Native American men gather in Colorado

June 3, 1996
Web posted at: 7:20 a.m. EDT

From Correspondent Bonnie Anderson

BADGER FLATS, Colorado (CNN) -- This weekend, Native American men and their families gathered in Colorado to learn from their elders. They see it as the dawn of a great healing across the land.

It's time, Native American elders say, for Indian men to renew themselves spiritually, physically, emotionally; to become healthy links in the sacred circle of life, and embrace the wisdom of the ages.

High in the Colorado Rockies, more than 1,000 Indians from 80 tribes met to hear their elders teach men how to become better husbands, fathers, sons and brothers.

"Every day from sunrise, you face good and evil and evil and good," said Floyd Hand, a Lakota Sioux elder, at the gathering. "What I say here, you must carry it the rest of your life. It is yours." (128K AIFF or WAV sound)

Hand described someone in need of renewal. "The man was getting weak. And he wasn't paying attention to his children. He wasn't providing what he's supposed to, to see to his family. He was neglecting," said Hand.

"Hundreds and hundreds of men just need a nudge, just a push," said Don Coyhis, who helped organize this weekend's gathering. "We wanted to create a very spiritual, healing time of unity. And I think our message is unity and responsibility and forgiveness." (187K AIFF or WAV sound)

In 1991, elders from many tribes met and prophesied a time of healing according to natural order. First, they told Native Americans to reach out to their creator; and they did. Then the elders said women should gather for a meeting of spirituality and leadership. That took place last year.

Now, men are gathering. Next, the elders say it will be time to speak to the children, to teach them.

Wise men and women brought a powerful healing tool with them to Colorado: the Hoop of Nations. "The elders, they put into that hoop four gifts," explained Coyhis. "The first gift was the power to forgive the unforgiveable. The second was the gifts of unity. The third was the gifts of healing. And the fourth was the gifts of hope."

For military veterans, the hoop was good medicine. They were finally welcomed back into the circle, embraced by older warriors, symbolic blood smeared on their hands and then cleansed in a ceremony to release the spirits that have haunted them.

Recognizing domestic abuse as a serious problem in Indian country, the women were honored, their men joining them in a dance of support.

"The men, we have to look at women in a sacred manner," Coyhis declared. "By natural laws, she was given the ability to produce life. That life is sacred. Never abuse her, never touch her."

For all gathered here, it was a time of fellowship. "There will be a lot to learn here before we leave," said one attendee. Another responded, "I like how they welcomed us to their country -- the Ute. I didn't know that this was their area."

It was a time to share traditions.

And a time for laughter, like the laughs that followed this story. "That one guy was standing here from Colorado. We said, 'We ran into two tornadoes on the way here.' He said, 'We sent those tornadoes to greet you guys.'"

But beneath the laughter was a lesson learned: All change starts with the individual. A man with a baby riding on his back said, "This will definitely enhance our fatherhood." As the infant gurgled, he added, "And brotherhood, and being uncles and being fathers to our nieces and nephews."

Another attendee said, "That's what we're praying for, is that healing in the family, to bring us back together again. Because when the family is strong, we're all strong." (119K AIFF or WAV sound)

Coyhis predicts far-reaching effects of the gathering he helped organize. "As the number of families emerge into healing, you'll see the change at the community level," he says. "As the community levels change, you'll see nations will change. And it must follow that order."

"It's time," Coyhis concludes. "It's like we're ready. It's like the warriors are back!"

Related stories:

• Native-American sect's traditions run afoul of local zoning laws - February 22, 1996
• Native Americans battling onslaught of AIDS - January 14, 1996

Related sites:

• National Museum of the American Indian
• Native Web

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