July 25th – 29^th with the 28^th being a pow wow

We hope to have many members coming this year. I haven’t heard much input from people about how to improve the gathering, what would you as a member like to see?

Numbers for lodging plan ahead for the gathering.

Also if you do not mind driving from Garretson, SD which is 25 miles from Pipestone there is a little city campground right on the river and it only costs $12.00 a day camping. I do not know if you can make reservation or if they have electricity, but this is a beautiful spot. Also Royal River Casino in Flandreau, SD. is only 18 miles from Pipestone.

Starting Sunday after the prayers at the quarries we will plan to do sign up for the culture camp. The camp will run till Aug. 2 Keepers member can participate for a camping fee and supplies and workshop fee (for those workshops you want to attend).

If you would be willing to volunteer your skills for the camp we would love to have you.

Thanks to all those members who sent their dues and a special thanks to those that also sent a donation. They varied from $25.00 to more than $2,000.00. This money will be used for newsletters, meetings and the annual gathering.

There has been interest by a few people to start chapters in other states including MO., IN., and HI.

We will keep you up to date on the progress of these ventures

Star of Earth A Ojibwa tale

A Picture Story

Help at the Pow Wow Page 2

Characteristics of Pipestone Page 3

Coming of White Buffalo Maiden Page 4

Article by Jim Tree Page 5

Comments to think about Page 7

Membership form Page 8

Pipestone, also known as catlinite, is a fine-particled version of the type of rock known as metamorphic clay stone. It lacks silt-sized particles and consequently is soft and can be readily carved with harder stone or metal tools. Pipestone's color ranges from brick red to mottled pink and gray.

Where Found

Metamorphic clay stone is found throughout the Midwest. The best-known location in Minnesota is at Pipestone National Monument in the southwestern part of the state. Here the pipestone is found six feet or deeper beneath the surface in several layers sandwiched between layers of Sioux quartzite. Unlike pipestone from other locations this stone is the nicest to work being smooth, soft, and with few hidden fractures. One drawback to the pipestone in Pipestone, Minnesota is the stone only runs from ¾ inch to 2 inches thick. Stone 2 " thick is not the norm and thicker stone occurs vary rarely.

Geological origin: The story of Minnesota's pipestone begins between 1.6 billion and 1.8 billion years ago. Slow-moving water, probably in a lazy river or along an ocean shore, deposited fine, clay-sized particles containing iron in what is now the southwestern part of the state. Over millions of years, heat and pressure transformed these particles into rock.

Uses

American Indians from 3-dozen tribes quarry pipestone and carve it into ceremonial tobacco pipes. They use only hand tools to quarry and carve the stone. Pieces left over from pipe carving are sometimes made into small bear or turtle effigies. Archaeologists have found evidence that people were using pipestone from the southwestern Minnesota site as early as A.D. 100. During the 1800s the North West Company had a white factory near Lake Wilson make and they distributed some 2,000 pipes throughout the upper Missouri River basin.

Lore: American Indian legends recorded by early American artist George Catlin say that the Great Spirit fashioned a pipe from pipestone and gave it to his people, telling them that they were made from this stone and that they too should make pipes from it

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Here are some jobs, which we could use a motivated outgoing and focused member to make sure they get done. All jobs will start and end on Saturday.

Have help for the following.

There are also jobs to be done Sun. – Tuesday before gathering. We appreciate any help.

COMING OF THE WHITE BUFFALO MAIDEN

Since I am determined that this study be as thorough as possible under the circumstances a full account of the legend of the coming of the White Buffalo Calf Maiden is included here. Versions of the myth are easily come by and almost anyone on the reservations can tell of this event, and will gladly. There were two occasions during the fieldwork for this paper that the writer was given the full story of the Calf Maiden even before becoming fully acquainted with the people in-Evolved. The origin of the Sacred Calf Pipe bundle through the legend of the Calf Maiden’s coming should not be confused with the ‘creation myth’ as found among the Cheyenne and Arapaho. As has been stated, the Dakota were a people at the time of the gift of the Pipe bundle. However, the organization of their religion is somewhat questionable at this time in their history.

