Red Tail Alliance -- preserving and practicing our Traditional Native American spiritual beliefs
protecting our future by preserving our past. . . . . . . . . . .
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Welcome to our "TIWA'HE" (family). We are the Red Tail Alliance, Inc., 501c3 non-profit, Traditional Native American religious organization.
We are a family of mostly mixed-blood Native Americans who have come together to preserve and practice our Original Teachings -- our Traditional spiritual ways of being.
What does 'Traditional' mean? What are our 'spiritual ways of living'? What do we believe and what to we do?
Traditional means our Original Teachings as given to our ancestors by the Great Spirit before the Europeans came to Turtle Island (North America).
A Core Value of our Original Teachings has to do with RESPECT. And that respect is given to all things that have life. All things that have life include the Earth, the Moon, the Sun, the rocks, the animals, the plants, the waters, the air, the people, the birds, the insects--in other words--all things created by the Great Spirit have Life. Therefore, all Life forms are treated with respect.
for example: As I walk in the woods, I see a pretty rock. I would like to put this rock in my medicine pouch to remind me of the peacefulness of the woods. That rock has Life. I treat the rock with respect by asking its permission to move it from its home and using it in my personal medicine. I wait for an answer from the rock. I sense the rock does not want to be disturbed. Out of respect, I leave the rock alone. This is repect in action. This is living our spiritual way of being.
Another important Core Value of our Original Teachings is the belief that "All are Related". What affects One, affects All. This concept is known as the Web of Life.
for example: If I dump oil in a river, the fish become poisoned, the water is polluted, the soil is polluted, the plants polluted, the animals who drink the water are poisoned and so on. It's not rocket science. It's common sense. Or should be.
I invite you to sit a moment and think about how these values are so different from the dominant European values brought to this land. Now you might begin to understand why conflict between Native Americans and Europeans was inevitable. And why to this day, Traditional Native Americans are so different in their beliefs and way of living from the dominant society.
Our spiritual beliefs encompass every aspect of our lives. Our physical lives can not be separated from our spiritual lives. As the great Medicine Man, John Rolling Thunder Pope, taught,
"Every thought, 24 hours a day, is a prayer. Learn to control your thinking, so that what you put out is a good thought, a good prayer."
Even as we are an IRS approved "religious organization" (church), we are different from mainstream religious groups. Our ceremonies are frequently held outdoors, rather than in a church building. We often use tobacco as an offering and even smoke tobacco as part of a sacred ceremony. We work for a Respectful world, a Peaceful world, a Just world, a Healthy world and a Free world. Wherever we see an imbalance, we point it out and seek to return balance through good action. Which is a long winded way of saying that we get involved in a lot of "causes" or issues. Because, All are Related. Aho.
Please explore our webhome. As Life is fluid and in constant motion, our webhome is ever changing and responsive to Life's changes. We do invite you to share your thoughts, your issues, and your needs with us. On our 'Contact Us' page you will find just how to do that.
Thank you for spending time with us and we share this good thought for you: May You Walk in Beauty and With the Great Spirit. Aho.
We are a family of mostly mixed-blood Native Americans who have come together to preserve and practice our Original Teachings -- our Traditional spiritual ways of being.
What does 'Traditional' mean? What are our 'spiritual ways of living'? What do we believe and what to we do?
Traditional means our Original Teachings as given to our ancestors by the Great Spirit before the Europeans came to Turtle Island (North America).
A Core Value of our Original Teachings has to do with RESPECT. And that respect is given to all things that have life. All things that have life include the Earth, the Moon, the Sun, the rocks, the animals, the plants, the waters, the air, the people, the birds, the insects--in other words--all things created by the Great Spirit have Life. Therefore, all Life forms are treated with respect.
for example: As I walk in the woods, I see a pretty rock. I would like to put this rock in my medicine pouch to remind me of the peacefulness of the woods. That rock has Life. I treat the rock with respect by asking its permission to move it from its home and using it in my personal medicine. I wait for an answer from the rock. I sense the rock does not want to be disturbed. Out of respect, I leave the rock alone. This is repect in action. This is living our spiritual way of being.
Another important Core Value of our Original Teachings is the belief that "All are Related". What affects One, affects All. This concept is known as the Web of Life.
for example: If I dump oil in a river, the fish become poisoned, the water is polluted, the soil is polluted, the plants polluted, the animals who drink the water are poisoned and so on. It's not rocket science. It's common sense. Or should be.
I invite you to sit a moment and think about how these values are so different from the dominant European values brought to this land. Now you might begin to understand why conflict between Native Americans and Europeans was inevitable. And why to this day, Traditional Native Americans are so different in their beliefs and way of living from the dominant society.
Our spiritual beliefs encompass every aspect of our lives. Our physical lives can not be separated from our spiritual lives. As the great Medicine Man, John Rolling Thunder Pope, taught,
"Every thought, 24 hours a day, is a prayer. Learn to control your thinking, so that what you put out is a good thought, a good prayer."
Even as we are an IRS approved "religious organization" (church), we are different from mainstream religious groups. Our ceremonies are frequently held outdoors, rather than in a church building. We often use tobacco as an offering and even smoke tobacco as part of a sacred ceremony. We work for a Respectful world, a Peaceful world, a Just world, a Healthy world and a Free world. Wherever we see an imbalance, we point it out and seek to return balance through good action. Which is a long winded way of saying that we get involved in a lot of "causes" or issues. Because, All are Related. Aho.
Please explore our webhome. As Life is fluid and in constant motion, our webhome is ever changing and responsive to Life's changes. We do invite you to share your thoughts, your issues, and your needs with us. On our 'Contact Us' page you will find just how to do that.
Thank you for spending time with us and we share this good thought for you: May You Walk in Beauty and With the Great Spirit. Aho.
