpreted in a fashion detrimental to women, and are used to keep women in their very limited, private roles. Evaluated by less patriarchal standards, it becomes clear that these stereotypical women's values and concerns are, and always have been, essential to the well-being and survival of the species. Because they are so healthy and normative for humanity, one of the greatest needs of our time is for these values to enter the realms of public discourse rather than to be privatized and minimized. Stereotypical "feminine values" need to become the basis of public life and community; otherwise the rate of acceleration toward oblivion will only increase. So much that is wrong with the society, both on the macro- and the micro-levels, is clearly the result of too much separation, not enough relationship. In this situation the values of female culture need to become much more normative and universal. They are so profoundly human, humane, healing, and enlightening; in many ways and contexts. They are more helpful than the masculine values of isolation and aloneness.
CAN BUDDHISM BE EARTH-BASED? Gross feels the standard feminist observation and critique that Buddhism, like all the malecreated and male-dominated religions, shows little understanding of women's life cycles, bodies, or reproductive experience is appropriate. These topics are rarely discussed in classic sources, and if they are, the discussion is remote and of little use, obviously coming from someone who has no direct experience of them. They are never evaluated positively or as if they carry direct spiritual significance. The feminist response is to call for a revalorization of these experiences, stressing their dignity as well as their spiritual potential. This revalorization would encompass and include not only parenting but the entire round of domestic and worldly activities usually left behind by "serious Buddhists" and devalued even by lay Buddhist who see study and practice as their "real" Buddhist activity. Thus the feminist re-conceptualization calls for seeing "ordinary" activities as sacred — as spiritually significant. This call is an important challenge to the conventional religions, especially to those, including Buddhism, that have a long tradition of seeing spiritual discipline as an otherworldly and anti-worldly pursuit of freedom from the world. The feminist call is for nothing less than finding freedom in the world.
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Session Seven: Asia – China Additionally, our sensitivity to, appreciation of, and desire to care for our Earth will shine forth. Spiritual discipline will no longer encourage us to seek to leave her behind for a better world or to superimpose another purer visualized world upon her. To become sane, to live in community with each other and our earth is to experience freedom within the world. Who would want freedom from the world instead! Gross feels that Western Buddhism is also the only form of Buddhism subject to significant feminist influence and the most likely vanguard of Buddhism after patriarchy. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Rita Gross is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. A Buddhist, she has been active as a lecturer and panelist and has written extensively on Buddhism and feminism. She is the author and/or editor of several books. Her work BUDDHISM AND FEMINISM: TOWARD THEIR MUTUAL TRANSFORMATION is in progress.
RESOURCES The following list is a combination of resources relating to both Sessions 7 and 8. "Kuan Yin: Savior and Savioress in Chinese Pure Land Buddhism" by Diana Paul and "The Significance of Amaterasu in Japanese Religious History" by Kyoko Motomochi Nakamura in The Book of the Goddess Past and Present: An Introduction to Her Religion edited by Carl Olson, Crossroad, New York, 1983. Goddesses by Mayumi Oda, Volcano Press-Kazan Books, Volcano, Calif., 1981, 1988. Sensual art and journal writing express female vitality. Japanese American Women: Three Generations 1890-1990 by Mei Nakano, Mina Press, Berkeley, and National Japanese American Historical Society, San Francisco, 1990. A collection of intimate, telling incidents that add up to a compelling history. Tao Te Ching A New English Version translated by Stephen Mitchell, Harper Collins, New York, 1988. This translation seeks to capture the original meaning and to balance gender and, for these reasons, was excerpted in this curriculum. "Tao as the Great Mother and the Influence of Motherly Love in the Shaping of Chinese Philosophy" by Ellen Marie Chen, appearing in History of Religions edited by Mircea Eliade, August 1974, Volume 13, Number 1. Tao Te Ching by Ellen M. Chen, with extensive commentary, Paragon House, 1989. Professor Chen's new translations and commentary on the Tao Te Ching is the first to treat this sacred and influential collection of writings as religious philosophy, having as its central message the value of peace. "Buddhism after Patriarchy?" by Rita Gross in The Book of the Goddess edited by Carl Olson, Crossroad, 1987.
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Session Seven: Asia – China Chinese Women of America: A Pictorial History by Judy Yung, published for the Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco by University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1986. Examines the experience of Chinese women in America from 1834 to the present, utilizing oral history and photographs. "On Mirrors, Mists, and Murmurs — Toward an Asian American Thealogy" by Rita Nakashima Brock in Weaving the Visions: New Patterns in Feminist Spirituality by Judith Plaskow and Carol P. Christ, Harper, San Francisco, 1989. Grandmother Had No Name by Alice P. Lin, China Books, San Francisco, 1988. A personal narrative exploring the bond of womanhood that bridges East and West, that ties mothers and daughters of all cultures. The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1977. Revelations of life in present day America haunted by China and its past. Now a stage production of the Berkeley Repertory Theater. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, Putnam, New York, 1989. Courageous story of Chinese American women and the mystery of the mother-daughter bond. Now a motion picture available on video. The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan, Putnam, New York, 1991. The unfolding secrets take us back to a small island outside Shanghai in the 1920s and throughout China during World War Two, leading to America in 1949. Bodhisattva of Compassion: The Mystical Tradition of Kuan Yin by John Blofeld, Shambhala, Boston, 1988. This book shows the Indian and Tibetan roots of Kuan Yin, giving the Buddhist concepts and the sacred rites associated with Her. Turning the Wheel: American Women Creating the New Buddhism by Sandy Boucher, Beacon Press, Boston, 1988, 1993. This is a chronicle of the spiritual paths of Buddhist women in the United States. This book deals with a wide range of issues commented on by Rita Gross. See "Buddhism After Patriarchy" earlier in this SOURCEBOOK. Women in Buddhism: Images of the Feminine in the Mahayana Tradition by Diana Y. Paul, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1979, 1985. The author is concerned with the question of how Buddhist egalitarianism came to terms with its even stronger heritage of misogyny. She examines the problem of point of view of Mahayana texts, most of them translated by her directly from the Sanskrit and Chinese originals. The Divine Woman: Dragon Ladies and Rain Maidens in T'ang Literature by Edward H. Schafer with a foreword by Gary Snyder, North Point Press, San Francisco, 1980. Pleasurable stories about the medieval cult of the Great Water Goddess. Immortal Sisters: Secrets of Taoist Women translated and edited by Thomas Cleary, Shambhala, Boston, 1989. Includes poems and texts which gives insight into the spiritual methods used by these women and illustrates the prominence of the feminine in Taoism.
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Session Seven: Asia – China Transcendence & Divine Passion: The Queen Mother of the West in Medieval China by Suzanne E. Cahill, Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, 1993. This book examines the great Taoist Goddess of the T'ang dynasty (618-907), Hsi Wang Mu, through the eyes of medieval Chinese people. Tao: The Watercourse Way by Alan Watts with the Collaboration of Al Chung-liang Huang, Pantheon Books, New York, 1975. The essence of Yin-Yang polarity, Tao and Wu-wei is presented with much emphasis on Chinese calligraphy. Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet by Marylin M. Rhie and Robert A. F. Thurman, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and Tibet House, New York, in association with Harry N. Abrams, New York, 1991. A four-hundred page exhibition catalogue with 268 plates in full color, many published here for the first time, and two maps. Sacred Tibet by Philip Rawson, Thames and Hudson, 1991, from the Art and Imagination series. Profusely illustrated, the book covers the major themes of Tibetan Buddhism. "Kali, the Savior" by Lina Gupta, appearing in the book After Patriarchy: Feminist Transformation of World Religions edited by Paula M. Cooey, William R. Eakin and Jay B. McDaniel published by Orbis Press, Maryknoll, New York, 1991. Oriental Mythology: The Masks of God by Joseph Campbell, Penguin, New York, 1962. An exploration of Eastern mythology as it developed into the distinctive religions of Egypt, India, China and Japan. Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood: A Treasury of Goddess and Heroine Lore From Around the World by Merlin Stone, Beacon Press, Boston, 1979. This is a classic work on goddesses and heroines. Making Waves: An Anthology of Writings by and about Asian American Women edited by Asian Women United of California, Beacon Press, Boston, 1989. This is a ground-breaking collection of autobiographical writings, short stories, poetry, essays, and photographs organized thematically around issues important to Asian American women: immigration, war, work, generations, identity, discrimination and activism. Home to Stay: Asian American Women's Fiction edited by Sylvia Watanabe and Carol Bruchac, Greenfield Review Press, Greenfield Center, NY, 1990. Includes short selections from 29 authors and also gives a photo and biographical notes about each. Strangers From A Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans by Ronald Takaki, Little, Brown and Co., Boston, 1989. A book rich in human detail, it gives a panoramic overview of the cultural diversity of Americans of Asian ancestry. Takaki is Professor of Ethnic Studies at University of California, Berkeley, and is the grandson of immigrant plantation laborers from Japan. Disappearing Moon Cafe by Sky Lee, Seal Press, Seattle, 1990. A novel of four generations of the Wong family. Much of the story centers around Chinatown in Vancouver, British Columbia. Lee is a feminist writer and artist.
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Session Seven: Asia – China Thousand Pieces of Gold, a biographical novel by Ruthanne Lum McCunn, Beacon Press, Boston, 1981. The heroine is sold in China in 1871 and sent to America where she achieves respect and dignity among pioneer women of the American West. Now a motion picture available on video. Christianity and Chinese Religions by Hans Kung and Julia Ching, Doubleday, New York, 1989. This extraordinary collaboration brings forth many insights into the religious nature of the Chinese people. "The Buddhist Female Deities" by Eleanor Olson appearing in The Goddess Re-awakening compiled by Shirley Nicholson, Theosophical Publishing House, 1989. Longing for Darkness: Tara and the Black Madonna — A Ten-year Journey by China Galland, Viking Penguin, New York, 1990. Black images of divinity have a long tradition and Ms. Galland journeys to the places where these images are venerated today, from the Himalayas to Warsaw to the American Southwest. World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present edited by Geoffrey Parrinder, Facts On File, New York, 1971. A survey of religions past and present placed in the context of the world that formed them. Essentials of Shinto: An Analytical Guide to Principal Teachings by Stuart D.B. Picken, Greenwood Press, Greenwood, 1994. From the author of the Shinto Handbook quoted in this session. "Kali, the Mad Mother" by C. MacKenzie Brown; "The Untamed Goddesses of Village India" by Richard L. Brubaker; and "Hindu Female Deities as a Resource for the Contemporary Rediscovery of the Goddess" by Rita M. Gross, in The Book of the Goddess Past and Present: An Introduction to Her Religion edited by Carl Olson, Crossroad, New York, 1983. Shakti Woman: Feeling Our Fire, Healing Our World — The New Female Shamanism by Vicki Noble, Harper San Francisco, 1991. Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar by Elizabeth U. Harding, Nicolas-Hays, York Beach, Maine, 1993. This book tells about the Dakshineswar Temple in India and how Kali is worshipped there — her festivals, her daily rituals. Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition by David Kinsley, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1986, by arrangement with University of California Press. This book covers goddesses in Vedic literature, Sri-Laksmi, Parvati, Durga, Kali, and village goddesses. For more information and a catalog, contact the Vedanta Society Bookshop, 2323 Vallejo Street, San Francisco, CA 94123, (415)922-2323. Tantra: The Indian Cult of Ecstasy by Philip Rawson, Thames and Hudson, 1973, from the Art and Imagination series. Profusely illustrated, the book covers the major themes of cosmic sexuality.
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Session Seven: Asia – China "Hindu Female Deities as a Resource for the Contemporary Rediscovery of the Goddess" by Rita Gross in Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 46, no. 3.
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Session Eight: Asia – Japan
SESSION EIGHT: ASIA - JAPAN DISCOVERIES ON THE JOURNEY Our journey continues with a stop in Japan, where we will become acquainted with Shinto, a natural and spontaneous expression of Japanese spirituality. We will meet in a Kami Council of all beings to dialogue about how to bring the rule of peace and order to the Earth. We will hear the story of the Shinto Goddess of the Sun, Amaterasu, that reveals the power of her mirror, and chant in honor of her. We will also take a look at ourselves, reflecting on our strengths and what sources of empowerment we see deep within ourselves. We will hear the voice of an Asian American woman who shares with us her heritage as well as the path she has taken to discover her own unique strengths.
CONTENTS Who Contributed? Why Amaterasu? Cultural Sensitivity Note Chant: AMATERASU Storytelling Techniques Story of Amaterasu Omikami Personal Story: I Call Upon the West Kami Shinto and the World's Religions Development of Shinto in the Japanese Tradition Resources
WHO CONTRIBUTED? Sue Ling Yee Mossman is an Asian American woman who has been a Unitarian Universalist for over 20 years. She researched and suggested many of the components of the Asian session. She contributed to this session her personal reflections on her own life and the Goddess Amaterasu. A more extended biographical note about Sue can be found following the transcription of her personal story in this section of the SOURCEBOOK. Linda Pinti and Reverend Lesley Phillips, co-chairs of the Continental Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans, suggested valuable resources on Shinto. They also supplied several images for the video accompanying Session 7 as well as consulted on the proper pronunciation of Asian names.
WHY AMATERASU? Amaterasu is the most prominent deity in Shinto. As is the case with most deities, she has different meanings and impacts depending on what context you find Her in. To reclaim her
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Session Eight: Asia – Japan woman-honoring aspect, and to explore why Amaterasu withdrew and what we must do to bring her back is to begin to explore the power the female has had over the centuries and can continue to have if we value and affirm Her.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY Asians who immigrated to North America and Asian Americans have historically suffered severe persecution. In addition to the better-known acts of discrimination, such as segregated housing and low wages, Asians have been banned from the United States by Exclusion Acts. Japanese Americans on the West coast were forced into internment camps during World War II, simply for being of Japanese heritage. In 1976, President Ford apologized to those who had been interned. In 1980, Congress admitted that a grave injustice had been done to Japanese Americans. The U. S. government in 1992 finally passed a bill paying Japanese Americans reparations for the injustice they suffered. Stereotypes, rather than respect and open exchanges, still characterize much interaction between Chinese or Japanese individuals and those of other racial or ethnic groups. In the final session of this curriculum, Japanese American Grace Coan shares her views about the damage these stereotypes can cause.
CHANT: AMATERASU Words and music by Nancy Vedder-Shults; sung by Nancy Vedder-Shults and friends on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. An expanded version is available on the CD CHANTS FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. Amaterasu, Amaterasu, Shine upon the earth with your warm rays. Amaterasu, Amaterasu, O Golden Goddess, do not hide your face. Raise your mirror to my gaze, That I may marvel at my true ways. A vision of power across it plays, Amaterasu, to fill my days.
STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES by Jackie Torrence 1. Don't memorize a story word for word. 2. Read the story the first time to get a basic feeling for the story as a whole. 3. The second time you read a story, read it for mental pictures — visualize your characters. 4. The third time you read the story, look at the words. Change the ones that do not feel right for you. Change any words that you do not think will convey exactly what you intend.
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Session Eight: Asia – Japan 5. The fourth time you read your story, write your words and pictures in the margin of your working copy of the story. 6. The fifth time you read your story, you are ready to tell it. Read over your words and your pictures this time rather than the original words.
General Tips: Stand up, use your whole body (including arms), moving when appropriate, maintain eye contact with your listeners; remember facial expressions tell a lot. Use dramatic pauses to heighten interest.
STORY OF AMATERASU OMIKAMI From ANCIENT MIRRORS OF WOMANHOOD by Merlin Stone; (c) 1979, 1990 by Merlin Stone. Reprinted by permission of Beacon Press. Amaterasu has been regarded as the Sun Goddess for many centuries in Japan. All affairs of heaven are entrusted to her. Amaterasu, called "Great Woman Who Possesses Noon," watches over all the Earth, guiding the building of irrigation canals, guiding the fields of growing rice, guiding the great Weaving Hall of Heaven where women live and spin in her celestial palace. One of her brothers is the Moon-God, and his radiance is next to that of the Sun in splendor. He shares in her government of the heavens. Another brother, named Susanowo (Sue-shaw-NOwoe), had a fierce temper and was given to cruel acts. Her brother Susanowo was given the dominion over the seas, but was displeased that his sister held greater power. When he arrived to see Amaterasu, he came with such loud and crashing noises that Amaterasu suspected he intended to challenge her rulership. But upon his arrival, Susanowo denied his intention to cause harm, denied any intention of challenging the power of Amaterasu. She tried to believe him. Yet it was not long after the claim of honorable intention that Susanowo, because of his jealousy, blocked the canals of irrigation, the canals so dear to Amaterasu. He piled them with mounds of dirt so that the waters could no longer flow to the thirsty waiting plants. Still not satisfied with this attack upon what was dear to Amaterasu, he then entered the places in which rice plants grew and stomped upon each and every plant until the rice paddies lay in muddy chaos. As if he had not already caused enough destruction, and fully proven Amaterasu's original suspicions, Susanowo then thought to smear the celestial weaving house in the palace of the Goddess with the excrement of animals and humans. Finding that his patient sister had been willing to overlook these hostile deeds, excusing Susanowo's acts of destruction by saying that he had swallowed too much saki wine, which often was his habit — Susanowo then murdered a piebald colt and heaved its body into the celestial weaving house. It was then that Amaterasu filled with rage at his misdeeds, for as the weight of the horse struck the looms and tables of the hall, they fell upon the women who wove the tapestries in the sacred weaving house, sending several to the Land of the Dead.
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Session Eight: Asia – Japan Amaterasu, She Who Is Heaven Shining, filled with anger, but refusing to fight on such a demeaning level, decided to announce her rage by the absence of her warmth and light that brought the goodness of life. Thus She retired to the Cave of Heaven, and pulled the great door tight behind her. No longer was there day and night. No longer did the golden light help the rice to grow. Life was impossible. The deities of heaven assembled on the banks of the celestial river to discuss what might be done to restore the treasured presence of Amaterasu. They decreed that Susanowo would be punished and fined, and then banished him from the heavens. But how to tempt Amaterasu from the cave? How to let her know that her brother had been sent away? It was for these reasons that the plan was conceived. The playful shaman Goddess Ama No Uzume would dance by the entrance of the cave, creating a trance and making motions and faces that would bring such a laughter from those who watched her that the curiosity of Amaterasu would be aroused enough to open the door and peer out. Thus the wild dance of Ama No Uzume took place before the Rock Cave of Heaven. When the Golden Goddess was tempted to discover what caused such joy and laughter, She found herself facing the mirror of eight hands that had been hung upon the sacred Sakaki tree. So intense was her brilliant image, so beautiful her reflection upon the polished bronze surface, that She stepped further out to take a closer look, while those who watched quickly closed the door to the cave that had been her home of anger. This story is told each year. Now she is most remembered as the mighty Amaterasu, She Who Shines on the Land, from whom all rulers were born. She whose mirror now rests in sacred wrappings in the holy place of Ise. She who won not by confrontation but retreat. She who still shines from the "Highest Plain of Heaven."
PERSONAL STORY: I CALL UPON THE WEST by Sue Ying Lee Mossman My father learned to survive solely by his own wits after he was orphaned at the age of four. When he was a young man, he made his way to this country as a stowaway. My mother arrived here at age sixteen, never to see her mother again. My grandmother had arranged for her to marry a man from "Gim Shan" so that she could have all the promises of the "Gold Mountain." What was in store for my mother was a man who was more than twenty years older, who was a poor laundryman having spent his savings for this arranged marriage, and from whom she endured emotional and physical abuse for nearly 25 years. For nearly 25 years, my parents operated a hand laundry 14 to 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year in a city in upstate New York. I am the eldest of seven born to these Chinese immigrants. Most of us learned to iron handkerchiefs by the time we were eight, and before that we had learned to sort and fold laundry. We gradually worked up to ironing towels, underwear, the backs of shirts, and then shirt sleeves. For a number of years, we were the only Chinese family in town. I was the only Chinese person in my high school class of approximately 50 students. As with many at that age, I had a deep
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Session Eight: Asia – Japan desire to be like my peers. I did not want to be different from them. I wished I could have piano lessons, that I could attend the Junior Prom, that I could spend time with my friends, or go to a basketball game. I found myself trying to adopt the ways of the majority and rejecting the customs and practices of my parents. This meant a lot of conflict for me. Going out with friends was not allowed because we were needed to help in the laundry, and our parents thought such frivolous activity would distract us from our schoolwork. If I brought a girlfriend home, my parents would appear to look right through her. They spoke to us in Chinese. What they were saying was usually inconsequential, but I felt as if my friends were not welcomed. Our parents spoke loudly, they ate with their bowls up to their faces, they ate strange foods, and they chewed on bones. I was embarrassed. We were not allowed to date. If any of us daughters smiled or gave the slightest hint of showing friendliness to boys, if we wore sleeveless tops or shorts, if we said we had danced, or spoke English to our parents in front of friends, we would be accused of adopting the ways of the majority. We were berated for having cheapened ourselves, for throwing ourselves at boys, or accused of indecently exposing our bodies. I felt decadent and unworthy. All of us children were constantly reminded of our duty to be loyal to our parents who had sacrificed so much for us. I felt rejected, angry, and resentful. One way I could get respite from the constant scoldings, criticisms, lectures, and at times beatings was to appear emotionally distant, detached, and unconcerned about anything that had to do with boys or men. At the time it seemed like a small price to pay for a few moments of peace. Now I still find it difficult to show affection. It is taking time, understanding, and patience to undo what has become a part of me from years of practice. We dared only to do well in school. If we didn't, we were accused of being lazy or that we daughters had allowed ourselves to be distracted by boys. Any of these accusations were sufficient justification for a beating from our dad. In an effort to avoid beatings, I tried to be an obedient and dutiful daughter. I worked hard both at school and in the laundry. All of us kids did. Growing up in this family environment, I found myself isolated. I had few close friends in high school. I was not invited to parties and was never asked out for a date. I would have liked to have been asked, even though I knew I wouldn't be allowed to go. Often schoolmates were deferential or acted as if I didn't exist. I was stared at. The few friends I talked with at recess or sat with during assemblies were also different in some way. I felt excluded and often hurt. Gradually, I found myself being different people in different places. I was one way with school friends and another way when I was with family. I didn't feel true to either personality, and I didn't feel truly part of either my parents' culture or that of my friends'. I felt awkward in both groups, and became withdrawn. Like Amaterasu, I retired into my inner cave, "closing the great door tight behind." In my search for self-esteem and a sense of self, I have had to reunite and reconnect with childhood memories and the life stories of our parents, of the circumstances responsible for our dad's insecurities, and hence his obsession with maintaining the integrity of the family and the honor of the Lee name as he saw it. I have come to realize that any behavior on our part which
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Session Eight: Asia – Japan he felt would compromise that obsession was perceived as a personal threat to him. Again and again, Susanowo felt his power being challenged, and again and again he reacted with emotional and physical abuse. Equally as important in this search, and equally as powerful, is discovering myself in the divine that is universal to all women. I am able to connect with the strength of my mother, my own sisters, and that of other immigrant Chinese women. This emergent awareness of women's unity, identity, and survival strength has gradually and quietly brought the woman I am out from Amaterasu's cave which had been my retreat. It is the power and spirituality in this process that is helping me to close the door to that "home of anger" and isolation. The continuing process of unfolding and finding led me recently to write the following when I was attending a district women's retreat and was asked to help cast the circle: I call upon the West. Spirit of water be with us: The waters of the Pacific that have brought our foremothers and sisters to this distant shore since 1834; The tears shed in despair at being sold, kidnapped, or lured here for prostitution, slavery, or arranged marriages; The sweat of those who have toiled endless hours and days in hand laundries, cafes, or on farms, sewed in garment factories, rolled cigars, or made slippers and brooms to support themselves and families left behind. Spirit of water be with us. Let these waters of strength wash over us, and through us, to inspire and empower us. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Sue Lee Ying Mossman is an Asian American woman who has been a Unitarian Universalist for more than twenty years. She is a professor of biology and a member of the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Arcata, California. Even though she is Chinese American, the story of the Japanese Goddess Amaterasu drew from her personal feelings about her Asian roots. She is sharing here her unique story as an Asian American woman and at the same time exploring emotions that she feels speak to universal human experience.
KAMI Excerpted from the book WORLD RELIGIONS, edited by Geoffrey Parrinder: The word Kami, although often translated as "spirits," should probably be left untranslated. Kami is applied to beasts, birds, plants; to seas and mountains; to natural phenomena; to the storm, the wind and the awe-inspiring echo which resounds through the gorge or the grove; and to the clan ancestors.
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Session Eight: Asia – Japan A modern Shinto scholar has written: The Japanese people themselves do not have a clear idea regarding the Kami. They are aware of the Kami intuitively at the depth of their consciousness and communicate with the Kami directly without having formed the Kami-idea conceptually or theologically. Therefore, it is impossible to make explicit and clear that which fundamentally, by its very nature, is vague. (Ono Sokyo THE KAMI WAY).
SHINTO AND THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS From A HANDBOOK OF SHINTO compiled and edited by Stuart D.B. Picken: Shinto appears from many aspects of its development to be particular rather than universal both in its meaning and application. The role of State Shinto would appear to strengthen the claim for its particularity. However, this would be to do less than justice to other aspects of Shinto thinking that stress not the particular and the Japanese, but the universal and the cosmic. The underlying concept of kannagara which means, in essence, "following the way of the kami in the flow of life in the universe" seems capable of wider understanding. It can be viewed as a concept of natural religion as a way of seeing and experiencing the divine in the midst of life. It has served to keep Shinto true to itself as a way of satisfying the longings and promptings of the human spirit that inspire the human soul to commence the spiritual journey that seeks valid religious experience. Critics of Shinto would do well to remember the Crusades in the West, the Inquisition, the numerous "holy wars" that have marred Western history as well as the use of religion to bless weapons of war. Religion anywhere requires a core of deep, self-correcting spirituality that can enable it to transcend its own particularity and limitations and discover the universal truths and insights upon which all authentic religion is based. This self-correcting spirituality can act as a guide back to the pathways of original insight when, for any reason, the pathway is not being followed. Kannagara is the deep core of Shinto in all its many forms. Beyond this in particular, Shinto is capable of input into the dialogue of world religions because it has grown out of a profound sense of the immanence of divinity rather than the transcendence of God, which is the principal feature of the Judaeo-Christian tradition. The latter grew out of the desert wastes of the Middle East which could see God only as "wholly other" or as the "Beyondness of the Beyond" but not as in any sense within the world. Shinto grew up in an environment blessed with nature in abundance and in all its plenitude and grace. There are six major areas where Shinto can be part of the self-corrective community of truth where religions supplement each other's limitations and point to the limits of doctrines, while seeking to mutually enrich the spiritual development of humankind. 1) Shinto recognizes the divine in immanence as well as in transcendence. 2) Shinto stresses humans and nature in harmony rather than in confrontation.
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Session Eight: Asia – Japan 3) Shinto conceives of the universe in monistic rather than in dualistic terms. 4) Shinto affirms the ultimate reality of presentness. 5) Shinto seeks the renewing power of standing under a waterfall. 6) Shinto implies a metaphysic of process rather than substance.
DEVELOPMENT OF SHINTO IN THE JAPANESE TRADITION From A HANDBOOK OF SHINTO compiled and edited by Stuart D.B. Picken: Shinto has five clear and identifiable roots that can be dated roughly to the earliest period of Japanese history. These can also be found in the beginning stages of the development of many religions.
ANIMISM This is often considered primitive, but modern science has shown that the definition of life used in modern industrial society is not wide enough to describe all aspects of life found within the universe. Shinto recognizes and responds to life in all its forms. In the festival, or matsuri, it celebrates the vitality of life and the power of life to endure and continue. The oldest Japanese cult was probably Sangaku Shinko, the belief that ancestral spirits resided in nearby mountains and came down at springtime to assist the community through harvest and returned after autumn.
NATURE WORSHIP Closely allied to animism is the general Japanese reverence for nature and the origin of shrines in places of impressive or majestic natural beauty. Shrine buildings were located in places that were considered sacred, and natural objects that overtly manifested a sense of divinity were marked with a sacred rope called a shimenawa. These may be found over the top of waterfalls, around trees at the entrance to shrines, and of course, around areas being purified before new buildings are erected.
ANCESTRAL REVERENCE Common to most Asian nations, the cult of the ancestors is found in Japan. Some observers, notably the nineteenth century lifelong resident, Lafcadio Hearn, called it Japan's ultimate religion. By that he meant that any religion coming into Japan either had to come to terms with it or risk not finding a place in Japanese society. Buddhism was required to fundamentally alter many of its doctrines, notably reincarnation, because it could not be made consistent with ancestral reverence. Modern Japanese are no less meticulous in matters pertaining to funerals and ancestors than were those in eras before. Most recent research shows that reverence for ancestors continues to be a powerful social and political force.
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Session Eight: Asia – Japan SHAMANISM According to Professor Joseph Kitagawa, the early Empresses were shamanists, a role that is not inconsistent with the kind of power they wielded. The training of youths to be shamanists for the divining of harvest prospects continues in modern Japan, particularly in the Tohoku region, according to Professor Ishizu. Famous also are the blind women shamans at Osorezan. They claim to have direct contact with the dead, and people resort to them for communication with their deceased relatives and friends.
AGRICULTURAL RITES References to the kami of the stars breaking down divisions between rice fields, and the various duties that the Imperial Household performs each year at important times in the cycle of rice growing, combined with the fact that the principal shrine festivals coincide with sowing and harvest and with other times related to some aspect of natural growth, indicate how profoundly influenced Shinto is by the agricultural year. This in turn has meant that modern life is given its framework by the Shinto calendar. New graduates are employed by companies in spring, beginning on April 1, and the school year commences then. Police and schools seasonally change uniforms. Season awareness has always seemed to matter more in Japan, perhaps because the four seasons are more clearly distinguished than in some other countries. The rhythm of life follows a framework of time and season in a manner that is both explicit and controlling.
RESOURCES The resource list for Session 8 is combined with the Session 7 list and appears in that section of the SOURCEBOOK.
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands
SESSION NINE: PACIFIC ISLANDS DISCOVERIES ON THE JOURNEY During this session, we will learn about the Native Hawaiian attitude toward the Kilauea volcano, which they know as the Goddess Pele. We will explore the meaning of sacred land and revisit what the land where we have lived means to us. We will consider together how we feel about natural phenomena that can be destructive to life. We will take an imaginary walk into a lava tube and reflect on the darkness which is called in some native legends "the great night that supplies."
CONTENTS Who Contributed? Why Pele? Cultural Sensitivity Note Chant: ANCIENT MOTHER Questions: "Changing Faces of Pele" The Society for Hawaiian Arts General Characteristics of Hawaiian Culture and Religion The Supernatural in Polynesia Views of Pele The Myth and Geology of the Hawaiian Islands Sacred Chants and Dances Sacred Nature of Land Rightful Possession of Native Lands Sovereignty Movement Resources
WHO CONTRIBUTED? Allyson Rickard, a graduate of the University of Hawaii, lived in Hawaii for several years where, through ongoing contact with Native Hawaiians, she developed a deep appreciation for Native Hawaiian culture and spirituality. In addition to bringing her own insights to this session, she researched the geology and mythology of Pele, wrote preliminary drafts for several activities and during a trip to Hawaii in 1993 photographed Pele for the RISE UP video. In addition to being an active member of the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, California, Allyson has taken leadership roles in a variety of Pacific Central District committees, including Starr King School for the Ministry Community Programming, Stebbins Institute, PCD Spirit Camp, and PCD Leadership School. Judy Robeck, who has lived in Hawaii for nine years, was very helpful during the initial stages of planning this session. She identified several key issues of concern to Native Hawaiians, providing critical research. Judy is a member of the Church of the Larger Fellowship and a longtime Unitarian Universalist. She has been active in the Unitarian Universalist Women's
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands Federation and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee since 1947 and was an active member of the Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden, Colorado, from 1961 through 1985. Lucia Tarallo-Jensen was the curator of the show entitled Akua Ali`i a me Kahuna that was exhibited in 1993 at the American Indian Contemporary Arts gallery in San Francisco. She is also the Coordinator of the Society of Hawaiian Arts and a research historian who specializes in the history and culture of Native Hawaii. She allowed photographs of several images from the exhibition to be included in the RISE UP video and provided valuable insight into Native Hawaiian spiritual beliefs. She reviewed the video script of the segment accompanying this session to assure accurate representation of Native Hawaiian attitudes toward Pele.
WHY PELE? Pele was chosen for exploration in this session because she typifies the Earth as creator. She is many faceted and prominent in the Native Hawaiian religion. She is deeply revered by Native Hawaiians who adhere to traditional religious practices. To visit Pele is to begin to explore the diversity of elements that comprise the web of the universe in which we live.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY According to Native Hawaiian belief, only members of Pele's totem family can call her name, can ask for her help and have a right to her power. All others can only show her respect. Pele is a living goddess for Native Hawaiians who are related to her. They have protested geothermal development plans on the volcano for this reason. See the SOURCEBOOK for additional information on Native Hawaiian positions on industrial geothermal development on their Goddess. 55555 When becoming aware of indigenous people's sacred traditions concerning the land, it is important to educate yourself and others about the effects of past colonialist actions on the people who hold these beliefs sacred. It is also important to realize that in Hawai'i a struggle over who will govern indigenous people and who should have control of Native lands has sparked an ongoing, complicated and intense debate. Information on the situation surrounding sovereignty (self-governance) for Native Hawaiians, and contacts that can be pursued for additional educational and action oriented materials are included here.
CHANT: ANCIENT MOTHER Words and music are traditional; recorded by Nancy Vedder-Shults and friends on RISE UP MUSIC CD. Ancient Mother, I hear you calling Ancient Mother, I hear your song. Ancient Mother, I hear your laughter Ancient Mother, I taste your tears.
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands Ancient Mother, I hear you calling Ancient Mother, I hear your song. Ancient Mother, I share your laughter Ancient Mother, I dry your tears.
QUESTIONS: "CHANGING FACES OF PELE" •
How do you feel about Nature when she is destructive (for example, during tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, floods, earthquakes)?
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How do you feel about female deities like Pele who are perceived as expressing the full range of passion and emotion? For example, does she empower you or frighten you? Would you feel protected by her if you lived near her?
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How do you feel about your own expressions of anger and rage? What causes them to arise? Can they be regenerative?
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Do you feel your own power and how do you utilize it?
THE SOCIETY FOR HAWAIIAN ARTS (HALE NAUA III) Hale Naua is a society that historically preserved Native cultural traditions. In 1891, it was forced underground. In 1973, Rocky Ka`iouliokahihikolo`Ehu Jensen, a well-known Native sculptor and historical illustrator and a descendant of various members of the original founders, re-established Hale Naua. By means of contemporary visual arts, lectures, literature and films, the group spreads awareness and appreciation of Hawaiian philosophy, culture and tradition. During the past two decades, the society has coordinated and presented more than one hundred exhibits, sponsored seminars and lectures, published cultural books, involved itself with Native galleries and consulted with documentary and feature film makers. To establish a Native perspective, Hale Naua continues to translate old manuscripts, and document genealogies and family histories. It also remains active in the attempt to curtail the abuse of language, symbols and traditions of the Hawaiian People. In 1993 Hale Naua III, the Society of Hawaiian Arts, presented a stunning exhibition of native art entitled Akua Ali`i a me Kahuna, created by Native Hawaiian artists at the American Indian Contemporary Arts gallery in San Francisco. Several pieces from that exhibition that depict Pele are represented on the companion video to RISE UP & CALL HER NAME. The following comment is taken from the exhibit notes accompanying this exhibition. These notes were written by Rocky Ka`iouliokahihikolo`Ehu Jensen, Director HALE NAUA III, Society of Hawaiian Arts, January 1993. For more information about the Society of Hawaiian Arts write 99-919 Kalawina Place, Aiea, Hawai`i 96701; Tel: 1-808-487-6949. Akua Ali`i a me Kahuna is loosely translated as "gods, chiefs and holy men." These Native Hawaiian titles do not denote gender, however, but contain both the feminine and masculine equivalent. Our ancient language expresses the balance
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands that exists in all things. Therefore, Akua, very loosely translated as "God," refers to all of those beings, both male and female, who came before... the artwork will not only depict the Gods that were flesh, but also the god-power that is life-force of the planet: thunder, lightning, fresh water, ocean, rain, magma, and so on.10 Mana or "divine" power has been understood by my people for millennia. Understood and respected! In that understanding came the knowing of living in harmony. These exhibits will always be a gift of remembrance to the ancestors. Rocky Ka`ioulikahihikolu`Ehu Jensen has participated in more than 125 fine art exhibitions. As a lecturer, Jensen has spoken at fine art museums and universities throughout the United States. He has been lauded with Special Proclamations by many public officials for his cultural contributions to the state and its culture. In 1984, Congressman Daniel Akaka presented him with a Congressional Recognition Award commending his many contributions to the cause of perpetuating Native Hawaiian art and culture nationally. Jensen's works have been exhibited in leading museums throughout the world and are included in numerous private and corporate collections. One of Rocky's depictions of Pele is featured in the companion video to RISE UP & CALL HER NAME
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF HAWAIIAN CULTURE AND RELIGION Lucia Tarallo-Jensen, Coordinator of The Society for Hawaiian Arts, who is also a research historian specializing in the history and culture of Native Hawaii, consulted on the development of this session of RISE UP & CALL HER NAME that focuses on the Pacific Islands. In a conversation with Elizabeth Fisher, she shared her insights into Native Hawaiian beliefs. Here are highlights from that conversation. NOTE: There is no gender in Polynesian languages. Hawaiian Native philosophies originated with people 25,000 years ago.
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The Hawaiian word for god is akua, as the "name of any supernatural being, the object of fear or worship — a god, a ghost, a demi-god, a spirit." It can be applied to natural phenomena, to corpses, or to images made by the worshipper. The aumakua are deities attached to particular families or professions and are worshipped as guardian figures, while a kupua is a child of a god or goddess, born into the family of his or her worshippers as a human being, although characterized by special powers. However, these three classifications of the supernatural have no rigid boundaries: an akua may also be an aumakua to a certain group, and a kupua may become an aumakua after death if sanctified by a particular family. The relationship between a worshipper and his or her aumakua is a very close one, often considered to be one of kinship, with families claiming descent from their aumakuas. The kupua is recognized as the child of an akua either by the ability to adopt a form or nature associated with the akua, or to exert power over those forms of nature. Below the akuas are a vast number of lesser gods allied to particular attributes or manifestations of higher gods, and commanded in the service of those gods, while themselves commanding an infinite number of lower-ranking gods, down to the spirits, the akua-li'i, which occupy all forms of nature. — From an essay by Elizabeth Diab entitled "Hawaii" included in the FEMINIST COMPANION TO MYTHOLOGY edited by Carolyne Larrington.
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands ELEMENTAL NATURE OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN BELIEFS The deities of Native spiritual beliefs are often aspects of nature such as the wind, fresh water, thunder or non-human life forms. The Native Hawaiian spiritual beliefs constitute one of the most powerful environmental movements that exist, because of its emphasis on respect for the Earth's elements and all life forms and reverence for the source from which these emanate.
ROLE OF RITUAL While rituals can be effective strings of symbols and symbolic acts that help explain the source and interaction of life's elements, rituals should not be mistaken for the real mystery. They are secondary to understanding the divinity of these natural elements. If this understanding is not achieved, rituals alone can seem contrived as many rituals now performed for tourists in Hawaii seem to be. When honoring an elemental source, it is important to first recognize it, understand it, and respect it. Once these three stages are completed, then worship of the element is appropriate. However, all too often the worship of the element precedes the recognition and understanding of the true essence of the element. The important concept, however, is not ritualized worship but the profound understanding of the powerful and deeply spiritual interrelationship of the elemental forces that sustain the planet.
REVERENCE FOR BLACK In Hawaiian religion, black is the most revered color. Po is a native word for black and is a place where ancestors go before becoming part of the divine. The words Po, Poele, Eleele, Po, and Uli all mean black. The black of the cosmos is intense. It is the source that births everything.
SPIRIT It is also a native belief that all beings have spirit. Spirit is within the body. Mana is divine energy that permeates everything. Elemental energies are diverse and the diversity of these elements is revered. However, it is also believed that elemental energy has one source.