The Legend The bands of the Teton Dakota had just split up after their annual summer gathering. The Red Water subdivision of the Sans Arc had started toward the

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west. Having traveled for some days and finding no buffalo, a council was held. Two young men were selected to go on foot looking for buffalo or any other game that was available. After walking for some distance to no avail they decided to sit down and plan their next move. At this moment there appeared from the west an object moving toward them. Being some distance away the young men could not readily make out the figure but they were sure it was not a buffalo. At last as it approached

them they saw that it was a beautiful young maiden. She was dressed in a white fringed buckskin dress, leggings and moccasins. Her hair was loose except

At the left side, where she had it tied with a tuft of shed buffalo hair, in her right hand she carried a fan made of flat sage, in the crook of her left arm was carried a bundle wrapped tightly in a red buffalo skin, on her back was slung a quiver, and in her left hand she carried a bunch of herbs and her face was marked with red vertical stripes.

The two scouts were awe struck as she stopped in front of them. She then spoke: "I have come from the Buffalo Tribe. Your people have been chosen for a very difficult task. Go to your people and tell your tribal council to erect a large lodge in the middle of the camp circle. Caution them to make the enterance to the lodge facing the direction of the rising sun. Tell them to spread sage throughout the lodge. There shall be a frame made of two upright sticks and one cross stick. In front of this structure will be placed the skull of a buffalo. I bring something of great importance to your people which will bring good fortune in the future. It is very wak’an. Tell the people to look for me at sunrise."

All the while the woman was talking one of the men had evil thoughts toward her. Just at the moment she finished giving the instructions a great cloud of mist descended from the heavens and engulfed the evil thinking scout. When the cloud

Lifted all that remained of the man was a skeleton. The woman then instructed the other young man to return to his camp and not to look back.

When the scout reached the camp he approached it in a zigzag pattern. This was the way of a returning scouting party. The people were anxiously awaiting the return of the scouts and any news of a good hunt. However, they were very much concerned when they saw only one of the scouts returning and with no signs of any food. The young man was ushered to the council lodge where he was questioned about the hunting prospects and the absence of the other scout. As the young man told his story the people seemed to come to life and were very enthusiastic about the news.

The people built the special lodge and all were carefully supervised by the young man to make sure everything was done right. At daybreak the following morning the entire camp of Sans Arcs gathered around the lodge. A number of just’

And upright warriors were chosen to escort the woman into camp when she arrived.

Exactly at sunrise she appeared. Slowly she walked through the camp to the newly constructed lodge inside of which the chiefs and headmen were seated. As she approached she sang this song.

(Densmore 1918:68):

Niy’s tanin’yan maw’ani ye

With visible breath I am walking

Oy’ate le im’awani na ho’ta pinyin

This nation I walk toward and my voice is heard

Maw’ani ye

I am walking

Niy’a tanin’yan maw’ani ye

With visible breath I am walking

KWal’uts le im’awani ye

This scarlet relic I am walking

She was dressed as before except she now carried a pipe in her hands. The Stem was carried in her right and in her left was cradled the pipe bowl.

The chief of the Red Water Sans Arcs at this time was Tatn’na wcalal’ na’z’I’ (Buffalo Stands Upright, or Standing Buffalo). He met her at the lodge entrance and conducted her to the place of honor at the back of the lodge. Standing Buffalo then made a welcoming speech: "This day Wa’kan’" Tanks has taken pit on us. He has sent us this White Buffalo Calf Maiden. Sister, we are glad that you have

Come among us but we are a poor people. We cannot feed you as we should such an honored guest. All we can offer is water. As you drink it remember we are a poor people."

The woman placed the pipe she was carrying against the rack and accepted the buffalo horn or water. She then spread open the red buffalo skin bundle and exposed its contents to the onlookers. Inside was Tobacco, a spotted eagle feather,

The skin of a red-headed woodpecker, a roll of buffalo hair and a few braids of sweet grass. The

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pipe leaning against the rack was carried in this bundle when not in use.

