Yat Ya Hey ! That is an Abenaki Indian word that means,

Hello. My heart is open. My hand is open. Let us meet in the circle of life.

Welcome to

Weaving Mother Earth to Father Sky

Native American Culture in Story, Song, Dance and Drum

Building Bridges of the Sacred Web of Understanding

by Bringing Earth Wisdom to All People, All Tribes

  

Moriah is an outstanding storyteller. I personally trained her in the ancient art and craft of being a carrier and keeper of Native American story called the teachings. She served an apprenticeship with me to grow into being an earth teacher, vision quest guide, ceremonialist and storyteller. She carries my vision of the coming Rainbow Nation. I fully endorse all she offers for young people, adults and families. She walks with a loving, open heart and is here to serve the earth. I am pleased to join my name to hers in creative projects including our future book and tape together. Aho.

Sun Bear, Author of 13 Books on Native American Culture and Spirituality

 

Come Gather Round the Story Fire.

Listen on the Story Winds.

Remember the history of Turtle Island, the first name for America. That name is from the creation story of what happened on earth after the great flood spoken of in worldwide cultures.

I am a listener on the 4 winds. I come carrying the collected wisdom of stories called the teachings, song and chant, drum and rattle and dances. This is the give-away so that the people might live in a good way of upon the earth mother.

Aho. That pan-cultural word, meaning a word recognized across Turtle Island nations means It is good. We are all related, we are one heart in agreement.

My Inspiring, Instructive, Stimulating, Interactive, Fun,

 Educational and Enriching Program Presents

Stories and Teachings of many Indian Nations from the Eastern Woodlands to the West

Introduction to the Ceremony of the Drum with traditional Pow-Wow Drum

Frame Drums and Rattles

Talking Stick

The school day begins with Moriah drumming the chidren into the building. This is available in other venues also. It has been wonderfully received and creates excitement in children  and for staff of having a special visitor at their school.

A White Birch Tree Altar honoring Turtle Island and the 4 Directions

Audience Participation: Singing, Circle Dance, Drumming and Rattles

A Beauty-filled Exhibit of Animal Hides and Artifacts

Book and Art Display

Sharing Earth Honoring Ways for All People

Teachings of the Rainbow Nation that We are All In

 

Born in Southbridge, MA, Moriah builds bridges of appreciation and understanding between native and non-native culture. Raised in the Irish and Italian tribes, Moriah grew up with 2 brothers and 7 sisters. They raised her with a sense of wonder about the natural world.  Her mother and father nurtured an early love of story, writing, reading, poetry, music, song and theater.  This stimulated in her a curiousity about world wide cultures.  

One of her first stories was from the local Webster Indians and the expression of Lake Chogagogmanchogagaug......................, which translates You fish on your side of the river, I will fish on myside of the river and nobody will fish in the middle. Stories offer us that willingness to wade into the ocean of experience. Stories are strong medicine for bringing us together to meet in the middle of the circle of life.

Her first involvement with native peoples was as a bridge to assist the Mohawk peoples of New York in their reclaiming land taken from them thru broken treaties. Moriah was part of a group that put on educational forums to instruct the public of the Mohawk plight and to enlist financial and emotional support. This resulted in the Mohawks being able to get their ancestral land back.

From this cultural bridgebuilding and social activist perspective, Moriah journeyed on, to a personal relationship with  traditional teller and keeper of his tribal history, Ron Evans of the Cree and Assinboin Nations of Canada. It wa years later that she came to realize all she had learned from Ron, when she found herself sharing teachings learned in the oral tradition with him. He introduced me to the pipe cermony and the sweat lodge also.

It was her meeting with Sun Bear, traditional medicine man of the Chippewa or Ojibwe Nation of Minnesota that offered her a deepening into the earth honoring ways of Native American culture. With Sun Bear, she experienced and was trained in story listening and story telling, in earth ceremonies and in healing ways such as the sweat lodge, the pipe ceremony and the vision quest. Moriah lived on Vision Mountain outside of Spokane, Washington in a traditional long house and in a tipi. With Sun Bear, and his modeling of being a bridge between cultures, she came to understand her own life journey as a bridge between native and non-native cultures for building understanding and harmony.

