A Solstice Message

Solstice
- the longest night of the year

- the time we reflect on our innermost self

A time to recognized where we have failed:

- not taken the time to support one another,

- thought we were alone when Creator was waiting for our prayer,

- forgotten our best intentions,

and a time to relight our commitment:

- to help, to share, to pray, to show our love

- to recognize how our actions affect the interrelated web of

plant/animal/air/water/humankind

- so we provide a future for our children.

Thank You For Participating In Holy Hill Center's Holiday Fundraiser!

The Thanksgiving weekend events were a tremendous success! We applaud and thank everyone who made it happen:

Claudia Schmidt who provided an evening of delightful entertainment,

The donors of a multitude of original art and handmade crafts and gifts,

The generosity of all the bidders,

The attendees of Saturday's filled workshop on Finding Health and Beauty by Eating in the Way of Our Ancestors,

The Lip Balm Ladies of Sunday's workshop,

Program presenters and everyone who came and helped.

We look forward to presenting regular workshops at Holy Hill Center in Leland in the coming new year! Please check back here often to see what's coming next!

Happy Holidays and Thank you!

Press Release: Our Holiday Fundraiser is Fast-Approaching!

The Holy Hill Center of Leland, founded by Keewaydinoquay in 1995, presents a Three Day Holiday Event, beginning with a Benefit Concert and Silent Auction on November 28 featuring:

Claudia Schmidt in Concert Celebrating Family and Friends

A Silent Auction will also be held, offering beautiful and unique items perfect for holiday giving, including a give-away table for those 10 and under. Come shop for the Holidays in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

The Concert begins at 8 PM, while doors open for the Silent Auction at 6:30 PM.
Refreshments will be available.

We hope to see you at the Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 6726 Center Road, Traverse City, Michigan.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and those over 60. They are available at the door and at: The Corner Druggist in Elk Rapids, and in Traverse City at Oryana Natural Foods and Horizon Books.

For more information or to register for the workshops, contact Lee Boisvert at 231-322-2320, poonse@hughes.net or www.holyhillcenter.com.

The second Event, on November 29, is titled "Traditional Foods for Health, Beauty and Strength."
It will be held at the Holy Hill Center 201 Second Street, Leland, from 9 AM to 5 PM with lunch and two snacks provided. This day addresses the work of Sally Fallon, who has extensively researched how whole foods differ from much of the prepared foods available to us. $40 per person.

On the third day, November 30, there will be two workshops at the Holy Hill Center:
1." Make and Take Lip Balm for Holiday Gifting." 1-3 PM for $10/person
2. "Naturally Beautiful Gift Decorating and Wrapping." 3-5 PM for $10/person

We hope to see you all there!

Reminder! Our Events Are Coming Up Soon!

Hello Everyone!

It has been a beautiful fall and it is progressing into a beautiful winter! As you all know, winter is a time for family and friends. Since the holidays are fast-approacing, don't forget Holy Hill Center's Holiday Fundraiser and Workshops! Support a local Michigan non-profit and get your holiday shopping done at the same time!


Click the links below for information:

Holiday Fundraiser!
~Silent Auction
~Concert featuring Claudia Schmidt
~Refreshments
~Give-away table for children

Weekend Workshops!
~Health, Beauty and Strength Through Nourishing Traditional Foods
~Make natural holiday gifts and wrapping
~Taught by knowledgable and qualified instructors

From your friends at Holy Hill Center, keep warm and we hope to see you at our events in a few weeks!

November 28-Concert and Silent Auction

On November 28th there will be a Fund Raiser for the Holy Hill Center! Doors open at 6:30 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Center Road, Traverse City, Michigan.

Festivities Include:
~Claudia Schmidt in Concert "Celebrating Family and Friends" at 8 PM
~Refreshments will be available
~Silent Auction will also be held, offering beautiful and unique items perfect for holiday giving, including a give-away table for those 10 and under. Come shop for the Holidays in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.


If you haven't heard of Claudia Schmidt, she is a talented Michigan native who specializes in folk, blues, and jazz music. Come on over and check her out! Not only will there be a concert, but you can also do your holiday shopping at the silent auction!

Tickets are $10 per adult and $5 for students and those over 60. All of the proceeds go to the Holy Hill Center for use in furthering knowledge of native culture.

