“The old people came literally to love the soil and they sat or reclined on the ground with a feeling of being close to a mothering power. It was good for the skin to touch the earth and the old people liked to remove their moccasins and walk with bare feet on the sacred earth.” ~ Luther Standing Bear, Sicangu-Oglala Lakota, (1868-1939)

We often feel pressured to react immediately when things get intense. Chief White Eagle’s advice: “So long as mists envelop you, be still; be still until the sunlight pours through… then act with courage.” When anger or fear clouds your view, don’t force a move. Pause. Let the fog clear first. Stillness isn't giving up. It’s waiting for visibility.

“A fiery spirit burst from your soul.” ~ A.D Posey, Muskogee Creek Nation, (1873-1908)

“If there are no dogs in heaven—then when I die I want to go where they went.” ~Cherokee,

The Story Behind the Trail of Blood: Bozeman Trail! On June 16th, 1870, my 3x great-grandfather, Chief Red Cloud (Mahpiya Luta), stood inside the echo-filled halls of Washington, D.C. He looked directly at the politicians of an expanding empire—men who engineered a false narrative of native "savagery" back east to mask their own systemic bankruptcy. Red Cloud had just defeated their army on the Bozeman Trail, forced them to burn their illegal forts, and sign the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. Now, he delivered the absolute truth of their Manifest Destiny: “Whose voice was first sounded on this land? The voice of the red people who had but bows and arrows. What has been done in my country I didn’t want, didn’t ask for it; white people going through my country—when the white man comes in my country he leaves a trail of blood behind him." As his grandson, I am writing the version the textbooks left out. The mechanics of that "trail of blood" were uncovered years earlier by another 3x great-grandfather of mine. In 1855, West Point engineer Major Thomas Twiss was sent out as the Upper Platte Indian Agent. The empire expected him to provide a military justification for expansion. Instead, Twiss’s investigations revealed a profound truth: the Lakota were strictly honoring the 1851 treaty lines, while rogue white contractors, illegal gold prospectors, and lawless militias—the "grey men"—were deliberately manufacturing violence to spark a war & steal land. Twiss refused to be an instrument of a corrupt state. He used his power to shield Native families from unprovoked military massacres. By 1861, the government stripped him of his office. Twiss threw away his uniform, grew his hair in braids, married Mary Standing Elk, and completely adopted the Lakota way of life. The government knew the Lakota were peaceful. Their own agent had documented it. But peace didn't satisfy American greed. Drowning in a colossal $2.7 Billion National Debt when the Civil War ended in 1865, the United States was a nation built on a house of cards. Even as the 1868 treaty was being signed, tensions escalated as the empire looked to claw back control. During this exact pressure cooker, shortly after in 1869, the Ghost Dance movement first began. Born from the Paiute Nation, it was a traditional circle dance of spiritual rebirth and renewal. The songs we sang held absolutely no mentions of war or killing anyone. They were peaceful prayers to heal the earth. Yet, when the economy shattered completely during the panic of 1873, the empire broke its own supreme laws. In 1874, they sent Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry on an illegal expedition into our sacred Black Hills (Pahá Sápa). Custer brought a full corps of engineers, scientists, and miners to map the territory—and to find gold. When the engineers confirmed gold, the government abandoned the 1868 treaty. To justify this theft, they deployed their most lethal weapon: the printing press. East Coast newspapers and yellow journalists became the propaganda arm of the state, manufacturing psychological warfare. When our people turned to the Ghost Dance for hope, the white press fabricated stories of a "Bloodthirsty Red Devil Craze." They created a state of absolute, manufactured hysteria. Terrified readers back east demanded blood, begging the government to send the army to crush a threat that the newspapers had entirely invented. This weaponized media coverage gave the federal government the mandate it needed. Driven by ungrounded fear, U.S. agents banned the dance and deployed the 7th Cavalry once again. That fabricated hysteria led directly to the frozen horror of the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. In the late 60’s, when they realized they could not break our warriors on the battlefield without total bankruptcy, they turned that media-fueled trail of blood directly toward our survival and our children. First, they targeted our life blood: “A Dead Buffalo is a dead Indian.”

