Joining Hands with Mother Earth

AELP joined hands with the community of Mother Earth's Creations for an intertribal powwow!

The AELP visited the grounds of Ossipee, New Hampshire's local Native American community, Mother Earth's Creation today.  Greeted by the council's facilitator, Smiles A Lot, the staff and students joined the intertribal members and visitors in attendance.  The ceremony began with an invitation to the four directions of the universe to join the gathering on the grounds.  Smiles A Lot, in his appreciation of the union of different people and cultures, acknowledged the AELP specifically as a welcome addition to the ceremony.  He followed with a call to his fellow intertribal members to dance three dances: the Entry Song, which honored the different nations joining the gathering; the Flag Song, which honored the Nations' flags; and the Veterans' Song which honored war veterans who had served in active combat.  AELP Director Karen remarked: "Then something wonderful happened: Smiles A Lot invited the audience to join in the next dance and ALL of the students in our group participated! "

The AELP joins hands to dance!

Following the dance, Smiles A Lot led the students on a private tour of the grounds.  This gave them the perfect opportunity to fulfill the day's challenge of using their five senses during the powwow and reporting back in the evening on everything they had smelled, tasted, seen, touched, and heard.  "They did a wonderful job utilizing the senses to really connect with what Smiles A Lot shared with them," Director Karen said.  

Greta, from Italy, played the original 'Darts' game.

They visited a wigwam, and a teepee, saw the bones and felt the hides and pelts of animals, and even played some Native American games.  "We learned many things on this tour," Director Karen said.  "We learned that "Ladder Ball," a favorite AELP game, was invented by the Native Americans.  They used the balls, called bolos, to hunt squirrels in trees.  We also learned that the Native Americans were a deeply religious people who respected the land and recognized how all things in an ecosystem need balance and harmony.  They exhibited this by using every piece of a hunted animal and not letting anything to go to waste.  Animals were used for clothing, food, shelter, and offerings back to the earth to give thanks."

Rudolf, from Russia, donned a real animal pelt.

The AELP would like to give thanks to Mother Earth's Creations for inviting us into their community today and sharing their history and culture with the students.

Minori, Ellie, Andreana, Jimena, and Greta in the wigwam.