• Reviews

    Book Review-Wisdom Weavers: Explore the Ojibwe Language and the Meaning of Dream Catchers by James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw, Illustrated by Marcus Trujillo

    Book Review Wisdom Weavers: Explore the Ojibwe Language and the Meaning of Dream Catchers By James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw, Illustrated by Marcus Trujillo Publisher: becker & mayer! kids 32 page Harcover in Full Color Release Date: September 3rd, 2024 Another kids book that totally blew my mind! Wisdom Weavers is a beautifully illustrated, full-color book for children with an interest in dream catchers and Ojibwe culture. The book is easy to follow along with, giving the wisdom of the Ojibwe Dream Catchers and their lore, while also teaching phonetically and with spelling how to say certain phrases or words in the Ojibwe language. As the Ojibwe are located in the Great Lakes region,…

  • Monthly Columns

    GoodGod!

    Meet the Gods: Shakok   Shakok is the god of winter of the Northern Mountain, according to Native American mythology. The story goes that Acoma’s chief’s daughter, Co-chin-ne-na-ko, married the winter spirit. After he came to live with them, the winters became colder, snow fell harder, the world stayed frozen longer, crops no longer matured, and food became scarce. One miserable winter day as Co-chin-ne-na-ko was searching for food, she met Miochin, the spirit of summer. He was wearing a yellow shirt woven of corn silk; leggings made of green moss; a tall pointed hat, and moccasins decorated with butterflies and flowers. Upon learning her people were eating cactus leaves,…

  • Monthly Columns

    GoodGod!

    Meet the Gods: Coyote Brother One of the gods associated with Samhain is Coyote Brother, a well-known figure in the myths and legends of many indigenous peoples in North America. Many tribes credit Coyote with gifting fire to humans and teaching them useful skills. Coyote Brother is most often considered “the trickster god.” He can be fearsome or funny, foolish or cunning. Many believe he brings winter, death, and all things evil. In northern California, he is portrayed as greedy, reckless, and deceitful. While that causes problems for those around him, his impulsive, often foolish behavior creates suffering for him, too, and sometimes even death, although afterwards he always manages…

  • Monthly Columns

    Jazz’s Gems

    Apache Tears Apache tears I find to be an underrated stone. Personally, I have relied on it to get me through some tough times, and it is certainly one of my favourite and most useful in my collection. I suffer from trauma issues, and if you do too- get yourself some Apache tears! If you suffer from depression, anxiety or are going through grief or loss, this is also very helpful as it brings supportive energies that can provide relief. Apache tears are a form of Obsidian but are more lightweight and porous. They are volcanic glass and are classed as a mineraloid. It consists mainly of silicon dioxide, and…

  • Monthly Columns,  Reviews

    Witch & Popcorn

      Reservation Dogs     A wonderful new indigenous comedy is making waves on Hulu. Starring such veteran actors as Zahn McClarnon and Gary Farmer, this refreshing show is about a group of Native American teens and their days and nights at home on their reservation in Oklahoma. Bored, tired of the bad things that go on there, and to some extent, ready to get the hell away for good, the kids stick together, making the best of the worst, and making the viewers die laughing, begging for more. Here is a trailer for the show:     The magic of this film comes from the fact that it’s an…

  • Reviews

    Witch & Popcorn

      Indian Horse   Years ago, I was a tour guide at a place called The Olentangy Indian Caverns in Delaware, Ohio. It’s a small cavern, and so the tour script had to be good. We could not just take people on a LONG walk underground for an hour. You can walk the whole thing is five minutes- not counting the breathless climb back to the top! After being hired, the first thing we were given was our employee handbook, and tour script. We could not give tours until we demonstrated to a staff person we knew that script. I realized, after doing this for a few Summers on my…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Dancing with Raven and Bear: A Book of Earth Medicine and Animal Magic by Sonja Grace

    Book Review Dancing with Raven and Bear: A Book of Earth Medicine and Animal Magic by Sonja Grace 144 Pages     Drawing on both her Native American (Hopi) heritage and her Norwegian upbringing, Sonja Grace presents 18 original wisdom stories about Earth Medicine and animal magic. In them she’s woven ancient teachings and everyday practical applications such as grounding, mending a broken heart and dream interpretation. Each chapter is a tale, followed by an explanation of the magic and medicine of Raven, Bear and Earth. Ancient teachings are interwoven with descriptions of such practices as smudging and energizing water for healing. Grace shows parallels between Norse mythology and Native…