Saturday, April 9, 2011

"Arapaho"

Before I get started writing about the Arapaho. Hopefully Blogspot has corrected there problems. With scrunching all the paragraphs together. I'll just put ----- at the end of each paragraph. Plenty of Doom in the World today. So there no reason to talk about it. The only thing I'd like to say. Are all the bazaar weather, earthquakes, tsunamis man made? You hear so much about HAARP. And other types of weapons, the Americans government has. With people saying they can create these 'Events'. Not to sure about that, or if it's the tug. Of the some terrestrial object approaching the Earth. Then it could be "God" saying, 'enough is enough'!!! Either way, the 'powers' will surely take credit for it. A video I made of the Tucson Pow Wow. Has a Feather dancer in it, who is Arapaho. He is the one with bright orange streamers coming of his feathers. On the back and head of his outfit. I called him the, 'Arapaho with Attitude'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcX1HGPIguI ----- Arapaho (uh-RAP-uh-ho) call themselves, 'our people'. The Cheyenne called them, 'people of the sky', or 'cloud people'. Other tribes called them, 'dog eaters', for obvious reasons. It is thought that the 'Algonquin' language they speak. Started in the Red River area of Minnesota and North Dakota. The Arapaho with Gros Ventre migrated westward. In the 1700s. Along with another Algonquin speaking tribes. Called the Blackfeet and Cheyenne. Who the Arapaho were allied with. ----- The Arapaho and the Gros Ventre settled in the area around Montana. They would split up. With the Gros Ventre going north into Canada. And the Arapaho going south. The Arapaho split into two groups. The Northern Arapaho and the Southern Arapaho. The Northern Arapaho settled in the Platte River area of Wyoming. And the Southern Arapaho settled in the Arkansas River area of Colorado. ----- They soon would take on the life styles of the Great Plains Indians. They would become great horseman. They would learn to hunt the Buffalo. As the Buffalo made there migrations looking for food and water. This in turn made the Arapaho a wandering tribe. Using Tipis as a home. They could easily move from place to place. ----- The Arapaho also adapted to other ways. Of other Great Plains tribes. They started forming Secret Societies, within the tribe. These Secret Societies were for waring, with other tribes. Oddly enough, much like you have today (Skull and Crossbones, Illuminati, etc.). The Arapaho had eight levels of Secret Societies. That was based on age groups. Example would be in America today. You start out as a Cub Scout. Then you become a Boy Scout. Then into the ROTC in high school. And finally into the military. Some Great Plains Indians had non military Secret Societies. ----- The Arapaho had there own type of religion. Based on what is called, 'Medicine Bundles'. The objects in the bundles were though to have 'magical powers'. Each bundle would contain different items. Depending on the individual, Shaman or tribunal ones. What the individual would choose for his or her own bundle. Would be decided by, what they saw in a dream. Maybe they would envision something during a ceremonies. That they would want in there individual bundles. Each Secret Society would have there own bundle (sound familiar?). Medicine Men would use bundles in 'Healing Ceremonies'. One of the most important item in each bundle. Would have been a 'flat pipe'. It would be used for smoking tobacco during certain ceremonies. This 'flat pipe' would be about two feet long. Another item the tribe would keep in the tribal bundle. Would have been a wheel or hoop. (To me that would represent the eternity of life.) ----- To the Arapaho, everything in day to day life. Had a special meaning, as if "God" was involved everything in life. (Something I totally believe in.) As the Arapaho women would craft there bead work. Paint designs on tipis and clothing. They would use certain designs to represent the Spirits. Each design would have a powerful meaning to them. You also see this in all other Native American art and designs. (Today you see it in powerful companies logos.) Some designs would show ancient legends from the tribes past. Or even Spiritual beings. ----- The most important ceremony to the Arapaho, was the Sun Dance. They called it,' Offering Lodge'. This would be done to ensure renewal of nature. To make sure the buffalo, berries and other items of life. Would be around for the next years harvest. The Arapaho would erect a large pole. Drape hides around it to form a tent type structure. Then a leather doll would be placed on top of the pole. The different Secret Societies then would do the elaborate dances around the pole. Some would go for days, without food, water or sleep. This would be a sacrificial test of strength. ----- The Arapaho were a waring society. They had been to battle against the Shoshone, Ute, Pawnee, Crow, Sioux, Comanche and Kiowa tribes. But they were allies of the Cheyenne and Sioux tribes. And often went into battle along side them. They fought battles with other tribes. For control of the Central Plains. Many died in the battle of 'Sand Creek' in Colorado. (1864) Two of the more famous Arapaho Chiefs were. Black Bear and Little Raven. They went to battle with the U.S. Calvary in 1865. ----- The Arapaho were finally place on a reservation. In 1867 in the treaty of, Medicine Lodge Treaty. The Northern Arapaho resisted this. With the Southern Arapaho moving onto a reservation with the Cheyenne. Later the Northern Arapaho would settle on a reservation with there hated enemies the Northern Shoshone. At the Wind river Reservation. ----- The Arapaho had lost there own identity and homeland. They became part of the Ghost Dance Religion. The founder was a Northern Paiute named Wovoka. Here is a short phase from the one of the poems. ----- Hey, my children, here is another pipe.--- Now. I'm going to holler on the Earth--- Everything is in motion--- "God" bless bye

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