"There is no death—only a change of worlds." - Chief Seattle, 1786-1866

“It also made her think of the sounds of ceremony—the eagle whistles, the drum, the shakers. It made her think that we really are replicating the sounds of nature through our music and celebrations—all of which help heal us.” ~ Aimée Craft,

The atmosphere was absolutely electric. ⚡️ Traditional dancers honoring the ancestors and dancing to the Greasy Grass Victory Song at the Black Hills Powwow 2026, when "General Custer" showed up... it didn't end well for him.🪶🏹 Historically accurate re-enactments are hitting different this year! 🎯 Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! #powwow #indigenous #warrior #culturalpride #IndigenousPeoplesDay #BlackHillsPowWow #GreasyGrass #LittleBighorn #Custer #HistoryReclaimed #Lakota

The energy here was unmatched. 🔥 A Marine honoring the ancestors and dancing to the Greasy Grass Victory Song at the Black Hills Powwow. 2026 #powwow #indigenous #usmc #military #warrior #culturalpride #IndigenousPeoplesDay

“The First Peace comes within when we realize our Oneness with the Universe... The Great Spirit dwells at the Center, and this Center is really Everywhere—it is Within Each of US.” ~ Black Elk, Heȟáka Sápa, Oglala Lakota (1863-1950)

“I salute the light within your eyes where the whole universe dwells. For when you are at that center within you and I am at that place within me, we shall be one.” ~ Crazy Horse, Tasunké Witko-(1841-1877) 📸: Sylvan Lake, SD

“As great as is the light above us—greater by far is the light within!” ~ Hopi,

“I survived because the fire that burned inside of me burned brighter than the fire around me.” ~ Unknwn,

”Take only what you need and leave the land as you found it.” ~ Arapahoe,

“When it comes time to die, be not like those who hearts are filled with the fear of death… sing your death song, and die like a warrior going home.” ~ Chief Aupumut, Mohican, (1757-1830)

Today, on Orange Shirt Day, we bear witness to the innocent children who were torn from their homes—those who never returned, and those who carried the heavy burden of survival. This day forces us to confront the enduring wreckage of a policy designed to "kill the Indian, save the man." For generations, residential schools forced an unnatural weight into the bloodlines of Indigenous families. My grandfather and so many of our relatives were forced into these boarding schools, subjected to severe cruelties and systemic abuse that defied humanity. That pain does not vanish with time; it ripples downward, quietly shaping modern vulnerabilities, fueling unrecognized grief, and trapping people in cycles of self-destruction they cannot easily trace. Yet, this legacy of suffering is not the final chapter, because we come from an unbroken line of warriors. Resilience is etched into our very being, giving us the power to rise above these inherited wounds. True healing begins when we master our emotional landscapes and embrace an absolute truth: our identity is entirely separate from the trauma inflicted upon us. The destructive patterns handed down through the generations are not our natural state; they are merely the echoes of the violence used against children who ultimately deserved protection. By consciously breaking these cycles, we forge an unyielding strength out of this historical injustice. We must ensure the sacrifices of those who came before us mean something—by choosing to stand tall, reclaiming our dignity, and honor their endurance. We heal the nightmares of the past by stepping back into the warmth of our heritage—returning to the sacred rhythms of our way of life, the songs, the power of our dances and ceremonies, and the vibrant life intended for every individual by the Great Spirit. Ultimately, this truth stretches far beyond our own borders. As we honor our own ancestors, we must remember the innocent children across the entire world, who still suffer under the weight of wars, conflict, neglect, and systemic cruelty. The way a society treats its children dictates the destiny of the world; when we fail them, we compromise our collective tomorrow. By standing up for the youngest among us today, we heal the global bloodline, protect the future of humanity, and ensure that innocence is cherished as the sacred gift that life intended it to be. Never forget!