PELE Pele is sometimes described as a meandering thin river of lava that is the life blood of the Earth. She has, throughout time, been respected and revered by Native peoples. The Native stories told of Pele exhibiting a wide range of qualities — including passion, love, anger, and mischief — as well as acting as a protectress. At death, bodies of members of the Pele clan are lowered into the caldera11 where they become a part of Pele. During the missionary period, people were forbidden from telling Native stories about Pele.
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A caldera is a crater with a diameter many times that of the volcanic vent.
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands GODDESSES In Hawaii, goddesses are revered — they are part of the family structure and remain in the consciousness of the people. Men as well as women revere, respect and give offerings to goddesses. Deities are viewed as ancestral entities of all the people. There are eight important elemental deities in Hawaiian cosmology. Pele is one of them.
THE SUPERNATURAL IN POLYNESIA Excerpted from PELE: GODDESS OF HAWAII'S VOLCANOES by Herb Kawainui Kane: There seems to have been no concept of the supernatural as that term is used in modern religions. Theirs was a universe in which everything (including the gods) was natural and therefore of Nature, an organic universe in which every thing and every person had an integral place within the whole. Success was achieved by living in careful and reverent harmony with Nature, failure to do so being marked by swift retribution from the gods. The modern concept of Nature as an object of conquest would have been incomprehensible to the Polynesian mind. In all Polynesia, religion so permeated every aspect of life that there was no separate word for it.
VIEWS OF PELE Excerpted from THE BURNING ISLAND: A JOURNEY THROUGH MYTH AND HISTORY IN VOLCANO COUNTRY, HAWAII by Pamela Frierson. This book is also filled with excellent analysis of western patriarchal overlay which developed as missionaries exerted more and more influence and significantly changed the nature and content of stories about Pele. No images historically were ever recorded as having been made of Pele, perhaps because she was a part of Nature that could not be "tamed," brought into the temple and dedicated to human aims. Yet her strong presence permeates oral traditions and shapes the current lives of those who dwell in her lands, and it is there we must look for her. Many of the accounts that characterized Pele as capricious, jealous, and aggressive based their conclusions on assessment of the religion that has focused primarily on the sacrificial rituals of high-ranking males. These traditions found women to be impure because of their reproductive capacity and to have many undesirable behaviors and traits. This emphasis on male-centered rituals in some Hawaiian religious practices has obscured the respect shown in Hawaiian religion for the generative nature of some gods, particularly the goddesses, including Pele. Excerpted from PELE: GODDESS OF HAWAII'S VOLCANOES by Herb Kawainui Kane: She is Pele-honua-mea, Pele of the sacred land. She rules the volcanoes of Hawaii. She may appear as a tall, beautiful young woman, or as an old woman, wrinkled and bent with age. Tradition states that Pele came by sailing canoe from the ancient homeland in the islands of the Tahiti group. Her personality is volcanic — unpredictable, impulsive, given to sudden rages. Hers is both the power to destroy and the power to create new land. When picking the berries which grow upon high lava fields and cinder plains, older Hawaiians still offer the first fruits
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands picked to Pele before eating any. In the old culture, those priests and priestesses who served Pele brought gifts of vegetables, fruit and flowers.
THE MYTH AND GEOLOGY OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS Prepared by Allyson Rickard and Elizabeth Fisher; based on information in PELE: GODDESS OF HAWAII'S VOLCANOES by Herb Kawainui Kane and VOLCANOES OF THE NATIONAL PARKS IN HAWAII by Gordan A. MacDonald and Douglass H. Hubbard. Western intellectual tradition has often equated myth with untruth. Pele's journey to the Hawaiian Islands, however, coincides with the recent geological theory about the formation of the islands.
THE MYTH The myth says that Pele was born of the Supreme female spirit, Haumea, in the ancient homeland of Tahiti. Haumea was patroness of fertility and mother of lesser gods and goddesses and humankind. Thus, the people are descendants of the gods and goddesses and related to all living things. Restless yearning for Hawai`i seized the young woman Pele. A canoe was built for voyaging. In the form of a great shark, her elder brother guided the canoe to the northernmost island of the Hawaiian archipelago. Pele needed a deep pit for her home where the sacred fires she possessed could be protected. She moved down the island chain through Ni`ihau and Kaua`i, digging. But she had been followed from Tahiti by her angry sister, Na-maka-o-Kaha`i of the Sea, and wherever Pele excavated a crater with her digging stick, her sister deluged it with water. Na-maka-o-Kaha`i, being Pele's elder sister, was more powerful, for water was believed to be more powerful than fire. Theirs was the eternal opposition between those two elements. Some say that Na-maka-o-Kaha`i's relentless pursuit ended in a battle near Hana, Maui, in which Pele was torn apart. A hill named Ka-iwi-o-Pele (the bones of Pele) stands at the site of the battle and is believed to be her mortal remains. With the death of her mortal self, her spirit was freed and elevated to divine status. This event, having taken place in the Hawaiian Islands, made her a Goddess native to these islands. Her spirit took flight to the island of Hawai'i where she found a permanent home on Mauna Loa, Earth's largest mountain. Hale-mau-mau (the "Fire Pit"), a collapsed crater on Kilauea volcano, is considered Pele's traditional home. As Pele moved farther along the island chain, each of her efforts to dig a home was flooded out. On the geologically older island of Kaua'i, the craters have become wet swamps. The volcanic evidence becomes progressively more recent as we move down the island chain toward Hawai`i, just as the myth tells us about Pele settling further down the Hawaiian chain of islands.
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands GEOLOGICAL HISTORY Geologically, through most of the period of the islands' growth upward through the ocean water, the building force of volcanism met little opposition. But as the top of the mountain reached into shallower water, then began the great battle between the constructive forces of volcanism, ever striving to build the island upward and outward with flow upon flow of new lava, and the destructive forces of wave, stream, wind, and even ice erosion, carving away the land. So long as volcanism continued fully active, the islands continued to grow, but when volcanic activity weakened and finally died out, the powers of erosion seized control. Great canyons were carved into the slopes by streams. Waves battered away at the shores, cutting them back into high cliffs, with broad, submerged platforms at their bases. The whole land mass was gradually worn away. The Hawaiian Islands exist only as a result of volcanic action. Magma wells to the surface, forming a small molten lake, and then it travels miles to the sea, adding acres of new lava to the south shores of the Hawaiian Islands. The current eruption in Kilauea's rift zone began in January 1983. In two years of volcanic activity between 1987 and 1989, more than one hundred acres of new land was added to the island of Hawaii. This is why Pele is seen as a living presence in the Islands today — as a spiritual and a physical reality. Pele is She-Who-Shapesthe-Sacred-Land, even as she sometimes destroys what has come to grow on older ground. Successions of lava flows make the land a tapestry of change. Expanses of stone that seem as lifeless as the moon give way suddenly to pockets of older land hosting native forest. The flower `ohi`a, with its scarlet blossoms, is sacred to Pele, and the undisputed heir to her domain. Its appearance on lava less than a year old is testimony to Pele's regenerative nature. The following information is excerpted from a pamphlet entitled HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK produced by the National Park Services, U. S. Department of the Interior:
The Fires Begin The islands in the Hawaiian archipelago are only the very tops of immense mountains that have been built up from the bottom of the sea during the last 25 million years. They have been created by eruptions of molten rock forced up from Earth's mantle through fractures in the pallet's thin crust, which here is serving as the floor of the ocean. Beneath this region, in Earth's mantle, a deep-seated source of heat melts the rocks around it. This fluid rock, called magma, then rises through the overlying crust to produce the volcanoes. Magma that flows from volcanoes over the surface of the Earth is called lava.
A Mountain Arises At first, the lava, escaping through volcanic vents in the crust, flowed out upon the ocean floor. Gradually, as magma continued to rise from the mantle, successive eruptions of lava built up a submarine mountain around each vent. As layer upon layer of lava was deposited, the volcano grew broader and higher until eventually it rose far above the surface of the sea. This type of volcano with rather gentle slopes is called a shield volcano. As long as the conduits that feed magma into a shield volcano can receive fresh supplies of melted rock, the mountain will continue to grow. But the Hawaiian Islands rest upon a portion of Earth's crust known as the Pacific Plate, and this plate is moving slowly toward the Northwest, at the rate of five to eight centimeters (two to three inches) each year.
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands The Fire Dies Because of this movement, contact between the source of magma and the conduits within the volcano cannot be maintained. After a time, that contact is kept only with difficulty and, in a sense, the mountain is starved to death, gradually perhaps, but inexorably. Surface eruptions of lava occur less frequently after contact is broken, and the volcano may remain dormant for long intervals. Ultimately, the volcano ceases to grow: it becomes extinct. The oldest, northwestern most islands have died long since, worn away by the action of the ocean through which they rose. The sea has claimed their bodies, and soon it will roll over their heads. At present, the volcanic mountains Kilauea and Mauna Loa on the island of Hawai'i are linked most directly to the source of magma beneath the Pacific Plate. Kilauea is an impressive shield. It rises about 6,700 meters (22,000 feet) above the ocean floor; its height above sea level is slightly more than 1,200 meters (4,000 feet). It is counted among the Earth's most active volcanoes. The other mountains in the Hawaiian chain have been carried beyond their sources of supply. As a result, some are extinct. Some are dormant, awaiting the time when magma might rise within them and lava will flow again from their vents. The younger islands in the Hawaiian chain still hold heads and shoulders high above the water. Yet for them, too, the processes of dying have begun. In the course of implacable time, all these islands will disappear into the sea. Active though they are, Hawaii's volcanoes are relatively gentle. Violent outbursts — characterized by tremendous explosions, destructive earthquakes, clouds of poisonous gases, showers of hot mud, and rains of erupted rocks — have occurred only twice in recorded history. Both happened at Kilauea, one about 1790, the other in 1924. The eruption of 1924 seems to have been caused by the build-up of great steam pressure, generated when ground water came in contact with hot rocks below the caldera.12 The steam pressure blew out a great part of the volcanic conduit's plug of solidified rock, scattering stones and other debris for several kilometers. In general, however, Kilauea's eruptions are mild, and by far the greatest part of the material it releases appears in the form of slowly moving lava flows. The lava, gases, and cinders issuing from the vents can be dangerous, of course. Lava flows have destroyed forests, crops, houses, and other property, even villages, on occasion.
Lava Tubes Lava tubes are made when a crust forms over the surface of a pahoehoe (soft, oozing, fudge-like lava) flow. The crust cools, thickens, and stops moving, while the core of lava beneath still advances downhill. When the fluid lava drains away, a cavity that resembles a tunnel remains, often with a flat floor and an arched ceiling. Most lava tubes are short and shallow, being little more than vaults, but some are nine to 15 meters (30 to 50 feet) high and several kilometers long.
SACRED CHANTS AND DANCES Excerpted from the essay "Hawaii" by Elizabeth Diab in THE FEMINIST COMPANION TO MYTHOLOGY:
12
A caldera is a crater with a diameter many times that of the volcanic vent formed by collapse of the central part of a volcano.
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands Prior to the coming of the missionaries in 1820, the Hawaiian child learned of the mysteries of the gods and goddesses, of the adventures of the ancestors and of the traditional ways of the Hawaiian people from respected elder family members. The Hawaiian child knew no written language but was accustomed to the rhythmic chanting by which such information was communicated, and which had been used by previous generations to preserve and pass on such knowledge. Much of the material, as it exists in its chant form, is extremely sacred, as the hula songs are said to come directly from the goddess Pele to the chosen kuma-hulas (hula teachers) and to those who participate in the hula. The lives of the hula dancers, both male and female, were dedicated to the service of their art. Excerpted from THE BURNING ISLAND: A JOURNEY THROUGH MYTH AND HISTORY IN VOLCANO COUNTRY, HAWAII by Pamela Frierson: As female generative gods, Pele and her family occupy a central place in chant and dance. Hi`iaka, a deity that is an aspect of volcanism (or a "sister" to Pele, in her "human" form), is both sorcerer and great patroness of hula. According to myth, Hi`iaka learns the hula from a legendary female figure named Hopoe. As the chant that tells this story reveals, Hopoe is both spirit and natural form, since in the legend she becomes transformed into an actual rock off the coast of the Puna district of the Big Island, at a place called Ha`ena: Puna is dancing in the wind. The hala grove at Kea`au dances. Ha`ena dances with Hopoe. The woman dances, Rotating her hips in the sea of Nanahuki, A hula that is all delight In the sea of Nanahuki there. As this scene suggests, with its synthesis of god, human, and natural forms in "erotic" dance, hula mimics the generative energy that the gods express through nature. The force that animates the cosmos, one might say, is the desire to "dance." Hula and chant, then, both evoke the spiritual forces of the natural world and invoke them. In the same way that the female body can be a gateway to the po, the sacred darkness from which both gods and humans are born, the dancer becomes a conduit to the spirit world.
SACRED NATURE OF LAND Native Hawaiians and other Native Americans have tried to legally protect their sacred natural sites by explaining that their religious practices hold areas of the land sacred. Therefore, they should not be desecrated. Some Native Hawaiians feel that claiming their rights to traditional spiritual practices also means holding natural phenomena, such as the volcano at Kilauea, sacred and therefore free from human development. For the Western legal system, land is only one thing — property. Hawaiian cultural values, which are based on what Hawaiians term aloha aina or "love and respect for the land," cannot be addressed within Western legal concepts, which assign only commodity value to land.
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands DEVELOPMENT OF GEOTHERMAL POWER ON PELE Some Hawaiian clans in the districts of the Big Island believe they are descended from Pele and still revere her as an ancestral spirit. Lately, she has become the focal point of a re-emerging spiritual awareness among Native Hawaiians — as well as the center of an intensifying conflict over the development of geothermal power. From the article "Geothermal: Pele's Last Stand?" by Joan Conrow, appearing in the magazine HONOLULU, June 1990: This conflict has become an instrument for addressing much broader Native Hawaiian concerns and grievances, such as maintaining traditional land rights. The Hawaiian activist movement looks at the geothermal battle as one fight it cannot walk away from. From HONOLULU MAGAZINE, January 1991: Some Hawaiians contend that not only does the land belong to Pele, it is Pele. The land around the volcano is a manifestation of the Goddess, and is, therefore, absolutely sacred. Members of the Pele Defense Fund have made it their mission to protect the sacred ground from destruction — that is, from geothermal development. They maintain that drilling wells into the volcano — into Pele — and using the volcano's steam — Pele's steam — are acts of sacrilege. The Pele Defense Fund is an organization that is opposing Geothermal Development on Pele. The Fund's concern for Pele is rooted in indigenous religious beliefs. This organization publishes a statement concerning geothermal development on Pele that reflects their religious perspective. The Fund also has substantial concerns about the environmental impact of such development because of the high level of toxic and corrosive hydrogen sulfide gas that would be released. They feel potential geologic hazards, such as earthquakes and shifting and cracking that can be brought on by drilling and steam release, have been underrated. The large scale industrial development required for geothermal exploration would have an adverse impact on Native Hawaiian lifestyles in this rural area and that is a concern as well. The Pele Defense Fund also questions the real economic benefits of providing electricity using this method since development costs, which must be borne by the consumer, are so extensive. Here are excerpts from the "Statement of Pele Perspective and Concerns Against Geothermal Impact" published by the Pele Defense Fund. Pele has always been and is today central and indispensable to Hawaiian traditional religious beliefs and practices. Pele is the akua, and `aumakua of Hawaiians today. Her blood relationships continue as shared traditions, genealogy and aloha for particular places in Hawai`i. Pele is tutu to many Native Hawaiians. Pele is the inspiration, strength and focus for those who are established in practices and performances of ancestral tradition and religion. Pele influences daily spiritual and physical life activities, making it essential that Pele exist in pure form and environment. Pele is a living deity. She is tangible. She
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands has a home on Hawai`i. She has been seen by many living in Hawai`i. She causes earthquakes, tidal waves, and lands to sink or surface from the ocean. Pele is the magma, the heat, the vapor, the steam, and the land of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. She is the cosmic creation which occurs in volcanic eruptions. She is seen in the lava, as images of her standing erect — dancing, and extending her arms with her hair flowing as the steam and clouds. Geothermal development would impinge upon the continuation of all essential ritual practices and, therefore, also impair the ability to train young persons in traditional religious beliefs and practices, and the ability to convey these to future generations. Geothermal development will take Pele and diminish and finally delete her creative force and manifestations, causing spiritual, religious, cultural, psychological and sociological injury and damage to the people who worship and live with Pele. For more information on the positions and activities of this group, write Pele Defense Fund, Post Office Box 404 Volcano, HI 96785 or call (808) 935-1663.
RIGHTFUL POSSESSION OF NATIVE LANDS Officially, Hawai`i was taken from the Hawaiian monarchy in January, 1893 when U.S. Marines landed in Hawai`i to support the overthrow of Queen Lili`uokalani, ruler of Hawai`i. She was placed under house arrest. The aging queen, fearing for the safety of her people, abdicated the throne several weeks later. Her government was replaced by a haole (white) provisional government controlled by sugar plantation owners. Many Hawaiians feel these lands were taken from them illegally. In 1898 the United States annexed Hawai`i. Between the time of first contact with the West in 1778, and the annexation, the population of Native Hawaiians dropped from almost one million to less than 40,000. While other indigenous peoples were recognized as nations (over 500 exist on the Continent), Native Hawaiians were classified as an ethnic group and included in the category "Asian/Pacific Islander," which deprived them of land rights extended to other Native American peoples. Native Hawaiians were pressured for many years to assimilate and were forced to give up their Native culture. The stress this pressure caused created many social problems among the indigenous people. These problems are now being attributed to loss of control over the lands that once were their undisputed homeland, as well as the present inability to live in traditional ways if they so choose. The United States Senate and President Clinton have officially acknowledged the illegal seizure of lands from Native Hawaiians. Senate Joint Resolution 19, passed on November 23, 1993, states: To acknowledge the 100th anniversary of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and to offer an apology to Native Hawaiians on behalf of the United States for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai`i. The Congress
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands ...apologizes to Native Hawaiians on behalf of the people of the United States for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai`i in January, 1893, with the participation of agents and citizens of the United States, and the deprivation of the rights of Native Hawaiians to self-determination; and ...expresses its commitment to acknowledge the ramifications of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai`i, in order to provide a proper foundation for reconciliation between the United States and the Native Hawaiian people... This resolution stated in its text that it is not intended to serve as a settlement of any claims against the United States.
SOVEREIGNTY MOVEMENT As first peoples on the Hawaiian Islands, Native Hawaiians are demanding equal treatment. There are currently millions of acres of land throughout the islands to which Native Hawaiians hold legal claim through trusts and ceding. What will happen as a result of this Congressional resolution is difficult to tell. Many sovereignty proposals for the disposal of lands in Hawai`i have been broached, from secession and independent nationhood to a "Nation within a Nation" modeled after some Native American governments. It has been estimated that approximately 40 separate groups have their own ideas about sovereignty, ranging from complete secession from the U. S., to a return to some kind of monarchical rule, to more limited autonomy, to democratic rule. One of the largest groups that has formed its own Native Hawaiian government and seeks to gain physical and economic control of lands they claim rightfully belong to Native Hawai`ians is Ka Lahui Hawai`i. The following information on Ka Lahui Hawai`i is excerpted from publications of this group. For more information, write Ka Lahui Hawai`i, P.O. Box 4964, Hilo, HI 96720.
KA LAHUI HAWAI`I Ka Lahui Hawai`i is a native initiative for Hawaiian self-governance, formed by and for Native Hawaiians, without the interference of State or Federal agencies. Ka Lahui Hawai`i is the product of years of legal research and community dialogue. Ka Lahui's governing structure is democratic in nature and its political process is the elective. Ka Lahui Hawai`i was created in 1987 by a Constitutional Convention. Prior to this, eight years of intense legal and historical research, as well as many community meetings, were conducted to identify the best way for Hawaiians to reinstate their sovereign nation. This resulted in a draft Constitution which was submitted and ratified by 250 Hawaiian delegates at Ka Lahui's first Constitutional Convention convened in 1987 at Keaukaha, Hawai`i. The Second Constitutional Convention was held in August, 1989, where 94 elected Hawaiian delegates from all islands presented, debated, and voted on amendments to the Constitution. The third Constitutional
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Session Nine: Pacific Islands Convention was held in July, 1992, where 100 elected Hawaiian delegates from all islands made further amendments to the Constitution.
WHAT IS KA LAHUI HAWAI'I'S APPROACH TO SOVEREIGNTY? Ka Lahui seeks inclusion of the Hawaiian people in the existing U.S. federal policy which affords all Native Americans the right to be self-governing and provides access to federal courts for judicial review. Ka Lahui asserts Hawaiian sovereignty in a legal and rational way. Hawaiians are a Native people and are entitled to self-governance just as other Native groups have been afforded. Once this is achieved, the sovereign nation can relate "Nation to Nation" with the United States and would be in a position of standing and authority to effectively advance and resolve Hawaiian claims to Native trusts and other entitlements. Ka Lahui's approach to gain sovereignty is simple. It seeks inclusion for the Hawaiian people in the existing U. S. federal policy which affords all Native Americans the right to be selfgoverning and the right to access federal courts for judicial review. Once this is achieved, the sovereign nation can explore resolution of claims relating to the Native trusts and other entitlements. Ka Lahui believes that the nation should be created before Native entitlements are negotiated. It is the right of the Nation to advance the claims of its people and to explore ways to resolve conflicts with the State of Hawaii and the United States. Ka Lahui Hawai`i's five elements of Hawaiian sovereignty: 1) A strong and abiding faith in the Akua. 2) A people with a common culture, language, tradition, and history. 3) A land base so that Hawaiians are able to live and practice their cultural traditions. 4) A government structure to enable Hawaiians to be self-determining. 5) An economic base that will enable Hawaiians to be self-sufficient. "Nation to Nation" is a term used to describe how the United States relates to its Native people. Under the existing U.S. policy, government to government, or "Nation to Nation," relations are established with its Native peoples. This is why 550 Indian governments are recognized by the United States. At present, Hawaiians have no such government. This is why Ka Lahui Hawai`i was organized. There are now living on the mainland more than 70,000 Native Hawaiians who are being given representation in Ka Lahui Hawai`i. For more information on activities relating to Ka Lahui Hawai`i on the Mainland, feel free to contact the following individuals who can give you the name of the current district representative of Ka Lahui Hawai`i who serves your area. They can supply you with the latest information about the Sovereignty movement in Hawaii and alert you to educational events. Sharon Lum Ho, 2026 Eunice St., Berkeley, CA. 94709, (510) 559-8811 Healani Waiwaiole, P.O. Box 6765, Portland, OR. 97228, (503) 236-5196
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RESOURCES Pele: Goddess of Hawaii's Volcanoes by Herb Kawainui Kane, The Kawainui Press, Captain Cook, Hawaii, 1987. A delightful book with wonderful color illustrations by the author, covering the Polynesian genesis, the story of Pele, tales of Pele, the curse of Pele, and volcanoes. Voyagers: A Collection of Words and Images by Herb Kawainui Kane, WhaleSong, Bellevue, Washington, 1991. A very interesting book of Pacific Island culture, profusely illustrated in color. Covers myths, legends, traditions, romances and folktales of old and new Hawaii. The Burning Island: A Journey Through Myth and History in Volcano Country, Hawaii by Pamela Frierson, Sierra Club Nature and Natural Philosophy Library, 1991. This is an intimate and multilayered portrait of the author's trek up Mauna Loa and her quest to understand the everchanging volcanoes of Hawaii. She grew up in Hawaii and has written extensively about issues concerning Native Hawaiians and the environment. Volcanoes of the National Parks in Hawaii by Gordan A. MacDonald and Douglass H. Hubbard, published by the Hawaii Natural History Association in cooperation with the National Park Service, 1968. Material from this book was used to create the essay included in this section of the SOURCEBOOK entitled "The Myth and Geology of the Hawaiian Islands." Pele: The Fire Goddess as told by Dietrich Varez and Pua Kahaka'ole Kanahele; illustrated by Dietrich Varez, Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, 1991. This rendition of the Pele myth is illustrated with beautifully executed original woodcuts. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park A brochure published by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, this pamphlet gives a variety of geological information on the Volcano Pele that is easy to read. Shoal of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands by Gavan Daws, University of Hawaii Press, 1968. An all-time best-selling history by a professor at the University of Hawaii. "Hawai`i" by Elizabeth Diab in The Feminist Companion to Mythology edited by Carolyne Larrington, Harper Collins, New York, 1992.
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SESSION TEN: MESOAMERICA DISCOVERIES ON THE JOURNEY During this session, we become acquainted with the diverse range of feminine imagery in ancient and modern Mexico and Central America which is also known as Mesoamerica. We will hear the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe and consider how, in Mexico, the legacy of the Earth Goddess of indigenous cultures, Tonantzin, lives on in some of the contemporary adoration of the Virgin. A Chicana reflects, through her own prayer, poetry and story on the meaning of la Virgen de Guadalupe in her own life. We will dialogue with one another about our views of the nature of goddesses. We will also learn the important meaning of corn to cultures that have inhabited this part of the world for centuries and take time to dream about our own seed corn.
CONTENTS Who Contributed? Why the Virgin of Guadalupe and Tonantzin? Why Corn Mother? Cultural Sensitivity Note Chant: CORN MOTHER CHANT Prayer, Story and Song: La Madre Questions: On the Nature of Goddesses Views of the Goddess in Mesoamerica Tlazolteotl-Ixcuina: The Great Spinner and Weaver Huastecs and Aztecs Teotihuacan Flying Goddesses: Tzitzimime Mayans and Weaving The Mayan Goddess Ix Chel The Rabbit: Close Companion of the Goddess Story: Virgin of Guadalupe Thoughts About La Virgen de Guadalupe Frida Kahlo Corn Resources
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WHO CONTRIBUTED? Laura Parra Codina, born and raised in Adrian, Michigan, is the second of seven children of migrant parents. She attended high school in her home town, working at various jobs throughout the years to help out at home when her father left the family. Although she never dreamed that college was a possibility, she attended and graduated from the University of Michigan on an Opportunity Grant. Like a modern day quest seeker, she hitch-hiked several times across the country to Colorado, California, Texas, and North Carolina. Along the way she wrote, published some poetry, and met her mate, Edward. Returning to Michigan, she earned a Master's degree in Education and gave birth to Xochitl, her first child. When Xochitl was three, Laura and Edward moved to San Antonio where their second child, Yasmin, was born. Texas is a location she had passed through in her earlier journeys and where she continues to write and teach, a place where "La Tierra me llamo (the Earth called her.)" Laura contributed her poem, story and song "Why do I Sing to the Mother?" Laura is a member of the First Unitarian Church of San Antonio. Martha Ann contributed original research, the idea for the flower ritual during the Ingathering in this session and many valuable images that appear in video segments throughout the curriculum. She has a Masters in Religion from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and is a PhD Candidate in the Women's Spirituality program at the California Institute for Integral Studies. She has been active for 20 years in Unitarian Universalist organizations at the local and district levels. She is co-author of the Encyclopedia entitled GODDESSES IN WORLD MYTHOLOGY, published by ABC-CLIO press in 1993, which will be issued by Oxford University Press in paperback in 1994. Carol Graywing suggested the inclusion of the concept of the "Seed Corn," which is so important to Native American traditions. Carol has been an active Unitarian Universalist for over 25 years and was on the UUWF Board of Trustees from 1985-93. For part of that time, she served as Vice-President. She is currently an active member of the First Unitarian Church of Oakland where she is a Worship Associate. She holds an M.A. from the Institute in Culture and Creation Spirituality located in Oakland California, which is directed by writer and theologian Matthew Fox. She regularly presents workshops that reflect ecofeminist spirituality. Carol was very helpful in the initial planning of approach and selection of appropriate goddesses to include in this curriculum. Nancy Vedder-Shults, music consultant, suggested including the Corn Mother Chant.
WHY THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE AND TONANTZIN? The Virgin of Guadalupe has been historically and still is today the most respected female deity in Mexico. She also has direct ties to the indigenous Earth goddess Tonantzin, an important link that gives insight into the ties between old religions and contemporary ones. Exploring the qualities of both of these goddesses and their connection is an important aspect of our womanhonoring journey.
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WHY CORN MOTHER? Corn is a chief source of sustenance for many Native Americans in North and Central America. It is also an important symbol in many Native American traditions of the support the Earth provides. Goddesses represent the sacredness of Corn in many cultural traditions indigenous to the Americas.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY Many indigenous peoples have lived in Mexico, Central and South America for thousands of years. After the Spanish conquest in the fifteenth century, intermarriage among indigenous people and those of Spanish heritages became the legacy of many people who live in or were born in these regions. No word adequately describes this heritage since Hispanic and Latina emphasize Spanish ancestry without acknowledging indigenous roots. Chicana is preferred by some women from Mexico. This term carries a political connotation of pride in Mexican ancestry and seems to acknowledge the mix of indigenous and Spanish heritage. Even though all these terms have definite connotations, all three are used by peoples of Mexican and Central American heritage.
CHANT: CORN MOTHER CHANT Copyright 1986, Lisa Thiel, from "Prayers for the Planet"; her recording is included by permission on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. Sacred Corn Mother come to me make my way sacred fill me with beauty
Repeat fill me with beauty fill me with beauty that I may bring others beauty
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PRAYER, STORY AND SONG: LA MADRE Original Spanish and English translation by Laura Parra Codina (See Contributors section in this Session for biographical note about Laura.)
UNA ORACION A LA MADRE
A PRAYER TO THE MOTHER
¿Porque le canto a la Madre? ¿Porque le canto a la Madre? Madre de Tepeyac, Madre Tierra Quitame esta hambre, Dame tu carino Ensename el Poder de tu Nombre Mandame la Voz para tu adoracion Mandame la Palabras para compartir tu presencia en mi Vida Mandame las Fuerzas para cargar esta Vida adelante de un momento al otro Mandame la Verdad
Why do I sing to the Mother? Why do I sing to the Mother? Mother of Mt. Tepeyac, Mother Earth Take away this hunger Give me your kindness Show me the Power of Your Name Send me the Voice for your Adoration Send me the Words to share your Presence in my Life Send me the Strength to carry this Life forward
Ay, mi Madre, como te hemos herido y tu sigues amandonos con ese calor profundo de tu Corazon, dentro del Mundo Perdonanos por abusar tu Divino Cuerpo, O Madre Divina
Oh, my Mother, how we have wounded you and you continue Loving us with that Profound Heat of your Heart, in the World Pardon us for abusing your divine body, Oh, Divine Mother
from one Moment to the next Send me the Truth
¿PORQUE LE CANTO A LA MADRE? (Why do I Sing to the Mother?) by Laura Parra Codina ¿Porque le canto a la Madre? Why do I sing to the Mother? For inspiration, for liberation, in supplication. Who else can I talk to? I never had any intention of troubling you with these dilemmas that I bring on myself, Madre, pero quien mas me va a oir? Who else will hear me? pero la Diosa Viva que traigo en mi corazon, quemando las ilusiones de esta vida carnal but the Living Goddess that I have in my heart, burning the illusions of this carnal life Yo le canto a la Madre. I sing to the Mother.
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Session Ten: Mesoamerica The image of La Virgen de Guadalupe is very strong in my Heart. To me La Virgen de Guadalupe represents the Energy of the Living Earth Herself, taking this form at a critical time in the evolution of this planet. The intermingling, the blood exchange, the gene mixing, that had to occur for humankind to shift to the next level of material and spiritual experience. And where else, but in the Heart, el Corazon, of this Land. Change was coming, according to the prophets reading the ancient Mayan and Aztec calendars... Yes, critics have said that this image is very European in features, that it was fabricated by the padres to pacify and convert the Indians of the Americas to denounce their ways and accept the new order. But in my veins runs the Blood of this Land, many lives, many generations of our people have preceded this One who have been comforted by La Madre Tierra. Mother Earth. We have survived as a people, and I have survived in part because of this faith. Traditionally, spiritual knowledge is passed from mother to daughter. My great grandmother helped the people of her community with the knowledge of plants she held in her hands, of women giving birth, of the ailments of the soul in need of purification. Her daughter, my grandmother, died when she went into labor after experiencing a serious fright. In Michigan where they lived, few doctors at that time would see to the needs of the Mexican people. So she was unable to pass on to her daughter the knowledge her mother had gained. My own mother then was raised by her aging grandmother during the depression. Later, at the time of World War II, my mother had to find her own way, working in the fields and factories to support her elders. Now it's me, having to learn things all over again for myself. And I ask myself, "what do I pass on to my own daughters?" And yes, there is a deep need in me, to learn, to know, to ceremonialize my Life, my Community con algo basado en la Tierra, que nos pide su Adoracion with something based on the Earth, that begs our adoration. I have lost much of my cultural traditions, so I have turned to the Source of Inspiration, Salvation, and Liberation that has offered generations and generations of people on this Land survival — La Madre Tierra, made manifest by the Cosmic Womb. I feel uncomfortable sometimes saying aloud my personal spiritual ideas since I am continually evolving them for myself, because this Process for me never stops. I am not asking anyone to believe or accept anything I have said here. Tomorrow, perhaps I will see it differently...and I'll start over again asking myself, Why am I alive now? What is my purpose on Earth? Yet, I believe I will still turn to La Madre Tierra for comfort and guidance. Oyeme, mi Madre, cantame ese orrullo universal — Hu-uh-uh-Uh Y yo te canto mi amor. Hear me, Mother, sing to me your universal lullaby, and I'll sing you my Love.
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Session Ten: Mesoamerica LE CANTO MI MADRE
A SONG TO THE MOTHER
Original Spanish by Laura Parra Codina
English by Laura Parra Codina
Coro:
Chorus:
Porque le canto mi madre? Porque me ama a mi Librame el corazon Antes de llevarme de aqui. Canto mi pena y hambre Canto coraje y amor Limpieme esta alma Que dulce es el sabor.
Why do I sing to you, Mother? Because you love me Free my heart Before I leave from here I sing my shame and my hunger I sing anger and love Cleanse my Soul How sweet is the Taste
(Coro)
(Chorus)
Le pido una vida muy larga Para ver a mis hijas bailar Diosa, denos los pasos Para hacer el mundo cantar
I beg for a very long Life To see all my Daughters Dance Goddess, grant us the steps To make the World Sing
(Coro)
(Chorus)
QUESTIONS: ON THE NATURE OF GODDESSES •
What is the nature of goddesses for you? For example, are they transcendent forces, metaphors, symbols, inner essences?
•
Why do you think respect for goddesses in cultures does not always mean respect for women?
•
How can woman-honoring people effectively reclaim the goddesses as culturally empowering images for themselves and for others? For example, promoting womanhonoring interpretations, reformulating religious understandings...?
VIEWS OF THE GODDESS IN MESOAMERICA During the matriarchal period of Central American history, the Goddess was worshiped as the Earth Herself, on hills (her breasts) and in caves (her womb). Serpents were women's allies or familiars and respected for sharing with women the mysteries of life and death. Serpents shed their skin periodically like women shed their blood. Adapted from Buffie Johnson's book LADY OF THE BEASTS: For the Toltecs, who ruled Mexico for a thousand years before the Aztecs came to power, a feathered serpent symbolized waters of the Earth and the Earth herself, with its plume-like vegetation. Paraphrase from THE GREAT MOTHER by Erich Neumann:
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Session Ten: Mesoamerica Because there is so much evidence of prominent female figures in the statuary of Central American cultures, there can be little doubt that an originally matrifocal constellation was overlaid by patriarchal institutions.
TLAZOLTEOTL-IXCUINA: THE GREAT SPINNER AND WEAVER This information is based on an essay entitled "Tlazolteotl-Ixcuina: The Great Spinner and Weaver" by Thelma D. Sullivan of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico appearing in THE ART AND ICONOGRAPHY OF LATE POST-CLASSIC CENTRAL MEXICO, A Conference at Dumbarton Oaks, October 22 & 23, 1977. The Birthing Goddess included in the video segment accompanying this session is one depiction of the Goddess Tlazolteotl, a Mother Goddess of the Huastecs, a people of Mayan origins who inhabited the lowland region bordering on the Gulf of Mexico. In some Mesoamerican spiritual belief systems, a woman in childbirth was a woman who was showing great courage — a woman warrior. In addition to her association with birthing, she is also associated with spinning and weaving, which are often seen as metaphors. Spinning and weaving, the making and intertwining of threads, represents life, death, and rebirth in a continuing cycle that characterizes the essential nature of the Mother Goddess. Tlazolteotl-Ixcuina was the Mother Goddess, the genetrix of all living things, plant and animal. Like all Mother Goddesses everywhere, past and present, she was the model noblewoman, "the Great Spinner of the Thread and Weaver of the Fabric of Life." The Mother Goddess was essentially the determiner of human destiny. As Neumann puts it, she "weaves the web of life and spins the thread of fate." The Goddess was a transforming agent herself. She would relieve those who had committed grievous transgressions by hearing their confessions. In that way the transgressor could be reborn again. She was also seen as the Goddess of the fertile Earth, and symbolized, too, the Earth that receives all organic wastes — human and animal excrement, vegetable and fruit leavings, fish, fowl, and animal bones, and so forth — which when decomposed are transformed into humus. In the same way that Tlazolteotl caused the symbolic rebirth of the transgressor by eating his wickedness, she also symbolized the transformation of wastes into humus, that is, the revitalization of the soil. Tlazolteotl-Ixcuina is also seen as the Goddess of medicines and medicinal plants and patroness of healers and midwives.
HUASTECS AND AZTECS Adapted from AZTEC ART by Esther Pasztory: One of the peoples who exerted the most obvious cultural influences in Central America was the Aztecs. The Aztecs dominated much of Central America from about 1200 to the early 1500s. Many examples of the statuary of this people still exist in Central American countries. One of
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Session Ten: Mesoamerica the more beautiful statues of Chicomecoatl is the great Aztec Corn Goddess in her majestic kneeling position which is pictured in the video segment. What a contrast to the folk art interpretation of the Corn Mother done in yarns by the Huichols! The naturalistic form of this particular Aztec Goddess is not characteristic of much of the sculpture of the warring Aztecs, who often preferred more angular forms. Because the Aztecs conquered so many peoples, however, they often adopted artistic forms from those developed cultures. In this case, the naturalistic form was borrowed from the people called the Huastecs. The Aztecs did not like the Huastecs because they claimed the Huastecs overindulged in the divine fermented beverage, practiced sexual licentiousness, and displayed immodesty of dress. For some reason, however, the Huastecs style of stone sculpture did exert great influence on the Aztecs — so much that it is sometimes hard to distinguish the differences between the artifacts of these two peoples.
TEOTIHUACAN Excerpted from TEOTIHUACAN: CITY OF THE GODS published by The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco: From the time of Christ to the destruction of the city in the eight century, Teotihuacan (Tay-ohtee-wah-kan) was one of the most important urban centers in all of Middle America (also called Mesoamerica.) The Aztecs gave the mysterious ruins which are located just outside Mexico City this name, which means city of the Gods. Because of the many temple complexes and huge pyramids, Teotihuacan probably began its history as a sacred city. Compared to the later Aztecs, Teotihuacan had few gods. The city's two principal deities are the Goddess and the Storm God (their real names are lost), although other mythological beings existed, such as the Feathered Serpent. The major deity in the later stages of the city is the Goddess. If we may judge from the art, it would be difficult to overestimate the importance of this deity. She appears to have been a Goddess of nature, terrestrial water, fertility, and caves, and may have been the patroness of the city. Since caves in Mesoamerica generally are associated with water as well as with the underworld, these were probably her domains. The site of Teotihuacan was located in the central part of the Teotihuacan Valley in the northeastern part of the Basin of Mexico on a high plateau over 7,000 feet in altitude. This valley was intensively settled in the second century B.C.E. Increasing prosperity, made possible by its natural resources and by irrigation agriculture, led to the development of a thriving urban center within a century or so. This city was a planned complex with vast avenues and colossal public works — the greatest expanse of monumental public architecture of its time in the New World. Its heterogeneous, multi-ethnic population was housed in some two thousand one-story stone and adobe apartment compounds. The layout of the city reveals that all buildings — public and domestic — followed the same ritually prescribed orientations. The city grew to its impressive size because of its unprecedented economic activity and, very likely, intellectual ferment. As a result, the culture, economy, and society that flourished was of
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Session Ten: Mesoamerica such power and prestige that Teotihuacan became the most important city in Mesoamerica, a role it continued to play for hundreds of years. Teotihuacan grew quickly. In around 100 B.C.E., the valley contained a cluster of villages from which the city took form. It has a population of probably as much as 75,000 by the end of the second century C.E., and then reached its astonishing peak in the third and fourth centuries. At its height, Teotihuacan had a population of more than 150,000 people. It was, therefore, as populous as Athens and covered approximately the same area as the walled city of Rome, which flourished about the same time. Indeed, around the year 600 C.E., Teotihuacan was one of the largest cities in the world. The mural of the Goddess included in the video shows Her emerging from shapes that suggest mountains, holding stylized flowering branches. Commentary from the exhibit of artifacts from Teotihuacan shown at the De Young Museum of Fine Art in San Francisco in 1993 noted that She was considered the Goddess of water, corn, nature and caves and was usually portrayed as a benevolent gift-giver rather than a frightening demon.
