[BearwWthoutBorders] Native Americans, Good and Evil Forces, Lost Tribes of Israel, and More

[Hunter Gray]

Native Americans, Good and Evil Forces, Lost Tribes of Israel, and More
NOTE BY HUNTER BEAR:

One of the more perceptive questions that I've been asked in the relatively
recent past came in trenchant fashion from my newspaper reporter/key editor
son, Pete [Mack], when he asked, "If you had to choose between physical
health  on the one hand and your thinking and writing
ability on the other, which would you take?"

"My mind always," I replied.

He asked that in the late Fall of 2003, when I had at least one foot into
the Fog of Immortality.

So far, so good as far as my mind, thinking, writing and speaking are
concerned.  But, perhaps because of the natural uncertainty, I never pass up
a speaking request [if it is physically possible] and I always answer the
many Hunterbear-website questions sent to me each week.  I have always had a
good response record on honest questions and, as a professor, kept very
broad and quite flexible office hours --  always open as well to student
calls and visits to my home. A fine older friend, Jim Dombrowski, originally
from Florida, and in later life the New Orleans-based executive director of
the Southern Conference Educational Fund, for which I was privileged to work
for a good spell as Field Organizer, was a man who answered almost all mail
he received.  Another in this welcome genre was venerable Elmer Keith,
Salmon Idaho, and a nationally known outdoor writer [Sports Afield] for many
decades.  One of Beba's prize possessions was a painstakingly written
response from Mr Keith, following a carefully written very youthful hunting
question.

Yesterday, I received a very serious and complex long query from a
non-Indian.  My impression is that he is young.  Here, minus his name, is my
response -- now posted simply in the interests of stimulating thought and
maybe broadening a few horizons -- even though I suspect many will disagree
with a point or two.  His questions are pretty clearly indicated by my
answer:
________________________

Dear J. [from Hunter Bear, 1/24/06]  [Native Americans, Good and Evil
Forces, Lost Tribes of Israel, and More]

You have asked several questions and I'll give you my opinion -- but you
should recognize, of course, that it is just that.  And in the Western
Hemisphere there are as many tribal cultures as there are the thousands of
Native tribal/national societies.  There are, certainly, many common
components and values.

Among the parapsychological [ESP] dimensions that have been pretty well
proven via observation of spontaneous phenomena and also through scientific
inquiry in labs -- telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition etc -- is
telekinesis which is sometimes known as psychokinesis: simply stated, mind
over matter.  Whether these and/or other paraspych qualities are universal
or limited to unique individuals is speculative. Personally I think all
humans have some of these qualities -- though with some they are closer to
the surface; and, too, there are some cultures [tribal] that nourish them
and others [ much of the Anglo urban industrial world] that seek to repress
them.

  I personally have no problem seeing positive, good, healing and helping
and protective qualities stemming and being stimulated by the Creator-force.
Many scientists would disagree with me on the matter of Creator.  But I
think bona fide [well trained] tribal Medicine Men [or, in some cases,
women] have, comparatively speaking, much more "ready" telekinetic abilities
which, stimulated and shaped by time-honored religious ritual in the context
of traditional religious ceremony, can effect healing ["great and small"]
and protection and many other desirable things.

For those who play the role of Witches, I also see the "relatively more
"ready" telekinetic abilities" "gone bad" and I see the Skinwalkers, whether
or not they have any open psychic abilities, as deviants: dupes and pawns of
the Witch.  In the case of Witches and Skinwalkers, I firmly believe the
basic motive is just plain larceny in the most crass sense: planting
"spells" for money and/or frightening people out of their usually very rural
homes and just plain robbing them.

An authentic Medicine Man does not seek material wealth -- though it is
usually considered proper to bring some sort of gift [e.g.,perhaps tobacco,
or a good blanket.]  A Witch always demands its fee in advance.

Personally, I don't see Supernatural Evil as a reality -- but I do see
Supernatural Good as very real.  Of course, I recognize that, however anyone
sees the Supernatural or even whether one recognizes any of it as Real,
there are many good people and good actions and there are people whose lives
and actions are evil by the mores of their society -- and in many cases
those of Humanity in general.

Of course, there are many good and thoughtful people who do indeed feel
there is Supernatural Evil.

I think Good always transcends Evil -- sooner or later.

On the Lost Tribes of Israel, I would not attribute too much.  There are
many rivers that have mixed with the Anglo Europeans and produced those of
the present day. Some of those contributing streams come from Asia and some
from sections of Africa and some from the Middle East.  There is certainly
no question about Semitic [Jewish] admixture in Europe -- especially eastern
Europe but there are many questions about just how "old" that is.

I am familiar, friendly, and respectful regarding the LDS [Mormon] faith,
which does hold [among its other teachings], the migration of lost Israeli
tribes into the Americas.  I do feel that the overwhelming weight of
evidence re the "origin" of Native Americans lies almost completely in the
broad realm of northeastern Asia -- with a very long period of Bering
Straits land-bridge crossover into the "New World." [This doesn't rule out
occasional visitors from other regions -- such as the Vikings for which a
fair amount of evidence re Nova Scotia now exists.]  And, in the broad realm
of Native American ethnicity, there have always been many physical
variations.  But the basic stock is certainly Mongoloid -- although many
scientists now classify Native Americans as a "separate stock" -- although
with far-off origins in present day Siberia and Mongolia and environs.

Native people are divided on this.  Many hold to the traditional Creation
explanations held by the culture of each tribal nation -- and the
presumption there is that Native people originated in this hemisphere.
Others see  Northeastern Asia origin as the explanation.  And many of us see
the traditional tribal Creation explanations in symbolic terms -- I,
personally, certainly do.  Everyone agrees that Native American people have
been on these shores for many, many, many thousands of years.

However, I see no reason why an Israeli tribe or tribes could not have, at
some very, very archaic point, moved into the Northeastern Asia setting and
crossed into the New World.  People migrate and people "mix."

There are many fine books on Native Americans [and, sadly, many that are not
so good.]  On the Navajo, I recommend -- as fairly easily secured in any
good college or university library -- the works of Clyde Kluckhohn and
Dorthea Leighton.  There are several very solid works by these scholars and,
although they were done in the mid-20th century, have much continuing value.
A quite good and recent book on the Navajo -- should not be hard to find,
is, Dine' -- A History of the Navajos, by Peter Iverson [Albuquerque:
University of New Mexico Press, 2002.]  A big book, it is replete, among
other things, with solid references.  Monty Roessel, himself Navajo, has
many fine photos therein.

Although it is not always easy to find -- I have a copy -- Ancient America
and the Book of Mormon, by Milton Hunter and Thomas Stuart Ferguson
[Oakland, California:  Kolub Book Company, 1950] does a fine job of
presenting the Lost Tribes in the context of Mormon scholarship.

I hope this has been helpful. If you have any further queries, I will try to
answer them -- but I may not be able to write back quickly.  Take care and
all the best.

H.

HUNTER GRAY  [HUNTER BEAR/JOHN R SALTER JR]   Mi'kmaq /St. Francis
Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk
www.hunterbear.org
Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´
 and Ohkwari'

Check out our big page on the art and practice of Community Organizing
http://www.hunterbear.org/my_combined_community_organizing.htm

In our Gray Hole, the ghosts often dance in the junipers and sage, on the
game trails, in the tributary canyons with the thick red maples, and on the
high windy ridges -- and they dance from within the very essence of our own
inner being. They do this especially when the bright night moon shines down
on the clean white snow that covers the valley and its surroundings.  Then
it is as bright as day -- but in an always soft and mysterious and
remembering way. [Hunter Bear]