Sarah, Dan, Adam and Jake Tell a Story...

Waking up to a foggy and cool morning, we looked forward to another exciting day. We ate a quick breakfast and continued writing in our journals. While waiting for our Native American friend, Barry, we made additions to our art projects.

Decked out in full regalia, Barry shared with us the creation stories of the Eastern Woodland tribes. We learned about the creation of turtle island, good and evil, Skywoman and her family, and the story of the crow.

Our favorite story was about the courage of the crow. In the beginning, the crow was beautifully colored and had a lovely voice. The animal community became concerned when snow started to fall and their food began to disappear. The leader of the animals, the bear, told the crow to fly up to the Skywoman and ask for help. He made it up to her and she gave him a solution; she gave him a stick with fire on both ends. He carried it down to the animals, but his friends did not recognize him. The crow had turned black with soot and his voice had turned hoarse from the smoke. However, the snow started to melt, the trees started to bloom and the weather got warmer. He had saved the day, but did not understand why he had been changed. He flew back up to the Skywoman to ask her why she had done this to him. She told him I gave you the greatest gift of all. He immediately interrupted her and asked for his old life back. She continued to explain that he would not be put into cages for his beauty or his song and he would not be hunted because he now tasted like smoke. The crow flew back down and lived in eternal freedom.

Today, if you find a crow feather and have a pure heart, you can still see the beautiful colors when you hold it in the sunlight.

During lunch, the heavens opened in thunderstorms and heavy rains. We were scheduled for a hike, but we had to postpone it for tomorrow. Instead, we got to try the power swing. All of us participated in this activity which hoisted us to the ceiling of the gymnasium and let us swing through the air. Many of us tested our limits with this activity, which was so much fun. Sarah S. had the most trepidation with this activity, but she challenged herself and went outside of her comfort zone and trusted her companions.

After this, Barry shared songs and the waneeshi ceremony, which sent our thanks up to the creator through smoke from tobacco and sage. Then we learned a number of social dances. We learned the stomp dance, the woman's dance, the warrior dance and the duck dance.

The rain continued throughout the night, which enabled the boys of the group to create an experience of their own. They created a slip and slide out of mud in the backyard. Luckily, there were no injuries, but a lot of fun was had by all. The clean-up was a bit intense, but it was worth it!!!

We finished up our day with sharing, discussion and a nature-themed Eucharist.

Thanks for reading! Sarah S., Dan H., Adam S. and Jake V.