Silversong

  In my birthplace of Alberta, Canada in 1944 there was only one minority group - Native Indians. We were expected to assimilate into the white culture and abandon our origins and our people in order to succeed. When quite young I became aware of two distinctive aspects of life - the physical world we see, and the creative power of unseen forces: thought, intent, and vision. I saw that native awareness of the unseen forces could be lost through assimilation, and committed to learning and applying the native's way to keep the two worlds in balance. I did not want to lose the native tradition, but to find out how to do all I could to preserve the natural way.

I researched the oral tradition with elders, medicine people, teachers, leaders and artists for over 40 years always asking "what is missing to build a life we love in a world we love to live in?" In every conversation that I remember honor was mentioned as missing. I was taught the way to honor is through living your passion, the door to your passion is through a deep pain, and the door to understanding is through your deepest wound. If you want to know your life's purpose, find your deepest pain, and in it will be what is missing for you.

Why is Honor Day my passion? For Native people the deepest wound is lack of honor. Having experienced the devastation of Native people first hand, I saw how we implode rather than explode. Natives are not terrorists. Rather than attack another, in our humiliation and shame we destroy ourselves. I have been told that since honor has been missing for our people, drugs and alcohol are being used to fill the void. The loss of honor is well-recorded in the treaties, for the earth, animals, plants, waters, relationships and religious rights. It has been said that this country was formed to allow people to worship in their own ways without persecution, yet the right to openly practice Native spirituality only came in 1976 with passage of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.

The tradition of North American Native Indians is humility, a gift of honor, and the vision to contribute to a world in peril. Many still remember the ancients' prophecy "One day there will be a generation that will return honor to the First People and, in so doing, impart honor upon themselves". I wondered how, honor being such an intangible, formless concept.

Eventually the idea of Honor Day came into focus. Native American Indians have not been recognized and inspired as the declaration of Martin Luther King Day has done for African Americans or as Christmas does for Christians. Many efforts to do so over the years have not resulted in federal governmental action. The elders advised me when I asked that "the government is not the nation, the people are. Go to them." The many highly visible Indian leaders I spoke with about creating Honor Day said "Right on! Go for it!"

I thought it would take a powerful Indian leader to lead the way to restoring honor. However, all prominent Indian leaders have huge responsibilities already and they could not take on the task of initiating Honor Day. This is where I pondered my plight. I am an artist and it is the job of the artist to articulate what is in the soul. I pressed on. I took a comparative religion class and noticed how often God speaks to the humblest people like to the shepherd in the field and the Maid of Orleans. I began to see my lack of a powerful position was an obstacle only if I allowed it to be.

Any power to create or restore honor can only be attributed to Great Spirit, the one know by many names. If honor is to be restored, the Creator of All that Is will direct the way. The right people will be waiting to express in their way what they hold in honor.

Native tradition taught me that a dream is transformed into physical reality by speaking it to the hearts of those in a large gathering, meeting or event. If the dream is meant to have wings it will fly. On January 22, 2000 there was a Treaty Day play held at the Lummi Nation near Bellingham, Washington, USA. Over 300 people were present. Gathering all the courage I could, I stood before those people to report my findings. I asked if maybe we are the generation our ancestors mentioned who would return honor to the people. I proposed that we could hold an Honor Day ceremony to honor the many contributions made by North American Native Indians and imparting honor on all participants " a day to explore personal power and vision, collectively empowering the whole. Elevating the individual creates a new kind of being. The peoples" support was overwhelming, so firm, that on Treaty Day many people now stand together.

The first Honor Day was held August 20, 2000 at the Lummi Nation. August 20 was the anniversary of the auspicious birth of a white buffalo calf, and there is no other national day of recognition in August. The 2nd Honor Day was observed at the Nooksack reservation, the 3rd at the Swinomish reservation and the 4th annual ceremony was at Sumas Mountain to awaken the dream of honor for the world, not just Indians. The fifth Honor Day ceremony was a public event at Boulevard Park in Bellingham, WA. Three hundred to 500 have attended - a small start, but in navigating the earth if you don't make a 1 degree adjustment in your course you will veer far from your destination, so small shifts have mighty results.