Don't miss our other upcoming events:

November 29- "Traditional Foods for Health and Happiness"
Location: Holy Hill Center in Leland Michigan
Time: 9 AM to 5 PM
Lunch and two delicious snacks provided. $50 per person.

November 30- Two workshops at the Holy Hill Center
1. "Make and Take Lip Balm for Holiday Gifting." 1-3 PM $10/person
2. "Naturally Beautiful Gift Decorating and Wrapping." 3-5 PM $10/person

Start of the New 500 Year Calendar

Once again hello! We hope you are enjoying the lovely fall weather! One of the friends of the Holy Hill Center sent along this message, and we felt we should share it with all of you! Hopefully you too can participate by making a fire on October 1st!

"THE NEW 500 YEAR CALENDAR

Sunrise October 1, 2008

On July 28, 2008, two members of the Peace Connection Committee, from Northeastern Illinois University, left Chicago to drive 900 miles to Manwiaki, Ontario, Canada to visit with Grandfather William Commanda and invite him to take part in our 09-09-09 World Peace Gathering. Grandfather Commanda is the keeper of the 700 year old Seven Fires Prophecy Belt. His life and work is dedicated to Peace. His annual Circle of All Nations Gatherings at his home, in late July, have attracted peace keepers from all over the world. You can read more of Grandfather William Commanda’s work at http://www.circleofallnations.com/.

On July 29, 2008, at 12:45 p.m., we arrived for our meeting and stepped into Grandfather Commanda’s home. Helpers were busily preparing for the arrival of over 1000 visitors for his annual gathering. Sitting on the couch to the left of the door was Leon Secatero, elder of the Canoncito Band of Navajo, To’Hajiilee, located west of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Years ago Leon founded the Spiritual Elders of Mother Earth, a group in consonance with the ancient teaching of the Americas concerning the eagle and the condor. For several years, Grandfather Leon has been developing a book he has entitled The Sacred Path for the Next 500 Years.

In early February, 2007, Grandfather Secatero suffered a stroke while speaking at a conference in Canada. When Leon experienced his stroke and journeyed to the other side, he found himself among an assembly of Wind Walkers – the spirits of the many elders and medicine people he had known over the decades of his life. The Wind Walkers had knowings they wanted to share. Their communications helped illuminate Leon’s understandings about the sacred path leading into the next 500 years.

You can read the entire article, “Journey Among the Wind Walkers: Grandfather Secatero Recovers from Stroke” by Steve McFadden, April, 2007, Chiron Communications, Santa Fe, New Mexico.



Sunrise, October 1, 2008

Leon stayed for our three hour meeting with Grandfather Commanda and shared, “The new 500 year calendar will begin at sunrise on October 1, 2008. The “Winds of Change” will begin on that day. We asked if it would be a good idea for people to light a sacred fire where ever they live, at sunrise, to begin this new 500 year calendar? Leon nodded his head in approval.

Where ever you are, where ever you live, do what ever feels right for you to connect to the beginning of this new 500 year calendar. We will be lighting our sacred Peace Fire at sunrise (5:48 a.m.) on Wednesday, October 1, 2008, at Northeastern Illinois University, in Chicago. You are welcome to join us. The Fire will be attended and burn all day. You can come and sit for a few minutes or a few hours. We plan to have a gathering and talking circle beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the evening. Bring your own lawn chair, and make sure you get a parking permit if you plan to park on campus.

*excerpts from this message were taken from the “Journey Among the Wind Walkers,” by Steven McFadden.

2ND ANNUAL PEACE CONFERENCE
October 6 & 7, 2008
The Peace Connection Committee along with Academic Development is hosting our 2nd Annual Peace Conference. The conference is free and open to the public. The theme this year is Fire & Water. A Peace Fire and talking circle will open the conference at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, October 6, and the Peace Fire will be used to close the conference on Tuesday, October 7, at 8:00 p.m.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME

If you have any questions contact Dan Creely Jr. at d-creely@neiu.edu "
COMING SOON: List of upcoming events!

Article about Nokomis Keewaydinoquay in the Traverse City Record-Eagle

Hello, my friends!

It has been a little while since you've had any updates from the Holy Hill Center, but there's a great one for today! One of my fellow Holy Hill Center Board Members sent me a lovely article about Nokomis Kee that was published in the Traverse City Record-Eagle in May.

If you haven't had a chance to read "Kee's Lessons: Woman learns, teaches ways of American Indian scholar" yet, you should click on the article title above and the link will take you right to it. I think this passage especially exemplifies what we at the Center feel to be our purpose in spreading the knowledge, culture, and history of this remarkable woman.