The white Buffalo Calf Maiden then addressed the gathering: "It is through the will of Wak’an Ta’nka that I am here. He knows of the truth and honesty possessed by this band of the Lakota. He has chosen you to be the keepers of the Sacred Calf

Pipe. I will leave it in the keeping of your chief, Standing Buffalo. You are to cherish this pipe and never offend it. It shall be used for making peace with your enemies. It will always be used in good faith. Along with the pipe I will instruct you in five rituals which you must perform with the pipe. These ceremonials are the Hu"na-low,npi (adoption rite), Wi-wa,nyank-wa,cipi ( Sun dance), Hanbl,e-ceya,ou

(vision-quest), kWakiciagapi (Spirit-keepers) and Tat"ka-lowanpi (buffalo rite). Never forget these rituals or the people will surely suffer.

Taking up the pipe from its place against the rack she addressed first the woman, then the children, the men and then the chief Standing Buffalo. To each

She expressed their requirements and the way they were expected to live their lives in reverence to the teachings of the pipe.

By Blue sky, Jim

I am in route to do ceremony with the Black Thunder Pipe in Australia. As you may know, the country has been in the worst drought in history and I have been asked along with several others to come down there and do ceremony.

For those who remember the trip to the Mid East, it was your prayers, sweats and ceremony that kept the Pipe and myself out of some pretty risky things.

I have been told that this trip will be especially taxing on me and that there will be many unplanned changes.

I also know that this is going to be a powerful experience for Australia as I held a ceremony when the request came in to see what the Thunder Pipe would say about it. After the ceremony (in Dec.) the area where the request came from had rain and hail, 6 inches worth.

I also got the message that Australia is being called on to stand up to the world about the cause of the drought, global warming.

So, I once again am asking for your support until I return on the 17Th.

Prayer is the most important, but for anyone who feels inclined, expenses of the trip are being taken up by the folks down there, as it should be. They are not well off, mostly aboriginals ands mixed blood. Bud and I are hoping to rent a, car to free us up from depending on them for rides etc.

Thank you all for your assistance in this work, may you all experience the "uncommon assistance" of the Pipe in every area of your life.

I am at an internet café' out in the Bunya mountains of south east Australia. I want to thank all of you for your support on this trip, the results thus far have been outstanding!!

Whenever I have done ceremony with the Black Thunder Pipe, it is as if someone is running a movie with dramatic special effects. No lie, the first day I spoke too about 150 people, elders from home as well as here, etc. I explained that talk is cheap and anyone can claim to "feel" the Thunder spirits come in, but I challenged them that if these ceremonies are real, then real results should be the outcome. Little did we know...I think Bud thinks we are the luckiest guys around, I said it is just cause he paid the rain bill before we came over.

So, we did the first ceremony with the Thunder Pipe the next night, but it was just to be a blessing ceremony for five Pipes that were brought to us. As we went inside we noticed that there was lightening far off to the west, nothing all that unusual they told us, it always does that but no rain comes with it.

As we set out all the Pipes and began to pray, the thunder came closer. I unwrapped the Thunder Pipe and instantly we heard rain on the tin roof. We went outside and the sky was totally clear, the stars are amazing out here, but there was a nice gentle continual rain coming down.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, just as I parted the Pipe, it stopped.

The next day we had a lot of folks coming up and commenting on the rain, kind of excited but still at a place of "coincidence".

That night was the first big ceremony with the Pipe, as I walked to the area of the fire, I looked up at the western sky and from horizon to horizon, a huge thunder bird masdee out of clouds filled the sky, Its head was turned to the south and there was a cloud of "fire" coming out of its mouth.

It was dark by the time we got to the gathered people, and I started by telling them that the thunders were coming and in a big way. Bud had eaten some shell fish earlier and was having a painful reaction so he was only able to talk for a short while. He explained about the Pipes and the

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power of these ways. He had to go lie down so he missed a wonderful celebration that followed.

So, we had just finishing smudging everyone, and I held the Pipe up to the west, still in its bundle, and immediately there was thunder and it began to pour!! We had to move everything inside a big arbor.

I never got to even unwrap the pipe as a spontaneous drumming and dancing took off. First our Native brothers from home taught several all nations dances, as well as a few 49 songs, but we won't go there. Not to worry, no snaggin went on.

Then out of the dark came our aboriginal brothers with diggeredos, all painted from head to toe. The dancing was amazing, the sound of the do's was far more than anything I have ever imagined about them, so many sounds and expressions. We learned to crane and roe dance, and then the single mans dance!