Many people have been deeply moved and strengthened by Honor Day. Native people can come together around honor. We know the stories about honor. There is never any conflict about honor. Anyone familiar with Native ways recognizes that honor is central to our way of being, our life. The lodges are placed to honor the opening at the East. Sweat lodge ceremonies always hold honor up to stand under. You stand under that which you want to influence your life, honor your own heart through vision quests and ceremony, each other, and what your heart tells you. Honor is the source of all real power.

The Honor Day ceremony involves laying greenery from the plant nation in a circle. To this circle are tied yellow, red, black and white strips of cloth to designate the cardinal directions. Entered from the East, inside the circle the skills, gifts and talents of humankind are spoken, performed, sung, read, danced and expressed in unique ways to elevate the ideals of each individual. Following the natural world design is generous and comforting to every human who feels the alienation, separation and isolation of today. I believe the dynamic of the quadrants will be recognized by all faiths, which already understand recognizing the dynamics of honor, so can bring their own identity to the Honor Day circle.

The Honor Day Colors: The many medicine wheels of different tribes and ceremonies may use different colors. Honor Day uses yellow (East), red (South), black (West) and white (North) which serves all two-leggeds. The light and dark colors representing the directions of sunrise and sunset are in balance, as are the balance of warmth and cold - white for northern snow and red for southern warmth. The sacred cycles, rhythms and systems laid out by the Great Spirit, Creator of All That Is, are experienced by all.

To keep its integrity, the Native ceremony of Honor Day involves no exchange of money. It comes about by the voluntary work of many people.

I wrote a declaration of honor as part of the template, which has been signed by the seven Mayors and the Executive of Whatcom County and the Lummi and Nooksack Nation Tribal Chairs. Initiative petitions have been signed. Honor Day is now officially recognized in Whatcom County and official recognition by Washington State is next.

In 2002 Honor Day was gifted with a sacred bundle holding the vision, through Sherman Leshi, the last of the Leshi line and descendent of Clemouth (recently exonerated by the Washington State Governor) and Redwing Cloud. The petitions and declaration of honor are bound to this sacred bundle to strengthen the cherished dream of the elders. It passed from my hands to Jan Super for safekeeping. The Native elders will one day decide whether it rests for periods of time at one nation or a permanent home is designated.

Our Honor Day Council, composed of Native American Indians guiding all Honor Day concepts, was formed in 2004. They are Sarah James (Gwichin), Jan Super (Shishoni), Silversong Belcourt (Cree/Blackfoot) and Gene Tagaban (Tlingit). We seek nominees from throughout North America. Any people can create their own observance to foster and preserve the culture, art, technology and spiritual traditions of their indigenous peoples, so we hope it will expand internationally. In 2004 Lakota George (Lakota), the well-known flute payer led the Russian people through all the distinctions of Honor Day on the radio. Not only were the Russians greatly interested, but Honor Day has been observed in Poland, England, France, Greece and Canada. We are collecting letters from leaders from all lands that will help bring media attention to this awakening, and we are increasingly used as an educational resource. It is exciting to be called upon for story-telling, performances and projects.

Honor Day is intended as a resource for at-risk youth everywhere displaying tools for restoring honor and changing the dynamics of the world - a wise action to instill values. When I was a child and asked why a ritual or ceremony should be done, the elders replied "It will just be better this way." Restored honor is a gift by participants continuing an ancient Native tradition.

I do not trivialize the tragic past, but there are many worthy organizations where people may participate in working for justice. Honor Day's focus is on a vision for the future of creating power. In participating we ask "what can I do for the next seven generations?", not "how can I make up for what happened in previous generations?" Nobody has protested creating power for the next seven generations.

   - Told by Silversong Belcourt, Founder