FLYING GODDESSES: TZITZIMIME In the fall of 1993, a symposium entitled "Goddesses of the Western Hemisphere: Women and Power" was offered in conjunction with an exhibit at the M. H. de Young Museum in San Francisco on the culture of Teotihuacan. Cecilia Klein, Professor of Art History at the University of California in Los Angeles, gave a very enlightening talk entitled "Aztec Images of the Frightful Woman" about the possible meanings of "Tzitzimime," flying female figures found in ancient Mesoamerican art, that are often interpreted as demons. She pointed out that historical sources used for these interpretations were usually male religious zealots from Europe who had been active in the persecution of "witches" before coming to the Americas. When she evaluates the art in conjunction with a variety of methods of interpreting symbolism in Aztec art, she finds support for her thesis that these female beings may, in fact, be honored deities who acted as intermediaries between those then living and the next world, a concept integral to Aztec cosmology. Professor Klein's work may bring a fresh perspective to contemporary interpretations of Mesoamerican cultures, which have usually been cast as extremely misogynous. If you are interested in her future publications, contact her through the Art History Department at the University of California in Los Angeles.
MAYANS AND WEAVING Excerpted from THE HIGHLAND MAYA by Roland and Roger Bunch: Mayan women have always been very proficient weavers. Each Mayan town has its own traditional garb. This garb is distinguished from that of the other towns by its style, colors, patterns, or even its kind of weave. More than 100 different traditional outfits are worn in an area the size of New Hampshire.
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THE MAYAN GODDESS IX CHEL Adapted from material presented by Kay Turner in "Ix Chel: Biography of a Mayan Moon Goddess" excerpted in the book entitled SPIDERS & SPINSTERS: WOMEN AND MYTHOLOGY by Marta Weigle: Ix Chel is Lady-Unique-Inclination-of-the-Night, Moon Goddess of the Americas. She is the Goddess, the Lady-Unique-All-Embracer whose domain extended through southern Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, and Central America as far as El Salvador. It is difficult to assess the specific time period of her influence; she was still actively worshipped at the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The history of the period states that one of the conquistadores...landed on an island off the coast of Yucatan sometime around 1517 and found it overspread with female idols...Other sources state that only women were found living there and, consequently, the island was named Isla de Mujeres (Island of Women). The history of Ix Chel's reign before the Conquest probably extends back to the early beginning of Mayan culture, especially in her function as Earth Mother and Goddess of Becoming (i.e. birth)...Her reign as the most prominent female deity in the Mayan world lasted approximately nine hundred years, spanning the classic and post-classic periods (600 C.E. - 1500 C.E.). Contemporary Mayans still sense her presence in their world. They call her "The Queen, the Grandmother, Our Mother, and the White Lady." She is as she has been for centuries. Because the Moon Goddess was the first person on Earth to weave, she was deemed patroness of the art of weaving. (It is important to note that this Goddess is always represented as a woman on Earth. She is a personal being. Her story is the eternal story of each woman who identifies with her.) The most famous shrines to Ix Chel on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and Cozumel Island were visited by thousands of women yearly from all over the Mayan world. Women believed their deepest dreams and their most profound personal desires were answered through the mediation of the Moon Goddess. The Moon Goddess is the cosmic source for identifying this (inner female) rhythm; she is defined as owning the cycles of the universe. Women came to know themselves through reliance on her image as a model of behavior. Some must have traveled hundreds of miles, over months of time, to reach the sacred places. It was the desire of every woman to make a pilgrimage at least once in her lifetime to one of the major shrines. Contemporary Maya refer to the Moon Goddess as wife of the sun. The progress of her history demonstrates the subjugation of her power and independence. In ancient days she was Ix Hun Ahau, translated Lady Number One, and associated with the primordial emergence of meaning. She was called virgin, or one-in-herself. Many of the myths about her recount the attempts of the gods to harness her. But she refused to be controlled. It is for us to remember the time before her brightness was diminished, the time in which she lived of herself, for herself. In the knowledge of her freedom is a source of our own deliverance.
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Session Ten: Mesoamerica
THE RABBIT: CLOSE COMPANION OF THE GODDESS Adapted from Hallie Austen, HEART OF THE GODDESS: In mythology, the rabbit is a scribe who records the famous Mayan lunar calendars. Perhaps they are partners in the lunar healing arts. In many cultures the rabbit also symbolizes immortality — not as the static, patriarchal ideal of eternal youth, but in the sense of neverending cycles of death and regeneration. The Goddess comprises all forms of existence, each of which is essential to the Great Whole. Revering animals and other forms of life can help us to re-establish the sacred balance of life in our environment.
STORY: VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE Excerpted from "The Virgin of Guadalupe and the Female Self-Image: A Mexican Case History" by Ena Campbell, appearing in the book MOTHER WORSHIP: THEME AND VARIATIONS by James J. Preston, (c) 1982, The University of North Carolina Press, reprinted by permission. The Virgin appeared on the morning of December 9, 1531 to a poor Indian named Juan Diego, who was on his way to receive religious instruction after he had converted to Christianity. According to one of many accounts, while Juan Diego was crossing Tepeyac Hill, he heard heavenly music and a sweet voice calling his name. Soon he saw the Virgin, "radiant as the sun," her feet resting on the rocks, gleaming like precious jewels. She addressed him gently, calling him "my son," and said she wished him to tell the bishop that she wanted a church to be built on that spot — where the one for the Aztec goddess Tonantzin, the indigenous Goddess of Earth and Corn, once stood — so that she might be near his people, to protect and love him. Juan promised to obey her commands, and he managed to see the bishop after several frustrated attempts. The bishop listened to him incredulously and told him to return at a more convenient time. Juan reported the result of his interview with the bishop and begged her to find a more worthy messenger; but she insisted that he had been selected as the one to represent her and told him to try again. On the following day, Juan returned to see the bishop. He knelt at the bishop's feet with tears in his eyes, begging to be believed. The bishop was impressed that Juan's story was exactly the same as on the previous day. He sent him away more gently this time, telling him not to return without a token from the Virgin. The next day, Juan stayed home because of an uncle's illness. The doctor said there was no hope; so Juan was sent to bring a priest who would administer the last rites. On his way to find a priest, Juan reached Tepeyac Hill. In his worry about his uncle, Juan had forgotten about the Virgin. He decided to take a roundabout path for fear he had incurred her displeasure, and in order to avoid a scolding, but the Virgin met him anyway. She said he must go to the place on the hill where he had first seen her and pick some roses, which were to be taken to the bishop. Juan obeyed and was astonished to find beautiful Castilian roses among the rocks where only cacti had grown before. The Virgin told him to hide the roses in his cape and take them to the bishop.
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Session Ten: Mesoamerica The attendants at the bishop's palace asked Juan what was in his cape. He tried to keep them from seeing the roses, but they refused to announce him unless he cooperated. When the servants saw the roses, they were as surprised as he, because the flowers seemed to have become a part of his cape. The servants reported this to the bishop, who immediately recognized it as a sign from the Virgin. Consequently, Juan was admitted into the bishop's presence. As he knelt and reached for the roses to hand to the bishop his cape fell to the ground. At that moment the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared on the cape. The news of this miracle spread rapidly. A chapel was built by the church authorities at the foot of the hill. Here the cape with the image of the Virgin was hung. People were converted by the thousands. Today the little chapel on Tepeyac Hill is a large domed basilica. Although the church is a beautiful national shrine, it is also a place for humble people who come to pray and give thanks for miracles performed on their behalf. On Sundays, pilgrimages are made to this shrine by large groups of people, mostly women, from various towns in Mexico. It is an impressive sight to see groups of people carrying flowers to Guadalupe to petition her for blessings. Flowers are very important to the worship of the Virgin of Guadalupe because when she appeared to Juan Diego, the Virgin made roses grow in the desert so Juan could give them to the bishop to verify that she had indeed appeared to him.
THOUGHTS ABOUT LA VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE Adapted from AZTEC ART by Esther Pasztory: When the worship of the Virgin of Guadalupe became official — a vision of her reputedly appeared also to Bishop Zumarraga — the remnants of indigenous religion were hidden in the guise of Christian belief. Sahagun, a Spanish priest, wrote in 1576, "The common people who go on the pilgrimages are moved by their ancient religions and their show of Christian piety is a sham." Not even the disapproval of the Franciscans could stop this fusion of elements of two diverse cultures into a new pattern that is a melding of both forms that remains characteristic of popular Mexican religion today. Excerpted from the essay "Entering the Serpent" by Gloria Anzaldua, appearing in WEAVING THE VISIONS edited by Judith Plaskow and Carol P. Christ. Gloria Anzaldua is a Chicana lesbian feminist poet and fiction writer. She has been active in the migrant farm workers movement and has taught at various universities. Her work has appeared in numerous publications. Guadalupe unites people of different races, religions, languages: Chicano protestants, American Indians, and whites. She mediates between the Spanish and the Indian cultures (or three cultures as in the case of Mexicanos of African or other ancestry) and between Chicanos and the white world. She mediates between humans and the divine, between this reality and the reality of spirit entities. La Virgen de Guadalupe is the symbol of ethnic identity and of the tolerance for ambiguity that Chicanos-Mexicanos, people of mixed race, people who have Indian blood, people who cross cultures, by necessity, possess.
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Session Ten: Mesoamerica Excerpted from an article entitled "Chicana Identity: Myth or Message From the Past" written by Shirley Flores Munoz, an instructor and Women's Program Specialist at Cabrillo College, Aptos, California, that appeared in MATRIX: A WOMEN'S NEWSMAGAZINE, May, 1990: La Virgen de Guadalupe has been received all over Greater Mexico as our devoted Mother. There have been times when I drew the strength to survive from her. Having grown up Catholic, I remember spending hours kneeling before her statue in our church, asking for miracles and protection for my family. The story of La Virgen de Guadalupe also surfaced shortly after the conquest. In order to truly grasp her political significance, we need to briefly explore the world into which she appeared. That world was an Indian world that demonstrated respect for the feminine through its female deities. Before the Indians were conquered by the Spaniards, they devoted half of their religious feast days to female goddesses. Women priestesses were largely responsible for the preparation of these important celebrations and for the temples that were built in their honor. Goddesses were viewed as being responsible for all things connected with birth and fertility: water, crops, corn, vegetation, rain. They were held in reverence and so were the female priestesses whose worlds were women-centered, a condition that encouraged respect and self-esteem. The Spaniards destroyed all these systems and replaced them with the patriarchal system of Catholicism. Under Spanish colonialism there was only one God, and Indians were simultaneously converted and violently coerced into accepting his son Jesus Christ. It took several years to come up with a creative response to the situation. That response took the form of the story of Juan Diego and La Virgen de Guadalupe. The underside of this story, however, is that the site where La Virgen is said to have appeared is also the site of the altar of the Indian Goddess Tonantzin. This coincidence informs Chicanas today that the Indians were determined to reclaim their goddesses where possible through these kinds of integration practices. For me, La Virgen has always been a cross between oppression and liberation. While she holds out complete acceptance and inner strength, she is also heavily laden with what I view to be the main source of women's oppression: the ideology of virginity. As a Chicana approaches puberty, she begins to experience heavy doses of consejos about her sexuality. These are seldom graphic or overt comments; in fact, they often present themselves so subtly that one might not notice the noose tightening in our minds, might not notice that we ourselves begin to inhibit our own sexuality and the sexuality of our sisters. This is internalized oppression, and it is most powerful when sexuality and feelings are tied in this most curious design. I vividly remember hearing comments such as "A lady always sits with her legs closed," "Never sit on anyone's lap," "Don't paint your face," and "Be good." The most painful was that it was considered bad to enjoy the attention of boys. By the time I reached high school, I was completely devoted to La Virgen as the protector of my own morality, and I learned that the only "decent" way for me to leave home was in a white dress through the front door, on the arm of my father.
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Session Ten: Mesoamerica Today I consider the ideology of virginity the greatest form of oppression of Chicana women. Growing up, it was the point upon which so many other decisions rested. Going to college, getting a job, moving out and getting an apartment, going out unescorted by a guy, the number of boys a girl dated at one time, using birth control, getting an abortion, who we married — all these depended on the extent to which we were controlled by the ideology of virginity. Chicana women have the right to make informed decisions about our lives. We have the right to take pride and pleasure in our bodies. We also have the obligation to challenge all forms of internalized oppression about our sexuality, especially when we hear a sister being condemned or judged. Today I approach La Virgen with hesitation. I recognize that I may have left her but that she will never leave me. I also know that I am not completely comfortable abandoning her now. Instead, I choose to free her on my altar at home. I give her space right next to all the other things that have meaning for me. I invite her to take pride in her own strength as I take pride in mine. She is our devoted mother, and I carefully leave off all layers of oppression that have been placed on her shoulders. Goddesses Symposium: In the fall of 1993, an interesting symposium entitled "Goddesses of the Western Hemisphere: Women and Power" was offered in conjunction with an exhibit at the M.H. de Young Museum in San Francisco on the culture of Teotihuacan (Tay-oh-tee-wha-kahn), a city that flourished in Mexico from the first century until its abrupt collapse, for unknown reasons in 750. (This city, it has been determined, had a female as supreme deity.) Jeanette Peterson, Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of California at Santa Barbara, spoke at this symposium on "The Virgin of Guadalupe as Revolutionary." Professor Peterson is doing an interesting analysis of the attitudes toward the Virgin over centuries. She points out how She has been honored by various classes of Mexicans for different reasons — for example, as a symbol of pride for Creoles and a symbol of resistance for Mexican revolutionaries. If you are interested in her future publications, please contact her at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Adapted from the article "In Quest of the Black Virgin: She is Black Because She is Black" by Leonard W. Moss and Stephen C. Cappannari, appearing in the book MOTHER WORSHIP edited by James Preston. Our Lady of Guadalupe is related to the hundreds of Black Madonnas that exist in Eastern and Western Europe and Africa. It has been hypothesized that these icons in Europe were borrowed by the Christians from earlier pagan art forms, particularly Isis. Black is the color characteristic of goddesses of the Earth's fertility. Students of mythology long have noted that "black" could be regarded as a quality of the Earth. Black Madonnas all over the world are powerful images. They are miracle workers. They are asked to assist with solving a variety of problems including interceding with the harsh patriarchal god on behalf of the poor. They offer constant protection and comfort. The Virgin of Guadalupe plays all of these roles for her worshipers. Adapted from Hallie Austen, HEART OF THE GODDESS: With stars on her cloak, a crown on her head, the moon supporting her and the rays of sun surrounding her, truly she was the Queen of Heaven.
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Session Ten: Mesoamerica
FRIDA KAHLO Frida Kahlo lived from 1907 to 1954. The painting "My Nurse and I" that appears in the video accompanying this session was created in 1937 after Kahlo had established herself as a serious painter in international circles. Frida especially liked this painting. Twentieth century feminist artists continue to relate to traditions of their foremothers, traditions in which the female and the Earth are honored. In this painting, Frida Kahlo, a famed artist from Mexico, shows her feeling of connection with the Indian heritage of her homeland. It is a feeling that is closely tied to the Earth. Commenting on this painting, Hayden Herrera, one of Frida Kahlo's biographers, says: Massive and brown, Frida's nurse is a concretization of Mexico's Indian heritage and of the Mexican Earth, plants and sky. ...The engorged leaf...the praying mantis and the metamorphosing caterpillar/butterfly that are camouflaged against the stems and leaves of plants, all express Frida's faith in the interconnectedness of every aspect of the natural world and in her own participation in that world. Elinor Gadon, in her book THE ONCE AND FUTURE GODDESS: A SYMBOL FOR OUR TIME, comments on this painting and Kahlo's message: Like other women who open themselves up to the Earth's mysteries, Kahlo's identification is with a collective memory of how it was in the beginning when our earliest ancestors knew the Earth as the source of all life and the ground of being."
CORN In the video segment in this session, and in the segment accompanying Session 12, several very different images honoring the sacredness of corn are shown. Here are descriptions of a few Native Peoples and their attitudes toward corn.
THE HUICHOL INDIANS AND CORN Excerpted from HUICHOL INDIAN SACRED RITUALS written by Susana Eger Valadez, featuring Mariano Valadez's sacred yarn paintings. While many native peoples in the Western Hemisphere have been absorbed into the mainstream of the modern world, the Huichol Indians, who live in a secluded part of Mexico, have maintained their traditional ways. For centuries the rugged and remote terrain of the Huichol homeland has provided a pocket of isolation where the Huichols have survived, preserving their unique culture, religion, and art. In the wilderness setting, their physical and spiritual needs have nurtured a value system and way of life which has been carried through the generations in isolation from the rest of the world. Today the Huichol culture has become a window to the past, revealing the legacy of indigenous ways which have become, for the most part, long extinct in many parts of the Americas.
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Session Ten: Mesoamerica From notes accompanying a Huichol painting of Tatei Urianoka in the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco: A Huichol painting of Tatei Urianoka, Our Mother, is included in the video accompanying this session. For the Huichol, all Nature is imbued with spirits. In this yarn painting, Tatei Urianoka, the "Goddess of the Earth Ready for Planting," is holding within her body the dove who personifies the spirit of corn.
HUASTECS AND AZTECS Adapted from AZTEC ART by Esther Pasztory: One of the peoples who exerted the most obvious cultural influences in Central America was the Aztecs. The Aztecs dominated much of Central America from about 1200 to the early 1500s. Many examples of the statuary of this people still exist in Central American countries. One of the more beautiful statues is Chicomecoatl, the great stone Aztec Corn Goddess in her majestic kneeling position, pictured in the video accompanying this session. What a contrast to the folk art interpretation of the Corn Mother done in yarns by the Huichols! The naturalistic form of this particular Aztec goddess is not characteristic of much of the sculpture of the warring Aztecs, who often preferred more angular forms. Because the Aztecs conquered so many peoples, however, they often adopted artistic forms from those developed, yet defeated, cultures. In this case, the naturalistic form was borrowed from the people called the Huastecs. The Aztecs did not like the Huastecs because they claimed the Huastecs overindulged in the divine fermented beverage, practiced sexual licentiousness, and displayed immodesty of dress. For some reason, however, the Huastec style of stone sculpture did exert great influence on the Aztecs — so much that it is sometimes hard to distinguish the differences between the artifacts of these two peoples.
HOPIS: CORN MAIDEN KACHINA The Hopis create Kachina dolls carved of wood to represent deities. In the video accompanying Session 12, a piece entitled KACHIN'MANA, THE CORN MAIDEN KACHINA, is shown. This piece was created by the contemporary Hopi artist Yvonne Duwyenie of Hutevilla, Third Mesa Sun Clan. Here the Corn Maiden is carrying white corn, which is the most sacred of the corns, bestowing special blessings. Ms. Duwyenie is self-taught and creates her pieces in the traditional style, using cottonwood.
RESOURCES Pre-Columbian Art of Mexico by Jill Leslie Furst and Peter T. Furst, Abbeville Press, New York, 1980. Large format with full-page, color pictures of these masterpieces placed in their social and historical context, showing how this art is inextricably bound up with religion and ritual. "Ix Chel: Biography of a Mayan Moon Goddess" by Kay Turner in Spiders & Spinsters: Women and Mythology by Marta Weigle, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1982. Pages 164-168 cover Native American traditions, including Ix Chel. This is a wide-ranging sourcebook of texts and graphics about women.
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Session Ten: Mesoamerica Mother Worship: Theme & Variations edited by James J. Preston, The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1982. Part One covers Mother Worship in the New World and contains the following essays that relate to topics touched on in this session: "The Virgin of Guadalupe and the Female Self-Image: A Mexican Case History" by Ena Campbell. At the time of publication Ms. Campbell was a research fellow in anthropology at the Institute of Jamaica, Kingston. "The Tonantsi Cult of the Eastern Nahua" by Alan R. Sandstrom. This paper examines the beliefs and ritual behavior surrounding a female Deity who plays a key role in the life and thought of Nahua Indians inhabiting the southern Huasteca region in east central Mexico. When this book was published in 1982, Mr. Sandstrom was assistant professor of anthropology at Indiana University/Purdue University at Fort Wayne. He is the author of several papers on various aspects of Nahua culture and has conducted extensive field work in Mexico and among Tibetan exile communities in northern India. Huichol Indian Sacred Rituals by Susana Eger Valadez, featuring Mariano Valadez's sacred yarn paintings, Dharma Enterprises, Oakland, California, 1992. Color photographs by the Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and Traditional Arts (Centro Huichol). Includes Huichol Indian creation myths, animal allies, shamanic ceremonies, and symbolism. The Art and Iconography of Late Post-classic Central Mexico Papers presented at a Conference at Dumbarton Oaks, 1977. Conference was organized by Elizabeth Benson, papers were edited by Elizabeth Hill Boone and published by Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University, Washington D.C., Copyright 1982. Companeras: Women, Art, & Social Change in Latin America by Betty LaDuke, City Lights Books, San Francisco, 1985. This book brings together personal stories and contemporary artists of the Caribbean, Central and South America. The Cult of the Black Virgin by Ean Begg, Viking Penguin, New York, 1985. Shows influence of the "Dark Madonna" around the world, as a symbol of Earth wisdom. Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera, Harper & Row, New York, 1983. A powerful and engrossing biography of the Mexican painter who has become a mythic figure. Frida Kahlo: The Brush of Anguish by Martha Zamora, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1990. Capturing the essence of one of Mexico's most talented painters, this book reproduces 75 of Kahlo's paintings in lavish color, accompanied by historical photographs. "Re-membering the Goddess" by Virginia Sanchez Navarro in Woman of Power Magazine, Issue Fifteen. Once and Future Goddess: A Symbol for Our Time by Elinor Gadon, Harper San Francisco, 1989. Pages 213-18 cover the Black Virgin, including Guadalupe of Mexico. This book is a richly illustrated testament to the reemergence of the Goddess in the art and in the lives of contemporary women and men.
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Session Ten: Mesoamerica Pre-Columbian Art by Jose Alcina Franch, translated from the French by I. Mark Paris, Harry N. Abrams, New York, 1978, 1983. A full-scale treatment with over a thousand illustrations of the art and culture of Mexico, Central and South America before the Spanish conquest. Includes Olmec, Teotihuacan and Mayan, covering principal archaeological sites. The Highland Maya: Patterns of Life and Clothing in Indian Guatemala text by Roland Bunch and photographs by Roger Bunch, Indigenous Publications, Visalia, Calif., 1977. (Currently out-of-print.) Includes beautiful photographs of the Mayan people and personal, moving commentary. Two images are included in the RISE UP video. Mexico: Splendors of Thirty Centuries by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1990. The introduction by Octavio Paz is a major essay on Mesoamerican civilization. This book celebrates the immense artistic riches created in Mexico through its 3,000-year history. Over 550 illustrations and 10 maps. The Pre-Columbian section covers the ancient art of the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Monte Alban, Mayan, and Yucatan. Aztec Art by Esther Pasztory, H.N. Abrams, New York, 1983. Teotihuacan: Art from the City of the Gods edited by Kathleen Berrin and Esther Pasztory, The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Thames and Hudson, New York, 1993. Uncovers the art and daily life of this first great culture to appear in the Valley of Mexico, including the Teotihuacan Goddess who was the patron(ess) of the city. Teotihuacan: City of the Gods by Renee Dreyfus, produced by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco to accompany the exhibition "Teotihuacan: City of the Gods" presented in San Francisco during May through October, 1993. This booklet, published in English and Spanish, presents interesting information and perspectives on this ancient culture. Behind the Mask in Mexico edited by Janet Brody Esser, Museum of International Folk Art, Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe, 1988. Masks are explored not as isolated objects but as integral aspects of costumes and ceremonial performances. Masks are capable of transforming or revealing the identity of their wearers; they embody mysticism, magic and cultural tradition. Mexican Masks by Donald Cordry, University of Texas Press, Austin, 1980. This heavily illustrated book preserves the link to Mexico's past represented by Indian ritual dance masks. Includes information about mask making and mask use, describing materials and techniques, regional and ethnic variations, and shamanistic, symbolic, and social functions. Arts and Crafts of Mexico by Chloe Sayer, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1990. Nearly 60 indigenous Indian peoples still live in Mexico, many of whom retain their own customs, folk art, and craft traditions. This treasury is a vivid portrait of these Mexican people and their lifestyles.
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Session Eleven: Native American
SESSION ELEVEN: NATIVE AMERICAN DISCOVERIES ON THE JOURNEY As we move to North America, some of the beliefs and practices of the Lakotas frame our next adventure. The Lakotas are one of the first peoples who live in the center of the North American continent. We will begin by enacting a special honoring of the directions of the Earth. We will learn about the power of masks which are important to many Earth-based spiritual traditions. By viewing the masks of a Lakota Sacred Pipe Woman and hearing her words, we will consider the history and contemporary meaning of masks to Earth-based traditions. We will begin to make our own masks which will give us a chance to express, in visual medium, the personal impact of our journey. We will hear the sacred story of White Buffalo Calf Woman.
CONTENTS Who Contributed? Why White Buffalo Woman? Chants: THE EARTH IS OUR MOTHER and WHITE BUFFALO WOMAN Cultural Sensitivity Notes The Story of White Buffalo Calf Woman The Four Directions Breath (Woniya) of the World Lakota Cosmology Valuing of the Female By Oglala (Lakota) Smudging Significance of Masks to Native Americans Thoughts By Native Americans on Sharing Native American Sacred Teachings Diversity and Commonality Among Native American Peoples Inter-Relatedness and Native American Thought The Pain of the Past — "Shadows Over The Land" Resources
WHO CONTRIBUTED? During this stop on our journey we explore some of the beliefs and practices of the Lakota Indians by meeting a Lakota woman who is an artist, writer and keeper of the sacred pipe. We hear her poetry, see her masks and listen to her tell a sacred story. Her Lakota name is Anpetu Winyan. Her non-Indian name is Muriel Antoine. Anpetu Winyan is an artist and writer. She has a Master of Arts degree from the University of South Dakota in Educational Administration and has worked as a teacher, counselor, principal, and curriculum developer at Native American schools in South Dakota and California. She currently lives on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, where she is Chair of the local tribal council.
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Session Eleven: Native American This is her statement about her philosophy that she included in notes accompanying a recent display of her work: Reflecting on my place in this universe, I add my dedication to preserving the harmony of this country's insight by embodying my art (masks) and poetry as a bridge between logical thinking and paradox. The masks bring their own power of suggestion that needs no words or explanation. This use of art as an indirect teacher is a powerful source of unconscious communication. It touches that part of one's self that responds to the ancient use of symbols from the distant past, giving each mask its unique character. The calling of the directions included in Session 11 is excerpted from a longer work by Anpetu Winyan entitled BREATH (WONIYA) OF THE WORLD written as Anpetu Winyan created paintings that portray the winds of the four directions that speak in her poem. These paintings and excerpts from the poem provide the structure for the video segment in Session 12. The entire poem is included in this section of the SOURCEBOOK. Anpetu Winyan also shared her native attire with us in the video in Session 11. The ceremonial dress, leggings, and moccasins are made of elk skin, deer bone, shells, beads, and feathers. The fan is made of eagle feathers and displays a medicine wheel, which is a circle with a cross in it symbolizing the circular nature of existence and the four corners of the Universe. A sprig of sage is tucked under the medicine wheel, indicating that this fan is used in the smudging ceremony. Several elements of Anpetu Winyan's attire are more than 150 years old, having been worn in celebrations by previous generations. As some anthropologists point out to us, by taking the time to listen to the individuals who make up a society, we often learn more about the real basis and actual practices of a given culture. By hearing Anpetu Winyan's poetry and storytelling, seeing her art, and getting a glimpse of her work with children, we are meeting another human being who is attempting to communicate the truth as she sees it. As she is quick to point out, these are her visions and her understanding of the truth. Research has proven they also portray traditional truths dear to the hearts of many Native American peoples. It is with great trust and care that Anpetu Winyan has shared herself in RISE UP. She agreed to share her knowledge and her art because she felt that those taking the journey of RISE UP were showing a sincere desire to know about her traditions since, by engaging in this journey, those participating have demonstrated a commitment to their own spiritual journeys. Janeen Antoine is executive director of American Indian Contemporary Arts (AICA), a nonprofit independent center founded in 1983 in San Francisco, California which is dedicated to presenting the finest art of Indian America today. She was very helpful during the development of RISE UP & CALL HER NAME. Ms. Antoine and AICA provided valuable contacts, slides of art, and programming that contributed to the content of RISE UP. AICA provides numerous avenues for living Indian artists to share their creative vision with the world. Through a comprehensive program of exhibition, educational outreach, promotion and sales, lectures, and workshops, AICA has been instrumental in helping shape the dominant culture's understanding of contemporary American Indian art. Also included in this section of the SOURCEBOOK is a more
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Session Eleven: Native American extended note on the work and philosophy of AICA in the section "Thoughts by Native Americans on Sharing Native American Sacred Teachings." Paula Gunn Allen, well-known writer and scholar, is a Native American feminist who has done considerable research on the role of women and female imagery among a variety of Native American peoples. She has provided valuable insights into the effects of colonialism on Native practices and attitudes, especially those toward women. For this reason, she has been quoted extensively in RISE UP & CALL HER NAME and her writings are highly recommended.
WHY WHITE BUFFALO CALF WOMAN? Although there are many female deities that carry great importance to various Native peoples, since a White Buffalo Calf Woman appears in the spiritual stories of several, she was chosen as the focus for this session. Also, White Buffalo Calf Woman is the most sacred spiritual messenger for the Lakota peoples and was chosen by Anpetu Winyan as the female deity she felt she wanted to tell about. It is interesting to note that on August 20, 1994 a White Buffalo Calf was born in Wisconsin, fulfilling a native prophecy that when she arrived — in the form of a white female buffalo — she would bring peace and prosperity.
THE EARTH IS OUR MOTHER Traditional Native American Chant; sung by Nancy Vedder-Shults and friends on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. The Earth is our Mother, we must take care of Her, The Earth is our Mother, we must take care of Her. Hey yanna, ho yanna, hey yan yan, Hey yanna, ho yanna, hey yan yan. Her sacred ground we walk upon with every step we take, Her sacred ground we walk upon with every step we take. Hey yanna, ho yanna, hey yan yan, Hey yanna, ho yanna, hey yan yan. The Earth is our Mother, She will take care of us, The Earth is our Mother, She will take care of us. Hey yanna, ho yanna, hey yan yan, Hey yanna, ho yanna, hey yan yan.
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Session Eleven: Native American
WHITE BUFFALO WOMAN Words and music written and copyrighted by Lisa Thiel; sung by Lisa Thiel on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. White Buffalo woman I seek thy vision White Buffalo woman I seek thy grace White Buffalo woman I seek thy wisdom White Buffalo woman I seek thy peace Fill me with thy vision Fill me with thy grace Fill me with thy wisdom Fill me with thy peace
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY In much of Native American cosmology, there are strong female and male entities. Male deities often exhibit qualities that are not characteristic of dominant-culture males. For example, the four winds in Anpetu Winyan's poem are male. Marla N. Powers, author of OGLALA WOMEN: MYTH, RITUAL, AND REALITY, feels the relationship between the sexes is not quite the same among the Oglala [another name for the Lakota people] as in the larger culture, because there continues to be an emphasis on a cooperative relationship between the sexes, rather than a competitive one. This attitude is typical of many Native American peoples. She feels the Oglala demonstrate in their traditions that sexual difference breeds mutual respect. 55555 It is important to be aware, especially when exploring Native American spiritual beliefs, of the often brutal treatment Native Americans have received historically at the hands of Europeans who came to North America. It is also important to understand that many social problems which occur in Native American communities (both urban and on reservations) can be traced directly to historical and often ongoing discriminatory treatment. Numerous Native American social service, cultural and social justice organizations exist that are trying to reverse this damage. Many welcome support. Included in this SOURCEBOOK are background essays and resources addressing these issues.
THE STORY OF WHITE BUFFALO CALF WOMAN As told by Anpetu Winyan (Muriel Antoine). In times past, it was the custom of the Lakota Nation to assemble once a year for an annual meeting to re-establish family ties and reaffirm areas of responsibility. It was after one of these gatherings that this story takes place. The Lakota started west to go hunting for their winter supply of meat. Failing to find any game, they called a council. Two young men were selected to go ahead and search for game. After searching for a few days they spotted a moving object coming toward them at a slow pace.
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Session Eleven: Native American As it came nearer they saw a lone buffalo, which was quite unusual, for buffalo travel in herds. Soon the buffalo came into view — a rare, white buffalo. They were undecided what to do. Perhaps kill it, for they were hungry and needed to eat. Yet the elders would be angry, for they say that the white buffalo are sacred. They hid so as not to scare the buffalo while they decided what to do. And when they looked again, they couldn't believe their eyes. A beautiful young woman stood before them dressed in a buckskin dress, leggings, and moccasins of white. Her shiny black hair was hanging loose. Nestled in her left arm was a bundle wrapped in a red buffalo skin. Her face was painted with red vertical stripes from her forehead to her cheeks. "I am sent by the buffalo tribe to visit your people," she said. "You have been chosen to do a difficult task. It is right that you should carry out the ways of your people. "Go home and tell your leaders to put up a special lodge in the middle of the camp circle. Caution them to make the entrance door of the lodge and the entrance into camp toward the direction from where the sun comes. Let them spread sage at the place of honor, in back of the fire. In front of this structure a buffalo skull should be placed. I bring something of great importance to your people, which is very sacred. It will have a great influence for the people's future welfare. I shall be in camp at sunrise." The two scouts, friends for years, were opposite in nature. While one was impulsive and aggressive, the other was friendly and respectful. Both young men stared in open admiration. The impulsive one stepped forward to embrace13 the young woman. A vaporous whirlwind surrounded them and as suddenly as it came, the foggy whirlwind disappeared, leaving only the young man's bones exposed beside the young woman. The young woman said, "It is the will of Wakan Tanka that the male desire after the female, but he also decreed that the thinking man must exercise control. Your friend now lies consumed by his own passions. You, being of sound mind, will act as my messenger. Return to your people, tell your chief what you have witnessed, and that I will come bearing a gift." The young woman turned to depart. The young man, shaken, shyly looked at the place where the young woman stood. Instead he saw a white buffalo trotting away. This strange story, when told back at camp, was not believed until a group of warriors saw the skeleton remains of his friend. It was exactly at sunrise when she appeared, walking slowly into camp towards the special lodge. As she approached she sang, "With visible breath I am walking, this nation I walk toward, and my voice is heard. I am walking with visible breath, I am walking the scarlet relic. I am walking." She was dressed as before, except now she carried the pipe. The stem was in her right hand and the left cradled the pipe bowl. The chief spoke, "My dear relatives. This day Wakan Tanka has looked upon us by sending this young woman whom we recognize and consider as our sister. She has come to help us in our great need. Wakan Tanka wishes for us to live. Sister, we are glad that you have come to us in trust. Whatever message you bring, may we be able to abide by it. We are poor people, but we have great respect for visitors, especially relatives. It is our custom to serve special guests with 13
In many interpretations, this is seen as an impulse to rape, which is why such a severe penalty was White Buffalo Calf Woman's response.
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Session Eleven: Native American food. We are at present needy and all we have to offer you is water that falls from the clouds. Take it and drink it and remember that we are very poor." The braided sweetgrass was dipped into a buffalo horn containing rain water and was offered to the Guest. Then the chief spoke again: "Sister, we are now ready to hear the good message you have brought for us." The White Buffalo Calf Woman placed the pipe against the rack and accepted the buffalo horn of water. Then she spread open the red buffalo skin bundle and explained its contents to the people. Inside the bundle was tobacco, a spotted eagle feather, the skin of a redheaded woodpecker, a round red stone made from the same stone as the pipe bowl, a tuft of buffalo hair and a few braids of sweetgrass. "Behold this pipe and always love it. It is very sacred and you must treat it as such. No impure person should be allowed to see it for this bundle holds the sacred pipe which you will use during the winters to come to send your voices to Wakan Tanka, your grandfather. With this sacred pipe you will walk upon the Earth, for the Earth is your grandmother and mother. She is sacred. Every step taken upon her should be a prayer. "The bowl of this pipe is red stone and, facing the center, is the buffalo who represents all the four-legged who live upon your mother. The stem of the pipe is wood and represents all that grows upon the Earth. These 12 feathers which hang where the stem fits into the bowl are from Wambli Gleska and all winged creatures of the air. "All these peoples and all of the universe are joined to you who smoke the pipe. All send their voices to Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit. Beware of its mystic powers. Henceforth humble yourself before it and be guided by its rules. All my relatives, brothers and sisters, Wakan Tanka has looked down today, because we met as belonging to one family. The best thing a family has is the good feelings towards every member. I am proud to become a member of your family, a sister to you all. "Your tribe has the distinction of being always very faithful to promises and possessing great respect and reverence towards sacred things. It is known also that nothing but good feelings prevail in the tribe. For all these good qualities you have been chosen as worthy and deserving of all good gifts. I represent the buffalo tribe, who have sent you this pipe. You are to receive this pipe in the name of all common people. Take it and use it according to my directions. "The bowl of the pipe is red stone, found only in a certain place. This pipe shall be used as a peace-maker. Take this pipe and offer it daily to Wakan Tanka. By this pipe the tribe shall live. It is your duty to see that the pipe is respected and revered. You realize that all your necessities of life come from the Earth below, the sky above and the four winds. Whenever you do anything wrong against these elements, they will take revenge upon you. You should respect them." Finally, she lit the pipe and offering it to the heavens, she prayed, "With this Wakan pipe you will walk the Earth, with this pipe you will be bound to all your relatives, your grandfatherfather, your grandmother-mother." Then touching the foot of the pipe to the round stone which lay on the ground, she continued her prayer. "This round rock, which is made of the same red stone as the bowl of the pipe, your grandfather Wakan Tanka has also given to you. It is the Earth, your grandmother and mother, and it is
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Session Eleven: Native American where you will live and increase. This Earth, which he has given to you, is red, and the Great Spirit has also given you a red day and a red road. All this is sacred, so do not forget each day. Every dawn that comes is a holy event, and every day is sacred. "Now my dear brothers and sisters, I have done the work for which I was sent and now I will go, but I do not wish any escort. I only ask that the way be cleared for me." The akichitas (order keepers) opened the way for her eastward. She started to walk away. As she left, the people watched in silence. After some distance she sat down. When she rose, a brown calf rose and trotted along. Then the small buffalo calf rolled over and when it rose it was a nearly grown calf. Once more it rolled and when it stood a beautiful white cow was seen. Then before going out of sight, a final last roll and a shaggy bony cow, barely moving, disappeared. Many people of wisdom interpreted the series of changes, as the four stages of life cycles all creatures of this Earth must go through and the final return to Mother Earth. And this is the story of how the pipe came to The People.
