By Tracey "Sun River"
All my life I have been fond of animals. I needed them to be there to listen to me when I was young and broken hearted. I was there for them when one would need rescued or a box turtle helped across the road. As I grew older and moved to the city, I didn't realize that I had become less connected. I was busy with everyday life and all the ups and downs and traumas that go with that.
I needed them to be there to listen to me when I was young and broken hearted...
I was not happy and I moved further and further away from the city and into a new job. I became aware that this wasn't just a job, but a way of giving back to others and my community. I wanted families and young children to be able to have a real connection to nature and other cultures.
It wasn't just a job, but a way of giving back to others and my community.
I sought out instructors, panned for a year and created a Native American Indian Camp. The purpose was to share the Culture, Crafts, Games and Native Ways with our community. The Campers would then share this with their family at the end of camp with a family camping Pow Wow experience. I was going through my normal routines of setting up a special event at the campground, unloading boxes, setting up a sacred circle and all the prep work for the Pow Wow and receiving campers that evening. This is where the event became more than that.
The Paint Horses
They began to Dance to the music and warm our hearts.
Liz and I were testing our sound systems and needed some downtime so we played the soundtrack of "The Gathering of The Nations". We were dancing and shaking off all the weeks stresses. We heard a noise and looked over our shoulder as we were then Blessed by a herd of horses - Paint Horse that came galloping from the ranch near the campground. They got as close to us as the fence would allow. They began to Dance to the music and warm our hearts.
I will never forget...
There were other horses in the field but only the Paint Horses came down and danced. It was an amazing feeling! We gave them an audience and then the "Special" got added to this event. I was also surprised later in the event, filled with a tight schedule and Grand Entry to honor our Military, our Veterans, and our Uniformed Services, that my Elders had added a special naming ceremony for me and my family without my knowledge. I am now known as "Sun River" and I will never forget how the "Paints" inspired me to stay connected and I have been honoring this commitment back to the horses and my community ever since to help others return back to the Native Ways.