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Skaniatar:io Relays the Good
Message
to the Onkwe honwe In truth, the Kari:wiio affirmed the traditional culture and the Kayeneren: kowa, rather than denying them. They would now work together. The Kari:wiio was given so that the onkwe honwe would conduct themselves in a manner that the Creator wanted in the first place. With the introduction of sin by the light-skinned beings, the onkwe honwe would need new teachings to alleviate their effects. These are the teachings they were taught that were revealed that fateful day to Skaniatar:io. The onkwe honwe would still govern themselves by the Kayeneren: kowa. After Skaniatar:io woke up, he began to relay what he had seen. He said, “When I woke up, I saw three men standing in front of me. They wore paint and each held a bow and arrow in one hand and a shrub in the other.” He continued, “They gave me berries to eat to restore my health. They then told me that they had chosen me because of my giving thanks to the Creator. They told me that I should hold a council to explain what I had seen.” At that time when the onkwe honwe met in the council house, Skaniatar:io revealed the rest that had happened to him. It was Shokentso:wane who would remember the words that were given that day. This is what Skaniatar:io said to the onkwe honwe that fateful day. He began, “I have a message to deliver to you who are gathered. I have been told by the servants of the Creator that I should live upon the earth to teach the onkwe honwe the things that will please the Creator again. The Creator has seen that you have once again transgressed from the things that he taught you. He made you so that you could have good lives and not do harm to others. He sees that you have accepted the sins brought to you by Sawiskera’s Islanders. The worst thing that you have done is to take the fire water which you know to be the mind changer. The Creator says that you have to stop this.” He continued, “All this came about because your ancestors first took it from the White man. You have suffered ever since because of it. Those that did this have never gotten to the Creator’s world in the sky. This was not made for you. It was made for the White man as a medicine on his island. By drinking to excess, they too have violated the will of the Creator who blew life into all of you. The Creator says that to be drunk is forbidden, and he wants you to stop. In fact, he forbids you to continue this evil habit. If you leave it behind, much of your suffering will end, and your children will be happy once again. The Creator is sad that, because of it, there is so much crime and wickedness on the earth. There are some things that were never intended for his Red children.” He continued, “The Creator has withheld from the onkwe honwe the number of days he has on earth. However, he has left a path for the onkwe honwe to follow so that they may tread safely on the earth. This is how you can get on that path.” He continued, “When the great spirit made man, he also made woman. He instituted marriage so that they would care for one another and be faithful to each other. The Creator loves to see a man and a woman happy. He asks you to be faithful for your children’s sakes and promises to bless them if you do this. Those women who could not have children and want a child should adopt one. There are many who are poor and are orphans that need caring. If you tie up the clothes of an orphan child, you will be rewarded. If an orphan ever crosses your path, be kind to them and treat them with tenderness. It is the parents’ responsibility to teach their children reverence for the Creator. They must ensure that children are brought up with good morals. They should also guide their children in having proper marriages by helping to select a good match for them. When both parents have agreed, then the two young persons should be brought together and told of their parents’ wishes. If ever they cannot agree with one another or are deemed not to be a good match, they should separate with a good feeling, for there is nothing wrong with this.” He continued, “When a child is born to a man and a women, they should give thanks to the Creator for the gift of the child. The parents should instruct their children in their duties toward the Creator, their parents and their fellow men. Children should obey their parents and submit to them. Those who are disobedient are cause of great pain and sadness to their parents. They hurt their feelings and cause them great duress. This will cause them to end up on the road to Sawiskera. Marriage obligations should generate good things for all concerned. If they married and remain faithful to one another, they will die feeling at peace. Children should not cause suffering to the elderly either, for they should be kind and supportive. The Creator wants all children to love, revere and obey their parents and elders. This pleases the Creator immensely. If the children show affection for their parents, the parents remain much happier.” He continued, “It is never right for a man to simply abandon his wife or his children. Both a father and a mother-in-law should always treat their son or daughter-in-law as their own children. They should not create trouble for them. The mother-in-law is always the next closest to the child after the parents.” He continued, “When parents argue over their children, this is a sin. The children hear their parents fighting and become sad and lonely. The child sees no prospect for happiness in their life and then wants to return to the Creator. If the child dies, the parents then end up weeping, and it is too late. This is a practice that should stop.” He continued, “The Creator never made the earth to be like merchandise. It is there, for everyone to enjoy. The chiefs have violated this ancient trust. Now, all you have are a few small reservations left. They should know that the land is for the generations to come and not for themselves. They should hold the land in trust for their children, as they may be driven from their homes in the future. Those who sell lands will be punished by the Creator, for it goes against what is natural law. There is no price that can buy Mother Earth.” He continued, “Our Creator, when he first made us, designed it so that we