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THE FOUR DIRECTIONS by Elizabeth Fisher Honoring the directions — west, north, east, and south — provides a format for drawing our attention to many aspects of life that are material, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. One set of the correspondences of the directions to the elements are: West — water North — earth East — air South — fire Some Earth-based traditions also include the center as an important physical position. These correspondences remind us of the primary components of the natural system that interrelate to create endless material diversity. The directions also correspond to various aspects of the human body, mind and spirit. These correspondences tie us personally to the fullness of the planet we reside upon. These include: West — feelings, emotions North — flesh, blood, bone East — mind, breath, inspiration South — spirit, will, passion There is also an array of colors, animals, seasons and tools linked to the various directions. Although Earth-based traditions do not agree on the details of these correspondences, despite their diversity, these traditions all continue to acknowledge their heartfelt connections with the elements. The calling of the directions also serves as a way of creating a symbolic construct that reminds us of the interconnected web of all existence, which is composed of an endless wealth of nature's gifts. This web sustains us through the physical and metaphorical processes of life, death and rebirth. To reaffirm our awareness of the web, and each of our unique positions in it, is a primary reason for participating in Earth-based rituals.
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BREATH (WONIYA) OF THE WORLD by Anpetu Winyan Used by permission of the author. Before time was measured, in the dark still time after the sun rolled off the Earth a half-grown young person sat huddled in front of the campfire watching shadows make gigantic images come from afar. Held close in her hand a slender white bone whistle a gift from the winged one who carried prayers to Tunkasila. Touching the sacred bone to the lips the echo of Wambli Gleska14 exploded roughly! Nearby ... unearthly screeching, sounds of wings flapping, moist breath growled You called! When the Night Hawk sings lullabies to Earth-dwellers! "I, Eya, come from the direction where the mysterious way dwells as the West Wind. I represent a place of the unknown a place of going within a place of sacrifice the place where earth and sea meet." He warned laughingly in a loud voice "I am also known as the Thunder Spirit," filling the air with rumbling thunder while bolts of flashing streaks of light fill the teepee with a misting, disturbing, damp cloudy vapor.
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spotted-tail winged one of the air
As fast as it blew in it blew out again. Next as a soft fresh breeze carried a pungent cedar scent to fill the air a loud thunderous voice continued. "I dwell in the land of the giant redwood forest, snow-capped mountains, rivers and sea. Where Earth dwellers live in plank homes and fish for salmon in wooden boats. I bring power to those who seek to hear or want to know or be aware of their own spiritual nature having a commitment to help others; then I become the revealer of dreams. These dwellers by the big waters take my image as a symbol in spirit many animal, bird forms to recount events that happened a long time past. These images become alive and help to make fragments of invisible, unexplainable dreams into live reality. These masks, dances and songs used in the renewal ceremonies affirm the history of the people making the spiritual world as real as the visible one." Eya ended his speech with a clap of thunder and a flash of light, vanishing back into inky blackness of the unknown, carrying a soft whispering
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Session Eleven: Native American of "Hou, second-born elder brother, thank you for coming to visit with me." The eagle bone flute once more sent the breath of life into the air. To the North a cold voice answered in a chilling continuous wail Metakoya, it is the time of balance The time of rest before a new day. What do you wish to know? The breath of Yata always freezes any vapor into clusters as shimmering crystals swoop and drift down from the end of the world, carried by the big wind. "I, Yata, dwell in the hole in the sky. I bring time of renewal for all life here on earth, and the crane, watcher of the big sky knows this. I sing a big lullaby for those who would rest by seasons, to change into new worldly forms. As guardian spirit, I provide protection for all fallen seeds with a shield-like blanket of soft white quietness ensuring silence, to sleep by changing all running liquid into icy marble. Those who test my fierce presence bend as they feel my breath. The gift of the North direction is external rest for internal renewal. Some say the white giant who lives under the big sky gives strength and wisdom to those who ask in prayer.
Those Earth dwellers who stay under the big sky and long nights, live in domed homes and fish in canoes made of skin, these people know the way of the vapor clouds of my breath, and like the sky watchers develop strong powers of observation." With an icy blast, roared, "The image these dwellers of the North use, to this day, is strong! As when the mask dreamer created it. You can believe they have life. Great care must be taken to treat them in a good way. By doing that you protect the people from its power, and appease the spirit for being exposed outside of the proper time and place." The blizzard-like gale quieted into a gentle flurry whisper. "This image has the power to transform; to replace evil with good, restore health and balance life. All forms such as divisions of time and space are removed and all that was possible then, could once more become reality." Hopefully Yata concluded. Yata's voice drifted past his time, as his words of wisdom continued, drifted from afar, "A man is what a woman makes him, for without her, what is life? In the solitude of winter," Yata sings, Earth dwellers also sing their dreams at this time of those who share their world. "Hou! Oldest brothers, your words have found my ears!" Raising her hands to the warmth of the fire and Yata's breath
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Session Eleven: Native American a beautiful memory, the eagle bone whistle sings to the direction of the morning star. In the flickering firelight it was hard to tell where the flaming red glowing on Yampa's costume ended and where the flames began, as he danced the ritual of spring to waken the new spirits to live. Yampa's shadow spins, leaps and jumped, growing large, grotesque images on the frost linger while the dancer sang the songs for the dawn people. While he danced he chattered aimlessly about the time and circumstance of one who entered into competition with the creator, when he dared to test the skyholder's might. He challenged to see who was strongest after he lifted a mountain a little. It was then the creator called the mountain, hearing a great rushing wind the giant turned to see mashing half of his face into the mountain. He acknowledged the creator's power and by doing so he was asked to help the people. This was to be done with request of tobacco and to carve his likeness into a mask. By carving this image from a live tree, the giant's power would enter the mask and drive away sickness, also turn away misfortunes and storms. As he danced, sweet Earthy smells rose "I, Yampa, represent the East Wind. I dwell in the dawn direction, place of birth, renewal, innocence give the ability to believe in things that are unknown, unexplainable. I am the last born of the four winds. I grant the knowledge you receive
in rest to guide you through each day. I give dreamers new power to act out dreams and give visions to carvers to make new masks of animals to show human like behavior depending on light, shadows, movement, sound and the events which call it to be. Boasting childlike of the mask's powers, when called it creates its own space and identity." Suddenly recalling an important fact, he eagerly went on. "The great father of all grandfathers wears the colors of both directions of the Red Road. Black to the West, Red to the East. He represents the exact midpoint. Between dawn and dusk is he." Teasing, laughing, he went on "Sometimes I am also known as the whirlwind face." Those that dwell where dawn is born live in homes of log, birch bark and grass. They gather wild rice and fish in birch bark canoes. These dwellers by the smokey waters were given laws for peace abiding people which is still a part of this land's history. "Hou! Yampa, youngest brother of the four winds you have given me a red day." As the red flames turned into glowing amber embers, the flute was playing to the direction of the summer wind. The second to the youngest, slowly coming into view. Okaga drawled lazily, how nature is good and Earth's beauty blesses, of how the spirits were summoned from mountain tops for the
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Session Eleven: Native American annual cycle of ceremonial dances to dramatize the history of healing ceremonies, which bring harmony to all Earth dwellers and the World. He seriously warned, "Listen to the songs of the old ones when they sing as they come in cloud form to bless the people." Those that dwell where the thirsty hot sun creeps slowly over the Earth, live in adobe pueblos, hogans and lodges. It is the land of towering rocks, bald eagles, white sand, lizards and snakes. "I dwell in the places of passionate involvement with the world, the place where we face to find our image the place of rapid growth and strong emotions," laughed Okaga. Summarizing his visit he ended with ceremonies which were done in a lavish, showy manner, to create beautiful places for the dramatic spiritual renewal. As a final thought he added, "It is the South direction where Earth dwellers greet each new day with prayers from the roof of the world."
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As the little person thought about this wonderful thing that had just happened for her, her heart knew we are the extensions of this Earth, we are the four directions, the beginning and the end. We are the rhythm of life's song that was created to echo across each generation's space and place. Taking our cue from the great-grandfather of all grandfathers, we are exactly midpoint, the exactly right place to be for us, when we reach our sacred place understanding, becoming a part of this land, our dust too will live in a new sacred way, and ride the wind's breath from the four directions.
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Session Eleven: Native American
LAKOTA COSMOLOGY WHITE BUFFALO CALF WOMAN White Buffalo Calf Woman is the historical embodiment of Falling Star. She is the bringer of the sacred pipe and sacred rites to the Lakota, appeared to the Lakota people according to some accounts in the late 1700s. She probably has come more than once, usually at times of starvation and trouble for the Lakota people. She also promised the return of the buffalo, sustainer of all life and instructed The People on the seven sacred rituals. It is interesting to note that on August 20, 1994 a White Buffalo Calf was born in Wisconsin, fulfilling a native prophecy that when she arrived — in the form of a white female buffalo — she would bring peace and prosperity. Excerpted from THE SACRED HOOP: RECOVERING THE FEMININE IN AMERICAN INDIAN TRADITIONS by Paula Gunn Allen: The idea that Woman is possessed of great medicine power is elaborated in the Lakota myth of White Buffalo Woman. She brought the Sacred Pipe to the Lakota, and it is through the agency of this pipe that the ceremonies and rituals of the Lakota are empowered. Without the pipe, no ritual magic can occur. According to one story about White Buffalo woman, she lives in a cave where she presides over the Four Winds. In Lakota ceremonies, the four wind directions are always acknowledged, usually by offering a pipe to them. The pipe is ceremonial, modeled after the Sacred Pipe given the people by the Sacred Woman. The Four Winds are very powerful beings themselves, but they can function only at the bidding of White Buffalo Woman. The Lakota are connected to her still, partly because some still keep the ways she taught them and partly because her pipe still resides with them.
THE PIPE Excerpted from THE SPIRITUAL LEGACY OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN by Joseph Epes Brown: Pipes used in historical times, and still used today, are made with a red, or sometimes a black, stone bowl, a stem usually of ash, and — at least with the large ceremonial types — ribbon decorations representing the four directions of space, and parts taken from sacred animals or from nature. These pipes represent the human being in her or his totality, or the universe of which humankind is a reflection. The bowl is the heart, or sacred center, and each section of the pipe is usually identified with some part of the human being. As a thread binds together, and is central to each bead of a necklace, so is the sacred pipe central to all the Plains Indian's ceremonies. As the pipe is filled with the sacred tobacco, prayers are offered for all the powers of the universe, and for the myriad forms of creation, each of which is represented by a grain of tobacco. The filled pipe is thus Totality, so that when the fire of the Great Spirit is added, a divine sacrifice is enacted in which the universe and humankind are reabsorbed within the Principle, and become what in reality they are. In mingling life-breath with the tobacco and fire through the straight stem of concentration, the person who smokes assists at the sacrifice of the self or ego, and is thus aided in realizing the Divine Presence at his or her own center. Indeed, in the liberation of the smoke one is helped not only to find God's (no gender) presence within, but
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Session Eleven: Native American to realize that oneself and the world are mysteriously plunged in God. The smoke that rises to the heavens is also, as it were, visible prayer, at the sight and fragrance of which the entire creation rejoices. The mysteries of the peace pipe are so profound that the rite of smoking for the Indian can be compared to the Holy Communion for Christians. It is, therefore, not without reason that it is commonly called a "peace pipe," and was always used in establishing a relationship, or peace, between friends and also enemies. For in smoking the pipe together each person is aided in remembering his or her center, which is now understood to be the same center of every other person, and of the Universe itself. It would be difficult to imagine a rite that could more aptly express the bond that exists among all forms of creation.
SACRED BUFFALO Paula Gunn Allen, a Native American writer, in her book GRANDMOTHERS OF THE LIGHT, recounts a version of the Story of White Buffalo [Calf] Woman. When introducing the story, she tells us: For those who lived upon the Great Plains, and even in the far Rockies, the buffalo was the animal being closest to humans. Not only did human beings rely heavily upon the buffalo for sustenance, clothing, housing, and all sorts of implements and sundries that make running a household much easier, but the buffalo as a spiritual presence and companion figured largely in human prayers, dreams, visions, and arts.
BREATH AND THE FOUR WINDS Eya, Yata, Yampa and Okaga are the names of the four winds. They are four brothers who take precedence over all gods and goddesses except WOHPE (Falling Star), the Goddess. Because the female is so highly valued, the four winds, which are male, are allowed to express a much greater emotional range, thereby offering new possibilities of sensitivity to men. Excerpted from THE SACRED HOOP by Paula Gunn Allen: Breath is life, and the intermingling of breaths is the purpose of good living. This is in essence the great principle on which all productive living must rest, for relationships among all the beings of the universe must be fulfilled; in this way each individual life may also be fulfilled. An old Keres song says: I add my breath to your breath That our days may be long on the Earth That the days of our people may be long That we may be one person That we may finish our roads together May our mother bless you with life May our Life Paths be fulfilled
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Session Eleven: Native American Excerpted from SACRED PATH CARDS by Jamie Sams: The powers (talents and lessons) of the four Directions can be immediate answers when sent by the Wind Spirits. Traditional Native American teachers always teach the children of their Tribe to feel the Wind so that they will know what to do if they are lost or afraid. If Wind blows from the West, they would sit and look inside their hearts for courage or an answer. If Wind came from the South, they would stop pretending to know all the answers and find humility, perhaps listening to another child who knew the way home. If Wind caught them in a whirlpool of motion, they would wait until help arrived. If Wind came from the North, the children would know that the Elders, in their wisdom, knew where to look for them. When Wind came from the East, they were to use their good sense or logical ideas that would bring an answer to their predicament.
COLORS AND LAKOTA COSMOLOGY The Lakota Indians honor the four races of the world — red, black, yellow and white — and relate them to the four quarters of the universe. The Lakota have no rules relating colors to specific directions. Color correspondences are determined by individual visions.15
VALUING OF THE FEMALE BY OGLALA (LAKOTA) Excerpted from OGLALA WOMEN: MYTH, RITUAL, AND REALITY by Marla Powers: Remember that myth is a reflection, conscious or unconscious, of the feelings and perceptions that those who tell the myth hold about social relations, hierarchies, and proper behavior. In this light, while Lakota society may be viewed as male-dominated, primarily because of missionary and Federal education, in ritual and myth females are the prime movers. White Buffalo Calf Woman reasserts, by virtue of her primal importance in Lakota cosmology, the high status attributed to the feminine, and by extension, the female. Children receive knowledge and wisdom from their grandmothers, and as White Buffalo Calf Woman has promised, it is the women who remember the things of value to the Lakota. Old women are the wisest, and perhaps because they are next to become the wicahunka, "female ancestors," they are entrusted with the rituals associated with death. All the special things associated with the preparation of the corpse and the burial itself are performed by the female relatives of the deceased. A high value is placed on woman's role as wife and mother. Women also play very important roles in the management of community affairs. A number of traditional women move without conflict between what might be regarded as high-status Euro-American positions and accepted Native American positions of wife and mother. Some examples are: judge of the Oglala Sioux tribal court, treasurer of the Oglala Sioux council, or director of curriculum for Oglala Lakota College (all currently held by Lakota women). Author Marla Powers feels that women's 15
References to colors associated with "races" are frequently used by the Lakota to honor all peoples of the world — everyone from the four directions. They are not intended to be scientific delineations or limiting categorizations, but rather a gesture of inclusivity.
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Session Eleven: Native American participation in what are regarded as Euro-American occupations in no way impinges on or detracts from their traditional roles, since in Lakota culture maternal and managerial roles are not regarded as opposites. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE At the time of publication of her book OGLALA WOMEN (1986), Marla N. Powers was an associate member of the graduate faculty in anthropology at Rutgers University.
SMUDGING One Native American ritual that is frequently shared by Native Americans with non-Indians is smudging. Similar purification ceremonies are practiced by peoples around the globe. The meaning and steps of this activity are frequently described in publications authored by Native Americans. They are included in this SOURCEBOOK to give a feeling for what activities are commonly done during public Pow Wows. This ceremony is also frequently performed, with reverence, by many non-Indians and neo-pagans who undertake an eclectic form of Earth-based, ritual practice. Important beliefs about smudging include: •
The meaning of smudging focuses around smoke and wind
•
To many native peoples, smoke symbolizes spirit.
•
Smoke makes air and wind, which is the Breath of the World, visible.
•
Smoke brings into view that which is unseen.
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Smudging is a way of purifying yourself upon entering a sacred space.
•
Smudging is a way of establishing contact, focusing your mental attitude by deliberately turning your attention to what you are now doing and thinking.
SUGGESTED SMUDGING PROCEDURE Smudging can be done in whatever manner is most comfortable. Smudging is usually done by burning sage, sweet grass, and/or cedar to create enough smoke so that it can be directed toward a person. Following is a suggested procedure using smoke from burning herbs. Light the herbs in a large shell or bowl with either a coal (like that used in incense burners) or with a wooden match, and blow on the flame so the sage/cedar/sweetgrass smolders rather than burns. To keep it smoldering, fan the sage, which has a tendency to go out, and may need to be relit several times during the ceremony.
Leader read: As we take turns smudging one another, we are blessing each other with the breath of Spirit, the breath of Mother Earth. Smudging is an opportunity to let go of whatever you brought to the circle that doesn't need to be here. Open yourself to this moment as we purify ourselves and create a sacred space.
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Session Eleven: Native American These steps should be explained to the group. If you do not want to use smoke because of indoor conditions or allergies, rattles can be used to symbolically achieve the same effect. 1. Often smudging is done by holding the bowl or shell with the smoldering sage/cedar/sweet grass in one hand and using a feather or fan in the other hand to swirl the smoke towards the recipient. 2. The person who begins fanning the smoke toward the person being smudged first fans the smoke to the heart (love) and then to the head (thought), and then up and over the head (soul). 3. The receiver of the smoke should adopt a respectful pose and with both hands draw the smoke towards the heart, then the head, and then over the head. 4. Then the smudger faces the next person in the circle and slowly fans smoke in their direction. 5. When being smudged, some may also want to turn around so the smoke covers their backs as well. 6. Smudging can be done by one or two people or by each member in the group for another. After an individual smudging is complete, the bowl should be handed to the person who just received the smudge. The receiver then fans the next person, and so on around the circle.
SIGNIFICANCE OF MASKS TO NATIVE AMERICANS Over the centuries, masks have played a key role in the religious and spiritual life of Native Americans throughout North, Central and South America (as they do in many Earth-based cultures around the world). Excerpted from SOFT GOLD: THE FUR TRADE AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE ON THE NORTHWEST COAST OF AMERICA published by the Oregon Historical Society: On the Northwest Coast, masks are the clearest manifestation of coexistence of the concrete world and that of supernatural power and myth. They are universally recognized as a feature of Northwest Coast culture. The journals of explorers and traders record the use of masks; many were acquired and brought back to home ports by the seamen who visited the coast, beginning with the earliest voyages. Every Tlingit shaman had a series of masks, each representing a spirit whose power could be assumed by the shaman upon donning the mask, and utilized in curing a patient. Many represent women. Comments by Peter Furst in his introduction to the book MEXICAN MASKS by Donald Cordry, University of Texas Press, 1980:
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Session Eleven: Native American Transformation was a dominant theme in traditional Mesoamerican thought. It remains so to this day — just below the surface here, overtly there, or deeply buried as a kind of pan-Native American ideological substratum, to which Indian Mexico belongs no less than do the Native Peoples of the Northwest Coast or Amazonia. From his first venture on horseback into the Sierra around Taxco, Guerrero, in 1931, Donald Cordry (author of the book Mexican Masks) was fascinated with this fundamental concept, as manifested in Pre-Columbian art and iconography, in sacred myths and folktales, and especially in the carved and painted dance masks he found in Nahuatl-speaking villages that were then — as indeed many still are — far from the mainstream of Mexican national life. Excerpted from MEXICAN MASKS by Donald Cordry: On a purely physical level, masks are made to hide the real faces of their wearers and to substitute artificial faces drawn from tradition and from the imaginations of mask makers. However, the act of covering the face is far more profound than a simple disguise, for the face itself has a far greater significance than one's features. While Mexico, like other cultures, has long equated the human face with personality and the "persona" in the Jungian sense, Mexican Indian groups have taken this symbolic process one step further: they directly relate the face to the soul. From within the carved images of Mexican masks, two distinctly separate faces look out upon us. The first is a European face that reflects the pageantry and processions, the morality plays, and the history of Spanish Mexico. The other face is much older. It is an Indian face that has somehow survived the centuries of acculturation and religious repression. Much of its symbolism and magical richness has been forgotten, but to the older Indians it still retains to a large degree its mystery. Anpetu Winyan, the mask maker featured in this session, offers the following comments on the masks she makes: Natives of this land have used the mask concept in the past, producing many types and kinds. Mask dreamers in the past added the mask's presence to give to events more dimensions of inner feelings and emotions. The natural spiritual force that gives depth and motivation to art becomes alive in these masks. This awareness gives unique character known in those who are connected to a heritage of ancient images that dwell in these people's unwritten memory. The newness of the use of ceramics opens the subject of the relatedness of our traditional art and religion to these masks. My masks are not icons to be used for any specific religious purpose. They are inspired and designed by impulse, momentary vision, to be my interpretation of the people of this place. The past, today and tomorrow intertwine into each personal mask as it becomes an object of creation going beyond our immediate time. In creating these mystic faces, the clay, shells, beads, feathers, fur, seeds and bone combine Earth's elements into one. They become abstract renditions of those that fly as well as twolegged and four-legged spirits that want to say something or to be seen, seek a dwelling place, leave an impression in the clay to help it to be.
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Session Eleven: Native American It has been my pleasure to be able to use the gifts of the people, for each mask becomes whatever the beholder wishes to see.
THOUGHTS BY NATIVE AMERICANS ON SHARING NATIVE AMERICAN SACRED TEACHINGS American Indian Contemporary Arts (AICA) was very helpful during the development of RISE UP & CALL HER NAME They provided valuable contacts, slides of art, and programming including lectures, dance demonstrations, poetry readings, and panel discussions that contributed to the content of RISE UP. Following are comments on their philosophy excerpted from the publication entitled REFLECTIONS ON A NATIVE VISION by Ray Moisa (Nisenan Maidu), former managing editor of NEWS FROM CALIFORNIA, a quarterly magazine dedicated to the history, art, language, and contemporary culture of California Indian people. American Indian Contemporary Arts is a non-profit independent center founded in 1983 in San Francisco, California, dedicated to presenting the finest art of Indian America today. AICA provides numerous avenues for living Indian artists to share their creative vision with the world. Through a comprehensive program of exhibitions, educational outreach, promotion and sales, lectures, and workshops, AICA has been instrumental in helping shape the dominant culture's understanding of contemporary American Indian art. AICA believes contemporary views held by the dominant culture are rooted in nostalgic and historical misrepresentations of Indian life. For many of AICA's artists, these false impressions create a significant need to present an "inside" view of the intuitive knowledge the artist possesses. Exhibit programming is designed to help bridge traditional artistic expression with contemporary expressions by individuals and tribal groups. AICA functions more as a museum than a typical gallery, where the result of the contact between the art and the public is not so much a sale as a discovery or education. Managed by a predominantly Indian staff and board, AICA serves as an educational, advocacy and economic development organization for today's Indian artists who are trying to bridge the gap between the traditional and the contemporary, and between Native and non-native peoples. "Our goal at AICA is to ensure that mainstream America discovers the power and beauty of contemporary Indian art," says Janeen Antoine, founding director and currently executive director of AICA. "Art has always been a vital and integral aspect of Native life," she points out. "And Indian artists in every generation have interpreted their relationship to a dynamic, constantly evolving world with art that is traditional in spirit and contemporary in form." The modern media employed by artists exhibiting at the gallery attests to their innovation and confidence in expanding the public's horizon of appreciation far beyond the "beads and feathers" stereotype of Indian art. AICA provides a gallery exhibition area that rotates six times a year and an extensive community outreach program. In addition to the shows presented at AICA, the organization has made various exhibits available to other organizations to secure wider exposure for the artists. Some of AICA's exhibits have toured to other galleries nationwide. AICA also maintains a slide
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Session Eleven: Native American registry of more than 2,500 slides representing the work of over 150 artists, with vital statistics. Recognized nationally and internationally by major museum and art institutions as an invaluable resource, AICA assists in identifying potential artworks for exhibition and/or acquisition. In 1991, AICA initiated an ongoing Lecture Series — six events presented throughout the year by Native artists and scholars on various topics related to Native life and art, both traditional and contemporary. These events provide a unique opportunity for Indians and non-Indians to explore together native culture and contemporary perspectives of the past, present, as well as where we, as a multicultural society, can go in the future. AICA believes that if racial and ethnic barriers to Indian people are ever to be broken down in this country, youth are an important audience in making these changes. To implement this vision, AICA provides programs for youth at the AICA gallery and in the students' own schools and neighborhood centers. AICA sponsors ongoing student trips to the gallery. Marsha Kosteva, public relations coordinator for AICA, comments, "Most of these kids, especially the younger ones, are simply astounded to learn that real, live Indians have created the art on these walls. The student tours provide, for many of these kids, their first opportunity to see contemporary, urban Indians who may be in the gallery on business. These student tours help serve as the bridge between two cultures, wearing down a little more each time the misconceptions about Indian people. And ultimately, this is our one, true goal in the work we do." "In all our efforts to educate and inform the mainstream American public, at the heart of it we always remember our first audience. We never forget that American Indian children need to see this art as much as non-Indian kids do. The work we do is not just to supply the needs of art patrons, or for the promotion of Indian artists, but for our continuing legacy, for the dynamic future of our people, for our own children's growth and well-being, more than anything else," says Sara Bates, AICA's director of exhibitions and programs. For more information about American Indian Contemporary Arts contact them at: The Monadnock Building 685 Market Street, Suite 250 San Francisco, CA. 94105-4212 (415) 495-7600 Anpetu Winyan, the Lakota Sacred Pipe Woman who shares her art and writing during the Native American sessions of RISE UP, has agreed to share her wisdom as a contribution to the cause of understanding among peoples of varied backgrounds. She believes, as do many Native Americans, that understanding of traditional ways cannot be bought for the price of a workshop, or by merely reading a book. It must come from heartfelt openness to nature, an understanding of what really happened between Indians and European settlers, by paying attention to what Native Americans are doing and saying today, by seeking one-to-one contact with Native Americans that is genuine, and by a commitment to finding our individual paths to spiritual truth. In 1991, Oren Lyons, designated Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation — one of six nations comprising the Iroquois Confederation — spoke with Bill Moyers. This interview
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Session Eleven: Native American is now available on video. (See Resources list.) As Faithkeeper, he is entrusted to pass on the traditions, legends and beliefs of his people for generations to come. Before returning to his ancestral land to become a chief, Lyons had established himself as a successful artist in New York City. He is also a renowned voice for conservation in the international environmental movement. During this interview, he comments on his feelings about sharing Native American spiritual beliefs with non-Indians. More excerpts from this interview are included in the Session 12 section of this SOURCEBOOK. Lyons told Moyers that there is a prophecy in his tradition that there will be a time when white people will come and ask for spiritual direction from Native Peoples. He feels this prophecy began to be fulfilled in the late 1960s when many white youth came to reservations searching for understanding. The need to dialogue, in his view, continues. He feels it is a responsibility of Native Peoples to pass along their wisdom to all peoples just as they have done in the past. He illustrated ways that philosophies of the Indian nations have affected the dominant American culture over time. In 1776, the Founding Fathers were influenced by the Iroquois. He comments: "They took a light from our fire and they carried that over and they lighted their own fire. They made their own nation." Lyons also tells of how Benjamin Franklin attended a meeting in 1744 where the Six Nations chiefs advised the governors of Delaware, New York, and Pennsylvania to join in a union like that of the Iroquois. "There's a great power," says Lyons, "in being together, of one mind." Lyons summed up the basics he feels need to be transmitted, which include: • • • • •
the principle of valuing community and mutual support resources are common to all and must be treated as such a spiritual center must be present in the systems used by people to govern themselves freedom needs to be protected it is important not to take yourself too seriously and to enjoy life
The following is excerpted from a review in Publisher's Weekly of Paula Gunn Allen's book GRANDMOTHERS OF LIGHT. Publisher's Weekly, June 7, 1991, claimed this book, which is one of many Allen has written, was aimed at the "New Age" audience. The review reads: Many Native Americans are ambivalent about the New Age audience, fearing the commoditization of Native American spirituality. While Allen agrees there is the danger of "romanticization and exaggeration," she also sees "something very positive in the desire to integrate Indian ways into the American psyche." Allen (who specializes in literary criticism of Native American writers) believes that integration is a two-way street, noting that the "new form of Indian literature is really integrationist: it's the literature of Native Americans. The success of the likes of Louise Erdrich, Michael Dorris, James Welch and N. Scott Momaday with that quintessentially Western form, the novel, would seem to prove her point. "When I first started teaching the Native American novel," says Allen, "there were ten titles covering the entire century. Now I couldn't begin to cover them in a semester."
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Session Eleven: Native American The following is excerpted from SACRED PATH CARDS by Jamie Sams, a member of the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge of the Seneca Nations. She is author of several other books. The Taking of the Shawl is a little known Paiute Teaching that came into being when some members of the Red Race could no longer live in the white world. Those Native Americans who chose to return home and embrace the teachings of their Elders took on the Shawl. The Shawl was a symbol of coming home to the arms of the Earth Mother and being wrapped in her nurturing love. To accomplish the Taking of the Shawl, one would have to return to the Traditional Teachers of their Tribe and ask permission to live among the People who honored the ways of the Ancestors. Those who had Taken the Shawl moved from the clapboard houses provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and took up residence in the Traditional Paiute homes called Karnees. Although it was much warmer in clapboard houses, those who had Taken the Shawl were very happy to live in Karnees. Their hearts had once again found a home in the traditional Teachings of the Good Red Road and the material things no longer mattered. Many Native Americans who left reservations during the years following the Trail of Tears lost touch with the Traditional teachings when they moved to cities in order to find work. Many generations have married into other races, and some have lost touch with the Earth Mother. In the ensuing years, as the Traditional Teachings have come to the attention of the public, the return of Native Americans to the ways of their Ancestors has increased. Many of the mixed blood children of the Red Race, sometimes called Matee, have chosen the Good Red Road as well. It is now the Time of the White Buffalo and people of many races are Taking the Shawl. The Grandmothers of the Sisterhood of the Dreamtime Buffalo taught me that the time of the White Buffalo would mean many things. Their prophecy said there would be the return of many Red Ancestors who would not necessarily come back to the Good Red Road in Red bodies. Many people would feel confused at having no Indian blood and yet be Red on the inside and white on the outside. Grandmother Cisi told me that Great Mystery was going to play Heyokah with everyone who refused to honor the paths of others. Grandmother Berta told me that some Native People would deny other Native Teachers who shared their Traditions with all races. The Grandmother Cisi laughed and laughed at the raucous battle of egos she had seen in her Medicine Bowl that would be caused by the fighting between all of "those people" claiming to be the only true Native Teachers. The Grandmothers promised me that this jealousy and envy would eventually serve as a growth tool for all concerned and would iron itself out as the fifth World of Peace continued. The difference between "The People" and "those people" is that "The People" have stayed on The Sacred Path because the behavior of "those people" has reminded them of why they need to Walk in Beauty. This Teaching applies to every race. The People are those who have Taken the Shawl and live in harmony, honoring the Sacred Space of all life-forms.
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DIVERSITY AND COMMONALITY AMONG NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLES Before the arrival of the European settlers, there were hundreds of indigenous groupings in what we now call the United States and each had its own customs, practices and beliefs. When Columbus first arrived some believe there were as many as 80 million people who had been living in the whole of the Americas for thousands of years. There were no uniform ritual practices throughout the continent, as shown by the variety of ways Native People conduct their ceremonies. These people knew what diversity meant, for if they walked only a few miles in any direction they would meet another tribe of people who often spoke a different language and who might live differently. Despite this diversity, there also were certain similarities among groups of tribes, particularly those who shared a similar terrain. Native American scholar and writer Paula Gunn Allen, in her book GRANDMOTHERS OF LIGHT, gives us her perspective on diversity and commonality among Native American peoples: One of the articles of faith among people who write about and study Native Americans is their diversity. "There's no such thing as an Indian," I was taught to say as a young instructor of Native American studies. At San Diego State, where I taught in the early 1970s, I was cautioned against grouping native peoples under the rubric "Indian" because pan-Indianism was not popular among our various peoples. Certainly it is true that there are Indians and there are Indians, as I had known from earliest childhood, so I accepted the pronouncements. But my studies over the past two decades have suggested, indeed, confirmed, that while the distinctions among native communities are many and, linguistically at least, the differences are vast, the similarities are far greater and much more profound. But only recently did it occur to me to wonder where the idea of vast distinctions among Native Americans had originated. I mentioned my query to an Indian friend, who looked at me with a grin and quipped, "From the anthros." To many Native People, anthropologists represent a number of things, including colonialism. Many Native People see them as a sort of contemporary colonial front, following in a line that descends from soldiers and missionaries through Indian agents and traders to academics, anthropologists, folklorists, and most recently, literary specialists like myself. This front operates analogously to the other arms of the colonizer, coming in and taking human remains along with spiritual and aesthetic treasures, as the others have helped themselves to economic and geographical ones. It has been in the interests of the settlers to view us as distinct and to educate us to view ourselves as distinct. There is an old American adage that implies, "United we conquer, divided we fall." Until my conversation with my friend about distinctions among Indians, I didn't realize that the adage need be only slightly modified to remind us that it also means "divided they fall, united they resist conquest." The idea of a unified Red Nation must even yet pose a grave threat to Western hegemony, else why should they emphasize our differences more than our commonalities?
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INTERRELATEDNESS AND NATIVE AMERICAN THOUGHT The theme of interrelatedness appears in many of the writings of Native Americans. Here are a few thoughts about what this concept means.
THE SACRED HOOP OF ALL MY RELATIONS Excerpted from THE SACRED HOOP: RECOVERING THE FEMININE IN AMERICAN INDIAN TRADITIONS by Paula Gunn Allen: The Sacred Hoop is one of singular unity that is dynamic and encompassing, including all that is contained in its most essential aspect, that of life. In his introduction to Geronimo's autobiography, Frederick Turner III incorrectly characterized the American Indian cultures as static. Stasis is not characteristic of the American Indians' view of things. As any American Indian knows, all of life is living — that is, dynamic and aware, partaking as it does in the life of the All Spirit and contributing as it does to the continuing life of that same Great Mystery. The tribal systems are static in that all movement is related to all other movement — that is, harmonious and balanced or unified; they are not static in the sense that they do not allow or accept changes. Even a cursory examination of tribal systems will show that all have undergone massive changes while retaining those characteristics of outlook and experience that are the bedrock of tribal life. So the primary assumptions tribes people make can be seen as static only in that these people acknowledge the essential harmony of all things and see all things as being of equal value in the scheme of things, denying the opposition, dualism, and isolation (separateness) that characterize non-Indian thought.
ALL MY RELATIONS Excerpted from THE SPIRITUAL LEGACY OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN by Joseph Epes Brown: Unlike the conceptual categories of Western culture, American Indian traditions stress modes of interrelation. This is portrayed in the expression "All My Relations," often used in religious ceremonies. The community includes all beings that inhabit the tribe's universe. Writer Paula Gunn Allen tells us, "When I was small, my mother often told me that animals, insects, and plants are to be treated with the kind of respect one customarily accords to high-status adults." Further, tribal people allow all animals, vegetables, and minerals privileges the same as, or even greater, than those of humans. The Indian participates in destiny on all levels, including that of creation. For the American Indian, the ability of all creatures to share in the process of ongoing creation makes all things sacred. One key to the Native American religious perspective, which again speaks to a quality of life sought by contemporary generations in their loss of center and concomitant sense of alienation and fragmentation, may be found in Native American concepts of relationship, all orders of
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Session Eleven: Native American which are richly defined and supported by the forms of language and by specific ritual means. This sense of relationship pertains not only to members of a nuclear family, band, or clan. It also extends outward to include all beings of the specific environment, the elements, and the winds, whether these beings, forms, or powers are what we would call animate or inanimate. In Native American thought no such hard dichotomies exist. All such forms under creation are understood to be mysteriously interrelated.
NOTE: The Unitarian Universalist principle affirming "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part" resonates with this belief in "All My Relations." See Key Concern section on "Earth-based Spirituality — How Does it Fit?" in this SOURCEBOOK.
THE PAIN OF THE PAST Native Americans are very aware of the treatment they received at the hands of Europeans who came to the Americas. Many nations and peoples suffered broken treaties, unspeakable atrocities, and oppression that still affects most Native Americans today. In 1990, many commemorative activities took place to deal with the pain of one such historical event, the massacre at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, where numerous unarmed Lakota Indians (including many women and children) attempted to surrender to attacking U. S. Cavalry but were slaughtered. In December, 1990, three hundred Lakota Sioux horseback riders rode 250 miles in two weeks, through bitter sub-zero winter weather, to commemorate the lives lost at the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. The following text comes from the notes accompanying an award-winning documentary video of this event which was called the BIGFOOT MEMORIAL RIDE. The video is entitled CELEBRATING THE RESURGENCE OF LAKOTA SIOUX CULTURE AND SPIRITUALITY. This video program relates the story of how the Lakota Nation mourned the loss of their loved ones for 100 years. They also mourned the loss of some of their people's sacred knowledge which died with the elders that day. Then, inspired by dreams and visions of unity and spiritual awakening, a group of Lakota decided to bring their people out of mourning through a traditional Lakota ceremony which they call Washigila: WIPING THE TEARS. The Bigfoot Memorial ride was that ceremony. As part of a larger exhibit at the American Indian Contemporary Arts gallery in San Francisco commemorating the 100th anniversary of the massacre of the Lakota people at Wounded Knee, the following poem by Anpetu Winyan was written on the wall, circled by masks of faces of her people. The exhibit highlighted the positive vision Native Americans are developing for their future. Anpetu Winyan's poem, SHADOWS OVER THE LAND: THE END A BEGINNING recounts her feelings about the Bigfoot Memorial Riders.
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SHADOWS OVER THE LAND: THE END A BEGINNING by Anpetu Winyan Used by permission. Shadows over the land ho wana i yaya for in the 100 winters passing their spirits didn't die their memory will heal and live today above the past to mend anew a broken hoop Shadows over the land ho wana i yaya where there is a spirit the worth of these souls in managing what's sacred keep the peace within the place where the light begins Shadows over the land ho wana i yaya lifting the nation out of sorrow around the circle with visible breath the spirit's tracks become real voluntarily they encounter sacrifice struggling to realize the vision which calls them Shadows over the land ho wana i yaya looking into the past using a spark of memory that burns the heart to ease the cries which echo across time
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Shadows over the land ho wana i yaya to lift the nation's spirit out of sorrow, your helpers The Big Foot Memorial Trail Riders following the trail around each evening circle they gather Shadows over the land ho wana i yaya these riders making tracks four times as each year passes they ride this trail in sub arctic cold for our nation to see and follow Shadows over the land ho wana i yaya take heart Lakota Nation a song of healing is rising it grows stronger and our voices trill for these riders Mita brothers and sisters that ride with visible breath Shadows over the land ho wana i yaya creating a red path for those yet to come and for our creator the power over all who guides these trail riders and fills our dreams making something of beauty out of aching memories.