"Grandmother said, 'We are family.' I would hear many variations of that over council fires and in many different circles, and I finally came to realize that we weren't just saying, 'I'm a sister, I'm a granddaughter to everyone in the circle.' What we're really saying is that we are all part of all life. Grandmother called that 'interconnectedness'...All humans once lived in earth-based cultures. I think there's a genetic memory, that we all lived close to Mother Earth and knew the power of that closeness."

Since we are all interconnected with the earth and all other things, why not share equally among us all. That way we can all benefit. We all rise together, or we all fall together. Let us hope that the coming years will be a time for us to rise!

Our Publications!

The Holy Hill Center, in conjunction with the University of Michigan Press, recently published a manuscript called "Keewaydinoquay, Stories from My Youth." This book is a remarkable account of what it was like to grow up as a young Native woman stuck between traditional native values and the newer western lifestyle. It lays out the foundation for the life of Keewaydinoquay (called by her friends and students "Nokomis" or grandmother as a term of respect) and tells how experiences helped her to become a caring teacher to both Natives and non-natives alike.

Keewaydinoquay, Stories from My Youth was made a Michigan Notable Book in 2007. If you haven't heard of Michigan Notable Books, according to the Michigan Notable Books' website, it is a governmentally-funded program, that "annually selects 20 of the most notable books published in the year. The selections are reflective of Michigan's diverse ethnic, historical, literary, and cultural experience. This program has roots stretching back to Michigan Week 1991. The Library of Michigan has had primary responsibility for this program since the 2002 awards. Before 2004, the program was called Read Michigan." The Holy Hill Center is humbly glad our book was the recipient of such an award, and hope that this wonderful tale can touch the lives of many as it has touched ours.

In addition, the writing of both books (Stories from my Youth, and our upcoming Adult Life) was also supported in part by a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council, which is a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

But don't just take my word on it, some of the reviewers on Amazon.com had this to say:

A lyrical tale of a native childhood by a great healer, April 25, 2007
By Karen Vaughan "Herblady" (Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY USA)

Keewaydinoquay, the Anishinaabeg medicine woman and ethnobotanist who recently died was a great inspiration to herbalists, Native and non-native alike. I had the good fortune to attend a workshop with her before she died and her stories have become an important part of my repertoire. This book, partially written by her and partially reconstructed from notes and recordings compiled by her apprentices is a lyrical tale of growing up between worlds. When the great depression hit her family lost money and was forced back to the woods, but for her it was a paradise with wild otters and wild places where she could find specimens to sell to the University for extra money. She tells of her apprenticeship to the venerable medicine woman Nodjimahkwe and the teachings that meant so much to her. I highly recommend it.

What was it like in the 1920s ?, March 26, 2006
By Robert L. Curtner "metaworker" (East Lansing, MI USA)

So much of what is published about living "native" in the 20th century focuses on events West of the Mississippi. This collection of Michigan stories explains the relationship of people to the natural environment from the point of view of a girl who was raised in a traditional way, to know balance and living the good life. Wonderful blending of events, healing, and what has come to be called supernatural.

Knowing Kee, September 7, 2008
By Ned S. Coates

Experiencing Kee was a life-changing experience for me and others. Her books, including this one, give us a sense of her power, knowledge, and heart.

The Holy Hill Center is very delighted to be able to share these wonderful stories with you! Don't forget! Keewaydinoquay, My Adult Life, is on its way! Keep a weathered eye out! If you have any questions about the book or Nokomis Kee's teachings, the Center would love to hear from you!

Welcome!

Welcome to the NEW Holy Hill Center Blog!

We are a non-profit organization based in Leland, Michigan. We are the legacy of the lady whose picture is at the left here, Keewaydinoquay Pakawakuk Peschel , a Crane clan elder and scholar. In addition to publications and oral teachings, she was a professor of Ethnobotany and Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee in the 1980s. Her works include numerous books on herbs, Native American medicine and rare legends for children and adults. Her willingness to teach those of other than native backgrounds still causes some controversy, but we at the Holy Hill Center believe this information should be shared, since all people from all walks of life can benefit from it. We hope that you will continue to read our Blog and perhaps join us in some of our upcoming events!

Visit our Website for more information about the Center:

http://www.holyhillcenter/.com