"Prairie Woman"
Few people know the reality of the Indian woman in
the early days on the plains. She was a child of nature,
born to be the vessel through which the People were perpetuated,
loved, respected, protected.
She was, in her maidenhood, a treasure of her family and tribe.
In courtship, a sought-after prize to the young men.
In motherhood,
she fulfilled the opposite role of her husband in his obligations of fertility.
Finally, in her mature years, she became the respected
repository of tribal wisdom and a carrier of legends, history and customs.
"The Maiden"
Quiet and lovely blossoms of the prairie
coaxed by the ways of the moon to womanhood...
to full loveliness, blooming resplendent.
Warm brown skin in butter soft buckskin and
brilliant beads.
"The Courtship Blanket"
Wrapped in the invisibility of the courtship blanket...
soft minor-keyed notes drifting on the evening breeze.
The woman soon to be promised
soon to be the carrier of new generations of children
of the People and of nature.
"Mother Now"
Mother now...
the center of the Sacred Circle
that was the way of the People.
Maker of the food and the warm clothing,
comfort to her husband,
carrier of the lineage of the plains
"The Passing of the Moons"
The passing of the moons
bestows the wisdom in the words...
gossamer threads
that gently tie century
to century
and weave the bright traditions
passed along
in loving reverence,
from old to young.