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Session Eleven: Native American Excerpted from the San Francisco Examiner, April 30, 1994: On April 29, 1994, President Clinton assured tribal leaders that the federal government will strike a "new partnership" of respect and assistance with Native Americans. The president, hosting an historic gathering of more than 200 tribal leaders, signed executive orders requiring federal agencies to deal with Indian tribes as sovereign nations and reaffirmed American Indians' rights to use the feathers of endangered American eagles and peyote and tobacco in cherished religious ceremonies. The White House said the meeting was the first such summit between a sitting president and leaders of most of America's tribes. Both former presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan met with individual tribal leaders. According to Dr. Rayna Green, director of the American Indian Program at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution: The Indians' experience after the arrival of whites receives only secondary consideration in nonIndian American history. One terribly important period in Indian history is the Removal Era, a tragic time when great effort was expended by the U.S. government to remove (relocate) Indians to remote reservations so that whites could settle on traditional Indian land. But American history written by non-Indians usually refers to this time as the triumphant Frontier period. Wilma Mankiller, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, comments in her autobiography: During the winter of 1838-39, thousands of my people died on a forced removal from our Cherokee homes in the southeastern United States to present northeastern Oklahoma, where I now live. Old ones and small children were placed in wagons, but many of the Cherokees made that trek by foot or were herded onto boats. Some were in shackles. Thousands perished or were forever scarred in body, mind, and soul. It was not a friendly removal. It was ugly and unwarranted. For too many Cherokees, it was deadly. The worst part of our holocaust was that it also meant the continual loss of tribal knowledge and traditions. Some of the questions I am asked most frequently today include what happened to Native People? Why do Native People have so many problems? How is it that they ended up facing high unemployment, low educational attainment, low self-esteem, and problems with alcohol abuse? I answer that all one needs to do is look at our history. History clearly shows all the external factors that have played a part in our people being where we are today. Referring to the year 1992 — a year that commemorated the five hundred year anniversary of the first encounter between Native Peoples and the peoples of Europe in 1492 — Mankiller discussed the return to traditional Native values in NATIVE PEOPLES magazine: Certainly I believe the ancient tribal cultures have an important lesson to teach the rest of the world about the interconnectedness of all living things and the simple fact that our existence is dependent upon the natural world we are rapidly destroying. The traditional value systems that have sustained us throughout the past 500 years of trauma are those value systems that will bolster us and help us enter the 21st century on our own terms. Despite the last 500 years, there is much to celebrate as we approach 1992. Our languages are still strong, ceremonies that we have been conducting since the beginning of time are still being held, our
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Session Eleven: Native American governments are surviving, and most importantly, we continue to exist as a distinct cultural group in the midst of the most powerful country in the world. Yet we also must recognize that we face a daunting set of problems and issues — continual threats to tribal sovereignty, low educational attainment levels, double digit unemployment, many homes without basic amenities and racism. To grapple with these problems in a positive, forward thinking way, we are beginning to look more to our own people, communities and history for solutions. We have begun to trust our own thinking again...not the Columbus myth...We look forward to the next 500 years as a time of renewal and revitalization for Native People throughout North America.
RESOURCES The following list is a combination of resources relating to both Sessions 11 and 12.
MAPS AND DIGEST There are two million Indians, affiliated with 319 tribes, living on 308 reservations in the continental United States. In order to understand the current problems and issues of American Indian, it is essential to know the answers to the basic question: What is the size and location of today's Indian population, tribes and reservations? Native American George Russell has authored and published three very important resources that answer this question. They are: THE MAP OF AMERICAN INDIAN HISTORY which is an historical synopsis of Indian America including: • • • •
graphics of diminished land base as Indians were forced westward by encroaching settlers location of federally recognized reservations location and dates of major Indian battles location of major forts and dates of activity
THE MAP OF AMERICAN INDIAN NATIONS is a visual composite of contemporary demographics, including: • • •
BIA Area Office administrative boundaries location of 308 federally recognized reservations the size in acres and the population of each reservation
THE AMERICAN INDIAN DIGEST: CONTEMPORARY DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN is a 72 page, 8.5" x 11" digest that is an easy-to-read single-source reference that includes: • • •
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historical synopsis and commentary from the Indian perspective current demographic tables and maps how to begin a genealogy search for Indian ancestry
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Session Eleven: Native American The Digest lists the telephone numbers of over 20 free reports and catalogs that are extensive resources for American Indian information. These resources are available through Thunderbird Enterprises, 8821 North First Street, Phoenix, AZ 85020-2801. 1-(800)-835-7220. THE MAP OF AMERICAN INDIAN HISTORY begins Sessions 11 and 12 of the RISE UP video. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE George Russell is a Chippewa Indian born on the Isabella Indian Reservation near Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. He is an enrolled member of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe. After a successful career in engineering and construction, when Russell realized his knowledge of other Indians was limited and superficial, he researched and produced this map and digest.
BOOKS AND PERIODICALS The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions by Paula Gunn Allen, Beacon Press, Boston, 1986. A provocative collection of essays arguing that colonization transformed and obscured what were once women-centered cultures. Introduced are the religious and mythic concepts basic to an understanding of Native American culture. Allen also shows the importance of female deities — Spider Woman, Corn Woman, Thought Woman, Hard Beings Woman, and White Buffalo Woman. The Woman Who Owned the Shadows by Paula Gunn Allen, Spinsters/Aunt Lute, San Francisco, 1983. This is the first novel written by an American Indian woman about an Indian woman published in the last 50 years. The story of Spider Woman used in this curriculum comes from this book. Grandmothers of Light: A Medicine Woman's Sourcebook by Paula Gunn Allen, Beacon Press, Boston, 1991. An extraordinary collection of stories gleaned from the vast oral tradition of Native America, including how the medicine woman, the way of the daughter, the way of the mother, and the way of the wise woman can yield spiritual power. Spider Woman's Granddaughters edited and with an introduction by Paula Gunn Allen, Beacon Press, Boston, 1989. Traditional tales and contemporary writing by Native American Women. These are stories about love and death, poverty and pain, power politics and the power of the sacred. Shadow Country by Paula Gunn Allen, University of California Press, 1982. Part of the Native American Series, American Indian Studies Center, University of California, Los Angeles. "Paula Gunn Allen's poetry is essential reading for the white poet/woman/lesbian/ feminist who wants a larger and truer vision than white culture alone can offer: This is a very large world, of abandoned pueblos and modern cities, dreams and deserts, loneliness and tribal consciousness, held together by the mind of a prophetic and arresting poet." (Adrienne Rich) Oglala Women: Myth, Ritual, and Reality by Marla N. Powers, The University of Chicago Press, 1986. Interviews and life histories collected over a 25-year study on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. Powers, a researcher and anthropologist, argues that the roles of
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Session Eleven: Native American male and female emerge as complementary in Oglala (Lakota) society. Covers complete context of Oglala life — religion, economics, medicine, politics, old age — and is enhanced by numerous modern and historical photographs. Soft Gold: The Fur Trade & Cultural Exchange on the Northwest Coast of America, historical introduction & annotation by Thomas Vaughan, ethnographic annotation by Bill Holm, Oregon Historical Society, 1982. Part One, "Objects of Unique Artistry," reproduces 140 items from the Peabody Museum at Harvard University. Part Two, "The Brilliant Visual Record of the Fur Trade," contains over 100 drawings, paintings, maps and logs from collections throughout North America. Mexican Masks by Donald Cordry, University of Texas Press, Austin, 1980. This heavily illustrated book preserves the link to Mexico's past represented by Indian ritual dance masks. Includes information about mask making and mask use, describing materials and techniques, regional and ethnic variations, and shamanistic, symbolic, and social functions. Daughters of the Dakota: Stories of Friendship Between Settlers and the Dakota Indians edited by Sally Roesch Wagner with Vic Runnels, volume 3 in a series. These stories are selected from the Pioneer Daughters collection gathered over a forty-year period. Where treaties were respected, cultural sharing occurred among white women and Indians. The Spiritual Legacy of the American Indian by Joseph Epes Brown, Crossroad, New York, 1982. The essential values of this North American religion are presented by Brown, a professor of religious studies at the University of Montana. "The Iroquois Confederacy: A Native American Model for Non-Sexist Men" and "The Root of Oppression is the Loss of Memory: the Iroquois and the Earliest Feminist Vision" by Sally Roesch Wagner in Iroquois Women: An Anthology edited by Wm. Guy Spittal, Iroqrafts Ltd, Ohsweken, Ontario, 1990. "Renewing the Sacred Hoop" by Dhyani Ywahoo; essay in Weaving the Visions edited by Judith Plaskow and Carol Christ, Harper San Francisco, 1989. Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World by Jack Weatherford, Fawcett Ballantine Books, New York, 1988. This book shows how the contributions of American Indians to the world's economy and culture has been underrated and ignored. Indian Roots of American Democracy edited and with an introduction by Jose Barreiro, Akwe:kon Press, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1992. The Iroquois rule of law, the Great Law of Peace, united five nations and provided a rational basis for diplomacy. Washington and Franklin were influenced by this in the formation of American government, and used it as a model for the Articles of Confederation. "On Common Ground: Native American and Feminist Spirituality Approaches in the Struggle to Save Mother Earth" by Judith Todd; in The Politics of Women's Spirituality edited by Charlene Spretnak, Doubleday, New York, 1982.
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Session Eleven: Native American "The Grandmothers are Coming Back" by Marilou Awiakta in Issue Fifteen — "Recovering Spiritual Reality in Native American Traditions: An Interview with Paula Gunn Allen" by Patrice Wynne in Issue Eight — "Interview with Roberta Blackgoat, A Dine Elder" by Winona LaDuke in Issue Four — "A Lakota Grandmother Speaks" by Grace Spotted Eagle in Issue Two. Woman of Power Magazine. A Gathering of Spirit: A Collection by North American Indian Women edited by Beth Brant, Firebrand Books, Ithaca, New York, 1984, 1988. This collection of poems, narratives, and drawings challenges non-Indian attitudes about Indian women. They are inspiring and filled with hope and community. "Sacred and Legendary Women of Native North America" by Nancy C. Zak in The Goddess ReAwakening: The Feminine Principle Today compiled by Shirley Nicholson, Theosophical Publishing House, Wheaton, IL, 1989. Touch the Earth: A Self-Portrait of Indian Existence compiled by T.C. McLuhan, Promontory Press, New York, 1971. A now classic collection of statements by North American Indians, chosen to illuminate the course of Indian history and the abiding values of Indian life. Through Dakota Eyes: Narrative Accounts of the Minnesota Indian War of 1862 edited by Gary Clayton Anderson and Alan R. Woolworth, Minnesota Historical Society Press, St. Paul, 1988. A collection of eyewitness accounts. Star Quilt Poems by Roberta Hill Whiteman, Holy Cow! Press, Minneapolis, 1984. Illustrations by Ernest Whiteman. "One finds in this work a map of the journey each of us must complete as children and exiles of the Americas." (Introduction by Carolyn Forche) "The Religion of the Goddess in North America" by Ake Hultkrantz in The Book of the Goddess: Past and Present edited by Carl Olson, Crossroad, New York, 1987. Buffalo Woman Comes Singing: The Spirit Song of a Rainbow Medicine Woman by Brooke Medicine Eagle, Ballantine Books, New York, 1991. Raised on a Crow reservation in Montana, Brooke Medicine Eagle traces her spiritual development. She explores the Medicine Wheel, healing through ritual, dreamtime and the moon lodge, the woman's place of retreat and visioning. Daughters of the Earth: The Lives and Legends of American Indian Women by Carolyn Niethammer, Collier Macmillan, New York, 1977. A revealing and absorbing portrait of the first American woman. Daughters of Copper Woman by Anne Cameron, Press Gang Publishers, Vancouver, 1981. A work of fiction based on the stories of the native people of Vancouver Island, offering a vision of how the spiritual and social power of women can endure and survive. Native American Architecture by Peter Nabokov and Robert Easton, Oxford University Press, New York, 1989. This book is a multidisciplinary approach to the Native American world, resulting in a new understanding of their buildings and culture.
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Session Eleven: Native American New Worlds for Old: Reports from the New World and Their Effect on the Development of Social Thought in Europe, 1500-1800 by William Brandon, Ohio University Press, Athens, Ohio, 1986. Explorers, soldiers, missionaries, and colonists writing from the New World emphasized the equality, community, and liberty so frequently observed among New World peoples. European thinkers discussed these values which found their way into new European social ideals. Savagism and Civilization: A Study of the Indian and the American Mind by Roy Harvey Pearce, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1988. Examining the political pamphlets, missionaries' reports, anthropologists' accounts, and the drama, poetry and novels of the 18th and early 19th centuries, Professor Pearce traces the conflict between the idea of the noble savage and the will to Christianize the heathen and appropriate their land, which ended with the near extermination of Native American culture. Ritual of the Wind: North American Indian Ceremonies, Music, and Dance by Jamake Highwater, Alfred Van Der Marck Editions, New York, 1984. Offers an intimate look at North American Indian ceremonies, music and dance. The insightful commentary is accompanied by many rare and historical photographs. The Primal Mind: Vision and Reality in Indian America by Jamake Highwater, New American Library, New York, 1981. The author examines the cultural aspects of American Indian ritual, art, oral traditions, architecture, ceremonial dance, and native perceptions of time and space. Native American Dance: Ceremonies and Social Traditions National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution with Starwood Publishing, Washington, DC, 1992. The enthralling scope of Native American dance is explored in this collection of essays by leading native and non-native scholars and practitioners of dance in the Indian community. The 13 Original Clan Mothers: Your Sacred Path to Discovering the Gifts, Talents and Abilities of the Feminine Through the Ancient Teachings of the Sisterhood by Jamie Sams, Harper San Francisco, 1993. Journeying through the moon cycle, Sams, a member of the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge, presents the special totems, talents and gifts of the Clan Mothers. Sacred Path Cards: The Discovery of Self Through Native Teachings by Jamie Sams, Harper, San Francisco, 1990. These beautifully illustrated cards distill the essential wisdom of the sacred teachings of many tribal traditions and show users the way to transform their lives. Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals by Jamie Sams and David Carson, Bear & Company, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1988. Medicine is anything that improves one's connection to the Great Mystery and to all life. Animal medicine is based on the lessons that animals impart. Tracks, Love Medicine, The Beet Queen, The Bingo Palace, a cycle of books by Louise Erdrich, published by Henry Holt and HarperCollins, New York. These novels of contemporary Native American and Midwestern life have a lyrical prose and spiritual depth that is rich and compelling.
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Session Eleven: Native American The Ancient Child by N. Scott Momaday, Doubleday, New York, 1989. This novel brings together the primordial vision quest and the immediacy of the modern world. Keeping Slug Woman Alive: A Holistic Approach to American Indian Texts by Greg Sarris, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1993. The author offers a rare perspective on crosscultural communications. He is the son of a Coast Miwok/Pomo father and a Jewish mother, and was raised by a Pomo medicine woman. In this book he reflects on the encounters between his Indian aunts and his Euro-American students, and between his several heritages. Mankiller: A Chief and Her People by Wilma Mankiller and Michael Wallis, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1993. This is an autobiography by the first woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She tells both the story of her own life and the history of the life of the Cherokee Nation. An inspiring self-revelation and an informative and moving picture of the strengths of a people, the second largest Native American Nation on the continent. Spirit Woman edited by Stan Steiner, Harper San Francisco, 1980. The diaries and paintings of Bonita Wa Wa Calachaw Nunez, an American Indian who was a feminist, lecturer on Indian rights, spiritualist, and self-taught artist. She grew up in high society, but never forgot her heritage. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by Peter Matthiessen, Viking, New York, 1991. The story behind the story of a fatal shoot-out that took place in June, 1975 between FBI agents and American Indians on remote property near Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Four members of AIM, the American Indian Movement, were indicted on murder charges. Leonard Peltier, the only one convicted, is serving a life sentence in federal penitentiary. The author reveals the larger issues behind the shoot-out, including the Lakota Indians' historical struggle with the U.S. government, from Red Cloud's War and Little Big Horn in the nineteenth century to the discrimination that led to the new Indian wars of the 1970s. This book — kept off the shelves for eight years because of one of the most protracted and bitterly fought legal cases in publishing history — makes clear why the traditional Indian concept of the sacred inviolability of the Earth is so important. The Indian Frontier of the American West 1846-1890 by Robert M. Utley, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1984. The conflict between the Indians and the whites is presented with a dual perspective: recreating events from the Indian viewpoint while providing an appraisal of why nineteenth century white man acted as he did. Native American Testimony: A Chronicle of Indian-White Relations from Prophecy to the Present, 1492-1992 edited by Peter Nabokov, Viking Penguin, New York, 1991. With a Foreword by Vine Deloria, Jr., this book draws on a wide range of sources — narratives, autobiographies, government transcripts, reservation newspapers, personal letters, and firsthand interviews. Women in American Indian Society by Rayna Green, Chelsea House Publishers, New York, 1992. The author, a Cherokee, is currently director of the American Indian Program at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. The book shows that as
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Session Eleven: Native American Europeans arrived, Indian women began losing their important roles. Reservation life and Indian women who resisted government policies are covered. Spirit and Ancestor: A Century of Northwest Coast Indian Art at the Burke Museum by Bill Holm, University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1987. Showing the unique art of the Native Peoples of the Northwest Coast, this book is a major contribution to art history and ethnography. Edward S. Curtis: Visions of a Vanishing Race by Florence Curtis Graybill and Victor Boesen, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1976. The classic photographic record of Native American life by one of America's greatest photographers. From 1904 to 1930 Edward Sheriff Curtis sought out the vanishing tribes and recorded their faces and lifestyles. For this book Curtis's daughter Florence has selected 175 of her father's greatest photographs. Changing Woman: The Life and Art of Helen Hardin by Jay Scott, Northland Publishing, Flagstaff, Arizona, 1989. The moving story of an artist who tried to retain the mystical elements of her heritage (Santa Clara Pueblo) while also departing from the traditional style favored by many of the artists whose work surrounded her. Cry, Sacred Ground: Big Mountain U.S.A. by Anita Parlow, Christic Institute, Washington, D.C., 1988. An in-depth study by the Sacred Lands Project of the Christic Institute allowing the Hopi and Navajo communities to be heard on the relocation issue. Book of the Hopi by Frank Waters, Penguin Books, New York, 1963. Thirty elders of the Hopi tribe reveal the Hopi world view. Hopi Kachina: Spirit of Life edited by Dorothy K. Washburn, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, 1980. This catalog accompanied a celebration of the Hope Tricentennial, 16801980, held at the California Academy of Science. It contains historical photographs and wellconsidered commentary on this important People of North America. Maskmaking by Carole Sivin, Davis Publications, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1986. With detailed text and extensive how-to photographs, author and maskmaker Carole Sivin provides the means to creative expression through masks. Indian Masks and Myths of the West by Joseph H. Wherry, Apollo Editions, New York, 1974. These masks depict supernatural beings from ancient tales about creation, migration, monsters, and their use in religious ceremonies. Native American Wisdom compiled by Kent Nerburn, Ph.D. and Louise Mengelkoch, M.A., The Classic Wisdom Collection, New World Library, San Rafael, California, 1991. Traditionally, Indians did not carry on dialogues when discussing important matters. Rather each person listened attentively until his or her turn came to speak, and then he or she rose and spoke without interruption about the heart of the matter under consideration. This tradition produced a measured eloquence of speech and thought that is almost unmatched for its clarity and simplicity. Wisdom's Daughters: Conversations with Women Elders of Native America written and photographed by Steve Wall, Harper San Francisco, 1993. These interviews with women
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Session Eleven: Native American spiritual leaders and clan mothers are a journey into ancestral knowledge, philosophies and traditions of Native America. The Northwestern Tribes in Exile: Modoc, Nez Perce, and Palouse Removal to the Indian Territory edited by Cliff Trafzer, Sierra Oaks Publishing Co., Sacramento, 1987. Throughout the nineteenth century the government of the United States forcefully removed thousands of American Indians to the Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Along with Indians from the East and Southwest, Indians from the Northwest were removed as a means of punishing them for fighting the white citizens and the U.S. Army. Chief Joseph's Allies: The Palouse Indians and the Nez Perce War of 1877 by Clifford E. Trafzer and Richard D. Scheuerman, Sierra Oaks Publishing Co., Sacramento, 1987. To the American Indian: Reminiscences of a Yurok Woman by Lucy Thompson (Che-Na-Wah Weitch-Ah-Wah), Heyday Books, Berkeley, 1991. Reprinted with new material from the original 1916 edition. Concerned that the truth of her people and their customs was not being told, she wrote this remarkable book. An aristocrat by birth, and an initiate into a priestly society, Lucy Thompson gives us an insider's view of a great culture. It Will Live Forever: Traditional Yosemite Indian Acorn Preparation by Bev Ortiz, Heyday Books, Berkeley, 1991. A tribute to Julia Parker, a remarkable Indian woman, who with reverence and skill carries on the ancient acorn-making traditions of the Miwok/Paiute people of the Sierra. A good example of the way Native Peoples lived on the land. The Maidu Indian Myths and Stories of Hanc'ibyjim edited and translated by William Shipley, Heyday Books, Berkeley, 1991. These are ancient tales of the Maidu Indians of northeastern California as told by Hanc'ibyjim, who lived at the turn-of-the-century and was the last in a long line of masterful storytellers. The Pueblo Storyteller: Development of a Figurative Ceramic Tradition by Barbara A. Babcock, and Guy and Doris Monthan, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1986. The traditions of storytelling and working with clay have merged to produce the Storyteller Doll. This image of a seated figure swarmed by children has created a new artistic tradition. American Indian Women: Telling Their Lives by Gretchen M. Bataille and Kathleen Mullen Sands, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1984. Indian women's autobiographies have been slighted because of the assumption that women had a secondary and insignificant role in Indian society. The authors demonstrate the creative vitality of autobiographies that clarify the centrality of women in American Indian cultures. Straight With the Medicine: Narratives of Washoe Followers of the Tipi Way as told to Warren L. d'Azevedo, Heyday Books, Berkeley, 1978, 1985. Collected in the 1950's from seven members of the Washoe Tribe living on the eastern slopes of the Sierra. They were members of the Native American Church, whose sacrament was the Peyote cactus and who referred to their religion as the Tipi Way. Rethinking Columbus, a publication of Rethinking Schools, Ltd. in collaboration with the Network of Educators on Central America, teaches about the 500th anniversary of Columbus's
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Session Eleven: Native American arrival in America. A good source of information about crucial educational issues. Contact: Rethinking Schools, 1001 E. Keefe Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53212, Tel: (414) 964-9646. The Legacy: Tradition and Innovation in Northwest Coast Indian Art by Peter L. Macnair, Alan L. Hoover, and Kevin Neary, University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1984. This discussion of the cultures of the peoples who have inhabited the northwest coast of North America continuously from centuries before Columbus to the present, analyzes various forms of artistic expression as well as the role of art and the artist in these changing societies. Huichol Indian Sacred Rituals written by Susana Eger Valadez and illustrated by Mariano Valadez, Amber Lotus, Dharma Enterprises, Oakland, California, 1992. This presentation of sacred yarn paintings, created by the Huichol artist Mariano Valadez, is accompanied by renditions of traditional myths that articulate the symbolism in the paintings. Oversized, full color, beautifully produced. Indian Art in America: The Arts and Crafts of the North American Indian by Frederick J. Dockstader, Promontory Press, New York, 1973.
VIDEOS Columbus Didn't Discover Us: Native People's Perspectives on the Columbus Quincentennial documents the testimony when 300 native peoples came to the highlands of Ecuador in July, 1990, to participate in the First Continental Conference of Indigenous Peoples. Also available in Spanish. Write for a free catalog of social issue documentaries, Videos for a Changing World, Turning Tide Productions, P.O. Box 864, Wendell, MA 01379, Tel: (508) 544-8313. Wiping the Tears of Seven Generations is an award-winning documentary of the Bigfoot Memorial Ride. In December of 1990, 300 Lakota Sioux horseback riders rode 250 miles through sub-zero weather to commemorate the lives lost at the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. This Native American video celebrates the resurgence of Lakota Sioux culture and spirituality. Kifaru Productions, 1550 California St. #275, San Francisco, CA 94109, Call (800) 822-1105, ext. 42. An impressive set of six PBS home videos about various Native American peoples and issues. Makes a worthwhile public education series. 1) Winds of Change: A Matter of Promises introduces us to three sovereign nations, the Onondaga, the Navajo, and the Lummi. Hosted by N. Scott Momaday. 2) Winds of Change: A Matter of Choice faces the choice of whether to remain on the reservation or move into the broader fabric of society. 3) Odyssey: Myths and Moundbuilders explores the mysterious mounds and relics left behind in America's heartland in 300 B.C.E. 4) Geronimo and the Apache Resistance is the dramatic tale of this legendary medicine man, his people and their lifelong struggle to maintain ancestral lands.
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Session Eleven: Native American 5) The Spirit of Crazy Horse "details a history of treachery, betrayal and shame pitted against the indomitable spirit of a people (the Oglala Sioux) who refused to be exterminated." (Chicago Tribune). 6) Seasons of the Navajo is a sensitive portrait of life untouched by the modern world. Available from Pacific Arts Video, 50 N. LaCienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Oren Lyons: The Faithkeeper An interesting interview by Journalist Bill Moyers with Chief Oren Lyons of the Onondaga Nation, one of the six nations comprising the Iroquois Confederation. Lyons is entrusted to pass on the tradition, legends and beliefs of his people for generations to follow. Can be ordered from Mystic Fire Video, (800) 727-8433.
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Session Twelve: Native American
SESSION TWELVE: NATIVE AMERICAN DISCOVERIES ON THE JOURNEY During this stop on our Journey, we will hear a creation story focusing on Spider Woman, an important figure for many Native American peoples, and create a group web. We will view a selection of visual images from the four directions of the continent that show the power of the female in the cultures of the first peoples of North America. We will decorate the masks we created and attach them to hoops. We will also celebrate Changing Woman, a deity that is very closely connected to Spider Woman.
CONTENTS Who Contributed? Why Spider Woman and Changing Woman? Cultural Sensitivity Note Chant: SPIDER WOMAN Group Reading: Changing Woman Spiderwoman/Thought Woman Belief in the Spirit Additional Notes on Video Images Housing, Womankind, Serpent Mound Weaving and Spiders, Helen Hardin Kachinas, Cedar Bark and Neckrings Dzoonokwa, Basketweaving Clay, Figurines and Pottery Storytellers Power of Women in Native American Societies Wilma Mankiller, Chief The Iroquois Confederacy Oren Lyons, the Faithkeeper Resources
WHO CONTRIBUTED? The major contributors to Session 12 are the same as those who contributed to session 11. Please see their extended biographical notes in the "Who Contributed" section of Session 11.
WHY SPIDER WOMAN AND CHANGING WOMAN? In some Native American cultures, there is a powerful creation deity who is female. Some of the names she is known by are Spider Woman who weaved the world, Changing Woman who taught how to walk the Trail of Beauty or Thought Woman who sings the world into creation. Exploring the stories and lore about these goddesses provides a woman-honoring perspective typical of some Native American peoples.
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Session Twelve: Native American CULTURAL SENSITIVITY It is important to honor the uniqueness among native peoples. There are hundreds of Native American peoples, nations, or tribes on the North American continent, each with their own history, cosmology, culture and language. Just as with any informal group whose members have some characteristics in common, a variety of differing views on many important issues is often expressed. Modern native peoples are no exception. One of the areas where native peoples express a wide variety of attitudes is concerning appropriate ways to share their sacred beliefs and practices. Being aware of these differences will make it easier for you to consciously determine if and how you wish to participate in Native American ritual activities. In RISE UP & CALL HER NAME, we learn about a variety of Native American beliefs through hearing stories, viewing images, singing songs, and undertaking art activities, some of which originate with Native American artists and writers who have decided to publicly share their words and work. Others have been written by non-Indians who have studied Native American symbol systems and revere them. These activities are shared with respect for the underlying spiritual tenets they embody and impart. Out of deference to the varying opinions about non-Indians participating in Native American rituals that are not lead by Native Americans, no Native American rituals are included in the sessions themselves. The practice of smudging frequently included in Native American ceremonies is described in the SOURCEBOOK for those who are interested.
CHANT: SPIDER WOMAN Spontaneous tune arising in a woman’s circle; words by Starhawk. Sung by Nancy Vedder-Shults and friends on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. Spider Woman weaving her web Spider Woman weaving her web weaving, weaving, weaving her web weaving, weaving, weaving her web
Additional verses: Snake woman shedding her skin Snake Woman shedding her skin Shedding, shedding, shedding her skin Shedding, shedding, shedding her skin Star woman shining bright Star woman shining bright Shining, shining, shining bright Shining, shining, shining bright Moon woman riding the night Moon woman riding the night Riding, riding, riding the night
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Session Twelve: Native American Riding, riding, riding the night Blossom woman opening wide Blossom woman opening wide Opening, opening, opening wide Opening, opening, opening wide
GROUP READING CHANGING WOMAN This group reading was excerpted from "Changing Woman: Navaho Creation Story" in ANCIENT MIRRORS OF WOMANHOOD, copyright 1979, 1991 by Merlin Stone. Reprinted by Permission of Beacon Press, Boston. Changing Woman is the creator of the Navajo people, the Mother of all./ She is the Holy Woman who brings each season./ From Her body grew the four mountains of the compass points./ It is Changing Woman who teaches the flow of life,/ the restlessness of the sand as it flies with the wind,/ the wisdom of the ancient rocks that never leave their home,/ the pleasure of the tiny sapling that has risen through them./ So it is into the House of Changing Woman that each young girl enters,/ as her blood begins to flow with the moon, as she passes into womanhood./ It is Changing Woman who teaches the cycles,/ the constant round of hot and cold, of birth and dying, of youth and aging,/ of seedling to corn, of corn to kernel, of day to night, of night to day, of waxing moon to waning moon/ — and thus She gave the sacred songs that help to ease all in their passage./ For is it not Changing Woman who each year sleeps beneath the blanket of snow as Grandmother who walks with a turquoise cane,/ but then each year awakes with the flowers of Spring, awakes as the young Mother of us all?/ It is to Changing Woman that we look as we search for the wisdom of life./ While some may believe that they can defy Changing Woman's patterns to make their own, wise people know that this cannot be done, for to try to change the ways of Changing Woman is to destroy all life./ But those who understand the ways of Changing Woman forever walk The Trail of Beauty./
SPIDERWOMAN/THOUGHT WOMAN From GRANDMOTHERS OF THE LIGHT by Paula Gunn Allen: Grandmother Spider, Thought Woman, thought the earth, the sky, the galaxy, and all that is into being and as she thinks, so we are. She sang the divine sisters Nau'ts'ity and Ic'sts'ity (or Naotsete and Uretsete, or various other spellings and pronunciations, depending on the Keres tribal dialect and transcription being used) into being out of her medicine pouch or bundle, and they in turn sang from their bundles the firmament, the land, the seas, the people, the katsina, the gods, the plants, animals, minerals, language, writing, mathematics, architecture, the Pueblo social system, and every other thing you can imagine in this our world.
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Session Twelve: Native American Adapted from THE SACRED HOOP by Paula Gunn Allen: Contemporary Indian tales suggest that the creatures are born from the mating of Sky Father and Earth Mother, but that seems to be a recent interpolation of the original sacred texts. The revision may have occurred since the Christianizing influence on the arcane traditions, or it may have predated Christianity. But the older, more secret texts suggest that it is a revision. According to the older texts (which are sacred, that is, power-engendering), Thought Woman is not a passive personage: her potentiality is dynamic and unimaginably powerful. She brought corn and agriculture, potting, weaving, social systems, religion, ceremony, ritual, building, memory, intuition, and their expressions in language, creativity, dance, human-to-animal relations, and she gave these offerings power and authority and blessed the people with the ability to provide for themselves and their progeny.
NOTE: Thought Woman is interchangeable with Spider Woman, both being the Creatrix of the Universe. Central to Keres theology is the basic idea of the Creatrix as "She Who Thinks" rather than "She Who Bears," of woman as creation thinker and female thought as origin of material and nonmaterial reality. In this epistemology, the perception of female power as confined to maternity is a limit on the power inherent in femininity. But "she is the supreme Spirit...both Mother and Father to all people and to all creatures." In Keres theology the creation does not take place through copulation. In the beginning existed Thought Woman and her dormant sisters, and Thought Woman thinks creation and sings her two sisters into life. Thought Woman has two bundles in her power, and these bundles contain Uretsete and Naotsete, who are not viewed as her daughters but as her sisters, her coequals who possess the medicine power to vitalize the creatures that will inhabit the Earth. They also have the power to create the firmament, the skies, the galaxies, and the seas, which they do through the use of ritual magic. After they are vital she instructs them to sing over the items in their baskets (medicine bundles) in such a way that those items will have life. After that crucial task is accomplished, the creatures thus vitalized take on the power to regenerate themselves — that is, they can reproduce others of their kind. But they are not in and of themselves self-sufficient; they depend for their being on the medicine power of the three great Witch Creatrixes: Thought Woman (Spider Woman), Uretsete, and Naotsete. The sisters are not related by virtue of having parents in common; that is, they are not alive because anyone bore them. In the nineteenth century, Fr. Noel Dumarest reported from another Keres Pueblo, Cochiti, on Spider Woman. In his account, when the "Indian sister" made stars, she could not get them to shine, so "she consulted Spider, the creator." He characterized the goddess-sisters as living "with Spider Woman, their mother, at shipapu, under the waters of the lake, in the second world." It should be mentioned that while she is here characterized as the sisters' mother, the Cochiti, like
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Session Twelve: Native American the other Keres, are not so much referring to biological birth as to sacred or ritual birth. To address a person as "mother" is to pay the highest ritual respect.
BELIEF IN THE SPIRIT From John Grim, THE SHAMAN: PATTERNS OF SIBERIAN AND OJIBWA HEALING, quoted by Gloria Orenstein in REFLOWERING OF THE GODDESS: Inuit people who live in Alaska believe that all living creatures have spirit. For most tribal peoples the vital rhythms of the natural world are manifestations of a mysterious, all-pervasive power presence...the transforming power called spirit. Scholar Gloria Orenstein observes that we have forgotten how to communicate with the spirit world revered in non-white, non-Western, and tribal societies, both in the past and in the present.
NOTE: Unitarian Universalist principles also honor the spirit. In noting the sources that feed our living tradition, we honor "direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit." Women were very instrumental in instigating the process that lead to the development of the UU Purposes and Principles. (See section on Earth-based Spirituality in the "Key Concerns" section of this SOURCEBOOK). The women were especially concerned with honoring the spirit and recognizing the "interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."
NOTES ON VIDEO IMAGES Following is additional information on a number of topics that augments what was presented in the video segment accompanying this session.
HOUSING One aspect of Native American indigenous life shown in the RISE UP video is the different styles of housing used in various parts of the continent. Even though housing styles differ considerably, the housing constructed by Native Americans was usually ecologically sound, most often created from renewable resources. The house was usually the woman's domain. In many of these cultures, the woman was the sole owner of the home, controlling all that related to it. Her power was so complete and her authority so respected that she often had the right to ask her husband to move out of the house if she decided the marriage had failed. An excellent source of information about the variety of historic dwellings built by Native Americans, dwellings which reveal considerable understandings about the cultures of the people who built them, is NATIVE AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE by Peter Nabokov and Robert Easton.
WOMANKIND The painting entitled WOMANKIND, which is included in the video accompanying this session, was painted by the Iroquois artist John Kahionhes Fadden for his wife. This Native American woman's body, encompassing the planet, invokes the healing powers of nature so that a peaceful
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Session Twelve: Native American world may be born. She holds the sacred corn in one hand symbolizing her role as steward of the garden. In the other she holds the string of wampum representing the political power women have traditionally possessed in Iroquois nations. This painting was intended by the artist to glorify the matrilineal nature of the Iroquois people.
SERPENT MOUND Excerpted from VANISHING HERITAGE: NOTES AND QUERIES ABOUT THE ARCHAEOLOGY AND CULTURE HISTORY OF LICKING COUNTY, OHIO edited by Paul E. Hooge and Bradley T. Lepper; a publication of The Licking County Archaeology and Landmarks Society. The Serpent Mound, shown in the video that accompanies this session, is located near Locust Grove in southern Ohio. This is an aerial shot, since this is the only way to interpret the shape of this Earth icon. Although no written records exist to indicate the exact meaning or purpose of this mound, its structure suggests a possible connection to other ancient religious practices in which the snake-and-egg motif is associated with Goddess creation myths. Other mounds and earthworks are located throughout southern Ohio and Kentucky, although many have been destroyed by treasure seekers and developers. Archaeologists feel a viable and workable preservation program is required to insure that the products of the Moundbuilders will be saved for future generations. Public support and interest must form the backbone of the preservation movement. If you are interested in visiting prehistoric Indian sites in Southern Ohio contact: Mound City Group National Monument 16062 State Route 104 Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 Telephone: 614-774-1125 The PBS Home Video MYTHS AND MOUNDBUILDERS explores archeological findings from these mounds. See "Resources" in Session 11 for supplier.
WEAVING AND SPIDERS Excerpted from THE SPIRITUAL LEGACY OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN by Joseph Epes Brown: From the Native American religious perspective, everything is relative to every other being or thing; thus, nothing exists in isolation. The intricately interrelated threads of the spider's web are used as a metaphor for the world. Excerpted from GODDESS: MOTHER OF LIVING NATURE by Adele Getty: Women and the Goddess have always woven, whether it be the weaving of cloth, the spinning of tales and spells, the weaving of tissue to bone inside the uterus, or the spinning of time and destiny in the universe. Amongst the Navajo, the weaving of the world is in the hands of Changing Woman, or Spider Woman. She is responsible for maintaining the universe and for
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Session Twelve: Native American keeping the sacred dream of life alive. Spiders are, therefore, sacred to her and are never killed, for to do so is thought to insult the grandmothers, our ancestors.
HELEN HARDIN Based on information in the profusely illustrated biography CHANGING WOMAN: THE LIFE AND ART OF HELEN HARDIN by Jay Scott: Native American artist Helen Hardin (1943-1984) painted "Changing Woman," which is included in the video accompanying this session. She was a direct descendant on her mother's side of the Anasazi, the pre-Columbian civilization that spread extensively through the Southwest. These native people left behind them the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde in Colorado, the rock and cave paintings of Arizona's Kayenta region, and the irrigation and road systems of Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. Her father, Herbert Hardin, was of mixed European extraction. Her mother, Pablita Velarde, was a commercially successful painter of facsimiles of ancient Native American forms. She did not approve of her daughter's abstract style of painting. This added a personal pressure to the already heavy cultural pressure on Helen Hardin to produce only romantic images of the Native American — pressures Helen tenaciously resisted. Helen's interpretations include a wide range of traditional native themes, including animals, ceremonies, life stages, kachinas and women in all phases and aspects. Her work was cut short when she died of cancer at age 41. The demands on Helen Hardin — as a Native American woman born during a time of rapidly developing consciousness for both Native Americans and for women — made her learn to apply the adaptive lessons of Changing Woman, thus freeing her own unique creativity.
KACHINAS Adapted from THE HEART OF THE GODDESS, by Hallie Austen, and HOPI KACHINA, SPIRIT OF edited by Dorothy Washburn:
LIFE,
The high desert of northern Arizona which spreads west to the San Francisco Mountains and the Grand Canyon and south of Monument Valley is a place of vast vistas and immense sky. Little rain falls there and the wind is often strong. It is not an easy place; yet within it, on and around three fingerlike mesas, the Native Americans we call the Hopi live and have lived for many centuries. One of their settlements is said to have been inhabited without interruption for nearly nine hundred years, longer than any other place in the United States. The Hopi people are humble and respectful of their world and of the spirits which control the elements which make it habitable. Those spirits, the kachinas, are with them intimately through half of the year, in sacred places called kivas where there is fasting and singing and praying, and outside in plazas with ceremonial dances and celebration. The other half of the year they spend in the San Francisco Mountains. Some Kachinas are spirits of the dead, some are Cloud People. Kachinas are also masked dancers who act as intermediaries between the Hopi and the gods and goddesses.
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Session Twelve: Native American Kachina dolls are carved representations which are given by the Pueblo performers to children — especially little girls — as a prayer for supernatural association and assistance, particularly for rain, good crops and other blessings. The Kachina dolls are not toys, but are everyday sacred objects. The Kachina dolls are usually hung from the house rafters or on walls. The first one given to a child is the KACHINA GRANDMOTHER, HAHAI'I WUHTI, shown in the video accompanying this session. When Kachina masks are not being worn, they are ritually fed by the grandmothers, who are the custodians of spiritual life. In the video accompanying this session, a Kachina entitled KACHIN'MANA, CORN MAIDEN KACHINA, is shown. This piece was created by the contemporary Hopi artist Yvonne Duwyenie of Hutevilla, Third Mesa, Sun Clan. Here the Corn Maiden is carrying white corn, which is the most sacred of the corns, bestowing special blessings. Ms. Duwyenie is self-taught and creates her pieces in the traditional style, using cottonwood.
CEDAR BARK AND NECKRINGS Based on material appearing in SPIRIT AND ANCESTOR by Bill Holm: The ceremonial neckring pictured in the video accompanying this session was made of red cedar bark in the late nineteenth century. Cedar bark was used in every phase of Northwest Coast Indian life from baskets to cradle bedding, diapers, towels, clothing and ceremonial regalia. Strips of shredded and dyed bark were made into headbands distributed to everyone in the ceremonial house at the beginning of the festival; the donning of the cedar bark headring signified the arrival of the motivating spirits. Principal participants in a religious ceremony wore cedar bark neckrings as part of their insignia. The delicate triple neckring shown in the video is made of twisted, wrapped and plaited bark and is elaborate and finely constructed. Today, Native American women are again taking up this practice. By renewing the practices of their ancestors, they are beginning to feel closer to those who went before them and who lived in a very different way. They call it "weaving the wild."
