Learning With Annie & Emerson: July 2011

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Old Friends

Here we are at Lynch Park Beach in Beverly, MA with some of my old friends. Amy and I have been friends since 1976 and we met Scott in high school. Most likely 1984 or 1985. The kiddos, Flora and Charley, are Amy's. The other two are mine, of course.

This is Me, Alanna (Scott's wife), & Amy.

Charley and Emerson finding, sea shells, mussels, crabs, sea snails, and hermit crabs.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Haudenosaunee - Feeling My People

My paternal Grandmother was a Seneca Indian. She grew up on a farm in Naples, NY. My father has told me stories of Rain Dancing and natural medicine.

Today We spent the day at Ganondagan (ga NON da gan) in the town of Victor, NY. "It is the site of a Native American community that was a flourishing, vibrant center for the Seneca people. "

"Americans everywhere owe a debt to the Seneca people; as one of the six nations comprising the Iroquois Confederacy, their democratic ideals served as an inspiration for the U.S. Constitution. If you're a woman, you may be surprised to learn that the Seneca's matriarchal Society helped inspired the 1848 declaration of sentiments that eventually lead to a woman's right to vote. The Seneca also developed one of the world's most basic and healthy cuisines using natural foods that are still popular today, as are many of the natural medicines they used to treat illnesses. From politics and the environmental movement to food and medicine, the roots of contemporary society can be traced back to this historic site right in Rochester's back yard"
Excerpt from www.ganondagan.org

Arrow making demonstraion

The Long House

Making Corn Husk Dolls

Making Felt Snakes

I asked the kids to close their eyes and breathe deeply. We smelled the fires, heard the families and felt our ancestors. We were captivated, especially Annie. It was amazingly powerful.

Inside the Long House

More from www.ganondagan.org
Many Indian nations occupied the North American woodlands during the early seventeenth century. The Iroquois-speaking peoples included the Huron, Cherokee, Neutrals, Tuscarora, Wenro, Erie, and Susquehannock, as well as the political confederates known as the Five Nations Iroquois. The five nations are, from west to east:
Seneca , Keepers of the Western Door
Cayuga, People of the Muckland
Onondaga, Keepers of the Central Fire
Oneida, People of the Standing Stone
Mohawk, Keepers of the Eastern Door
The French called these nations the Iroquois, the English referred to them as the Five Nations, but they called themselves Haudenosaunee. In 1714, the Tuscarora came from what is now North Carolina to join the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and henceforth the English called the Confederacy the Six Nations.

For more information on the Haudenosaunee click here.

Annie & Emerson's Water Park

We created our very own water park right in Grammy and Bompa's back yard. The attractions included a Super Slip -n- Slide, a Mini Pool Fountain, Bubble Station, Water Toys in a Bucket, Water Basket Ball, Water Frisbee, and a concession stand.

All proceeds benefit Annie's Animal Rescue Team.