by Lois Rayburn

Created on: July 11, 2008

INDIAN POINT (re Indian Point, near Grand River, Ohio)

I saw them today as I walked down the hill
My Indian ancestors, Iroquoian by birth.

The men on their horses high up on the ridge, stately and proud, high cheekbones, black hair.
Their eyes were intent, their faces quite grim, they eluded a calmness, a peace, no fear within, as they guarded their people, their homeland that day.

Some women were gathered at the creek down below and they waded quite deep to wash some clothes. Other sisters of theirs sat on the bank nearby shucking corn to prepare some to fry.

The children laughed and darted about, in the water and out,the boys played stick ball and made the young girls shout. Those sweet little girls, taught so well by their moms,took their dolls to the water, invoking a cure.

The older women, Beloved Ones we say, made baskets and were beading necklaces too, as they watched over their pots, cooking stew for later that day.

Over there, can you see? Up on middle ground, surrounded by trees, sits my Scottish grandpa, adopted by the Cherokee when he married grandma. The fire was burning as beside it he sat, with the Chief and the elders, and they smoked pipes of tobacco with smoke swirling about.

The Iroquois you see, whose land I was on were of the Five Tribes way up in the north that gave birth to my tribe, the Tsalagi.

And we walked down the hill to their village and came upon their land, I was transformed back in time, to a much simpler time, to another spot of my ancestors, and my body felt warm, like I was in a cocoon, almost like being back in the womb.

The trail's descent, surrounded by trees, opened up a little later to flat middle ground, and I knew in my heart, I was in the dwelling place where the Iroquois sat. This place, it enveloped me as I got closer in.

As I strolled with my friend on the ridges and middle ground and I could sense those Iroquois all around.

Some trees held their Spirits and whispered to me...you are here they told me, because we sent for you.

We were high on that hill, surrounded by ridges on every side, looking over the river and the creek down below, having descended down the path, to the womb in the woods, up over the hill, is where we stood.

I looked down on that river, with my friend beside me you see and saw my ancestors again....what a special gift it was to me!

My Scot friend you see, brought me back to the land of the Iroquois, a land he loves too,
and his Spirit matched mine, as we looked out that day to the home of our ancestors, which on that day seemed not so far away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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