could live by hunting. Sometimes, a man would leave on the hunt and would be gone for a long time. His wife would remain in the trust of friends. Upon returning, he finds out she has taken up with another man. The Creator says that this is wrong and should not occur.” He continued, “The four messengers said that it is wrong to punish a child with a rod. In fact, it is almost always wrong to punish someone. Our children should never be punished by a whip or any form of violence. One only needs to use water to punish with. The parent should blow water at the child and if the child doesn’t stop, the strictest form of punishment is to plunge them in the water. When the child promises to be better, then the parent should stop.” He continued, “When a person you care for dies, make sure that you put your face close and whisper to them that they will be missed. Tell them that you will live a good life, to make sure that you meet again in the future. The dead will hear you and remember what you said.” He continued, “The Creator placed man on the earth and gave him rules to live by. The Creator also gave him many things to enjoy in life. He made it so that man could find everything that he needs on the earth. One of these things is berries. The Creator made all of the things that we live upon. When our mother the corn springs from the earth, it is the will of the Creator that we come together for Thanksgiving. It is also his wish that we perform the Great Feather Dance. The feast that we have should consist of the new things that grow from the earth. There should be a four-day festival of thanks. It is also the time to tell any events that are occurring in the future and for those with new names to bring them out.” He continued, “The first day of the festival, is the time for the Great Feather Dance which begins in the early part of the day and ends at noon. The second day is the time for the Thanksgiving Dance. The third day is the time for the performance of the Adoweh or the Thanksgiving Sing. The fourth day is the time for the Peach Stone Game. All of these ceremonies should begin during the early part of the day and at noon. The Creator has given us these things many times before, and they became lost. They must be continued to be done.” He continued, “During all these times, we must give thanks to the Thunders, our Grandfathers, as well as his assistants. They are assigned the duty of watching over the earth and everything that it produces. It is through the Great Feather Dance, as well as the Thanksgiving Dance that we show our gratitude to the Creator. However, the Thanksgiving Dance belongs specifically to the grandfathers. During this ceremony we will offer them tobacco. Once again, we must return thanks to our eldest Mother, the Earth, as well as our three mothers who are also referred to as our sisters; corn, beans and squash. All of these things must be done during daylight and not when the Elder Brother the Sun has hidden himself.” He continued, “During the change of seasons, the cold season begins. This is the time when the men go out and hunt. They see the ancestor hunters in the sky, shoot the Great Bear, and the leaves turn red. Around the fifth day of the new moon, it is time to give the annual thanksgiving to the Creator. We once again partake of all the ceremonies that the Creator has given us.” He continued, “The four messengers have always watched over us and have seen what we have been doing on the earth. They brought me over the earth and told me to look down. What I saw first was a man whose clothes were tattered and torn. He was a drunkard. The mind changer had impoverished him of his body and spirit. I looked down again and saw a woman seated on the ground. She kept gathering everything and hoarding it for herself. The messengers said that the woman is selfish and will not leave her worldly goods. Both of these individuals will not be able to make it to the Sky World. The messengers told me to tell the onkwe honwe of these things.” He continued, “Next, they told me to look down again. I saw a man carrying large pieces of meat. He was giving the meat away to many people who were assembled together. The messengers said that this man is blessed because of his kindness.” He continued, “Next, they told me to look once again. I saw the streams covered with blood. They said that if you don’t put away the mind changer, the earth will be covered by the blood of those that are killed while drunk. Brother will kill brother, and friend will kill friend. I then looked and saw the smoke of distilleries rising and shutting out the light of the sun. The messengers then said to me that is where the fire water, the mind changer, is produced.” He continued, “I then saw a large house with whips, ropes and chains on the inside of it. They told me that this is a house of confinement where those who indulge in the mind changer end up. There they live in bondage, if they don’t stop. That is why the Creator asks us to put this destructive vice away from us.” He continued, “I looked once more and saw many people assembled who were unwilling to be taught anything. They were riotous and took pride in how much they could consume of the mind changer. There were others who wanted to be instructed but were pulled back by the lure of the mind changer. They even seemed to love the smells coming from the mind changer.” He continued, “There were others who listened and obeyed. The Creator loves these persons and is sad that many are becoming divided in their beliefs and taking different paths. The Creator wants us all to live in harmony with one another. The mind changer is one of the causes of division and dissension that exists among the onkwe honwe. The messengers said that it would cause many premature unnatural deaths. Some will freeze in the cold, and others will be burned or drowned. All of this has already happened, just because they used the mind changer.” He continued, “My friends and relatives, is this not the truth? How many of us have suffered unnatural deaths, such as burning or drowning while under the influence of the mind changer? Those who drink the mind changer are already being punished on the earth. There are some that say that the mind changer is simply like food and not wrong to take. Let them then make an experiment. Let everyone