I have thought long and hard about this particular article..
I wish to speak from the heart from past actions and reactions to present day results.
I know from the lessons from that of my youth to now in my Elder-hood, that one should not repeat mistakes once learned that they are mistakes, and just go on and do better in your life. This being from the beginning of time itself, human beings strive for till we make our journey to the spirit world.
Even in our infancy, we begin a darker trek of making enemies of some kind.. be it food that we end up spitting back at our parents who feed us, to making an enemy of the one having our face wiped, our bodies washed, fresh diaper/nappies changed and clothes put on and taken off!
The point is, all though life be it people, places or things we make and have enemies!
We as said human beings, no matter what age deal with people, places and things that will literally piss us off!
How we deal with the mentioned, is how one matures in wisdom in the life we are given, depending very strongly on our individual makeup and patience of oneself and others.
Personally, I am not one who will fold my hands, roll my eyes and not say or do something.. I am here to say in all honesty, even though I am a Spiritual Leader, there are certain situations you have to put a choke-collar on me like a junk yard dog!
I am a Warrior in every since of the word and not one who will lay down to be kicked just so the enemy can get their jollies by kicking the stuffing out of me physically or spiritually..
Through the years of RedNation's development, there has been all the above mentioned that has happened and then some.
I am not trying to sound racist here, only an example of what happened in the beginnings.. There were these "Apples" white on the inside, red on the outside.. whom tried to run this Nation with white ideals and governmental laws and regulations, instead of a true Indigenous Nation.
Granted, part of the governmental structure was similar but still was not what was wanted to be done in the "Older Ways" of the people as a whole. Enemies...
Then a few years down the road, we had some of these same kind of people wanted to just "take over" push the founding heads and Elders completely OUT (Get This) BECAUSE we were doing everything in the teachings of the "Older Ways" and Customs.. (Shrugs Shoulders Here)..
Now we go ahead a few more years from here plugging along.. we still never stopped growing world-wide! things only changed where we no longer printed Nation Cards or had an annual gathering pow-wow. The biggest change was in 2010, where we HAD a principle Chief.. he decided to change his direction and the Nations. He planned to go in the direction we as a Nation, fought tooth and nail to stay away from.. POLITICS!
He decided he was going to run for the Chief of Tahlequah, Oklahoma and push Chad Smith out of his chair and office, all based on his linage to Nancy Ward.
Then he took campaign monies from a Florida group and several people and royally failed.
In that time, the Elders of RedNation and myself rescued the Nation and pulled away from him before this said person destroyed what had been built up over so many years. We gave him the rights to keep RedNation (of the Cherokee).. and we continued on with what is present-day known as: "RedNation" which is as it was intended from the beginning.. a "Teaching" and "Spiritual" Nation for all Indigenous First Nation Peoples all over the entire world, not just Cherokee alone.
This Nation thrives to present day, even without the much needed modern resources.
Through prayers, Spirit, and much determination, we put one foot in front of the other and keep the eternal flame of our ancestors burning.
Sharing the fragmented knowledge, ways, customs still among all Nations across Mother Earth, keeping alive and preserving to the best of our abilities now and on into the future itself. No matter what type of enemy physical or spiritual confronts us, this will always be RedNation's goal.
