excerpt CHEROKEE DIARY (Aug 31, 2010)
Told by Lynda Prince at the 2004 Healing and Wellness Conference called "Healing 500 Years of Pain, Creating a Peaceful Spirit" in Cherokee NC in Sept., 2004.
Lynda is president of First Nations (Alaskan tribe). She took a delegation of American Indians to Belfast City, Ireland and met with a member of the British Parliament who represented Ireland. The trip was about reconciliation, healing, and restoration of the American Indians. President Andrew Jackson, the former US President who signed the Indian Removal Act, (resulting in the Trail of Tears and other relocations of Indians from their land.) He is considered a citizen and hero of Ireland. The purpose of the visit to the estate of Andrew Jackson (his Irish mother left Ireland pregnant with him to come to America) in Northern Ireland was for the delegation to educate the citizens of Ireland about Jackson's political stance culminating in the removal of American Indans from their ancestral land. Three Cherokee went in this group. Unless you confront your pain you can't move on. The ceremony of healing in Ireland was for forgiving Andrew Jackson. This was an example of Healing for Ireland....In another blog I will tell you of when the Irish came to Cherokee.
Government were excited about the traveling of the Native Americans and welcomed them. She met many leaders of countries. When she had an audience with the Pope there were other leaders of state there but the Pope came to her first and talked eagerly to her.
"Our protocol as Indians is love, honor and respect. When our travel group went to Israel we met with the mayor of Jerusalem, gave him a headdress and asked him if we could play our drums and sing an honor song to Israel. We would dance our prayers. He gave us permission. The Jews came to us crying and saying 'you are singing our song'. They explained that the words we were singing was in their ancient language and was the name of God and honored God. We were validated by the first nation of the first nations. God's name is in every song of all Native American songs."
If we forgive we release ourselves from our oppressors.
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