DZOONOKWA Based on information in SPIRIT AND ANCESTOR by Bill Holm: The Dzoonokwa is a Goddess of the Pacific Northwest. She is a complex figure who is associated with the owl and must be carefully approached. A mask depicting the Dzoonokwa is included in the video segment accompanying this session. A myth of the Tanaktak people, who live at Knight Inlet near Vancouver Island, describes how one gets to know the Dzoonokwa and learns the secrets of rebirth, both material and spiritual. If a family possesses a Dzoonokwa mask because an ancestor had contact with this mysterious being, it is a great privilege to wear the mask in a ceremony. It is believed today that most Dzoonokwas have been driven away by gas engines and now live in deep forests of British Columbia. Today the myth is corrupted into the story of Bigfoot, a giant living in the wilderness who scares campers.
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Session Twelve: Native American BASKETWEAVING Excerpted from THE SPIRITUAL LEGACY OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN by Joseph Epes Brown: Any basket-making peoples perceived in their acts of gathering grasses and vegetable dyes, and in the weaving process itself, the ritual recapitulation of the total process of creation. The completed basket is the universe in an image; and in the manufacturing process the woman actually plays the part of the Creator. It may be that the practitioner of such kinds of traditional crafts will not be able to consciously analyze or interpret such "symbolism"; nevertheless, through the force of myth and oral traditions, such values are intuitively sensed and participated in with the total being and not just with the mind.
CLAY, FIGURINES AND POTTERY STORYTELLERS Excerpted from THE PUEBLO STORYTELLER by Barbara A. Babcock and Guy and Doris Monthan: In traditional Pueblo belief, clay was regarded as a living substance and a pot acquired a kind of personal and conscious existence as it was being made. In other words, a pottery vessel was not thought of simply as an inert manufactured object. Rather, it was active, endowed with a life of its own. In addition to many stories which tell how the people came to make pottery, every recorded Pueblo origin myth also describes the creation of life itself as occurring in part through the process of pottery making. This is notably so in Keresan emergence stories in which Iyatiku ("bring to life") and her sister, Nautsiti ("more of everything in the basket"), are sent up into the light, to this Earth, by Itc'tinaku (Thought Woman, Spider Woman) with baskets crammed full of seeds and clay images from which they create all forms of life. Several of these seeds and "little images" actually enable the two sisters to reach their goal: the pine tree that they climb up, the badger who makes the hole in the Earth big enough for them to climb through, and the locust who smoothes the hole by plastering. On the basis of scattered ethnographic reports and investigations from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, several relevant generalizations may be made about the use and significance of ceramic figures in historic Pueblo culture. There is no description of any Pueblo ceremony — be it for curing, hunting, rain or fertility — or of any kiva altar that does not include both clay vessels, containing water and sacred meal, and effigies or fetishes made of stone, wood, or clay. It has been suggested that these objects, like the ceremonies and dances with which they are associated, function to maintain equilibrium among the natural, supernatural, and social order of things. Both two– and three–dimensional figurative designs may be described as embodiments of and prayers to ancestors, gods, or spirits for rain, for crops, for success in hunting, and for human and animal procreation. That they were still so regarded in the 1980s is suggested by the fact that at Santo Domingo, the most conservative of the Keresan Pueblos, both painted and modeled figures were prohibited in pottery made for sale.
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Session Twelve: Native American A further indication of the association of clay figures with the creation, maintenance, and reproduction of Pueblo life is the continuing practice of collectively representing Keresan townspeople in male and female clay images kept by the cacique (the religious leader of the Pueblo). In the late 1800s and early 1900s, human effigies in the form of females were made. They were called "Singing Mothers," which explicitly made the connection between human reproduction and other life-giving forms of generation. The first Storyteller was made by Helen Cordero in 1964. At that time, Helen Cordero had been making human figures for quite some time. Her most common motif was patterned after the "Singing Mothers" earlier potters had created. In her first clay Storyteller, a clay figure covered with children, she made the storyteller figure male because she remembered her grandfather Santiago Quintana who was known as a gifted storyteller who told stories to his many grandchildren. He was also a valued friend and collaborator to several generations of anthropologists and observers of Pueblo life because he wanted his traditions preserved and maintained and he went to great lengths to assure that they "got it right." Storytellers — both female and male — are being made by a variety of potters today. The repertoire of figurative forms produced by New Mexico potters has been enormous and impressive in the range of shapes, sizes, skill and prices represented. Traditional Storytellers or Singing Mothers were unquestionably the most popular composite figures made in the mid1980s throughout the Pueblos. In keeping with the pattern of community specialization, different Pueblos distinguished themselves for particular variations of the Storyteller or for particular figures other than Storytellers.
POWER OF WOMEN IN NATIVE AMERICAN SOCIETIES Excerpted from THE SACRED HOOP by Paula Gunn Allen: Any original documentation that exists about Native American beliefs and practices is buried under the flood of readily available published material written from the colonizers' patriarchal perspective, almost all of which is based on the white man's belief in universal male dominance. Male dominance may have characterized a number of tribes, but it was by no means as universal (or even as preponderant) as colonialist propaganda has led us to believe. Since the 1960s the number of women in tribal leadership has grown immensely. Women function as council members and tribal chairs for at least one-fourth of the federally recognized tribes. In February 1981, the Albuquerque Journal reported that sixty-seven American Indian tribes had women heads of state. According to Rayna Green of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, and author of WOMEN IN AMERICAN INDIAN SOCIETY, over the last 10 years more research has been done to uncover the role of women in native societies. Here are some of her findings.
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Session Twelve: Native American Stories handed down through many generations reveal much about the beliefs, values, and laws of a particular culture. The roles that women play in these stories indicate to some extent how a society views its women. Female spirits central to Indians' lives were often positive figures, indicating the reverence many Indian societies had for women. For example, many Indian tribes believe that their origin as a culture stems from the female. In contrast, people from JudeoChristian tradition believe in a singular male deity. Moreover, women in Indian creation stories and female spirits central to everyday life are viewed in a positive light. Contrary to Eve, who collaborates with a serpent to expose humans to evil, woman is viewed as the source of life, providing sustenance and protection as well as certain cultural values, such as truth. In many of the northeastern, southeastern, and southwestern tribes, women enjoyed a great deal of power and authority within their family. These tribes were usually matrilocal, meaning that when a man and woman married, they took up residence near the female partner's family. The groups also tended to be matrilineal: children were born into, and received their identity from their mother's family, and they traced their lineage through their mother. The inheritance of personal property and the right to hold office were traced through the female line as well. Women held authority over property and its uses and over the disposition of material goods that came from their own work as well as that of men. The distribution of food and other resources was their responsibility. A group of family members who has a shared identity and property and trace their descent from a common ancestor is called a clan. For the female-centered Iroquois and Cherokee, every clan has a clan mother who nominated and deposed chiefs and subchiefs, those hereditary and nonhereditary male leaders who conducted the business of governance. Women joined men in councils and functioned as representatives of women and children. In contemporary life, women's tribal political leadership remains concentrated in the Far West and Alaska. In 1980 and 1981, 22 women headed tribal governments in California, the state with the largest total population of Indians; 25 women lead the Alaskan villages' corporations and tribes; 23 additional chairpersons served throughout the country. All in all, roughly 12 percent of the approximately 500 federally recognized tribes and Alaskan native corporations boasted female leadership. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Rayna Green, a Cherokee, is currently director of the American Indian Program at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Holding a Ph.D. in folklore and American Studies from Indian University, she has taught at Dartmouth University, Yale University, and the University of Massachusetts and has served on the boards of the Indian Law Resource Center and Ms. Foundation for Women and has compiled THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID: CONTEMPORARY FICTION AND POETRY BY NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN as well as NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN: A CONTEXTUAL BIBLIOGRAPHY.
WILMA MANKILLER, CHIEF True tribal tradition recognizes the importance of women. Contrary to what you've probably read in history books, not all tribes were controlled by men.
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Session Twelve: Native American –Wilma Mankiller, Harvard University, 1987 In 1987, Wilma Mankiller became the first woman to become Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. When mounting her successful campaign, she encountered sexism. Wilma Mankiller tells these impressions in her autobiography MANKILLER: A CHIEF AND HER PEOPLE: On my behalf, Charlie (Soap — her husband) visited many rural homes where English is a second language to remind the people that prior to the intrusion of white men, women had played key roles in our government. He asked our people to not turn their backs on their past or their future. At long last, I had the mandate I had wanted. I had been chosen as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation by my own people. It was a sweet victory. Finally, I felt the question of gender had been put to rest. Today, if anyone asks members of our tribe if it really matters if the chief is male or female, the majority will reply that gender has no bearing on leadership. Because I have risen to the office of chief, some people erroneously conclude that the role of native women has changed in every tribe. That is not so. People jump to that conclusion because they do not really understand native people. There is no universal Indian language. All of us have our own distinct languages and cultures... Because Native Americans have our own languages, cultures, art forms, and social systems, our tribes are radically different from one another. Many tribal groups do not have women in titled positions, but in the great majority of those groups there is some degree of balance and harmony in the roles of men and women. Among the Lakota, there is a very well known saying that "a nation is not defeated until the hearts of the women are on the ground." In the instance of the Cherokees, we are fortunate to have many strong women. I have attained a leadership position because I am willing to take risks, but at the same time, I am trying to teach other women, both Cherokees and others, to take risks also. I hope more women will gradually emerge in leadership positions. When I ran for deputy chief in 1983, I quit my job and spent every dollar of my personal savings to pay for campaign expenses. Friends describe me as someone who likes to dance along the edge of the roof. I try to encourage young women to be willing to take risks, to stand up for the things they believe in, and to step up and accept the challenge of serving in leadership roles. If I am to be remembered, I want it to be because I am fortunate enough to have become my tribe's first female chief. But I also want to be remembered for emphasizing the fact that we have indigenous solutions to our problems. Cherokee values, especially those of helping one another and of our interconnections with the land, can be used to address contemporary issues. Wilma Mankiller's philosophy: To sustain herself, she explains, she drew upon precepts that the Cherokee elders had taught her: •
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Have a good mind. No matter what situation you're in, find something good about it, rather than the negative things.
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We are all interdependent. Do things for others — tribe, family, community — rather than just for yourself.
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Look forward. Turn what has been done into a better path. If you're a leader, think about the impact of your decisions on seven generations into the future.
For many Native People, Wilma Mankiller's leadership embodies the prophecies of Indian peoples from times past, which foretell a time when women will lead Indian people into a new era.
THE IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY: Native American Model for Non-Sexist Men by Sally Roesch Wagner, Ph.D. This is excerpted from an article by Dr. Wagner that first appeared in the Spring-Summer 1988 issue of CHANGING MEN magazine. The article is reprinted in IROQUOIS WOMEN: AN ANTHOLOGY, edited by W.G. Spittal. (c) 1988, reprinted here by permission. Copies can be obtained from Sally Roesch Wagner, Ph.D., Box 2135, Aberdeen, SD 57402. When white men in the nineteenth century began to rethink their relationship to women, did they have a model to follow? Amazingly, they did. They had clear, detailed knowledge of Native American nations in their midst, neighbors whose treatment of women was virtually the opposite of their own. White men who felt deeply the injustice of women's inferior legal, social and religious position knew of cultures where women held a superior position. Resisters against male violence to women could look to nations of men who did not rape or beat women. American Indian men gave white men a vision of how "civilized" nations treated women. Despite the popular mythology of the "savage Indian," nineteenth century reformers had a highly sophisticated knowledge of the social/political systems of Indian nations from historians, ethnographers and popular writers. Especially available was knowledge about the powerful six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy — Seneca, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Mohawk and Tuscarora. Anti-sexist men 100 years ago were well aware of how these Native American nations structured gender. A Tuscarora Chief, Elias Johnson, wrote about the absence of rape among Iroquois men in his popular 1881 history. Johnson maintained that sexual violation of women was virtually unknown among all Indian men. Nineteenth century radical feminist theoreticians, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Matilda Joslyn Gage, looked to the Iroquois for their vision of a transformed world. They quoted early anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan (who left money in his will to endow a woman's college at the University of Rochester), who carefully explained how "Not the least remarkable of their [Iroquois] institutions, was that which confined the transmission of all titles, rights and property in the female line to the exclusion of the male." Elizabeth Cady Stanton in her writings called upon the memoirs of a long-time missionary among the Seneca, who related:
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Session Twelve: Native American Usually the females ruled the house. The stores were in common; but woe to the luckless husband or lover who was too shiftless to do his share of the providing. No matter how many children, or whatever goods he might have in the house, he might at any time be ordered to pick up his blanket and budge. And unless saved by the intercession of some aunt or grandmother he must retreat to his own clan, or go and start a new matrimonial alliance in some other. The women were the great power among the clan, as everywhere else. They did not hesitate, when the occasion required, "to knock off the horns," as it was technically called, from the head of a chief and send him back to the ranks of the warriors. The original nomination of the chiefs also always rested with the women. The decision to place women in the highest position of governmental, as well as social, authority was thoughtfully made by the founding mothers and fathers of the Iroquois Confederacy years before Columbus "discovered" America. Another Tuscarora, J.N.B. Hewitt, explained: The astute founders of the League had made the experiment of entrusting their government to the representative body of men and women chosen by the mothers of the community; they did not entrust it to a hereditary body, nor to a purely democratic body, nor even to a body of religious leaders. The founders of the League adopted this principle and with wise adjustments made it the underlying principle of the League's institutions. "Never was the justice more perfect, never civilization higher than under the Matriarchate," Matilda Joslyn Gage wrote, concluding: But the most notable fact connected with women's participation in governmental affairs among the Iroquois is the statement of Hon. George Bancroft that the form of government of the United States was borrowed from that of the Six Nations. Thus to the Matriarchate of Mother-rule is the modern world indebted for its first conception of inherent rights, natural equality of condition, and the establishment of a civilized government upon this basis. Unfortunately, the founding fathers didn't completely get the point, Gage noted. If the warriors wanted to go to war they needed the consent of the women. Timothy Dwight, writing in 1822, stated, "If the women opposed the enterprise the warriors always gave it up, because the opposition of such a female council to any public undertaking was regarded as a bad omen. In 1791 when the Seneca in their dealings with the United States had reached an impasse which threatened to lead to war, the women intervened, and through their spokesperson, Red Jacket, addressed the U.S. government's representative: ...you ought to hear and listen to what we women shall speak as well as to the sachems (chiefs); for we are the owners of this land, and it is ours. It is we that plant it for our and their use. Hear us, therefore, for we speak of things that concern us and our children, and you must not think hard of us while our men shall say more to you; for we have told them... Red Jacket spoke their wishes, explaining: "We are left to answer for our women, who are to conclude what ought to be done by both sachems and warriors."
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Session Twelve: Native American Although Iroquois women had held a "superior position" (Hewitt's words) prior to the white invasion of America, it was, ironically, the benevolent attempt to "Christianize" and "civilize" the "savage Indian" that threatened to destroy the healthy gender balance of the Iroquois confederacy. Missionaries insisted that women's proper sphere was the home and that Indian men should take up farming. When accomplished, this change would not only take away women's economic independence, leaving them as dependent as white women; it also tore the very fabric of the culture, which held that women, who produced life, were the only appropriate group to bring life from the soil. Despite resistance, Indian land, of which women had been the keepers for the nation, was often divided up among Indian men as "heads of the family." Representative tribal governments, modeled after that of the United States, disenfranchised women. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Sally Roesch Wagner is a feminist historian nationally known for her living history performances of suffragists Matilda Joslyn Gage and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Dr. Wagner delivered a paper on "The Root of Oppression is the Loss of Memory: the Iroquois and the Earliest Feminist Vision" at the 1988 Champlain Valley Historical Symposium, first published in AKWESASNE NOTES, Late Winter issue 1989, and reprinted in the Anthology cited above. More recently, she has published an article "The Iroquois Influence on Women's Rights" in INDIAN ROOTS OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY from Akwe:kon Press, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1992. She is currently completing a book on the subject which will be published by Akwe:kon Press in 1994.
OREN LYONS, THE FAITHKEEPER In 1991, Oren Lyons, designated the Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation — one of the six nations comprising the Iroquois Confederation — spoke with Bill Moyers. This interview is available on video. (See Resources list in Session 11.) Lyons was selected by the Clan Mothers to be a chief, as is the tradition of the Onondaga Nation. As Faithkeeper, he is entrusted to pass on the traditions, legends and beliefs of his people for generations to come. Before returning to his ancestral land to become a chief, Lyons had established himself as a successful artist in New York City. Oren Lyons is a respected spokesperson for the international environmental movement. He asserts that we must fashion law with a spiritual center and recognize that the Earth is our lifeblood rather than our property. Here are some comments made by Lyons: The law says if you poison your water, you'll die. The law says that if you poison the air, you'll suffer. The law says if you degrade where you live, you'll suffer. The law says all of this, and if you don't learn that, you can only suffer. According to Native American tradition, the world must not be considered only for the short period of one's life, but rather in terms of the longer life span of nature. Lyons talks about the importance to the Indian nations of community — a community that is neither limited to members of an individual tribe nor constrained by boundaries of time, and one
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Session Twelve: Native American that provides for the destiny of future generations, specifically the seventh generation to come. He says: When you sit in council for the welfare of the people, you council for the welfare of the seventh generation to come...I'm sitting here as the seventh generation because seven generations ago, those people were looking out for me. Seven generations from now someone will be here, I know. We can't afford now to have these national borders...it's one of those luxuries that we can’t have anymore as human beings...We've got to move in concert. We've got to sing the same song. We've got to have the same ceremony. What Indians are about, I think, is community. They're about mutual support. They're about sharing. They're about understanding what's common land, common air, common water — common, and for all. They're all about freedom. People don't operate in the world time. Or, say, the time of the mountain. They operate in the time of the human being. And that's probably not a good idea because the time of the human being is rather short. The 'isms of this world — communism, capitalism, all these 'isms — are really quite bereft of a spiritual side. And what we were told when we made our laws, when the Great Law was put down — it was to have a spiritual center to it. We have these wellsprings of knowledge about places that only aboriginal people would know because they've lived there. They have intimate knowledge of what's there. And when people are destroyed and languages are destroyed, you destroy that knowledge along with it.
RESOURCES The Resource list for Session 12 is combined with the Session 11 list and appears in that section of the SOURCEBOOK.
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Session Thirteen: The Return
SESSION THIRTEEN: THE RETURN DISCOVERIES ON THE JOURNEY During this final stop on our Journey, we will share with one another the healing power we have gained from our visits to Earth-based traditions around the globe. We will also share recent changes in our lives and how they came about. We will consider our next steps to further connect with the diversity of our own personalities and community. Finally, we will birth together our sacred bundles and masks which we will carry with us as we each make our Return from our Journey back into our communities.
CONTENTS Who Contributed? Cultural Sensitivity Note Chant: RISE UP AND CALL HER NAME (Two versions) Song: AIN' GONNA LET NOBODY TURN ME 'ROUND Story: My Dilemma Poem: Let Us Hold Hands Where to Now? How to Begin Stories and Conversations Possible Follow-up Activities Resources for Services, Programs, Rituals Global Feminism Stopping Violence Against Women Field Trips Organizational Resources Books for Discussion Anti-Racism Multicultural America Personal Appraisal Questions Resources
WHO CONTRIBUTED? Grace Coan contributed her personal reflections on how best to approach the issue of diversity in her statement "My Dilemma." Grace's long-time commitment to liberal religious principles and her courage in expressing her vision have provided important perspective to this project. Grace is a Japanese American who was born and raised in Los Angeles and spent 18 months in Manzanar Relocation Center during World War II. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies with a minor in Health Education and a Masters of Science in Counseling. She has been a Unitarian Universalist for nearly 40 years and is currently a member of the Sacramento Unitarian Universalist Society in Sacramento, California.
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Session Thirteen: The Return Sarah Tames contributed her poem "Gift from the Mother" which is included as part of the Ingathering in this session. She attended a conference where material from RISE UP was the focus of a day-long conference. This poem was produced in one of the workshops. She holds a B.A. in English from Amherst College and an M.A. in English from Rutgers University. She has been an Instructor of English at The Hotchkiss School for eleven years. She feels theater is her true calling and she enjoys using her theatrical skills both as a teacher and a creator of ritual. Pat Mora contributed her poem "Let Us Hold Hands." See a more extended biographical note about her which follows her poem later in this section.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY Now we are completing this journey which has been a beginning exposure to the Earth-based spiritual perspectives of a number of world religions. It is important to realize that if we do not take an active interest in what's going on in the communities that embrace these cultural perspectives, we run the risk of acting like cultural colonialists. It is also important, however, to express our interest in others who originate from cultures different than our own in ways that allow us to be authentic. Otherwise our actions can be perceived as gratuitous which can undermine our otherwise well-meaning intentions. One of the keys to cross-cultural contact seems to be the making of an effort that challenges us but also allows us "to go at our own pace" so that the experience is one that builds mutual respect and ongoing connections.
CHANTS RISE UP AND CALL HER NAME Words and music by Nancy Vedder-Shults; sung on the RISE UP MUSIC CD by Nancy VedderShults and friends. Also available on the CD CHANTS FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. Oh, rise up and call her name Oh, rise up and call her name Rise up, oh children, Call her name Rise up, oh children, Call her name
RISE UP AND CALL HER NAME Words and music by Mary Grigolia, (c) 1991; sung on RISE UP MUSIC CD by Mary Grigolia. Rise up and call her name! Rise up and call her name! Rise up and call Rise up and call Rise up and call her name
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Session Thirteen: The Return
SONG: AIN' GONNA LET NOBODY TURN ME 'ROUND During the Civil Rights Movement, this traditional song was first used during the summer of 1962 in Albany, Georgia. Fifth Circuit Federal Count Judge Tuttle issued an injunction banning demonstrations. The reading of the injunction during a mass meeting sparked the musical response, "Ain' gonna let no injunction turn me 'round." This note is from VOICES OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT: BLACK AMERICAN FREEDOM SONGS 1960-1966, a booklet by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, the Smithsonian Collection of Recordings, Smithsonian Institution. If you want to keep singing, add your own verses. This song was originally recorded on the BEST OF STRUGGLES and in the accompanying songbook, by the Multicultural Women's Project in Music, copyright 1989, Womancenter at Plainville (MA). The recording was used by permission of Carolyn McDade on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. Ain' gonna let nobody turn me 'round turn me 'round, turn me 'round, Ain' gonna let nobody turn me 'round, I'm gonna keep on walking, keep on talking, Walking up to freedom land. Ain' gonna let segregation... Ain' gonna let racism... Ain' gonna let sexism... Ain' gonna let no violence... Ain' gonna let nobody turn me 'round, turn me 'round, turn me 'round, Ain' gonna let nobody turn me 'round, I'm gonna keep on walking, keep on talking, Walking up to freedom land.
MY DILEMMA By Grace Coan Hello, I am Grace Coan. Sometimes I don't know where I belong, sometimes I don't know whether I'm "fish" or "fowl" — I feel like a marginal person. Born and raised in California, I knew only the culture of this nation. True, my parents were from Japan, and through them I learned bits and pieces of— the culture in which they grew up — and bits and pieces it was — as they raised me during the time when the notion of the "melting pot" was popular, when every immigrant group coming to these shores was supposed to blend into one culture, the dominant culture. However, some blended in more easily than others. Those of us who had identifiable characteristics still were, and sometimes still are, seen as different, as foreigners. I have been asked how I like the United States and whether I would have difficulty with the English language, although I don't believe I have a noticeable accent.
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Session Thirteen: The Return Still, I find it difficult to identify entirely with the dominant culture. I can't relate to the Pilgrims as being my ancestors. When we dress as our foremothers, I am reluctant to dress in Victorian style — and yet, I also have difficulty putting on traditional Japanese garb as my own. So, where do I belong? I would wish to be accepted just for being me, for being a live human being who eats, breathes, experiences love, pain, joy, fear — all of these emotions just like anyone else — rather than being seen first as an Asian, to be spoken to in a few phrases of Mandarin, or asked to translate something in Vietnamese, or expected to know how to arrange flowers or to farm, or to be spoken to in pidgin English (all of which has happened to me). Surely, there must be a more mutually acceptable way to first get to know me! I was born and grew up in urban Los Angeles, right in the middle of the city. As a child, I was not often exposed to blatant prejudice, but when it happened — as when my siblings and I found out that we couldn't swim in the local pool, or when we were jeered at as being "Japs" — it hurt a great deal. I felt unwanted and diminished by the experience, at the same time not fully understanding why we were treated this way. I felt equal in school among my classmates. It seemed as though the adults were the ones who were prejudiced against me. One memorable time my family and I were singled out because of our ancestry was during World War II, when everyone of Japanese original on the U. S. West Coast — citizen or not — were put in what were euphemistically called "relocation centers." They were really prison camps as they were bordered with barbed wire fences and guarded by military police with guns (with real bullets) in case we tried to flee. I was allowed to leave the camp after a year and a half to go to school in Michigan (later to Minnesota because of job discrimination in Michigan.) My parents, however, had to stay much longer. They lost everything when they were forced to go into the camps. They really never recovered. It is my hope that we can go beyond our differences when we first meet someone. It is important not to draw any assumptions based on physical characteristics alone. It isn't accurate to assume that, just because a person comes from an ethnic group, she or he have a special knowledge or identification with the cultural heritage or particular practices of that group. I want to be sought out for who I am, not who others stereotype me as being. Unfortunately, when one has distinctive characteristics, preconceptions run rampant. It would be a lot easier to get to know each other if we could see past those barriers. We are learning to explore who we are as people; we are learning to enhance our ability to appreciate each other with respect, basing our communication with one another on honest exploration of our similarities, common ground, as well as the specialness of our differences. We can get to know one another as humans on this planet Earth, whether we are of different sexes, from different origins, of different ages of different physical characteristics, or lifestyles. No matter how we deviate from the "norm," the dominant culture, it's possible — in fact, highly likely — that our lives will be enriched by enjoying our diversity in the context of acceptance and respect.
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Session Thirteen: The Return BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Grace Coan is of Japanese ancestry and was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She spent 18 months in Manzanar Relocation Center, a prison camp where many Japanese Americans were forced to reside during World War II. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in ethnic Studies with a minor in Health Education, and a Master of Science in Counseling. She has been a Unitarian Universalist for nearly 40 years and is currently a member of the Sacramento Unitarian Universalist Society in Sacramento, California.
LET US NOW HOLD HANDS by Pat Mora Used by permission. Let us now hold hands with the Iroquois woman who fed berries to children's hungry lips while her sisters planted stars in the dark earth with a wooden hoe. Let us now hold hands with the woman who rubbed hot oil into her neighbor's gnarled feet when Plymouth's winter prowled and howled outside their door. Let us now hold hands with the woman who sewed faith into each stitch, cloth comforts pieced to the rhythm of espanol for babies born to the silence of the desert. Let us now hold hands with the woman who seasoned soups with pepper and hope as her days took her further from the perfumed sighs of trees she loved. Let us now hold hands with the woman who trained her stubborn tongue to wrap around that spiny language, English, to place her child in school. Let us now hold hands with the woman who croons to the newborn left amid orange rinds and newspaper who teaches grandmothers to link letters into a word who whispers to the woman dying with one breast who holds a wife whose face is more broken than any bone who bathes the woman found sleeping in black snow who dances with the widow to old songs of flutes and tambourines Let us now hold hands with that woman. Let us now hold hands with the woman who holds her sister in Bosnia, Detroit, Somalia, Guatemala, Juarez and Cincinnati.
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Session Thirteen: The Return Let us hold hands with the woman who confronts the glare of eyes and even gun barrels, yet rises to protest in Yoruba, English, Polish, Spanish, Chinese, Urdu. Let us hold hands with the woman who walked alone in the breath of desert and forest, who fills her voice with emeralds, feathers, with rings rippling from the river. Let us hold hands with the woman who leads, with the woman who follows, with the woman who cooks, with the woman who builds, with the woman who cries, with the woman who laughs, with the woman who heals, with the woman who prays, with the woman who plants, with the woman who harvests, with the woman who sings, with the woman whose spirits rise. In this time that fears faith, let us hold hands. In this time that fears the unwashed, let us hold hands. In this time that fears age, let us hold hands. In this time that fears touch, let us hold hands. Brown hands, trembling hands, calloused hands, white hands, frail hands, tired hands, angry hands, cold hands, new hands, black hands, bold hands. In towns and cities and villages, mano a mano, hand in hand, in mountains and valleys and plains, a ring of women circling the world, the ring strong in our joining, around our petaled home, this earth, let us join hands. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Pat Mora contributed her poem "Let Us Hold Hands," which is part of the closing of this Session and the RISE UP journey we have taken together. A native of El Paso, Texas, Pat writes poetry, essays and children's books. This poem will be included in a forthcoming book of poetry to be published by Beacon Press. Other books by Pat include Nepantla: Essays from the Land in the Middle, published by The University of New Mexico Press in 1993. Her poetry collections, Communion, Borders, and Chants are published by Arte Publico Press. Pat is completing a fourth poetry collection, Agua Santa: Holy Water. Her children's books are published by Macmillan, Clarion, Piñata/Arte Publico, Lee & Low, Orchard, and Knopf. She has received a National Endowment of the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship in poetry and a Kellogg National Fellowship.
WHERE TO NOW? by Elizabeth Fisher Now that you have completed the journey of RISE UP & CALL HER NAME, what you do to continue your journey will depend on the value you place on establishing cross-cultural contact
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Session Thirteen: The Return that is both enriching and in some way socially relevant. The resources in this section are compiled to give you some idea of what is available to aid you in designing your next step in what can become an ongoing cross-cultural adventure. In 1990, the theologian Sharon Welch wrote an important book entitled A Feminist Ethic of Risk. Welch had been studying the rich literature written by African American women and alerted her readers that she found very valuable teachings presented in this literature. She began to realize that because she is white and middle class she had been trained that it is paramount to come up with a solution, to find the answer to a problem. If the problem is too vast and cannot be solved quickly, an unfortunate trait of many social problems, she feels that white activists, because of their achievement orientation, often tend to become discouraged and withdraw. She observed they too frequently choose to avoid difficult problems by loosing themselves in the popular cultural trappings of the day or seeking a situation where immediate results can be achieved. Welch finds that the African American women writers she has read approach their problem situations differently. For them, success did not seem to be achievement of an immediate solution. Rather, the continuing process of being involved in life, of experiencing, experimenting, of feeling, of coming forth and engaging, in other words "taking risks" is, for them, the most important element of living fully. This "risk taking" approach has also shaped my own cross-cultural adventures before and during the development of this curriculum. Shortly after beginning work on this project, I recognized what I was hoping to accomplish in this curriculum was not to pose solutions to complex social relationships. My purpose, rather, in RISE UP is to stimulate those who participate to continue to engage in an ongoing process that involves "the risk" of finding ways to make authentic contact across cultural and racial divides. I have found that this course of action may, at times, bring painful and perhaps confrontational situations. Yet, even with the potential for pain, I have also experienced far greater opportunities for joy. Rather than looking for the quick and ultimate solution, this "ethic of risk" Sharon Welch suggests has aided me in discovering what being alive can really mean. To engage in the way she suggests makes me feel the bones and the flesh of my spirit.
HOW TO BEGIN If you are near the beginning of such a journey, reading is a good place to start. More and more is being published by women and men from a variety of cultural backgrounds who are willing to share what they feel has been their cultural experience. I invite you to look into the statements and discoveries made by scholars and the literature created by artists, doing their work both within and outside established institutions. I have included, in each session, lists of resources I relied upon. These materials provided me with a wide variety of new possibilities. Reading these and other works I have found is worth the time it takes. Art and visuals are another source of communication. The video that is a part of RISE UP displayed a sample of ancient and contemporary woman-honoring art from around the globe. Many more examples exist in museums, private collections, and publications. Seeing them first hand is a moving experience.
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Session Thirteen: The Return Contemporary art was also purposely included in RISE UP. I have found that feminist artists of every color are continually searching for ways to be viewed. Seek them out in your own communities. There is a good possibility that they will intrigue you with their inventiveness, clarity of expression, and reflections on their own cultural heritage. Attending poetry readings, theater presentations, and music productions by people of every color are all rich experiences. Discovering those who are producing such work in your own communities can be very worthwhile. I have reaped valuable rewards for these adventures.
STORIES AND CONVERSATION Telling and listening to personal stories, especially ones that have to do with spiritual beliefs, is one of the most respected activities in Earth-centered traditions. It is also one of the most important foundations of the contemporary feminist movement. Even when we live and relate in a diverse community, however, talking about or exploring together our religious and spiritual outlooks is not common. Yet, providing opportunity for conversations that open us to these possibilities for mutual growth, and learning to listen and allowing one another to reflect from our own experience is an important step in forwarding the creation of an harmonious and diverse society. For me, to sit down and talk to women of other cultural backgrounds was, at first, unnerving. I was afraid of being misunderstood or making a mistake. I found, rather, that many of those I encountered were willing to accept my intentions as sincere and work to establish clear communication. As a result of my experience, I believe the most effective way to really get to know someone who comes from a background you have not encountered is to sit down and talk together. During these conversations, I soon learned not to make assumptions about anyone's relationship to their ancestral lineage. I realized showing respect for another's cultural heritage includes hearing how they feel about their own ancestry. Once we established our mutual goal, and developed a degree of trust, we shared personal perspectives which enriched my life and this curriculum. I was also directed to very valuable resources by those who dialogued with me. Also, as we explored together a variety of subject areas, we found that in many cases we did not know much about our own cultural heritages and were sometimes alienated from them. As we discussed what we each felt and what would be the best activities to include in RISE UP, we learned together about some aspects of our varied traditions. These "talk sessions," for me, were among the most rewarding aspects of the experience of developing RISE UP. I hope the activities of RISE UP stimulate your own unique contacts and collaborative explorations. Whatever you decide you feel comfortable doing, I invite you to use your adventure of RISE UP as a springboard to a larger, multicultural, woman-honoring, and Earth-celebrating adventure.
POSSIBLE FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES In Session 13 these areas are suggested for possible follow-up activities:
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plan a church service based on material in RISE UP form a creative ritual group form groups to continue dialoguing, using the resource lists and the articles in the SOURCEBOOK as jumping off points hold informational forums for the larger church community on topics relating to cultural diversity educate your congregation about international violence against women and connect with groups addressing this issue pursue grassroots links around the globe work to expand the diversity of the cultural content in church services, and educational and social activities, to make them more attractive to a diverse population plan outreach activities to other diverse cultural groups in your community Ð Ð Ð
organize cultural "field trips" to Pow-Wows, Gospel Gatherings, and so on sponsor diverse cultural activities in the church and/or larger community approach other religious or cultural organizations in your community and express your desire to explore areas in women and religion of mutual concern
RESOURCES FOR SERVICES, PROGRAMS, AND RITUALS In addition to the many selections and suggested resources already included on the journey of RISE UP, here are a few other suggestions that you might find helpful when planning church services, educational programs or rituals that convey the experience of a global and/or Earthbased and/or woman-honoring journey. Encourage those who plan the worship services to include readings, music and other forms of expression from a variety of cultural traditions.
LOCAL CULTURAL GROUPS Suggest that groups that share aspects of their culture such as dance, music and religious ceremony be part of the church services on a regular basis. This is another excellent way to expose the church to more diverse content and to send a message to those from various cultures that their heritage is honored and included in the main programming of the church. Local speakers from a variety of organizations and perspectives on woman-honoring, Earth-based, and/or culturally diverse subjects and issues can be very effective. Visual and audio materials can help to bring information to the larger church community, especially if small group meetings are organized. Here is a sampling of what is available.
PUBLICATIONS Cakes for the Queen of Heaven by Rev. Shirley A. Ranck is an adult seminar in feminist thealogy (from the Greek thea, meaning "goddess") for churches, schools, women's groups and women's studies programs. The program invites women to explore and reclaim female religious history and its meaning for their lives. Can also be used with mixed gender groups with very little adaptation. Available from the Unitarian Universlait Women and Religion website at http://www.uuwr.org/cakes.htm
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Session Thirteen: The Return Goddesses, Witches and The Paradigm Shift: Dramatic Readings on Feminist Issues, Vol. II, edited by Meg Bowman, Hot Flash Press, San Jose, P.O. Box 21506, CA, 95151, 1994. The volume contains dramatic readings covering the history of witches, famous UU women, and several of our foremothers which can be used as lay-led church services, in the college classroom, and as woman-focused programming. Women's History: Dramatic Readings by Meg Bowman, Ph.D., Hot Flash Press, San Jose, CA, 1994. Dramatic readings covering Sappho, Hypatia, Mary Wollstonecraft, Emma Goldman, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and Deborah Sampson can be used in classrooms, meetings, parties, women's retreats, and so on. Available from the above address. She Rises Like the Sun: Invocations of the Goddess by Contemporary American Women Poets edited by Janine Canan, foreword by Jean Shinoda Bolen, The Crossing Press, Freedom, CA, 1989. This book of poems gives further evidence of the Feminine in human consciousness and offers a passionately reverent vision of life. Stars in Your Bones: Emerging Signposts on Our Spiritual Journeys by Alla Bozarth, Julia Barkley and Terri Hawthorne, North Star Press of St. Cloud, 1990. Terri is a long-time Unitarian Universalist involved in Continental UU women's activities. A collaborative work of a poet/priest, visual artist and cultural historian, this book traces their paths into women's spirituality and creates a map by which the viewer/reader can track her own journey. Contains moving poetry, powerful visual images, and insightful commentary. Order from: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc., P. O. Box 451, St. Cloud, Minnesota, 56302. Womancircle Rituals: Celebrating Life, Sparking Connections produced by the Women's Spirituality Group, First Unitarian Church, Austin, Texas. This booklet includes many fascinating and fun suggestions for activities that can be used to create meaningful rituals. As the introduction points out: "Rituals are meant to spark from the energy of each group, to heal and empower and connect each woman as we build a life-affirming community for all of us." Copies of this booklet can be obtained from: Linda Webster, 1506A Karen Ave., Austin, Texas 78757, (512) 458-1852. Cost is $15. Women's Rituals: A Sourcebook by Barbara G. Walker, Harper San Francisco, 1990. The author provides advice and information on rituals, chantmaking, decorating an altar, making mandalas, and much more.
RECOMMENDED VIDEO RESOURCES The Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation Video Library The UUWF has secured 16 films on video from the National Film Board of Canada that will be of interest to women. For a brochure on what is available and to borrow these videos, contact Janet R. Nortrom, UUWF, 4332 N. Woodburn St., Shorewood, WI 53211 (414)964-3764. The Women and Spirituality trilogy by filmmaker Donna Read, produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Part 1: Goddess Remembered explores early civilization of goddessworshipping peoples; Part 2: The Burning Times is an in-depth look at the witch persecutions of a few hundred years ago; Part 3: Full Circle examines the contemporary women's spirituality
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Session Thirteen: The Return movement. Distributed by: Direct Cinema Ltd., P.O. Box 10003, Santa Monica, CA 90410, (310)396-4774. Also available from UUWF Video Library. Zsuzsanna Budapest: Gathering the Goddesses This one-hour video documentary is a compelling and intimate portrait of how the contemporary Goddess movement impacts women's lives today. This film, using a live action format, covers the emotionally moving experiences of women attending a three-day Austin-based workshop held in May, 1993. This workshop is taught by popular author and feminist witch Zsuzsanna Budapest, one of the well-known figures in the women's spirituality movement. The producers are Peg Jordan and Melinda Hess. Jordan is a television journalist and commentator for FOX and CNN, producer of 20 different platinumselling videos and several television specials. Hess is an experienced film and video editor with several PBS-documentaries to her credit. This film can be purchased from: Peg Jordan, Producer, 3529 Ballantyne Dr., Pleasanton, CA. 94588, (510)846-6020. Shenandoah Films, 538 G St., Arcata, CA 95521, Tel: (707)822-1030 or (616)536-0015. Portfolio includes American Indian and health-related films and videos. Mystic Fire Video, Tel: (800)292-9001, Fax: (313)416-8203. Includes videos about visionaries, healers, spiritual journeys, ancient cultures, society and politics, women of power, and more. Some titles worth seeing are: The Divine Horsemen — The Living Gods of Haiti; Bill Moyers Spirit & Nature; Geosophy — an Overview of Earth Mysteries; and The World of the Goddess by Marija Gimbutas. They will send a free catalog upon request. Canticle to the Cosmos with Brian Swimme, from the Tides Foundation, San Francisco. This 12-part video lecture series presents the universe's story from both scientific and sacred traditions, and seeks solutions to environmental challenges. The course can be used in small study groups or for individual enrichment. A companion study guide has summaries, process exercises, discussion questions, and bibliography. Available from New Story Project, 134 Coleen Street, Livermore, CA 94550. Brian is currently Director of the Center for the Story of the Universe, at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco.