At Medicine Wheel Gatherings held across America and in Canada, Moriah directed the Children's Programs, offering children to develop a relationship with the earth and with each other, through the medicine of story, song, chant, drumming, rattle making, mask making and participation in talking circles and ceremony.

Over many years, Moriah was gifted by many Native American teachers, storytellers, artists, healers and way showers with their teachings to carry and to give-away to others. Thank you to Sun Bear for these openings as his path was truly to honor the pan-cultural wisdom on the planet.

Sun Bear repeatedly instructed his apprentices with the question, How is your life growing corn to feed the people, meaning what are you going to offer in service to your communty, to our world? Corn is the ancient food that has fed the people for thousands of years. Corrn is honored in the traditional teaching story as one of the 3 sisters. corn, beans and squash, who taught the people about cooperation and interdependence.

Moriah has traveled far and wide to gather and gain her wisdom, including around America, Canada, South America, Mexico and Canada. She has livd in a teepee, lead drumming circles, guided vision quests, participated in pipe and sweat lodge ceremonies. She has devoted her life to pan-cultural earth wisdom.  At the Institute for American Indian Studies in CT, she has been a featured storytller and has lead public ceremonial celebrations to honor the seasons.

                                                         

Through her time with Sun Bear, she met her former sweetheart, StarHawk McDonald, when she co-guided his vision quest on Vision Mountain. They joined their lives as storytellers and earth teachers, traveling near and far to bring these offerings.

StarHawk is a gifted artist and drum maker. Here Moriah is making a drum in a weekend ceremony, under StarHawk's guidance and teaching. These workshops were offered at the Institute for American Indian Studies and in other settings in America and Canada.

The turtle shell is on a portable altar stand which is part of my storytelling program, as are drums and native made rattles from across Turtle Island.

Spiritually adopted into Native culture, Moriah is in the Spider clan that honors Grandmother Spider, sacred creator of the Navaho Nation. She is devoted to practicing and teaching THE BEAUTY WAY which is the path of learning and practicing walking in appreciation and wonder for the beauty within and all around us, and learning and practicing walking in balance within one self.

From her spiritual father Sun Bear, she carries the vision of THE RAINBOW NATION, a time we are growing into of peace and harmony among all peoples, all nations.

                                                                                          

Each day, Sun Bear would ask his apprentices of which I am honored to be one,  WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS DAY TO GROW CORN WITH YOUR LIFE? HOW ARE YOU CONTRIBUTING TO THE GOOD AND THE UNFOLDMENT OF ALL LIFE ON THE EARTH MOTHER?"

These are important questions for each of us on the earth journey. They are important questions to introduce children to  and help them honor their roles as students and life long learners, to make their sacred give-aways.

STORIES    THE SACRED TEACHINGS  

THE ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS

SONG    CHANT    DRUMMING   CIRCLE DANCE

EARTH HONORING CEREMONIES

 

THESE ARE MY SACRED GIVE-AWAYS

May what I have shared here now travel from my heart to yours.

 May this be medicine to strengthen your life journey.

AHO

It is good. We are one in the sacred circle of life. 

My program includes a selection of books.

Sun Bear authored or co-authored 13 books which are widely available.

I also invite you to be aware that Sun Bear's daughter, Winona LaDuke is a respected activist, author and spokesperson for their shared ancestral land, The White Earth Reservation in Minnesota. Sun Bear's birth name is LaDuke. Thru the vision quest experience, he was called to change his name and to wear the the name Sun Bear. Changing one's name is a form of medicine or of growing into a medicine; strength for example. A name deepens one's connection with Spirit and the earth. It can help one develop a quality like patience.

Over time, I have been given 3 different names to carry and to wear. I share about that in my storytelling program.

 

May You Walk in Beauty and in Balance

This Day or Eve on Mother Earth