VARIETY OF NATIVE PROPHECIES

 

 

 At the core of all Native American religions and prophecies is a reverence for nature, a recognition that all of creation is alive and sacred and that every part of it--every plant, animal, human, star, and stone--deserves honor. Giving honor to all creation is a way of honoring the Creator, who not only created all things from the same cosmic dust, but who is also reflected in all things. We sow the seeds of our destruction, Native American prophecies warn, as we destroy the earth, ignorant of our spiritual connection to her and blind to her living spirit. Chief Seattle, chief of the Suquamish and other Salish tribes of the Pacific Northwest, expressed these ideas most eloquently in his 1854 address to President Franklin Pierce: "...

 Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.... One thing we know, which the white man may one day discover: Our God is the same God. You may think now that you own Him as you wish to own our land; but you cannot. He is the God of man, and His compassion is equal for the red man and the white. This earth is precious to Him, and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator. The whites too shall pass; perhaps sooner than all other tribes. Contaminate your bed, and you will one night suffocate in your own waste...."

 This is the message stressed over and over in Native American prophecies: We are responsible for the drastic earth changes that are coming. These changes, already in process now, are leading to a new era called "The Eighth Fire" by the Cree, "The Day of Regeneration," by the Mayan, and "The Time of Purification" by the Hopi. Whatever hope we have of survival during these changes, say the Native Americans, lies in recognizing our spiritual connection to all things and to our Creator. We have only survived thus far, say the Hopi, thanks to those few who have been caring and praying for the earth.

 The Hopi, or "People of Peace," who live in ancient villages in northeastern Arizona, call the Maker, Maasau. They believe that long ago Maasau appointed them as caretakers of the earth, instructing them about how to live, and telling them they must follow their instructions, which include their religious practices, in order for nature to stay balanced and life on earth to survive. As Hopi elder Dan Katchongva wrote, "Together we hold the world in balance, revolving properly. If the Hopi nation vanishes, the motion of the earth will become eccentric, the water will swallow the land, and the people will perish." Also central to Hopi religion and prophecy is the myth of the return of Pahana.

 The Hopi believe that Maasau gave stone tablets containing the laws for living to two brothers. Pahana, the fair-skinned eldest brother, traveled east, to the rising sun, to investigate the rest of the world, taking a piece of the original tablets with him. He is to return with the missing piece when he hears his younger brother crying out for help and will help to purify and rebalance the world. The Hopi still have their stone tablet which is held by Hopi elder and leader, Martin Gasheseoma. Pahana's return is imminent, say the Hopi."

 Today, almost all of the prophecies have come to pass. Great roads like rivers pass along the landscape; man talks to man through the cobwebs of his telephone lines; man travels along the roads in the sky in his airplanes; two great wars have been waged by those bearing the swastika or the rising sun; man is tampering with the moon and the stars. Most men have strayed from the path shown us by the Great Spirit." These ancient prophesies, which, amazingly, foretold of many modern inventions as well as World Wars l and ll and present day political corruption are signs of the return of Pahana, who will bring about the time of purification. Natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods, also indicate the coming of the purification. These prophesies, which come from the Hopi and other Native American Nations, strike close to home. Martin Gasheseoma says, " The increasing earthquakes foretold in Hopi prophecy have already begun, as well as the beginning of worldwide martial law.

 We knew the earthquakes would start in California. I have told visitors from there that they should move out this way, toward Flagstaff or Sedona to be safe." The 1989 San Francisco quake and the 1993 Northridge one were just warnings of much larger ones that will rock California. Sun Bear, who was part Chippewa Indian, medicine chief of the Bear Tribe, and a teacher and visionary said, in 1987," The earth is an intelligent living being! Before any major changes ever happen upon the Earth Mother, it has warned people. . . . You're going to see major changes here. . . . When I asked the Spirit about the earthquakes, and whether these things could be changed, and what would happen? Spirit said it's already sealed. It's already happening...." A volcano that will devastate the Seattle area is foretold is an ancient prophecy from Washington State's Puyallup tribe, which says," The time will come when Little Sister will speak, and Grandfather will answer.

 And the land will be swept clean to the ocean." Sun Bear explained that Donald Matheson, a leader of the Puyallup tribe, moved his people to Idaho in 1979 because he believed it was time for this prophecy to be fulfilled. And, sure enough," In March 1980, the mountain that we call little sister began to whisper. May 18th of 1980, the Little Sister spoke with a cubic mile of mountain that was spread over the northwest area, and many other parts of the world... The Little Sister is called Mount St. Helens. Soon, the Grandfather is going to answer so much bigger. That one is called Mt. Rainer." Indian prophecies also foretold worldwide environmental catastrophes such as the greenhouse effect, "changes in the seasons and in the weather, disappearance of wildlife, famine," and the ozone hole, which was referred to as a "hole in our lodging."

 Martin Gasheseoma said recently that Hopi" elders told us that when the plants blossom in the middle of winter, we would need to go to Santa Fe to warn everyone of suffering and destruction to come unless they change their ways. Last year, in the middle of winter the plants began to blossom." How much suffering and destruction will accompany the time of the purification, and what will be its end result? Some of the prophesies sound quite biblical. Martin Gasheseoma foretells judgment in front of a "big mirror" and death to those who are evil and wicked, with only a handful of people surviving in every nation overseas who will then come to this continent, "which we call heaven." Sun Bear's vision is also quite apocalyptic, as he sees the possible death of three fourths of the world's population. He said, "If it is necessary that a lot of people die off during the major changes, and that the people that survive are conscious people that are responsible for the earth and are living on it in harmony and love and respect, then that is what is supposed to happen...."