RECOMMENDED AUDIO RESOURCES Ladyslipper Catalog & Resource Guide, P.O.Box 3124, Durham, NC 27715, Tel: (919)6831570, Fax: (919)682-5601. Features recordings by women in all categories. Includes music used in RISE UP & CALL HER NAME by Nancy Vedder-Shults and Lisa Thiel. Look for Nancy's CD CHANTS FOR THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN, Lisa's tapes SONGS OF THE SPIRIT and PRAYERS FOR THE PLANET, and Luisah Teish's JAMBALAYA. They will send a free catalog upon request. Chants in Praise of the Lady transcribed and compiled by Barbara Scott, 1992. Copies of this publication can be obtained directly from Barbara, for cost of duplication and postage, by writing her at 235 Horizon Avenue, Mt. View, CA 94043. A great resource and a bargain too! Grandmother Wisdom by Brooke Medicine Eagle, 1992, Harmony Network, P.O. Box 2550, Guerneville, CA 95446. This teaching recording focuses on moon-pause (menopause) women. It honors those women who make a commitment, at this very vital time in their lives, to All Our Relations, to enter the esteemed and powerful Grandmother Lodge.
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Session Thirteen: The Return Wise-Woman Archetype: Menopause As Initiation by Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., 1991, Sounds True Recordings, 735 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO 80302. A Jungian analyst reveals the sacred dimensions of the wise-woman/crone archetype. Topics include ancient stories, Hecate, the blood mysteries, woman's pilgrimage, and much more. The New Ying Yang Connection: Moving from Domination to Cooperation in Our Relationships with Each Other and the Earth, by Lethea Erz, Eldon Haines, and Linda Rose, sponsored by the Unitarians of Eugene and Lane County (OR), 1991. Accompanied by several musical selections. A selection of readings presented dramatically that effectively review historical and contemporary issues relating to treatment of women and the Earth. This recording also provides inspiration that supports the new paradigm of partnership among women and men which can bring balance back into human society and our relations with the web of all existence. Available for $6 from Lethea Erz, 2483 Mission, Eugene, OR 97403. Tel: (503)345-8644. New Dimensions Foundation, P.O. Box 410510, San Francisco, CA 94141-0510. Tel: (415)563-8899. Recordings from the nationally syndicated weekly public radio series of interviews with the foremost thinkers, creative artists, scientists, social innovators and visionaries of our time. Two to look for: Myths, Symbols, Stories: Bi-Cultural Vision with Angeles Arrien, and Looking Deeply with Alice Walker.
GLOBAL FEMINISM Women all over the world are connecting over issues of mutual concern and getting to know each other as they meet in conferences, citizen diplomatic efforts, as well as read each others writings. This section contains: an informative article by Rosemary Matson about some of these efforts; action ideas that you can do to help win ratification in the United States for the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, and information on several organizations that are doing valuable work to link women globally and to support their local efforts for increased self-empowerment and economic independence. The Population Conference in Cairo, Egypt in September, 1994 seemed to be a breakthrough in recognizing the need to involve women in egalitarian ways in all walks of life. The conference declared greater economic power for women an absolute necessity if the population explosion is to be curbed. In addition, the conference accepted that many women and men, if given adequate information, general health care and access to a wide choice of contraceptive methods, will very often make having fewer children a priority. The Fourth World Conference, which is going to be held in the summer of 1995 in Beijing, China is the next major gathering on the global status of women. It may very likely produce even greater breakthroughs. More information about that gathering is included in this section.
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WOMEN MAKE GAINS AT HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE By Rosemary Matson This presentation was given to the United Nations Association in Monterey, California on International Women's Day, March, 1994. Women took a most important step forward in Vienna last June (1993) at the Second World Conference on Human Rights. The Global Campaign for Women's Human Rights — spearheaded by Charlotte Bunch — had worked hard for over two years to put women's concerns on the International Human Rights Agenda at that Conference. They had been networking, strategizing and collecting signatures on a global petition that would be carried to the Vienna conference. When the petition was finally presented to the Conference, there were more than a million signatures by women from 124 countries. The petition asked that women be included in all aspects of the Conference and specifically demanded that violence against women be recognized as a human rights violation. A coalition of over 800 world-wide women's organizations was in place by June, and fourteen thousand women attended the Human Rights Conference. Women found they were united by the universal problems of rape, incest, and battery as well as economic and sexual exploitation. The women were determined to have Women's Rights accepted as Human Rights. They were well organized. It is a good thing — because there were countries, especially from the third world, led by China, that pushed to water down the original United Nations Declaration of Human Rights which was created in 1945. These countries wanted the interpretation of Human Rights left up to the individual countries — because different societies could then interpret according to their particular religions, traditions and culture. And, they wanted no interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign nations. In other words, widow-burning, female genital mutilation, and family violence should be considered acceptable practices in certain countries. The women's response at the conference was a unified and resounding NO! Women from many different cultures argued in reply that religion, tradition, and culture are used constantly to justify the subordination of women and to rob them of Human Rights protection. They said: The right not to be tortured, killed, mutilated, or sexually coerced, cannot be dependent on culture or religion — it must be universal. The results of the women’s organized efforts were that the official Vienna Declaration to come out of the Conference includes a special section called, "The Equal Status and Human Rights of Woman." It states, unequivocally, that "public and private violence against women is recognized as an abuse of human rights." The Declaration also calls on the Human Rights Commission to appoint a Special Rapporteur to monitor violence against women. This has been done. The UN General Assembly has now voted unanimously to create the first-ever High Commissioner for Human Rights. You might be interested to know, the United States led the campaign for this action. The U.S. Ambassador Madeline Albright said "this represents a major milestone for world human rights."
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Session Thirteen: The Return So the post of High Commissioner for Human Rights has been established. Jose Ayala Lasso was appointed by Butros-Butros Ghali as the UN's first High Commissioner for Human Rights on February 1, 1994. Ayala has previously served as foreign minister of Ecuador. He now faces the daunting task of heading the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva. The UN Security Council also voted unanimously to reinstate an International War Crimes Tribunal in response to the growing horror over former Yugoslavia's civil war and "ethnic cleansing." An elevenmember court has been elected, but it contains only two women, and no action has been taken. It may take a public outcry for these things to be more that mere words. The UN General Assembly also urged universal ratification of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. More than 120 countries have now ratified this Convention, which President Carter presented to the U.S. Senate for ratification in 1980. Now, 14 years later, that important Convention still remains unratified by the United States. Women across the country are urging the Clinton Administration to push for hearings and ratification before the Fourth World Conference on Women which will be held next year in China.16 It is clear that the Vienna Conference was a breakthrough for women on the international scene. By their own efforts, they succeeded in placing women on the International Human Rights Agenda for the first time. Women, world-wide, have begun to influence the United Nations' policy-making process. But, there is so much more to be done. So, it's on to Beijing, China in September, 1995 for the Fourth World Conference on Women. You may wonder why this important gathering is being held in China. Just as when I went to Nairobi for the last World Conference on Women in 1985, I learned many things about Kenya and about Africa that I had not known before. Now, in planning for Beijing, I have learned more about China in the past year than I have ever known. Here's some of what I learned. One-fourth of the world's women are Chinese. The largest women's organization in China, The All-Chinese Women's Federation, publishes 45 newspapers and magazines, covering issues of women's rights, including sexual harassment and domestic violence. The Beijing Women Journalists Association, with 7,000 members for 80 media organizations, is promoting awareness in China of the coming Conference. We sometimes think of China as a backward country — our media depicts it this way. However, China now has 18 female ministers and vice ministers, 13 vice governors, 250 mayors and vice mayors, ten generals, 1,200 diplomats, over 20,000 judges and 4,500 lawyers — all women. Women are in the Chinese Academy of Sciences and there are 174,000 female senior
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136 Countries, not including the United States, have consented to be bound by the provision of this Convention as of September, 1994. A hearing was scheduled for Fall of 1994 in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A favorable majority vote of this Committee is needed to move the Convention onto the Senate floor, where it will need a 2/3rds favorable vote of the entire Senate. The Clinton Administration supports acceptance and the Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, has written to the Chair of this Committee advocating ratification. At the end of this article, there are several actions the National Committee on the United Nations Convention suggests doing at the local level to support acceptance of this convention.
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Session Thirteen: The Return professionals in various fields. This is what the Chinese women tell us. I feel as if I want to check it out.17 I would like to close with a quote from WIN NEWS (Women's International Network News): The most visible achievement of the women's movement for equal rights has been increased global awareness of women's issues. One of the objectives of the gathering in Beijing is to keep women's concerns high on the International Agenda. The pursuit of gender equity is crucial, if the quality of life is to be truly enhanced." The Status of Women — in the final analysis — indicates what the real status of a country and a society is. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Rosemary Matson is a global feminist and peace activist, a writer and popular speaker, a Unitarian Universalist, and a pioneer in citizen diplomacy for more than a decade. She has been in the center of a network of global feminism which is emerging and gaining strength, speaking out for women's rights as human rights. For many years, a professional in the UU Denomination, she served on the Board of the UU Service Committee, as Executive Director and Settlement Representative for the Pacific Coast, and on the staff of Starr King School for the Ministry. She was also one of the first co-chairs of the UUA Women and Religion Committee and is currently an active member of the Pacific Central District Women and Religion Task Force. After retiring from Starr King, she took her UU faith to the global arena, continuing her untiring dedication to social change, human rights, and world peace.
ACTIONS TO SUPPORT RATIFICATION OF THE UN CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN Provided by the National Committee on the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 520 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, CA. 90210-3202; Tel: (310)271-8087; FAX: (310)271-2056. March is "Women's History Month" and March 8th is "International Women's Day," both appropriate opportunities for panels and programs to educate the public about the convention and organize actions by participants in your community. If you contact the National Committee in advance, they will try to supply you with lists of actions and fact sheets in advance of your event. If you belong to a national organization that has not yet voted to support the convention, take a "Sample Resolution" to the next national conference or board meeting of your
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Many local organizations are coordinating travel to the Fourth World Conference on Women. Look for local announcements. Also the International Women's Tribune Centre has information on the United Nations Fourth World Women's Conference and NGO Forum on Women being held in Beijing, China September 1995. Contact IWTC, 777 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, Tel: (212)687-8633, Fax: (212)661-2704.
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Session Thirteen: The Return organization and get it passed. (Sample resolutions will be provided by the National Committee upon request.) Write an article on the convention for our organization newsletter or publication or do an educational background mailing as the General Federation of Women's Clubs and the United Church of Christ has done. Start a local community petition drive as done in Phoenix, Arizona, Oak Park, Illinois, San Diego, California and by the Presbyterian Church in its headquarters building in Louisville, Kentucky; or create a work-of-art letter as a group did at an art institute in Monterey, California; or sew together a massive "banner petition" (18' x 9' quilt) as the young people of Amnesty International from various colleges and high schools did. Compose an op-ed piece for your local newspaper (they might even pay you — some do) or appear on a local radio or television discussion program. Most local media are looking for stories that involve community people and activities. Creative ideas and suggestions to add to this list are always welcome. Contact the National Committee at the address above, in the credits.
DEVELOPMENT AND EMPOWERMENT ISSUES International Programs Department of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Linda MacKay, Program Associate for Constituency Education, 130 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, Tel: (617)868-6600, Fax: (617)868-7102. The International Programs Department of the UUSC is very concerned with empowerment of women and women's rights as human rights. They issue action alerts that can help you direct the efforts of your congregation on important international women's issues. They produce materials on women's health and reproduction as well as support indigenous women's groups in development and health related ventures in a variety of countries. In 1995, which begins the UN Decade on Human Rights Education, the department may develop a curriculum on Human Rights, with a special focus on the Women's Rights. Contact the UUSC for information on this potential program. The Center for Women's Global Leadership is a project of Douglass College, Rutgers University addressing issues of gender and politics with a focus on women's human rights. Contact Charlotte Bunch, Director, 27 Clifton Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, Tel: (908)932-8782, Fax: (908)932-1180. WOMEN, INK. is a catalog of books on women and development. It includes information on: gender analysis and planning; women's rights; the environment, women organizing; agriculture, science and technology; population, housing, small business, and so on. It is available from International Women's Tribune Centre 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY, 10017. Tel: (212)687-8633. Other resources are also available from this organization.
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STOPPING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Most of us know that historically women have suffered tremendous violence. Foot binding, chastity belts, and burning at the stake are among the mistreatments our female ancestors have had to endure. These are appalling facts that shock many of us when we first learn about them. Contemporary violence against women, unfortunately, is no less shocking. Following are a few statistics from various international publications that graphically portray the situation.
FACTS ON GLOBAL VIOLENCE Violence against women, including assault, mutilation, murder, infanticide, rape and cruel neglect, is perhaps the most pervasive yet least recognized human rights issue in the world. — World Watch Institute, Washington, 1989 ♀ More than 90 million African women and girls are victims of female circumcision or other forms of genital mutilation. (World Health Organization report) NOTE: As of 1994, estimates are as high as 110 million women who have undergone genital mutilation worldwide.18 ♀ Six out of every ten Tanzanian women have experienced physical abuse from their partners. (Violence Against Women in Dar-es-Salaam: A Case Study of Three Districts; Tanzania Media Women's Association, 1989) ♀ 50 percent of married women are regularly battered by their partners in Bangkok, Thailand. (World Watch Institute report) ♀ An estimated 1,000 women are burned alive each year in dowry-related incidents in the state of Gujarat, India alone. (Ahmedabad Women's Action Group report) ♀ 78,000 female fetuses were aborted after sex determination tests between 1978 and 1982. (A study of a Bombay clinic) ♀
In Mexico, a woman is raped every nine minutes. (Doble Jornada, Nov. 1987)
♀ More than half of the Nicaraguan women beaten by their partners had been beaten for more than a year before laying charges. One woman had been beaten systematically for 32 years. (Oficina Legal para la Mujer de Nicaragua, 1986) ♀ In the United States, a woman is beaten every 15 seconds. (U.S. Department of Justice) ♀ One in ten Canadian women will be abused or battered by her husband or partner. (Wife Battering in Canada, Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 1980)
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Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a growing, rather than a declining practice. FGM is practiced on the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and North America where approximately 13,000 girls are at risk of genital mutilation. From Facts About Female Genital Mutilation, published by Body Image Task Force P. O. Box 934, Santa Cruz, CA 95061-0934.
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Session Thirteen: The Return ♀ Eight out of ten Aboriginal women in Canada will be beaten by their partner. (Breaking Free: A Proposal for Change to Aboriginal Family Violence, The Ontario Native Women's Association) NOTE: More statistics on worldwide gender violence are available from the International Women's Tribune Centre (See address in the following "Organizations" section.)
ORGANIZATIONS There are a number of organizations that support efforts to reverse these horrific realities. Here are several that are currently supplying educational information and suggesting actions that can be taken by those who wish to reverse these violations of women's human rights. The International Women's Tribune Centre works against gender violence and in favor of development projects. Currently the IWTC is organizing for the "Global Campaign for Women's Human Rights" by addressing battering, rape, reproductive rights, and female sexual slavery. Contact IWTC, 777 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, Tel: (212)687-8633, Fax: (212)661-2704. Center for Women's Global Leadership is a project of Douglass College, Rutgers University addressing issues of gender and politics with a focus on women's human rights. Contact Charlotte Bunch, Director, 27 Clifton Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, Tel: (908)932-8782, Fax: (908)932-1180. Organizing against gender violence is one of the activities this organization undertakes. They supply excellent material on activities being undertaken globally to counteract all forms of violence against women. They support a major annual international campaign, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, and can supply you with information on how to organize or support activities in your area.
PUBLICATIONS The Center provides a range of excellent publications. Among these are the following materials on violence against women. Please contact The Center for more complete descriptions of these materials. Gender Violence and Women's Human Rights in Africa The second in a series of pamphlets, this important document compiles the ideas and strategies put forth by some of Africa's foremost women's human rights activists at a symposium convened by the Center for Women's Global Leadership. It presents a theoretical and strategic framework for addressing women's human rights and includes articles on topics such as: tools of suppression; culture as a human rights concern; and, intervention strategies. The contributors are activists from a number of African countries including Sudan, Ethiopia, South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana. Testimonies of the Global Tribunal on Violations of Women's Human Rights (1993) This is a transcript of testimony from women around the world.
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Session Thirteen: The Return VIDEOS The Vienna Tribunal: Women's Rights are Human Rights Gender Violence: A Human Rights and Development Issue by Charlotte Bunch and Roxamma Carrillo International Feminism: Networking Against Female Sexual Slavery Women's International Network (WIN News) is an organization devoted to educating worldwide about the dangers of the practice of female genital mutilation. A variety of publications, including a quarterly newsletter about women and development, the Childbirth Picture Book, and an Action Guide on Female Sexual Mutilations are available. For more information contact: Fran P. Hosken, WIN News 187 Grant St., Lexington, MA. 02173, (617)862-9431.
ACTION PROPOSAL WIN NEWS is suggesting a program, to be sponsored by local civil groups, entitled Childbirth Picture Book (CBPB) Teaching Program to Prevent Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) which would teach about reproductive health and how to prevent FGM to African immigrant families. The CBPBs teach with pictures and includes a discussion guide that is easy to use without special training. The proposed program is to identify African immigrant groups in your area/region by contacting health centers, community facilities, schools, and so on. The proposal suggests you first gain the support of the local health center and propose a short series of training meetings (8-10) at the health center with women leaders from the community, showing them how to teach with Childbirth Picture Books. These women can then teach others in their community. If you are interested in possibly initiating this project in your community, contact Fran P. Hosken at WIN News. (The CBPBs are available with additions that explain how to prevent excision and infibulation in English, French, Arabic and Somali as well as many other languages. Currently over 50,000 books are used and distributed in Africa and many other countries worldwide.)
FILMS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS Warrior Marks: Female Genital Mutilation and the Sexual Blinding of Women by Alice Walker and Pratibha Parmar, is a film that deals with genital mutilation in Africa. It can be rented for institutional use from Woman-Made Movies, Inc., 462 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10013; Tel: (212) 925-0606. A book about the process of making the film has also been published by Harcourt Brace, New York, 1993. This book describes a unique filmmaking journey, and includes interviews, three new poems by Alice Walker and over fifty photographs of the people and places they visited. Fire Eyes A 60-minute film about genital mutilation by Soraya Mire, a woman from Somalia. To be released in late 1994. Available for institutional use from Filmakers Library, Inc., 124 E. 40th Street, New York, New York 10016; Tel: (212) 808-4980. Many other resources on women's issues are also available. Call for a catalog.
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Session Thirteen: The Return Facts About Female Genital Mutilation by Kathryn Woods and Megham Clouse, published by Body Image Task Force which is an educational organization devoted to promoting positive body image for all women and men. For membership or more information, please send a selfaddressed envelop to: Body Image Task Force, P. O. Box 934, Santa Cruz, CA 95061-0934.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Domestic violence in the United States is a concern that is just beginning to receive the attention it deserves. A few statistics indicate: ♀
a woman is raped every six minutes
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four women are beaten to death every day
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more than 1/3 of female murder victims are killed by male partners
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one of every four women is sexually assaulted in her lifetime
UUs Acting to Stop Violence Against Women is an organization affiliated with the UUA, growing out of the Violence Against Women Resolution passed at the 1993 UUA General Assembly. They are organized to break the silence, network UUs concerned about this issue and heal through education, support and action. Materials for study circles and a quarterly newsletter are among the materials being offered. Contact Marilyn Gentile at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 2172 Kiernan Road, Modesto, Ca. 95356-9737, (209)545-2665 for current information. The Clothesline Project is a grassroots program, created to bring the unseen and unspeakable truth about violence against women out into the open. The Clothesline Project commemorates both victims and survivors of this violence. Women get together in groups to paint shirts to honor those who have suffered from domestic violence. Many paint shirts for themselves or close relatives. More than 125 clotheslines have already been hung in the U.S. and in places as distant as Vienna and Tanzania. Each shirt on the clotheslines bears witness to the experience of one individual and is decorated with her name and a date. The colors of most of the shirts are symbolic: ♀
White for women who have died of violence
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Yellow or beige for women who have been battered or assaulted
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Red, pink, or orange for women who were raped or sexually assaulted
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Blue or green for survivors of incest or child sexual abuse
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Purple or lavender for women who have been attacked because of being Lesbian
UUs Acting to Stop Violence Against Women supports this project and can provide more information about how to become involved.
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Session Thirteen: The Return No Punching Judy This curriculum, to be offered by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee in January, 1995, is designed to help teach ways to overcome domestic violence toward women. It includes: materials for ministers who will be addressing this topic during sermons; and an adult workshop that presents the key components that support domestic violence, including gender role stereotyping, poor communication, and lack of non-violent conflict resolution skills. The core curriculum is for grades K through 12 and is designed to equip children and young adults with the means to overcome any tendencies they may have toward using violence in interpersonal conflict situations (such as dating) as well as how to cope with violence in their own homes. Contact the UUSC for more information on availability, pricing and ordering at 130 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, Tel: (617)868-6600, Fax: (617)868-7102.
FIELD TRIPS Another category of follow-up activities that could continue your multicultural journey is organizing cultural "field trips" to events like Native American Pow-Wows, African American Gospel Gatherings, and Asian Festivals. These can be excellent ways to expose members of your local congregation to the activities and beliefs of those they may not otherwise come in contact with. These events are welcoming to the general public and usually prove to be an excellent first step in providing exposure to the cultures of diverse populations. When people from a church or other group attend these activities together, they can then reflect on the experience and perhaps find additional ways to continue their outreach. Here are brief descriptions of a few of these possible events that occur in many parts of the country.
POWWOWS Excerpted from a story entitled "Powwow" by Robert Crum appearing in MOTORLAND: TRAVEL AND NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE WEST (AAA), May/June, 1994. One way to become acquainted with a Native American community in your area is to attend a Powwow. They occur all across the Continent and are usually advertised in newspapers and magazines. Following are Robert Crum's impressions of a Powwow he attended. The song begins with a steady tapping by a solo drummer. The other members of the drum group join in, deepening the beat, and then the lead drummer shuts his eyes and throws back his head, calling up the song from deep inside. His voice is a fierce, warbling falsetto. The others join in after the first phrase, and by now a hundred or so powwow dancers in the arena are in motion. Under the weight of so many ankle bells and so much buckskin and fringe, the dancers are surprisingly light on their feet. Ask any dancer how such lightness of being is maintained, and the answer will often be the same; the drum is the Earth's heartbeat. The idea has not been packaged by impresarios or new age idealists. It is a notion grounded in thousands of years of living on and celebrating the land of North America. No doubt some of this flourishing of culture is a reaction to the banning of dance, around the turn-of-the-century, by officials bent on "civilizing" the Indians. The ban didn't last long, though the thinking that spawned it did. One measure of how things have changed recently is that Native Americans now find that they have to compete in the dance arena with Anglos in full
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Session Thirteen: The Return powwow regalia. I have a Flathead friend who relegates the white dancers to a tribe of their own; the "Wannabes," he calls them. One of the most common dances that the M. C. announces is the "intertribal." Intertribals are often as much an excuse to walk around and socialize in the arena as they are to dance. The invitation goes out to everyone present, including the spectators, a few of whom enter the arena and try the basic tap-step, tap-step of the powwow dance. Finally, there are the competitive dances. It is for these that the dancers labor so diligently on their outfits, for these that they practice so long. Purists complain that the competitive aspect is a Western adulteration, introducing values into the powwow that were never there before. Perhaps. But a balance is maintained by the judges, who try to reward the most honest expressions of tradition, both in outfit and movement. I was at one powwow where I thought for sure that a certain dancer, all got up in ribbons and fringe and dancing to a fever pitch, would win the day. But top honors went instead to a man in a much simpler outfit — an unadorned buffalo robe, with horns on the head — dancing with much subtler movements. He was dancing like the old timers, in a style the judges remembered seeing their grandfathers dance. In my opinion, the only thing more impressive than the skill of the dancers is the spirit of the people at a powwow. If you are of the opinion that Native American people are clutching at the last vestiges of their culture, then you should, by all means, attend one. Watching the passion of the singers and dancers, noting the respect accorded to the elders, seeing little kids sing a tribal song at the top of their lungs, you will be mightily disabused of that notion. Versions of these powwow dances have been performed on this continent for at least 10,000 years before the nation was formed. Vital and dynamic, they embody an ancient mystery in our midst.
AFRICAN AMERICAN GOSPEL WORKSHOPS The following information was supplied by Betty Soskin who is a major contributor to Session 5. See her biographical note in that session's section. Music in the average church is an element within the service which is added in order to enhance the worship experience. In the black church, music IS the act of worship. There is no more important component in the service. The preacher soars on the wings of the music and as often as not, joins with the singing. It is hard to tell where he stops and the choir starts, since the worship is all one piece. Gospel Workshops are frequent occurrences in the black church community. These workshops are frequent and well-attended in African American church communities across the country. They are open to anyone who wishes to participate and often are attended by whites as well as blacks. The usual experience is four days to a full week long. Registration is done by paying a small fee ($5 to $10) which covers the fees of the accompanists, musicians and other operating expenses. The standards are different here. There are no auditions. One cannot be judged on the quality of singing when it is the quality of "reaching for God" that is relevant. This means that anyone can qualify for the choir and the most interesting qualities emerge in the singing styles of the
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Session Thirteen: The Return participants. It also means that you needn't set a ceiling on yourself when it comes to your own participation. Sincerity is all that really counts here. All gospel music in the workshop is taught by ear. There is not a songbook in sight. The words are "lined out" in the old way. The most complicated timing and harmonies are quickly learned and the sounds are glorious! Typically, a host church, choir or musical association will sponsor such a gathering as a traditional element in church life. Thus, black gospel music, like jazz, is in a constant state of creation and re-arrangement by a host of upcoming musicians, arrangers, composers and singers. Choir life is probably the single most important social and spiritual component in the life of the black community. Ordinarily, 75 to 100 people register to attend sessions that meet for three to four hours for five to seven evenings. The head director, who is often nationally-known, adds several local composers, arrangers, and directors to his "staff" for the week and each teaches their current new works to the choir. At the end of the training sessions, by some seemingly magical process, the mass choir is singing the most exalted music imaginable! This final singing is held before a congregation in the host church and is attended by that congregation, plus visiting friends and relatives of new "choir members." The importance of the experience for non-African Americans is that this is one of the rare opportunities to interact with black people in a situation where the context is black. In most other instances, the context is white and the black person is measured against an alien background. Here black people are the "knowers." In the areas of gospel music, they are the authorities. Because of this, whites will find a very different reception from the blacks, who feel self-confident, which allows them to also be openly spiritually expressive.
ASIAN FESTIVALS There are many distinct cultures that originate in Asia. If there is a large enough Asian population of any of these groups (for example, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese) in your area, they may produce public celebrations on one or several of their holidays. These festivals are places were you can easily be exposed to distinctive arts and crafts such as dance, painting, and appliqué — and indigenous foods, and, most of all, ambiance of the community. They are also usually great places to visit in a group.
MULTICULTURAL EVENTS In communities were there is a mix of ethnic groups, events where a number of cultures participate are becoming more common. These events allow cultural traditions to be displayed side by side, graphically underscoring diversity. This type of experience can be especially enriching. Most communities have some ethnic diversity. If such an event does not take place in your community, perhaps your church or organization can stimulate the formation of one.
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ORGANIZATIONAL RESOURCES There are many organizations that can supply you with valuable materials that will support your programming. Here are a few of them.
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ORGANIZATIONS Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation, 25 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108, Tel: (617)7422100, Fax: (617)742-2402. The UUWF is an independent organization that is affiliated with the UUA, which publishes a newsletter entitled "The Communicator" six times a year. You can join UUWF by affiliating your women's group with UUWF or by becoming an individual member. Membership is open to both women and men. The UUWF produces materials on a variety of issues of interest to those who care about equality and justice for all, with a special focus on women. The UUWF is the publisher of this curriculum. Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS) is an independent organization affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association that was formed for the purpose of enabling networking among UUs who have identified themselves as Pagans. CUUPS presents programs at General Assembly, holds a yearly convocation, publishes a newsletter, and offers pamphlets and audiocassettes. There are chapters across the continent and members in all 50 states and Canadian provinces. For more information, contact CUUPS, P.O.Box 640, Cambridge, MA 02140. Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, 130 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, Tel: (617)868-6600, Fax: (617)868-7102. The UUSC is an independent organization that is an affiliate of the UUA. It provides constituency education on a variety of issues, both international and domestic. It funds self-empowerment projects around the globe, including Haiti, India, and Africa. A variety of resources are available for use in public programming. Ones of particular interest are: Living on the Interdependent Web, a Study/Action Guide for understanding the linkages between national and international issues of justice with an emphasis on environmental as well as political and social concerns Introductory Guide to Africa, a tool for action, and a resource for understanding some of the key issues concerning Africa today Walking with the Women of India is a compilation of articles that focuses on women's issues, health and education
VIDEOS Sharing a Vision of Justice is a vivid history of the UUSC Promise the Children is the video companion to the booklet and shows how you can take action of behalf of children in your community
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Session Thirteen: The Return The Women of UUSC: A Fifty Year Ministry (1990)
PHOTO DISPLAY Granddaughters of Corn: Guatemalan Women and Repression is a museum-quality photographic exhibition documenting the determination and spirit of the Guatemalan women. (Shipping weight: 50 lbs) Additional educational materials are available upon request from the UUSC. Contact Linda MacKay, International Program Associate, to discuss your special needs. Seventh Principle Project is an affiliate of the Unitarian Universalist Association based on the UU Principle, "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." The Project supports the development of environmental materials for worship, religious education, the wise management of our facilities, and social justice. They make available networking resources, conduct workshops at General Assembly, and publish the Environmental Justice Newsletter. For more information or to add your name to the mailing list, contact John Tucker, 21 Villa Drive, San Pablo, CA 94806, Tel: (510)215-6620. Unitarian Universalist Network on Indigenous Affairs is an independent affiliate of the UUA and is now undertaking two major efforts: in the United States, working for passage of the Native American Free Exercise of Religion Act, and in Canada, working to stop the expansion of Hydro-Quebec from destroying wilderness and displacing the indigenous population. To subscribe to the newsletter "Spinning the Web," send $10 to Elaine Krantz, 3600 South Pierce #2-203, Lakewood, CO 80205, Tel: (303)763-6904. Unitarian Universalist Association Department for Social Justice sponsors the annual UU national conference for social justice, maintains the UUA Washington office for social justice, facilitates social justice work in local congregations, acts as liaison with other UUA affiliates and denominations, provides resources for General Assembly study resolutions, and publishes Ethics & Action. Contact UUA, 25 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108. Unitarian Universalist Women's Heritage Society, 147 High Street, Medford, MA 02155 (617) 396-7494. This organization has done important work in recovering much of the heritage of our churches that relates to the vast, but often under recorded contributions of the women to the Unitarian Universalist denomination. They are about writing women back into history and need our support. PAMPHLET The Faith of a Feminist by Judith Meyer, Vice President for Program at the Unitarian Universalist Association. She has served congregations in Paramus, NJ and Concord, NH. "For me, the religious values of Unitarian Universalism and the spirit of feminism are inseparable." To order copies, contact UUA, 25 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108. MUSIC Unitarian Universalist Women's Hymns compiled by Rev. David A. Johnson, Philomath Press, 353 Walnut St., Brookline, MA, 02146. This book is an important addition to the music resources of a congregation. Dave is a Senior UU minister currently serving First Parish in Brookline.
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Session Thirteen: The Return COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS There are many worthwhile organizations that can supply materials and guidance about how to approach the range of issues resulting from the journey of RISE UP. Here are a few that may prove helpful. Center for Research on Women, Wellesley College, MA 02181. Tel: (617)283-2500. Established in 1974, the Center is the largest for research on women in the United States. Scholarly work is conducted in areas such as women and work, gender bias in education, quality child care, and sexual harassment. South- and Meso-American Indian Information Center, P.O.Box 28703, Oakland, CA 94604. Tel: (510)834-4263, Fax: (510)834-4264. SAIIC promotes peace and social justice by linking Indian People of the Americas. Activities include the Women's Project, defense of human rights and the environment, and technical assistance. The Women's Foundation is a 12-year-old community foundation creating environments in which low-income women and girls empower themselves. They work with the most marginalized populations: women and girls of color, disabled women and girls, lesbians, single mothers, rural women and girls, and older women. Last year they made 32 grants totaling $230,000. They can be contacted at: 3543 Eighteenth St., #9, San Francisco, CA 94110. Tel: (415)431-1290, Fax: (415)431-9634. Multicultural Publishers Exchange is a project of the National Association for Independent Book Publishers of Color. They can be contacted at: P.O.Box 9869, Madison, WI 53715. Tel: (608)244-5633, Fax: (608)244-3255. Women's Theological Center, 140 Clarendon Street, Sixth Floor, P.O. Box 1200, Boston, MA 02117. Tel: (617)536-8782. The Center provides spiritual, theological and ethical resources for women working together for social, political and personal justice. Sponsors many programs as well as offers an informative newsletter about activities going on across the continent. Women's Spirituality Program, California Institute of Integral Studies, 765 Ashbury Street, San Francisco, California 94117. Tel: (415)753-6100. Offers both an M.A. and a PhD program that focuses on multicultural perspectives on women's ways of knowing and experiencing the world. Process-oriented learning is emphasized, integrating the cognitive, analytical, creative, experiential and spiritual dimensions. One goal is to train educators and activists in a new social vision and culture. Institute in Culture and Creation Spirituality, Holy Names College, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland, CA 94619. Tel: (510)436-1046. Founded in 1976 by Matthew Fox, ICCS is designed to awaken the mystic and prophet in each student. It offers books, audios, music, videos, summer workshops, and a magazine, Creation Spirituality. It also offers an accredited Masters program in cross-cultural spirituality.
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Session Thirteen: The Return The Educultural Foundation, 149 Pioneer Court, Vallejo, CA 94589, Tel: (707)649-0414. The Foundation researches, develops and implements educational programs, videos and films with the aim of motivating young people of color to self-esteem, critical thinking and life skills. Underground Railway Theater is a touring company working with community-based sponsors giving performances around the continent. Their offerings include: Are You Ready, My Sister? which tells the story of Harriet Tubman and the Quaker woman she meets on the underground railroad; The Creation of the World tells the story of Yoruban Creation mythology using huge shadow puppets; Washed-Up Middle-Aged Women is a montage of real-life stories and songs about women growing older and coming into their own; and The Eco-Caberet explores environmental justice through original songs and drama derived from interviews with people from across the country. Featuring a stylistic fusion of Gospel and film noir, The Eco-Caberet is the sequel to the much-acclaimed Christopher Columbus Follies. Contact Anastasia Warpinski at (617)643-6916.
PUBLICATIONS Women: Challenges to the Year 2000 from the United Nations department of Public Information, New York, 1991. Based on the Nairobi World Conference on the status of women, this publication covers discrimination, health, empowerment, work, politics, and violence. Women's History Catalog is a source for multicultural books, posters, gifts, display materials, classroom materials, and National Women's History Month celebration supplies. Contact the National Women's History Project, 7738 Bell Road, Windsor, CA 95492, Tel: (707)838-6000, Fax: (707)838-0478. Children's Book Press, San Francisco, is the source for award-winning multicultural literature and audio cassettes for children. The Press publishes tales from Latino/Hispanic/ Caribbean communities (bilingual in English and Spanish), tales from the African American, Native American and Eastern European communities, and tales from the Asian American community (depending on title, bilingual in English and Korean, Khmer, Vietnamese, or Chinese). Contact Children's Book Press, 6400 Hollis Street, Suite 4, Emeryville, CA 94608, Tel: (510)655-3395, Fax: (510)655-1978. Sage Publications, Inc. P.O.Box 5084, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359, Tel: (805)499-9774, Fax: (805)499-0871. This international educational and professional publisher offers "Gender Studies," a line of books on women and the new masculinity. Oyate, 2702 Matthews Street, Berkeley, CA 94702, Tel: (510)848-6700. Committed to multiculturalism, Oyate has a long list of materials, books and CDs for preschool through high school and up. Refugees is published by the Public Information Service of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland. It covers human rights and ethnic conflicts throughout the world. Contact: UNHCR, 1718 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC, 20009.
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BOOKS FOR DISCUSSION There are already many books listed in the curriculum, many of which would be excellent focuses for discussion. The ones listed here are distinguished because they are primarily philosophical and contain a good deal of personal reflection that may stimulate personal sharing among group members. A Feminist Ethic of Risk by Sharon D. Welch, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 1990. "Drawing especially on African American women's literature, Sharon Welch constructs an ethical and theological vision in which fragile is powerful...Her book provides the most sustained challenge of an ethics of liberation to the non-poor and the non-oppressed of the West. It is truly a landmark in the development of liberation theologies in North America." comment by Sheila Briggs of the University of Southern California. With a Fly's Eye, Whale's Wit, and Woman's Heart: Animals and Women edited by Theresa Corrigan and Stephanie Hoppe, Cleis Press, San Francisco, 1989. A stunning and magical collection of short pieces celebrating the relationships between animals and women ... Margaret Atwood, Anne Cameron, Judy Grahn, Ursula K. LeGuin and more! After Patriarchy: Feminist Transformations of the World Religions edited by Paula M. Cooey, William R. Eakin, and Jay B. McDaniel, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY, 1991. Part of the interreligious dialogue of the Faith Meets Faith Series, this book looks at Kali, Buddhism, and other spiritual journeys. See individual listings in appropriate sessions. The Journey Is Home by Nelle Morton, Beacon Press, Boston, 1985. The distinguished feminist theologian traces the development of her personal and theoretical vision. The Reflowering of the Goddess by Gloria Feman Orenstein, the Athene Series, Pergamon Press, New York, 1990. A book of immense intelligence that weaves art, literature, history, and spirituality together. Laughter of Aphrodite: Reflections On a Journey to the Goddess by Carol P. Christ, Harper San Francisco, 1987. This spiritual and intellectual journey follows the path of a feminist thealogian as she travels from Christianity to the Goddess. The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner, Harper San Francisco, 1980 and 1990. A classic resource and reference on practical shamanism. In the Spirit of the Earth: Rethinking History and Time by Calvin Luther Martin, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1992. The author of Keepers of the Game: Indian-Animal Relationships and the Fur Trade calls for a new way of looking at the natural world and our place in it. Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World by David Maybury-Lewis, Viking Penguin, New York, 1992. Companion volume to the PBS series. Anthropology devoted to tribal peoples controlling their own destinies.
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Session Thirteen: The Return Living in the Lap of the Goddess: The Feminist Spirituality Movement in America by Cynthia Eller, Crossroad, New York, 1993. Explores one of the most rapidly growing religious movements in the United States from a sympathetic sociological viewpoint. Gender and Religion: On the Complexity of Symbols edited by Caroline Walker Bynum, Stevan Harrell and Paula Richman, Beacon Press, Boston, 1986. How do gender-related religious symbols reflect — or fail to reflect — cultural assumptions about what it means to be male or female? Drawing on many religious traditions, from Gnosticism to Buddhism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Chinese folk religion, Mormonism, and psychoanalysis, eleven scholars demonstrate that it is no longer possible to study religious practice or religious symbols without taking gender into account.
