Glory Hunter- Warrior, Taos Pueblo Pow-wow circa 1990. July. I gave him some sage I collected from the battlegrounds at Washita... OK.... I waited until he could see me, first. He refused all weekend. I was camping gratis, after a request from the Pow wow committee. I was ready to leave. I had met this guy the early morning Sunday wake up services , before the tourists came. I stepped up and spoke on the community mike after him. What I said shook him... He'd never heard a white guy sound so much like an Indian... but I wasn't trying to impress him. I was seeing his power moves and heard his voice that backed up those deep grounded realities only he could live.... through Vietnam, on behalf of his people. My main statement was to let all the Elders know that I felt very, very sad for what the Europeans did to their culture before my family immigrated in 1900. But I sounded like an empty headed white guy with too much guilt. they weren't convinced, when I said that ll my relation, all my friends, everyone I bonded with in this life never believed the history books or the John Wayne movie versions of how the west was "won". So... I was ready to leave. I tried. I had packed up, mid-day... I was putting my boots on, taking off my sandals, when I heard the one last call from the Pow Wow moderator... after having endured all the derogatory white guy/pig jokes he had said over that mike... I expected I wouldn't hear such an invitation... "Come to the circle, dance your own dance, be one of the people".... So, I put the Mocs back on... and the power moved my feet direct through the vendors, through the other dancers, to that circle... there among the white people in permanent press and kaki I watched myself hesitate for too long, feeling compressed by the opinions of how none of us can dance, or know true power. Then I tapped in-internal, and I swung to the center and danced the big dance... all directions. Forget about the opinions... this is the dance that comes and I do it NOW. Suddenly new worlds oepened up... I was reaching th eleders.. .and plenty content to leave afterwords... good enough... except, for this; the Moderator called me to the center... stopped the show and interviewed me after all the rest of the white folks had left the arena..."where did you learn to dance like that?" .... "it comes from inside".... "Will you dance some more for us now?"..... "Yes".... "Oklahoma tribal drummers, start your song! competitive dancers sit down! Mr Stenger, Do your dance for us!"..... and so I did. this time, the whole circle witnessed it, as did I... everything was now in place... and the lights were on....It was a big dance.... and I could feel my family from inside me reaching out to be one of all of us, through my dance. the elders could see this... this Glory hunter could see this. He'd appeared inhis dances that day with the mask across his mouth, after talking on th emike earlier in that day and seeing inmy eyes these confusing things... Now, after my dance, his mask was off again. And when I brought the Washita sage to him then, he spoke and thanked me. He saw who I was through the dance I had done! We were eguals in the hunt for true glory... brothers in a similar challenge to bring change through peace....Let me tell you now about the "battle of Washita", where the blood of indians a hundred years ago feeds the sagfe I gathered. Custer mowed down Black Kettles village, a peaceful village , at 5 am. Custer had promised he'd never do that again. custer killed the innocent there that day, the women, the children. why would you (reader) or anyone read these words and not realize how sacred it is that we live true NOW. and this does not mean finding folks to cal lenemy to kill . It means life in harmony... right where your power resides... from inside out... and in every person/interaction you choose to rise to. Don't listen to me. I am still confused. Follow your HEART. It will filter to good from there... the elders came up to me later that day... the whole community thanked me for my dance, by treating me with respect unknown there till then. they learned that White guys can still care. And our local police and fireman/women doctors... etc. etc. Mechanics... etc. etc. Housewives...and so many prove it each and every day. But if yo do not join in with your beauty/art/offering... it will all be lost. we need the part YOU bring. yes we do. The indian elders told me to get a bunch of big eagle feathers and come back next year and dance with them... and so too can you.