DiscoveryPath

Each of us is given spirit gifts (totems) at birth to help us discover our path on the "Good Red Road." You can define your path and serve yourself and others while enjoying the trip, for the journey is more important than the destination. All members of creation - animals, plants and minerals - have unique characteristics, energies and lessons giving you direction. Your path consists of the gifts of those with whom you share the Earth combined with your choices and spiritual energies. This site contains wonderful digital creations by the DiscoveryPath artists, unique gifts, birth totem profiles and Native American creations.

Aboriginal (Native American) Star Knowledge

This is a wonderful and inspiring and rich site. Contains information on Lakota Stellar Theology, a Lakota sacred star map, the sun's seasonal path among the stars and what it means for Lakota elders, Bighorn Medicine Wheel: stone, sun, stars on a mountaintop, early Sun Dance instructions, Ancient Geology of Medicine Mountain, 1st Magnitude Stars Table in order of brightness, with conventional and Lakota names, Books on-line (and reviews) on Native Star Knowledge and much, much more.

Indigenous Environmental Network

The Indigenous Environmental Network is an alliance of grassroots indigenous peoples whose mission is to protect the sacredness of Mother Earth from contamination and exploitation by strengthening maintaining and respecting the traditional teachings and the natural laws. IEN is unified in their recognition that the traditions of our people and the survival of our future generations depend on our respectful relationship with the natural world and our responsibility to the sacred principles. Environmental Issues related to: Earth - dumps, logging, mining ... Fire - nuclear.. Air - toxic emissions... Water - fishing, dams, oil spills... A well done site!

Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP)

Since this site deals with the many aspects of healing, it is important to know that AAIP members are very active in medical education, cross cultural training between western and traditional medicine, and assisting Indian communities. The mission of the Association of American Indian Physicians is to pursue excellence in Native American health care by promoting education in the medical disciplines, honoring traditional healing practices and restoring the balance of mind, body, and spirit. Tom Whitecloud II, M.D. (1914-1972), a Chippewa, was a Founding Member of AAIP.

Wind Spirit Teachings

Lench Archuleta is a Yaqui Indian from Southern Arizona who has worked with individuals and small groups in the Sonoran Desert for nearly twenty years. He has worked with numerous Native American Nations, and since 1980, with Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona, author of the book Coyote Medicine. In his healing intensives, Lench focuses on helping people improve their wellness. He is guided by the birds, the winds, the animals and whatever the presence of the desert reveals. His belief is that certain places of power can reconnect us to the voices of creation and restore our physical and spiritual equilibrium. He also conducts drum-making and rattle-making workshops and gives lectures on Native American medicine and spirituality.

Native Rituals: The Sweat Lodge

The Sweat Lodge is probably the most important Native Ritual. The "inipi" or "sweat lodge" usually occurs before and after every other major rituals like the "Sundance" and "Vision Quest" for example. It is also a "stand alone" ritual meaning that it occurs whenever it is needed. It's original purpose was to cleanse or purify individuals. Mother sweat lodge essentially translates into returning to the womb. After I was appointed fire-builder by a Lakota Medicine Man who came here, my friend Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona, author of the book Coyote Medicine, told me about his friend here, Raining Thunder Wolf, who had this site. It was a very good introduction and overview into the many spiritual and practical aspects of this native ceremony, but has been taken offline by the Christians. Instead, we now link you to a wonderful description of an actual Cheyenne sweat lodge ceremonies by the legendary photographer Edward S. Curtis. From The Curtis Collection.

Rainbow Eagle: Seventh Fire Peace Shield Teacher

Rainbow Eagle is an Okla-Choctaw American Indian. He is a Wisdom Keeper, honored with the responsibility of an Ancient Native American Peace Shield. Now that the Seventh Fire of the Anishinabe/Ojibwa traditions has been lit, he is responsible for teaching the traditions of the peace shield. At this time, all of the traditional wisdom and truths which he has been given are to be placed into this Peace Shield to increase its power and restore peace on our Mother Earth. In the last 25 years, he has visited over 35 reservations in the United States and Canada, sharing with traditional people, and learning from their most respected elders. As a storyteller and teacher, he has shared his native truths in both traditional and non-traditional ways with many communities across North America. He is a leader of traditional ceremonies and is responsible for many Sacred bundles.