ANTI-RACISM by Elizabeth Fisher Racism and ethnocentrism are two of the most difficult topics to confront in an increasingly multicultural North America. It is almost as if, as racial differences inform more and more of the interactions we daily are asked to deal with, less and less of our feelings about race can be shared openly. As we look to the future, North America will become even more multicultural. In reality, America has been diverse since its very beginning and is becoming more so. According to scholar Ronald Takaki, the history of North America has actually always been about the challenges and gifts of cultural diversity. (Ronald Takaki, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. See the heading "Books, Periodicals and Organizations" later in this section of the SOURCEBOOK for more description of this book.)
MULTICULTURAL AMERICA Currently, one-third of the American people do not trace their origins to Europe. (These people are concentrated in major cities across the country New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles although other parts of the country are becoming increasingly diverse as well.) Indigenous people are a small part of the population but a group that is reasserting its claims to its own identity and land masses. By 2056, demographers claim most Americans will trace their descent to almost anywhere but white Europe. African American author Toni Morrison asserts that race has functioned as a "metaphor" necessary for construction of American-ness. And, Morrison feels the myth of "American" is defined as white and does not allow for the diversity "American" should represent.
White Diversity And what of the diverse roots of those who trace their ancestry to white Europe? Do all who are white trace their roots to Christian and Jewish Europe or is the ethnic and religious mix of those who have white European ancestry much more diverse than we have been encouraged to believe? Could it be, as RISE UP suggests, that European culture was heavily influenced by
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Session Thirteen: The Return Black Africa? What about the cultural and commercial exchanges between Asia and Europe that took place for centuries before Europeans traveled to the Western Hemisphere? What about the documented Native American influence on European culture? (See New Worlds for Old: Reports from the New World and Their Effect on the Development of Social Thought in Europe, 1500-1800 by William Brandon, Ohio University Press, Athens, Ohio, 1986; and Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World by Jack Weatherford, Fawcett Ballantine Books, New York, 1988.) What we do in the next decades to change this perception of a homogeneous standard for "American" will determine whether North America is an experiment in unity in diversity that acts as a role model for the rest of the globe or becomes a tragedy of racial and ethnic hatred of immense proportions.
Diversity and Individuality Individuality is a highly prized value in our society. No one wants to be treated as a representative of a group just because they are a particular color, ethnicity, or sex. But, what makes up our individuality, in some part, has to do with our roots and how we express and utilize the gifts of our cultural heritage. One challenge we face as North Americans is reconciling an appreciation for roots while developing our own unique individuality that is not bound or determined by our ancestry. Part of this challenge is also finding ways to enhance our individuality through contact with others who may spring from very different roots. How do we begin to enact our desire to accept and value a wide variety of roots as positive influences, while learning to interrelate for our individual and mutual benefits?
Is Guilt the Answer? Guilt on the part of those who have confined their cultural experience to white, middle class, Americanized European content usually produces very little real appreciation for what is actually being missed by not undertaking cross-cultural contact. Often those who confine themselves to a narrow cultural experience, uninformed by the richness of other cultures, do not realize how deprived they actually are. This is because guilt is often motivated by a false sense of superiority rather than a genuine appreciation of the damage experienced by those who adopt racist or elitist attitudes that limit their experience. The following excerpts from the UUWF Special Publication, "Racial Justice: For Such a Time as This," published for General Assembly, 1993, give a perspective on racism and guilt worth considering. No one is born a racist Racism is not a genetically transmitted disease. It is a systematically transmitted disease. Think about how that word is constructed "dis" and "ease." This disease is in our culture and we incorporate it just as unconsciously as we breathe in polluted air. Our move toward racial justice is a move toward wholeness, toward health, toward becoming at ease with one another.
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Session Thirteen: The Return Don't confuse guilt with responsibility Responsibility is facing the situation with action — with a response and with strength. It is our responding ability; it is taking responsibility for the world as we would re-create it. Guilt, on the other hand, robs us of the strength to respond because guilt undermines our self-esteem. Guilt is the glue that holds our painful emotions together and causes us to face change with despair or denial. Our self-love is our strength — the very strength we need to be responsible. Blame is pointless, but understanding helps us find reasons for our actions in the contexts of the situations and allows us to choose differently.
HOW DO FEMINISM AND RACISM RELATE ANYWAY? The question occasionally surfaces "Why do we who are white who are so concerned about fair and equitable treatment of women — all women — have to also be in the forefront of anti-racist activities?" Here is one perspective. Excerpted from material used in an anti-racism workshop presented by the Women's Theological Center, 400 The Fenway, Boston. For more information about this organization, see the heading "Community Organizations" earlier in this section. This we know: a racist society is the antithesis of a feminist society. A feminist future is a nonracist future. Feminist liberation is about the transformation of a racist status quo into a fully participatory, inclusive future. White justice-seeking women must bring to white society a hope and a determination, a vision of a dynamic and creative society that refuses to lose the gifts of yet one more generation to the evils spawned by white supremacy. As one member of our group wrote, "I am amazed at the depth of my ignorance. I see how I have unwittingly absorbed those lies which hide from me the true experience of people of color. It is painful to recognize how racism is deep into the fabric of our country on all levels, personal, institutional, cultural. It is difficult to acknowledge that people of color are suffering and dying in our cities from policies of deliberate neglect. It is sobering to recognize that my people, white people, perpetuate these policies both consciously and unconsciously.. Yet, just as white women and men have perpetuated racism throughout history, so have there been, in all times and places, some white people who have struggled against the racism around them. It is from the place of our own honest, humble, self-reflection and self-respect that white people can be partners with all who work against racism. The most important work I/we can do to confront racism is with ourselves. Racism is a white problem."
PERSONAL APPRAISAL QUESTIONS by Grace Coan NOTE: This list of questions was developed by Grace Coan, author of "My Dilemma." You might want to take a few moments to jot down your own responses or perhaps use this questionnaire as part of a follow-up group discussion.
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Session Thirteen: The Return Am I knowledgeable about and sensitive to cultural backgrounds, values and traditions of others, and if not, can I ask respectfully? Have I discarded stereotypes that interfere? Do I demonstrate respect for others different from me? Do I evaluate where materials and activities may be inadvertently supporting traditional stereotypes? Do I provide balanced information on alternative expressions when biased materials are unavoidable? Do I use inclusive, culturally appropriate language? Do I examine my own behavior and language for expressions that are offensive to others? Do I regularly model affirmative behaviors by performing activities usually considered non-traditional for my sex and cultural background? Do I effectively call another's attention to her/his biased, prejudiced or stereotypical language or behavior? Do I open myself up to learning from others?
RESOURCES Many organizations are grappling with how to develop effective anti-racist institutions. Here are several organizations and materials that deal with ways to develop and support antiracist efforts.
UUA DEPARTMENTS UUA Office for Racial and Cultural Diversity and the Racial Justice Task Force of the UUA Department for Social Justice provide consultation and support for groups and congregations working on racial justice and diversity projects. The Office of Worship and Diversity Resources helps congregations plan racially inclusive worship services and programs. It is developing a new curriculum entitled "Weaving the Fabric of Diversity." The Department of Ministry conducts the "Beyond Categorical Thinking" program, which encourages congregations to consider racially and culturally diverse candidates for minister, RE professionals, and so on. The Department for Social Justice publishes Ethics and Action four times a year, which includes information on and suggestions about culturally diverse programming.
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Session Thirteen: The Return The Department of Religious Education offers materials on racial and cultural diversity, including: "How Open the Door," an eight-session, multi-media, adult education curriculum focusing on African Americans' experience in our denomination, based on the book Black Pioneers in a White Denomination19 by Mark Morrison-Reed; "In Our Hands," a peace-andjustice curricula for students in grades one through high school, components of which deal with racial justice; three new curricula on diversity — one each for elementary, junior high, and high school students (contact the department for availability); and the REACH packet, which includes diversity-related resources and bibliographies. Contact the UUA in Boston at (617)742-2100.
UUA BLACK CONCERNS WORKING GROUP In 1985, the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association passed a resolution recognizing the presence of racism within our denomination, as identified by the institutional Racism Audit, and called for the establishment of a Black Concerns Working Group. The first meeting of the BCWG was held the following fall. The Working Group's current focus is on local training to create racism-aware congregations. To encourage the formation of district Black Concerns Working Groups, which will shape efforts at the local level, the Working Group has met with District Presidents and committees and conducts workshops at District and annual meetings. For more information about the activities of the Black Concerns Working Group, contact: (617)742-2100.
BCWG DEFINITIONS OF RACISM On an individual level, racism is the emphasis on genetic factors that are inherent in one's own group as the basis for asserting superiority over other groups. On an institutional level, racism is the use of objective criteria to create racial inequities in institutional policies and practices. Cultural racism embraces both individuals and institutions. It occurs when a dominant culture, through transmission of values and other practices, ignores and omits significant contributions of other cultural groups.
UU URBAN CHURCH COALITION Founded in 1979, the UCC is a grass roots network of UUs in metropolitan congregations working to share resources that have been successful in urban regions. The UCC also works with the UUA Committee on Urban Concerns and Ministry to develop resources and to keep urban issues before the UU movement. The UCC sponsors the Jenkin Lloyd Jones lecture at each General Assembly and assists the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Urban Ministry Fund which provides grants for groups doing urban ministry, social advocacy, and anti-racism work. The UU Urban Handbook, revised by Reverends Ken Brown and Kathy Klohr, provides a wide range of resources from across the continent. Contact the UU Urban Church Coalition, care of the UU Society of the Verdugo Hills, 4451 Dunsmore Ave., LaCresenta, CA 91214. 19
This book is being reissued, in its Third Edition, in 1994 by Skinner Press, UUA. This new, updated edition analyzes how far Unitarian Universalism has come, and the prices we've paid, in battling racism in our churches. "How Open the Door" includes an 88-page leader's guide, a 35-minute video cassette, and two audio cassettes to facilitate group discussion. It can be borrowed from the UU Religious Education department.
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Session Thirteen: The Return BOOKS, PERIODICALS AND PROGRAMS A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki, Little Brown, Boston, 1993. The author turns our traditionally Anglo-centric viewpoint inside out, beginning with the seventeenth century arrival of the English strangers as witnessed by the Powhatans in Virginia and the Wampanoags in Massachusetts. From there, he turns to the Africans forcibly brought to American shores; the Irish women who came seeking new beginnings as factory workers and maids in our cities; the Chinese who came with dreams of Gold Mountain; the Japanese who came and labored in the cane fields of Hawaii and on the farms of California; the Jews who fled the shtetls of Russia and created new urban communities here; and the Latinos who crossed the border in search of the mythic, fabulous life in El Norte. Closing with the 1992 Los Angeles racial explosion, this book shows how racism has divided our society, destroying our inner cities and disrupting our universities. Takaki argues that we need to understand the multicultural reality of our society in order for all of us to "get along." Iron Cages: Race and Culture in 19th Century America by Ronald Takaki, Oxford University Press, New York, 1990. A comparative analysis of white attitudes toward Asians, Blacks, Mexicans, and Native Americans in the nineteenth century, offering a cohesive study of the foundations of race and culture in America. Iron Cages is important reading for anyone interested in the history of race relations in America. Dismantling Racism: The Continuing Challenge to White America by Joseph Barndt, Augsburg, Minneapolis, 1991. The author is a pastor in the Bronx and co-director of Crossroads, a ministry working to bring an end to racism and build a multicultural church and society. About Face: Race in Postmodern America by Timothy Maliqalim Simone, Autonomedia, Brooklyn, 1989. This book is a call to all of us to view race as an occasion for cultural nurturance. The author is professor of psychology at Medgar Evers College in New York City. Race-ing Justice, En-gendering Power: Essays on Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas, and the Construction of Social Reality edited and with and introduction by Toni Morrison, Pantheon Books, New York, 1992. A collection of eighteen essays by prominent academicians — black and white, male and female — that elucidate the racial, sexual, historical, political, cultural, legal, psychological, and linguistic aspects of a revelatory moment in American history. Race Matters by Cornel West, Beacon Press, Boston, 1993. The author says America's racial crisis stems from poverty and paranoia. This philosopher, theologian, and activist is professor of religion and director of Afro-American Studies at Princeton University. The Rage of a Privileged Class by Ellis Cose, Harper Collins, New York, 1993. Why should middle-class blacks, who have enjoyed all the fruits of the civil rights revolution, be quietly seething inside? For the first time, distinguished journalist Ellis Close examines in depth the discrimination that haunts even the most affluent and best-educated African Americans. We Who Believe in Freedom: Sweet Honey in the Rock ... Still on the Journey by Bernice Johnson Reagon and Sweet Honey in the Rock with an Introduction by Alice Walker, Anchor Books/Doubleday, New York, 1993. The story of this dynamic African American woman’s a
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Session Thirteen: The Return cappella music group celebrating their 20th anniversary. We are happy to include Breaths, "their finest, most breath-taking track ever" (Ladyslipper), on the RISE UP MUSIC CD. Civil Rights Issues Facing Asian Americans in the 1990s, a report of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, Washington, DC, February 1992. Containing research, case studies and field investigations, this report establishes the bigotry and institutional discrimination suffered by Asian Americans. Racism Is the Issue by the Heresies Collective, New York, published in Heresies: A Feminist Publication on Art & Politics, Issue 15, 1982. African-American Studies Center of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. The Center sponsors the Resident Associate Program which conducts a full calendar of cultural events throughout the year. The Ms. Survey Results: How You Feel About Race, reporting and analysis by economist, writer, and activist Julianne Malveaux, Ms. Magazine, May/June 1992. The Diversity Project: Final Report, Institute for the Study of Social Change, University of California, Berkeley, 1991. Findings from group interviews examine the issues around a shifting racial and cultural climate. Democracy's Next Generation II: A Study of American Youth on Race by People for the American Way, Washington, DC, 1992. This report presents findings from an in-depth study of how young Americans between age 15 and 24 approach race relations. Includes focus group materials and recommendations.
CHILDREN'S RESOURCES Raising the Rainbow Generation: Teaching Your Children to be Successful in a Multicultural Society by Dr. Darlene Powell Hopson and Dr. Derek S. Hopson with Thomas Clavin, Fireside/Simon and Schuster, New York, 1993. This is a guide for parents who want to prepare their children to live, work, and thrive in our multicultural society. This book provides problemsolving techniques for specific situations; a listing of multicultural books, recordings, videos, dolls, and games; eleven stories from different cultures to share with your children; and creative activities that celebrate a variety of cultures. The Kids' Multicultural Art Book: Art and Craft Experiences from Around the World by Alexandra M. Terzian, Williamson Publishing, Charlotte, VT, 1993. In this hands-on multicultural experience, children make ceremonial art to display, as well as practical artifacts to wear and use: the Korhogo Mud Cloth and the Wodaabe Mirror Pouch from Africa, the Chippewa Dream Catcher and Inuit Finger Masks of the Native Americans of North America, the Japanese Kokeshi Doll and the Thai Hanging Owl from Asia, the Mexican Folk Art Tree of Life and the Guatemalan Green Toad Bank form Mexico and Central America, plus Cultural Clues encourage kids to check out each artifact's cultural significance, and Art Options suggest creative alternatives for capturing the spirit of traditional artifacts. For ages 3-9, with plenty of fascinating projects for the whole family to enjoy.
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Session Thirteen: The Return Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children by Louise Derman-Sparks and the A.B.C. Task Force, National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, DC, 1989. This curriculum shows how to stand up for what's right when it comes to teaching children about people of color and cultures other than their own, and people of different genders and abilities than their own. NAEYC also offers an early childhood resources catalog. Contact them at 800-424-2460.
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Video Credits
VIDEO CREDITS SESSION 2 — TOOLS FOR THE JOURNEY Images All images that appear in this session also appear in later video segments where they are identified. Credits for these images are listed in those later sessions.
Music The three "Rise Up" chants that are credited in the curriculum are used in this first segment.
SESSION 3 — AFRICA Images IMAGE 1
Map of North Africa and Europe from "The Political World Map; (c) Rand McNally R. L. 93-S-211.
IMAGE 2
Winged Isis (Egyptian contemporary papyrus painting); from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 3
Isis with Horns of Hathor, and Maat (Egyptian contemporary papyrus painting); from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 4
Goddess Hathor in the form of a Sycamore Tree, Tomb of Thutmose III, l8th Dynasty; courtesy of Barbara S. Lesko.
IMAGE 5
Old Kingdom statue of Isis suckling the Infant Horus; photographed by Runoko Rashidi.
IMAGE 6
Isis enthroned, suckles the Infant Horus, a Nile Valley depiction; photographed by S. Avery Redd.
IMAGE 7
Black Madonna — Our Lady of Montserrat, Spain; photographed by Larry Williams.
IMAGE 8
Black Madonna — Our Lady of Czestochowa, Poland.
IMAGE 9
Our Lady of Czestochowa — (Close-up).
IMAGE 10
Our Lady of the Hermits, Einsiedeln, Switzerland; photographed by Leonard W. Moss; courtesy of Larry Williams.
IMAGE 11
Nut or Neit (Egyptian contemporary papyrus painting); from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 12-13 Isis Leading Queen Nofretari; courtesy of Hirmer Verlag, Munich. IMAGE 14
Selket; courtesy of Caroll Boltin and the Lee Boltin Picture Library.
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Video Credits IMAGE 15
Queen Nefertari-Merymut from her tomb in the Valley of the Queens; courtesy of David B. Larkin.
IMAGE 16
The Great Female Pharaoh, Hatshepsut; courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1929.
IMAGE 17
Hatshepsut's terraced mortuary temple.
IMAGE 18
Nubian Queen Tiye, 14th B.C.E.; courtesy of Agyptishes Museum, Berlin.
IMAGE 19
Princess Kemsit and Female Servants, Nubian, 2061-2010 B.C.E.; courtesy of The Egypt Exploration Society, London.
IMAGE 20
Women Weavers and Spinners; line drawing by Susan Weeks; courtesy of Barbara Lesko.
IMAGE 21
The Healer by Betty LaDuke; used with permission of the artist.
Music "Ancestral Voices" by R. Carlos Nakai and William Eaton, courtesy Canyon Records Productions, 4143 North 16th Street, Phoenix, Arizona, 85016.
SESSION 4 — AFRICA Images IMAGE 1
Map of Africa from "The Political World Map; (c) Rand McNally R. L. 93-S211.
IMAGE 2
Commemorative Head of a Queen Mother; reproduced by courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum, London.
IMAGE 3
Mbari Shrine, Igbo, Nigeria; courtesy of Herbert Cole.
IMAGE 4
Mask, Kuba, Central Zaire; courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
IMAGE 5
Female Face Mask, Konor, Southeastern Guinea, West Africa, acquired before 1948; courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University.
IMAGE 6
Medicine Bag, Kwere peoples, Tanzania, East Africa; Photograph by Jeffrey Ploskonka or Franko Khoury, courtesy of the National Museum of African Art, Eliot Elisofon Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
IMAGE 7
Gelede Mask, Yoruba, Nigeria, East Africa; courtesy of Koninklijk Museum Voor Midden-Afrika, Tervuren, Belgium.
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Video Credits IMAGE 8
Standing Female Figure, Luba, Zaire; courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1967. (1978.412.542).
IMAGE 9
Chief's Stool, Luba-Hemba People, Zaire, late 19th Century; courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Buckeye Trust and Charles B. Berenson Gifts, Rogers Fund, and funds from various donors, 1979.
IMAGE 10
Veranda Post, Yoruba, Nigeria; photograph (c) 1993, The Art Institute of Chicago, All Rights Reserved.
IMAGE 11
Drummers and dancers, Baga Woman's Association, Guinea; courtesy of Frederick Lamp.
IMAGE 12
Drum in Circle of Dancers, Baga, Guinea; courtesy of Frederick Lamp.
IMAGE 13
Wooden drum, Baga people, Guinea; Photograph by Jeffrey Ploskonka or Franko Khoury, courtesy of the National Museum of African Art, Eliot Elisofon Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
IMAGE 14
Mother & Child, Luba-Hemba People, Zaire, 19th-20th Century; courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979.
IMAGE 15
Mask, Ashira or Punu, Gabon, 19th-20th Century; courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Eliot Elisofon, 1956.
IMAGE 16
Guardian Image, Kota, Zaire; courtesy of Thomas B. Stauffer and Mary Lou Hadditt.
IMAGE 17
Sande Society Mask, Sierra Leone; courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University.
IMAGE 18
Procession of Sande Society Masks, Mende, Sierra Leone; photographed by of William Hommel.
IMAGE 19
Sande Society Mask, Sierra Leone; photographed by William Hommel.
IMAGE 20
Akua'ba, Asante group, Akan peoples, Ghana; from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 4-21 through 4-24 Seated male and female Akua'ba, Asante; Photograph by Jeffrey Ploskonka or Franko Khoury, courtesy of the National Museum of African Art, Eliot Elisofon Archives, Smithsonian Institution. IMAGE 4-25
Double Headed Mask, Senufo, Ivory Coast; from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher; photographed by Robert Fisher.
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Video Credits Music "Hedzoleh/Heritage IV" by S. Kwaku Daddy. Recorded in 1984. Two cuts used: "Beauty Stars" and "Hedzoleh" (Inner Freedom). This recording can be ordered from S. Kwaku Daddy, P.O. Box 424794, San Francisco, CA. 94142-4794.
SESSION 5 — AFRICAN AMERICA Images IMAGE 1
Map of West Africa and North America from "The Political World Map; (c) Rand McNally R. L. 93-S-211.
IMAGE 2
Portraits of Betty Soskin and Toni Vincent side by side; photographs by Robert and Elizabeth Fisher.
IMAGE 3
Portrait of Leontine Braud Allen, Betty's great grandmother; courtesy of Betty Soskin.
IMAGE 4
Family Tree Quilt by Wini McQueen; courtesy of the Museum of Arts and Sciences, Macon, Georgia.
IMAGE 5
Portrait of Betty Soskin; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 6
Choir robes in Betty's store; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 7
Painting of women in the kitchen and gospel choir; courtesy of Betty Soskin; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 8
Videos in Betty's store; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 9
Portraits of gospel singers; courtesy of Betty Soskin; photography of display by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 10
Portrait of Sojourner Truth; the Sophia Smith Collection; Smith College, Northampton, MA.
IMAGE 11
Sojourner Truth from the Dinner Party; courtesy of Judy Chicago.
IMAGE 12
Close-up of Toni Vincent; photograph by Elizabeth Fisher.
IMAGE 13
Full standing portrait of Toni Vincent; photograph by Elizabeth Fisher.
IMAGE 14
Toni Vincent's appliquéd stole; photograph by Elizabeth Fisher.
IMAGE 15
Composite of African material and African American quilts; courtesy of Eli Leon.
IMAGE 16
African Bar Textile; courtesy of Eli Leon.
IMAGE 17
Bar Quilt by Maple Swift, 1976; courtesy of Eli Leon.
IMAGE 18
Portrait of Maple Swift, 1990; photographed by Eli Leon; used by permission.
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Video Credits IMAGE 19
African Medallion Textile, Maradi, Niger, 1981; courtesy of Eli Leon.
IMAGE 20
American Medallion Quilt, Tina Woods, 1985; courtesy of Eli Leon.
IMAGE 21
"Pig in the Pen," Mary Lee Kelly, 1960; courtesy of Eli Leon.
IMAGE 22
"Pig in the Pen," Maple Swift, 1988; courtesy of Eli Leon.
IMAGE 23
"Pig in the Pen," Maple Swift, 1990; courtesy of Eli Leon.
IMAGE 24
"Pig in the Pen," Eli Leon, 1991; courtesy of Eli Leon.
IMAGE 25
Appliquéd quilt by Allyson Rickard, 1993.
IMAGE 26
Portrait of Arbie Williams, 1986; photographed by Eli Leon; used by permission.
IMAGE 27
Singdinger, Arbie Williams, 1991; courtesy of Eli Leon.
IMAGE 28
Britches, Arbie Williams; courtesy of Eli Leon.
Music Drumming — same as Session 4. "Soul Call" by Kenny Burrell, distributed by Fantasy Records, Berkeley, CA. Kalimba from "Life Rhythms" by S. Kwaku Daddy. (See address in Session 4.)
SESSION 6 — INDIA Images IMAGE 1
Map of India and Southeast Asia from "The Political World Map; (c) Rand McNally R. L. 93-S-211.
IMAGE 2
Mother-Goddess of India, from "Kali: The Feminine Force" by Ajit Mookerjee; courtesy of Thames of London.
IMAGE 3
Yaksi — Tree Goddess, India, mid-13th Century; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 4
Female Indian Musician, contemporary; from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 5
Prajnaparamita, Cambodia, 12-13th Centuries; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 6
Queen Maya, Mother of Buddha, 2nd Century, C.E.; reproduced by courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum, London (several close-ups) .
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Video Credits IMAGE 7
Mukunda, Goddess of the Drum, Indonesia; one of 18 statuettes from a Buddhist Mandala, early 10th century, Central Java, from Surocolo.
IMAGE 8
Vajrartya, Goddess of Exuberant Dance, Indonesia; one of 18 statuettes from a Buddhist Mandala, early 10th century, Central Java, from Surocolo.
IMAGE 9
Apsara, Cambodia, 12-13th Centuries; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 10
Temple Dancer, contemporary; from the collection of Allyson Rickard; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 11
Lion-Headed Dakini, Nepal, 18th Century; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 12
Brahmani, South India, 9th Century; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 13
Sri-Laksmi, Cambodia, 12-13th Centuries; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 14
Laksmi, Contemporary Brass Statue; from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 15
Durga, Vietnam, 9-10th centuries; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 16
Durga, Indonesia, 10-11th centuries; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 17
Kali, Fighting Devils; Kangra School, India, c. 18th century; New Delhi, C.L. Bharavy Collection.
IMAGE 18
Brass Kali with Skulls; from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 19
Kali, Nepal, 17th Century; from "Kali: The Feminine Force" by Ajit Mookerjee; courtesy of Thames of London.
IMAGE 20
Kali and Young Girl, 16th Century; from "Kali: The Feminine Force" by Ajit Mookerjee; courtesy of Thames of London.
IMAGE 21
Dancing Parvati, Nepal, 16th Century; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum
IMAGE 22
Vajradakini, Female Buddha, contemporary statue; from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 23
Uma, South India, 10th Century; courtesy of San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 24
Cosmic Energy of Shakti by Betty LaDuke; used with permission of the artist.
IMAGE 25
Shakti; from the collection of Allyson Rickard; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 26
Adoration of the Yoni, 12th Century; from "Kali: The Feminine Force" by Ajit Mookerjee; courtesy of Thames of London.
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Video Credits IMAGE 27
Yoni Mandala, Nepal; from "Kali: The Feminine Force" by Ajit Mookerjee; courtesy of Thames of London.
IMAGE 28
Ardhanarisvara, Western India, 10th-11th Century, C.E.; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 29
Dance of Shakti, Creator of the Universe, by Julia Barkley; courtesy of Terry Hawthorne.
Music "Raga Malika" by Ravi Shankar and Ali Akhbar Khan, Remastered, 1973, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CA.; original release on Prestige, 1965, "The Soul of Indian Music." "Himalayan Bowls" by Karma Moffitt; Tibet Shop, 1807 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA. 94109.
SESSION 7 — ASIA Images IMAGE 1
Map of Asia from "The Political World Map; (c) Rand McNally R. L. 93-S-211.
IMAGE 2
Tara, Nepal, 18th Century; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 3
Tara; from the collection of Allyson Rickard; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 4
Gilt Bronze Kuan Yin, 17-18th century; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 5
Seated Kuan Yin, Stoneware, 1615; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 6
Modern Kuan Yin; from the collection of Meg Bowman.
IMAGE 7
Kuan Yin, 19th Century; from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 8
Three Kuan Yins, modern; from the collection of Meg Bowman.
IMAGE 9
Cloisonné Enamel Bottle with Yin/Yang Symbol in Center, 18th Century; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 10
Chinese Goddess, Heng-o Change-e, Goddess of the Moon, on Fan; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 11
The Taoist Immortals, 18th century, showing XiWangmu, Queen Mother of the West, Mother of the Taoist Immortals; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 12
HeXiangu, Female Taoist Immortal (detail of previous image); courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 13
19th Century Chinese Women with Bound Feet; courtesy of Hutchins Photography, Watertown, MA.
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Video Credits IMAGE 14
Chinese Girls dancing; photograph by Dennis Barloga.
IMAGE 15
Kannon in Niko.
IMAGE 16
Kannon at Kamakura.
IMAGE 17
Kannon at San Ju San Gendo Hall in Kyoto.
IMAGE 18
Other figures of Kannon.
IMAGE 19
Shinto Goddess, 14th Century; courtesy of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
IMAGE 20
Japanese Torii Arch; Douglas Dickens Photo Library.
IMAGE 21
Offering to the Sea; courtesy of National Geographic Magazine.
IMAGE 22
Kichijo-ten, Japan; Sakamoto Phot Research Lab.
IMAGE 23
Japanese Dosojin.
IMAGE 24
Contemporary Carving of Benten, a Shinto Goddess of Music; from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 25
Amaterasu, Ancient Japanese Wall Hanging; by courtesy of the Board of Trustees of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
IMAGE 26
Grace Coan.
IMAGE 27
Sue Ying Lee Mossman.
IMAGE 28
Tara in garden; from the collection of Allyson Rickard; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 29
Girls dancing (see 14)
IMAGE 30
Kuan Yin as Goddess of Fisherpeople (see 21)
IMAGE 31
Close-up of Amaterasu; (see 25)
Music "The Art of the Japanese Bamboo Flute"; Legacy International, Box 249, Pismo Beach, CA. 93448. "Himalayan Bowls;" See Session 6.
SESSION 9 — PACIFIC ISLANDS Images IMAGES 1-7, 10, 12-17 and 19-20 photographed by Allyson Rickard, on location, 1993. IMAGE 1
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Map of Hawaii from "The Political World Map; (c) Rand McNally R. L. 93-S-211.
Rise Up & Call Her Name Sourcebook
Video Credits IMAGE 2
Hawaii Island.
IMAGE 3
Hawaii coastline.
IMAGE 4
Hawaii coastline.
IMAGE 5
Long view of Hale mau mau.
IMAGE 6
Hale mau mau crater.
IMAGE 7
Sea and Steam, Hawaii.
IMAGE 8
Mauna Loa, Kilauea, Dual Eruption March 30, 1984, Mauna Loa Lava River, NPS Photo by Scott Lopez, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
IMAGE 9
Halemaumau, November, 1967, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Island of Hawaii
IMAGE 10
Road to the Sea, Hawaii.
IMAGE 11
Kilauea Summit and South West Rift, September 1971, Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
IMAGE 12
Lava Flow, Hawaii, 1993.
IMAGE 13
Lava Flow, Hawaii, 1993.
IMAGE 14
Sacred Land, Hawaii, 1993.
IMAGE 15
Lava Formation, Hawaii, 1993.
IMAGE 16
Lava Formation, Hawaii, 1993.
IMAGE 17
Lava Ridge, Hawaii, 1993.
IMAGE 18
O'hia blossom, Hawaii, 1986; photographed by Allyson Rickard.
IMAGE 19
O'hia blossom, Hawaii, 1993.
IMAGE 20
Crater, Hawaiian volcano, 1993.
IMAGE 21
Pele; from the collection of Martha Ann; photographed by Jerry Bartling.
Images 22-29 appeared in a show by The Society for Hawaiian Arts at American Indian Contemporary Arts (AICA) gallery in San Francisco, CA., 1993; images used by permission of the artists and the coordinator of the Society, Lucia Tarallo-Jensen; photographed by Robert Fisher at the exhibition. IMAGE 22
Hanau Ka Po Akua (milo, basalt, fiber) by Alma Ku'uipo Grey-Parker, Native Hawaiian.
IMAGE 23
Kaha Uli O Pele (milo, basalt, sennit, red rafffia) by Alma Ku'uipo Grey-Parker, Native Hawaiian.
IMAGE 24
Pele (spruce, lauhala leaves, ceramic) by Rocky Ka'Iouliokahihikolo'Ehu Jensen, Native Hawaiian.
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Video Credits IMAGE 25
Pele (spruce, lauhala leaves, ceramic) by Rocky Ka'Iouliokahihikolo'Ehu Jensen, Native Hawaiian.
IMAGE 26
Pele (spruce, lauhala leaves, ceramic) (xref 2-44) by Rocky Ka'Iouliokahihikolo'Ehu Jensen, Native Hawaiian.
IMAGE 27
Pele Emerging (ceramic, lava dust, black sand, lava stones) by Natalie Kamahina Jensen, Native Hawaiian.
IMAGE 28
Pele Emerging (ceramic, lava dust, black sand, lava stones) by Natalie Kamahina Jensen, Native Hawaiian.
IMAGE 29
Pele Emerging (ceramic, lava dust, black sand, lava stones) by Natalie Kamahina Jensen, Native Hawaiian.
IMAGE 30
Pele, Goddess of Hawaii's Volcanoes by Herb Kawainui Kane; used with permission of the artist.
Music "KELI'I TAU'A:the Pele Legends;" Authentic Hawaiian Chants, 1977; Pumehana Records.
SESSION 10 — MESOAMERICA Images IMAGE 1
Map of Central America; from "The Political World Map; (c) Rand McNally R. L. 93-S211.
IMAGE 2
Female Deity; courtesy of Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collections, Washington, D. C.
IMAGE 3
Mayan Indian Market; courtesy of Roger Bunch.
IMAGE 4
Ixchel and the Rabbit; courtesy of National Geographic Magazine.
IMAGE 5
Ixchel the Weaver; National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City.
IMAGE 6
Mayan Weaver; courtesy of Roger Bunch.
IMAGE 7
Tlazolteotl, Goddess of Childbirth; courtesy of Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collections, Washington. D. C.
IMAGE 8
Goddess Holding Flowering Branches; courtesy of the Denver Art Museum.
IMAGE 9
Coatlicue, Aztec Mother Goddess; National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City.
IMAGE 10
Large Bronze Statuary of the Dark Virgin of Guadalupe.
IMAGE 11
Virgin of Guadalupe; Museo de la Basilica de Santa Maria de Guadalupe, Mexico.
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Rise Up & Call Her Name Sourcebook
Video Credits IMAGE 12
Small statue of the Dark Virgin of Guadalupe; from the collection of Martha Ann; photographed by Jerry Bartling.
IMAGE 13
Contemporary Mexican-American Woman by Yolanda Lopez; used with permission of the artist.
IMAGE 14
Frida Kahlo, "My Nurse and I;" reproduction authorized by the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature of Mexico.
IMAGE 15
Chicomecoatl, Aztec Corn Goddess; National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City.
IMAGE 16
"Goddess of the Earth Ready for Planting"; courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, gift of Peter F. Young, 76.26.5.
IMAGE 17
Earth Mother by Betty LaDuke; used with permission of the artist.
Music "Musica de la Tierra" produced by Bob Haddad for Music of the World, P. O. Box 3620, Chapel Hill, NC. 27515-3620.
SESSION 11 — NATIVE AMERICAN MASK MAKING Images IMAGE 1
"The Map of American Indian History"; courtesy of George Russell and Thunderbird Enterprises, 8821 North First Street, Phoenix, AZ 85020-2801.
IMAGE 2
Mask by Anpetu Winyan, Silver Wolf Woman (face of Elizabeth Fisher), 1992; from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher, photographed by Robert Fisher.
Images 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14-17 are masks made by Anpetu Winyan; courtesy of the artist and American Indian Contemporary Arts (AICA), San Francisco. The title of each image is listed next to its number. Photographs of Anpetu Winyan in Native dress and teaching were taken by Robert Fisher. IMAGE 3
Anpetu Winyan
IMAGE 4
Day Woman
IMAGE 5
Anpetu Winyan
IMAGE 6
Holy Face
IMAGE 7
Anpetu Winyan
IMAGE 8
White Crane
IMAGE 9
Anpetu Winyan
IMAGE 10
Pomo Indian
Rise Up & Call Her Name Sourcebook
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Video Credits IMAGE 11
Mother Earth/Father Sky
IMAGE 12
Mask Making Class
IMAGE 13
Mask Making Class
IMAGE 14
Hoop Mask
IMAGE 15
Hoop Mask
IMAGE 16
Hoop Mask
IMAGE 17
Hoop Mask
IMAGE 18
Mask Making Class
Music "Love Songs of the Lakota" by Kevin Locke; Indian House, Box 472, Tao, New Mexico, 87571.
SESSION 12 - NATIVE AMERICA Images IMAGE 1
"The Map of American Indian History"; courtesy of George Russell and Thunderbird Enterprises, 8821 North First Street, Phoenix, AZ 85020-2801.
IMAGE 2
Yampa by Anpetu Winyan; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 3
Indian Encampment on Lake Huron; courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada.
IMAGE 4
Womankind by John Kahionhes Fadden; used with permission of the artist.
IMAGE 5
Serpent Mound; near Locust Grove in southern Ohio.
IMAGE 6
Woodland Nursing Mother, 13-14 century, C.E.; courtesy of St. Louis Science Center.
IMAGE 7
Okaga by Anpetu Winyan; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 8
Spider Woman rock, Arizona.
IMAGE 9-12
Spider the Creatrix, 1300 C.E.; courtesy of Oklahoma Historical Society.
IMAGE 13
Changing Woman by Helen Hardin; used with permission of the Helen Hardin Estate.
IMAGE 14
Hahai'i Wuhti (or Hahay' Wuuti) Mother of Kachinas; courtesy of The Museum of Northern Arizona.
IMAGE 15
Kachin' Mana (Kachina Maiden), 1993; created by Yvonne Duwyenie; from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher; photographed by Robert Fisher.
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Rise Up & Call Her Name Sourcebook
Video Credits IMAGE 16-17 Storyteller Doll; from the collection of Elizabeth and Robert Fisher; photographed by Robert Fisher. IMAGE 18
Father Sky — Mother Earth Navajo Sandpainting; from the collection of Martha Ann; photographed by Jerry Bartling.
IMAGE 19
Eya by Anpetu Winyan; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 20
Elk Antler Figure, before 1200 B.C.E.; courtesy of the Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State Museum, Catalog Number BWSM 2.5E603.
IMAGE 21
Ceremonial neckring; courtesy of the Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State Museum, Catalog Number BWSM 4790.
IMAGE 22
Bear Mother, 1883; courtesy of Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D. C.
IMAGE 23
Dzoonokwa; courtesy of the Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State Museum, Catalog Number BWSM 1-1450.
IMAGE 24
Yata by Anpetu Winyan; photographed by Robert Fisher.
IMAGE 25
Domed Home; courtesy of James J. Hill Reference Library.
IMAGE 26
Bird Woman, 1959 by Lukasi Uitanga, Povungnituk; courtesy of La Federation des Cooperatives du Nouveau-Quebec and The Swinton Collection, the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
IMAGE 27
Basket; courtesy of the Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State Museum, Catalog Number BWSM 4590.
IMAGE 28
Sedna (Talluliyuk Sea Goddess) by Paulassie Pootoogook, Artic, contemporary; courtesy of Dorset Fine Arts, Division of West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative Ltd.
IMAGE 29
White Buffalo Calf Woman Mask created by Allyson Rickard.
IMAGES 30-33 Native American Dancers, Indigenous Peoples Day, Berkeley, Calif., 1993; photographed by Elizabeth Fisher.
Music "Heart of the Blue Hills Woman;" Directions Unlimited Productions, P. O. Box 582054, Minneapolis, MN. 55458.
SESSION 13 — THE RETURN Images All images that appear in this session, except for Image 19, appear in earlier video segments where they are identified. Credits for these images are listed in those earlier sessions.
Rise Up & Call Her Name Sourcebook
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Video Credits IMAGE 19
Treasure Ship, Goddess of Earth by Mayumi Oda; used with permission of the artist.
Music "From the Goddess" by On Wings of Song and Robert Gass; Spring Hill Music, P. O. Box 800, Boulder Colorado 80306.
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Rise Up & Call Her Name Sourcebook
Scored Music for Chants
SCORED MUSIC FOR CHANTS
Rise Up & Call Her Name Sourcebook
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Scored Music for Chants
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Scored Music for Chants
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Scored Music for Chants
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Scored Music for Chants
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Scored Music for Chants
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Rise Up & Call Her Name Sourcebook
Scored Music for Chants
Rise Up & Call Her Name Sourcebook
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