The rain poured all night, fog filled the mountains and rain forest.

The next night, I did the actual filling of the thunders ceremony where we filled the T Pipe and didn’t smoke it, but instead capped it with sage to carry it on a journey across a part of the country to complete the ceremony, thus drawing the attention of the Thunders to that whole area.

Right on queue, it rained, and poured again...did I mention special effects??

Yesterday we traveled with the loaded pipe to a place called Maidens well, much like our Montezuma’s well in AZ. It is a pond in the bottom of a rock canyon, usually filled from a big waterfall. There was only the pond, but we did the next part of the ceremony there. We connected the earth water (pond) to the sky water through the Pipe. As I put the tip of the Pipe into the water, thunder rolled out and we looked to the west again and there was a heavy wall of rain speeding towards us.

Anyway, as we prayed to the south, the trickster said he was going to play a prank on us. I told everyone to be aware, he was going to do something, little did I think it would be the car I was in. Anyway, the rain was on its way in force, we had just enough time to climb out of the gorge, and low and behold, we had a flat tire! Bud and Dave fixed the flat as the rest of us unpacked the car to get the spare, then repacked it, getting in to the car just as the torrents hit. Funny old coyote....my window was down and we couldn't find the keys, yep, I'm all wet. It has retained constant since, we are now leaving to go south to the final place of the ceremony, should be today or tomorrow.

By Rona

I am constantly reminded of the balance between all things. Too much cold and we freeze too little and we roast. Too much rain we have no dry land to live on too little and we have none to drink. This whole concept of global warming has many of us concerned about balance. What are we doing as individuals to conserve water, energy, resources? Do you take short showers? Do you recycle whenever you can? Do you compost and grow a garden? We as Americans are using more energy per-capita and pollute more per-capita than any other country in the world. We can all make a difference!! Please do your part starting today. If you already do some try to find a way to do more or to spread the healing of our mother earth to all.

Money seems to be the root of much evil. Maybe it is an unfortunate thing that our world runs on money. Money causes stress especially for those that have little. Many friendships and marriages have been ruined by money.

Money is easy to carry if you compare it to other articles used for trade or currency in the past. And unlike articles of trade you can own a lot of and store it in a relatively small area. Things like horses, stone, berries, and hides take up a lot of room and must be cared for or used in a short period of time. Money keeps well for long periods little or no care.

I have not found a way to get water, electricity, food, clothing or any other article used in today’s world without money.

If you were lost in the wilderness money would be of little help. It might be ok for starting fires. A replacement for toilet paper or even dry bedding provided you had enough of it.

But is money really that different or is it the same as any other trade item?

I was reminded of these things recently when a comment was relayed to me about a spiritual gathering charging money to attend. Without charging how do we find the funding to pay for all the expenses of that gathering? Do all these people coming out of the goodness and balance do they without being asked put in their fair share?

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Someone who sincerely wants to help will comment, you can write grants. I always wonder if these people have ever really tried to get funding for a spiritual gathering, or for that matter anything by writing a grant. I have written a few grants most were not funded. You can ask for donations by sending out letters and by going door to door. You do get a few small donations, but who likes beating the bushes for money.

Many people have come around claiming they would write grants for the Keepers. We have not seen any funding being generated by grants except for a couple small grants written by me. And I am not sure they were worth all the effort that it took to get them. This is not meant to brag. I wish I could be a good grant writer and obtain funding for worthy projects by just making the effort to write a few grants.

We have our small spiritual gathering along with a tourist-focused event trying to bring in enough money to pay for what is needed to fund the spiritual stuff. It has not been totally successful yet; maybe someday we can solve this issue.

We all must keep in mind that money is needed and we all play a part by donating what we can to whatever events we feel are important and would like to see continue. The reality is those events that have funding and support continue those without don’t. We should all be careful about judging other organizations solutions to the problem of paying for these necessities.

We have continued to expand the inventory that the Keepers can buy and have been working to move the office to the back leaving more room for displaying inventory. We now have microplanes a kind of file great for carving stems. Travis uses them to carve his beautiful sumac stems with the twists. We also have more bead colors. What would you like to see in the store?