Mesa Creative Arts and Healing Center

The Mesa Creative Arts Center and The Mesa Healing Center have myriad offerings of hand made fine art and craft (many of which are tools for personal transformation and energy healing), art classes for children and adults who want to expand their creativity and spiritual awareness, Native American Medicine Wheel Ceremonies and other holistic and natural healing services and workshops. Brad and Kate Silberberg founded the Center in 2004 and have long been both widely-known art teachers and respected healers in their communities. Having studied many religions and healing modalities, Brad is certified as a Reiki Master, in Teleios Technique, Magnified Healing, Hypnotherapy, Past Life Regression Therapy, Sound Healing, and Melody Crystal Healing. Brad is also internationally known for his metal art and has taught blacksmithing to groups across the United States and around the world. His artwork has been featured in American Craft, Architectural Digest, and The Anvil's Ring magazines and several books on metalwork and is in the permanent collection of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Brad's metalworking skills enable him to construct functional works of art in a great variety of metals, and in a very precise way. He continues to expand his expertise, combining sacred geometry to create tools for transformation that generate or channel healing energy, including Heliospheres™ (a form of Genesa Crystals), Enspirels™, Energy Portals, Borromean Tubes and hammered brass Singing Bowls, originally made and used by the ancient monks of Tibet. Kate has been interested in Native American art and traditions since she was a young girl, and helped design and implement the West Allegheny Middle School Environmental "Earthkeepers" Project where she taught Native American crafts and culture to the sixth grade students. She is also an accomplished artist with special gifts for beadwork, painting, drawing, calligraphy and leatherwork. Kate has gone on to study Reiki, and is certified in Melody Crystal Healing, Magnified Healing, and SomaEnergetics™ Sound Healing.

EarthWays Academy | Dreaming Shaman

Robin Tekwelus Youngblood, Okanagon/Tsalagi, has been a student of her heritage for many years. She has studied with Indigenous elders of her own tribes, along with Siberian and Aboriginal shamans. Says Robin: "I believe that the only way to create harmony and avoid disaster in these times is to re-educate ourselves in the natural rhythms of our Earth Mother through ritual and ceremony. Many people have lost access to the DNA knowledge passed down through our ancestral lineages. It is my hope to share what I have been taught in ways that will help each student to 'Re-Member ' themselves and their innate heritage." Over the years - finding that she can be a bridge between ancient Native American traditions and European cultures - Robin has assisted many on their spiritual paths. The Earthways Academy's intention is to help people realize and fulfill their life purpose, to share a sacred body of knowledge with people who will use it to help heal the earth, and to change the present destiny of the earth by bringing ourselves into harmony and balance. Robin is also a skilled and respected drum and shield-maker, as well as being an artist in other realms. "...Robin is brave enough to bring out these teachings in a good way in this time... not many medicine people are willing to bring out these teachings to anyone with an open mind and heart. This is necessary in this time of great earth change."         __   Beaver Chief,Lummi Nation

The Path of the Feather: A Shamanic Journey, Medicine Wheels and Spirit Animals

This is one of the best sites I have found so far for non-"native" peoples who are on a healing path with the earth. The Path of the Feather as a teaching, is about becoming a contemporary shaman by seeing and hearing the voices of the living earth. It is about finding out who you are by making medicine wheels and listening to the voices of the spirit animals and ancient ones. It is about you living your ordinary life as your vision quest, as your shamanic journey. It is about you becoming one who sees and one who heals the earth with intent. We know that some first nations peoples do not want the terms shaman and medicine wheel used by non- first nations peoples. They have told us that they feel it is being stolen from them like the land. We are sorry that they associate our saying the earth is sacred with the way our ancestors treated them. We apologize for the way our ancestors treated the first nations people but we have been taught that the sacred earth belongs to all peoples and now needs all peoples working to heal her body.