 The extent of the death and destruction during the time of purification, however, appears to depend on our actions now. "All the suffering going on in this country with the tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes is carried on the breath of Mother Earth because she is pain," says Roberta Blackgoat, an elder of the Independent Dineh (Navajo) Nation at Big Mountain. She explains that the Four Corners area is particularly sacred because it literally holds Mother Earth's internal organs--coal and uranium which the Bureau of Indian Affairs has allowed the Peabody Coal Mine to mine." They are trying to take her precious guts out for money," says Blackgoat. "My grandfather told me that coal is like the liver, and uranium is both the heart and lungs of Mother Earth." Hopi and Navajo traditionalists are fighting the mining. Furthermore, the Hopi have been on a mission, speaking at the United

 Nations, writing to world leaders, and teaching those who will listen. In a 1982 message to the Dalai Lama, David Monongye, a Hopi spiritual leader, explained that "no show of force must be applied...." Perhaps there is still time left to reawaken the misguided and prevent disaster. We learned from our ancestors that man's actions through prayer are so powerful that they decide the future of life on earth. We can choose whether the great cycles of nature will bring forth prosperity or disaster." Hopi prophecy not only foretold World Wars I and II, it also predicts that a third great war is possible. During the third war, the "whole world will shake and turn red." But, says Carpenter," We hope the third one doesn't occur, because if it does it will probably destroy all life on earth. And if it that happens, we will have failed in our purpose here, and we'll have to forfeit our right to live upon this earth as human beings." These life and death matters will be determined when Pahana returns and theories abound as to Pahana's identity.

 Since Pahana has also been called the "White Brother," and since he is to return from the east, Hopi of past centuries wondered whether he could have been a Spaniard or an Anglo and devised tests for determining the true Pahana, including knowledge of the greeting of brotherhood, similarities of religious beliefs, and possession of the missing piece of the stone tablet. Many were tested, including Catholics, Baptists, and Mormons, but none passed to the satisfaction of traditional Hopi. What is known, Hopi elder Thomas Banyacya has written, is "that our true white brother, when he comes, will be all powerful and he will wear a red cap and cloak. He will be large in population and belong to no other religion than his very own. He will bring with him the sacred stone tablets. Great will be his coming. None will be able to stand against him." Although it is unclear whether Pahana will hold the stone tablets in a literal or a symbolic sense, this passage indicates that he is not a single person, but "large in population." Because Tibetan rinpoches and lamas wear red, and because Tibetan Buddhism has rituals similar to Hopi ones, especially the making of sand paintings as a healing and meditation tool, many wonder whether Pahana could be represented, in part, by the arrival of the Tibetan spirtual community. And traditional Hopi, in recent years, have initiated meetings with Tibetan holy men to explore this possibility.

 Many scholars have also pointed out the universality of the myth of the returning brother and teacher in time of dire need. The Hopi prophecy of the return of Pahana is similar to the Christian prophecy of the Second Coming as well as to many other Indian prophesies, including the Aztec's Quetzalcoatl and the Mayan's Kukulcan. And, truly spine-tingling, is the fact that the timing of the fulfillment of these prophecies coincides with our millenial time period. The Mayans, who mapped the lunar and solar cycles with great accuracy, created a system of seventeen calendars that reflects and predicts cycles of change, which range in length from fifty-two to 26,000 years. One of these cycles, called the Mayan Great Cycle has a duration of 5,200 years. It began on August 9, 3114 B.C. and ends on December 21, 2012. Mayan prophecy refers to this time as "the day of regeneration," which means, according to Hunbatz Men, a Mayan medicine man and elder, that Mayan knowledge will be resurrected and that we will recognize our Creator, whom the Mayan call "Hunab Ku."

 In order to help fulfill this prophecy, Hunbatz Men and other Mayan elders are bringing back Mayan rituals to ancient sacred places. Reopening them, says Men, "for people to try to understand the knowledge that is there.... To understand what we have in our memory. With that energy, we are going to wake up those centers, activate them, and wake up society." Fulfillment of ancient Native American prophecy may have played out right here in the Haight Ashbury.

 The hippies who embraced Native American teachings, and preached a gospel of peace and love were part of the "awakening" or "Seventh Fire," according to Vernon Harper, a Northern Cree elder, medicine man and spiritual leader. Harper believes the Seventh Fire occurred in the 1960s because Cree prophecies said that it would be "a time when the Rainbow People and the People of Color would appear and be like children." He believes these people were the hippies.

 Carlos Santana echoed this idea when he eulogized Jerry Garcia, saying, " Jerry really cared for the higher good of all people. He was a reincarnated American Indian. That's what a hippie is: a rainbow warrior." Hippies and New Agers who respect and want to learn from Native American teachings may be part of the "large population" that represent the return of Pahana, say some.

 Sun Bear spoke of an old Hopi prophecy that foretold a time when Native American teachings would be forgotten even by most Indians. But after about a hundred years, Native American religions would revive and many would seek its knowledge, including "the people who had come from across the Great Waters, their sons and daughters... would say to us, `Teach us, because we have almost destroyed the earth.'" Harper sees this time in a positive light and provides some inspirational words about what is to come and how to prepare for it. "Now we believe that we're into the Eighth Fire, and we don't see this as foretelling doom and gloom.

 We see it as Mother Earth rebalancing herself and us. That's why it is important that we are physically and spiritually strong. We need to get ourselves together because the Eighth Fire will be about completion. We believe that Mother Earth will cleanse herself from all the poison...

 Since we're now into the Eighth Fire, we need to put everything together, spiritually, physically, and mentally. You cannot do this if you're distracted by drugs or alcohol. You need to be sober-minded for the hard times ahead. This is part of the purification.... I think it's a beautiful time to be alive."