who uses the mind changer assemble in a council house. Let those who do not drink the mind changer assemble in another council house. See which house ends up to be riotous and which remains calm. It will be the council house of drunkards that will end in riot and tumult while the other will remain quiet. It is hard to imagine the great harm that this has done to our people. Once again I say, reform and put it away. Some will use the mind changer until near death and then they will repent. By that time, there is little that can be done for them.” He continued, “It is important to know that every person is made equal no matter where they are from. That is because the Creator made a variety of gifts for each to have. Some may be given a beautiful face while others may not be so attractive. Some have nice forms while others may have deformities. Others still may have many worldly goods while others less. However, in the end everyone has the same privileges. That is because you are not the makers of your own fortunes. All the things that we have are gifts of the Creator. It is to him that we must all give thanks, for he is the benefactor of gifts. That is why it is wrong for someone to exalt themselves over another. You must care for one another, because you are all brothers and sisters of the same great family.” He continued, “The Creator asks all of you to offer hospitality and kindness to the needy and helpless. This pleases him very much. If you see a stranger wandering about, use kind words when you speak to them. Welcome him into your home and tell them about the Creator.” He continued, “Each morning, give thanks to the Creator and the Elder Brother the Sun for bringing light and warmth to the day. Each night, renew that thanks for having lived another day without being harmed; then you can rest your body.” He continued, “The four messengers said to me to tell the keepers of the faith to be strong-minded and adhere to the true faith. They said that they feared that the evil-minded will lure them away with temptations. He may bring the fiddle with him or cards and leave them among you. These will cause you to commit sin. The onkwe honwe must be on guard, and it is the duty of the faith keepers to be watchful against these evils. The keepers of the faith are there to preserve the moral conduct of the communities.” He continued, “Whenever there is a meeting to instruct the people on how to live, the evil-minded will be close by. He will try to tempt the onkwe honwe one by one. He will even follow some into the council house to disrupt things so that people will turn away from it. There are many who enter it and then never return to it. Others, as they get older, begin to slip away from it. This is a sin and should not occur. It is important that the culture resumes as before.” He continued, “Speak evil of no one. If all you have to say is nothing good, then be quiet. Do not let your tongue carry you toward that which is not right. Instead, you should be cultivating friendships with those who are around you. When this happens, the Creator is pleased.” He continued, “The Creator made it so that there would be those who would ensure that the office and duties of the faith keeper would never end. It is they who have the responsibility of watching over the people and making sure that the culture continues. Those who remain faithful to the teachings the Creator gave will have an easy walk on the path in the Sky World. That is because the duties of the faith keepers continue there as well. Those faith keepers who fail to perform their duties on earth will suffer greatly in the Sky World.” He continued, “It was the Creator’s wish that all our feasts of thanksgiving would include the flesh of the deer, since the Peacemaker came and gave us the Kayeneren:kowa. However, today we are surrounded by the light-skinned beings from Sawiskera’s island. They have destroyed the forests, and there are few, if any, forest animals left. The four messengers said it would be all right if we used the meat of domestic animals in our feasts today. This will no longer be considered wrong.” He continued, “The light-skinned beings are pressing you on every side. You will now have to live as they do in some things in order to survive. You may herd cattle and live in comfortable warm houses such as the light-skinned beings do. The men may now go into the fields and help the women bring in the food. These are the only customs that you should adopt from them, for you cannot be as they are in all things.” He continued, “It still pleases the Creator that you set apart for your lives the three mothers who are also referred to as your sisters - the corn, the beans, and the squash. You should always be thankful for them. Whenever you gather in your harvest, let everyone come together and be thankful as always was done. This will show the Creator that you are still thinking about the things that he gave you.” He continued, “There is a spirit that exists for the medicines. It watches over everyone and assists the needy when called. The Creator made it so that there are some who possess the gift of the medicines. However, it pains him to see some of them charge exorbitant prices for medicines that the sick need.” He continued, “The Creator also gave us the tobacco plant. This is important when medicines are administered. When someone sick recovers, they must return thanks to the Creator by using the tobacco plant. That is because it is through the kindness of the Creator that one regains their health. In this way, the medicines are blessed. The medicine person should be rewarded only what the sick person can afford to give to him. There are some who have nothing to give and a thank you should suffice as payment. The medicine person will be rewarded by seeing the sick person, a member of the extended family of relations, get well.” He continued, “The Creator said he has given every people their own teachings to satisfy their needs. It is not right to mingle the blood of the different peoples who exist, because they will then forget the original instructions that each of them have been given. A blue bird and robin don’t mix; yet, they still remain a part of the family of birds, and each follows their original instructions.” If
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