Ghost Wolf: Out of the Abyss

GhostWolf is Choctaw, Cherokee and European. He was born in the Mojave Desert, and not only does he have quite a story to tell, but he has also created one incredible and resourceful website. I became aware of him through Professor Charles Figley's Traumatic-Stress Forum, where many of the leading traumatologists try to converse with each other about the latest and best therapies for healing the scars of trauma and abuse and the psychoneurological, emotional and spiritual damage that traumatic events inflict, especially on children in their early developmental stages. GhostWolf seems to have found his own very courageous path towards his healing, and that includes artwork, making a narrative of his traumatic memories, being an American Indian, and sharing his resources with others - in other words, most everything this whole Healing Center On-Line is about - and so, I am most honored to acknowledge him here thusly for not only telling his story, but also for doing so much more.

Visions: Centre of Innovation

Visions is a Centre of Innovation committed to developing and communicating a deeper understanding of Aboriginal population health. Aboriginal identity, traditions, culture and relationship patterns are integrated in the delivery of the Visions mandate. Visions focuses upon the priorities of Aboriginal people for improvement of Aboriginal population health with a health promotion focus; how Aboriginal people and their organizations can address these priorities through innovation in health promotion; and how the health system and the private sector can expand and support the development of Aboriginal population health. Funding for the Visions web site project was provided by the First Nations & Inuit Health Programs Directorate M.S.B. Health Canada.

ThunderHeart Drums

John Millen's finely crafted ThunderHeart Drums offers a blending of traditional design and contemporary craftsmanship.Each drum has been thoroughly researched to be faithful to the cultural tradition from which it has emerged; then, where appropriate, modern materials and techniques have been applied to make a better sounding, versatile and trouble-free drum. Each drum is a one-of-a-kind creation. John's life path has been varied and exciting: a conservatory education in music, a period of adventuring, followed by years of designing and building in wood, have led him finally to his vocation as a drum-maker with sensitivity to spirit. Native American drums, Siberian Shamanistic drums, Celtic Bodhrans, Council drums and African and Japanese drums are available.

The Medicine Wheel

Using the Medicine Wheel to Bring Balance to the Earth: Within each of us, male and female, are male and female elements. For the past few thousand years, since the rise of settled civilizations in the West, the energy of the Earth has been tilted toward the masculine, a patriarchal power. This is not bad. This site from the Manataka American Indian Council explains the colors and directions of the Native American medicine wheel (East, red - newness, beginnings, new awareness, dawn; South, yellow - healing, growing, vigor, youth; West, black - inner vision, reflection, soul-searching, endings; North, white - wisdom of ancestors, higher power, guidance), its use in prayer (or meditation) and how to actually make your own sacred wheel (or hoop).

Nomadics Tipi Makers

The tipi makes it possible to experience on a daily basis what a nomadic culture experienced hundreds of years ago. Since 1970, Nomadics have made more than 12,000 tipis including all the tipis for the movie Dances With Wolves. Our project is self-styled and integrates our love of the wilderness with rural life and the demands of tipi making. We regard our project as a service and a learning experience. It was born out of our interest, enthusiasm and respect for this magnificent shelter of the Native American cultures of the Great Plains. This site has sections on: Architectural Design of the Sioux Tipi, Tipi Fabrics/Ceremonial Tipi, Hand Painted Tipi Liner Designs & Tipi Covers, How to set-up a Tipi, An 8' Tipi for Kids and Tipi sizes and prices.

Four Winds Gallery

This wonderful gallery is in my hometown, and I always find authentic and valuable work here, both historical and contemporary. Established in 1974, Four Winds Gallery presents the finest available southwestern American Indian material. Known throughout the world for their quality, they have assembled a collection ranging from eighteenth century masterpieces to today's most innovative artists. In addition to providing rare pieces of art for collectors, they also seek to purchase. An outstanding collection gathered together by some very respectful and knowledgeable people in this field.