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  February 27, 2008 6:31 PM

http://quiz.myyearbook.com/myspace/Animals/10936/What_Spirit_Animal_Guides_You.html

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continue for animal prose, poetry, music, stories.   [ send green star]
 
 February 27, 2008 5:57 PM

Tatanka
by ErthAvengr
They stand majestic on the land,
Which Mother Earth provides,
And bring great strength to those who follow,
And where great honor presides

~~~~~~~~~

Through time their gift of life and warmth,
Gives comfort for all days,
They ask to roam,
their freedoms right,
In peace to live their ways.

~~~~~~~~~~

The time is now for us to act,
To stand forth tall and strong,
To bring forth strength to help them back,
Help mankind right a wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The buffalo calf now born in white,
As prophecies come true,
The light of hope and peace will come,
The old world will renew.

~~~~~~~~~~

It takes us all, the colors four,
To work this Earthly gift,
As Miracle, the white born calf,
Has brought about this shift.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The prayers and tears of Nations' hearts,
Have drummed the sorrows clean,
And now it's time to bring them back,
In strength,
the Buffalos' Dream.

MITAKUYE OYASIN!

Copyright 1997 ErthAvengr

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 February 27, 2008 5:56 PM

 I believe that the values surrounding wildness transcend the values of treachery, and that wildness in our fellow animals will not, cannot, disappear.  Yellowstone‚s majestic bison are wild, in part, because they still follow their instinctual drive to migrate, unimpeded by fences, if not by human greed and arrogance.

Observing them can teach us lessons that I only wish more of our own species would embrace.
           
1. Realize that we're all in this together. Draw strength from others.
Bison herds range from family units to 20-50 animals (group size varies with the seasons) and are ordered in an intricate social structure. Members of the herd form strong bonds with each other.

2. Let the women lead; they know where they‚re going.
Family groups are matriarchal; an adult cow leads when groups travel together.

3. Love your mother.
Offspring may remain with mom for as long as three years after birth.

4. You ARE your brother‚s keeper. Unite for the greater good.
When threatened, bison form a tight circle.

5. Protect the children.
Calves go in the center of the circle.

6. Ruminate. Act deliberately. Do a job thoroughly.
Bison are ruminants (cud-chewers); they bring up partially-digested food from their four-chambered stomach for thorough chewing.

7.  Persevere in the face of difficulty.  You have what it takes. 
Yellowstone bison spend long, harsh winters plowing through deep snow with their massive forequarters. Their muscular hump is structural, supported by underlying vertebrae extensions (unlike a camel‚s, which is fat). The hump helps supports the huge head, which is used to sweep aside snow in search of frozen vegetation.

8. Pay attention to good grooming.
Bison groom frequently, rubbing against trees to remove loose fur and taking dust baths.

9. Stay active. Size is no excuse; even the largest of us can be athletic.
Although bison, the largest North American land mammal -- can weigh 2000 pounds, they can run 30 mph and can swim rivers over half a mile wide.

10. Foster curiosity, travel, expand your range. Sometimes other grass IS greener.
Bison are both curious and migratory creatures who travel long distances along traditional routes as food availability changes with the seasons.

11. Remember to have fun.
Bison are gregarious, social creatures. At one month old, calves form play groups.

12. Let it all hang out. Express your feelings; reveal your emotions.
A bison's tail tells all. Hanging down and switching casually, a bison is at ease; extending out but drooping at the end, she is mildly agitated; extended straight up, he is ready to charge.

13. Care for your home, the Earth. Leave it better than you found it.
Bison move continuously as they feed, rarely overgrazing an area, unlike cattle. Their hooves till and compact the soil, to which they add beneficial fertilizer.

14. Leave your mark on the world.
Since arriving in North America during the Ice Age, bison have had a greater impact on the continent's landscapes than any other species. Ranging from Alaska to Mexico, they were the only large plant-eater to successfully make the transition from Ice Age to warmer, drier climates, and, on an evolutionary timescale, have been studied as a key species throughout these changes.

15. Know your enemies, but equally important, know who honors and respects you.
Historically, the railroads paid hunters to exterminate the great herds, thus making way for settlers' cattle; today, when Yellowstone bison migrate across the park boundary onto adjacent public land, Montana‚s Department of Livestock exterminates America‚s remaining wild bison to "protect" their cattle empire. 
          
Historically, many Native American tribes, whose traditional way of life was decimated along with the great herds on which they relied, conducted buffalo-honoring ceremonies to ensure the health, well-being, and return of the bison; today, modern-day Buffalo Warriors honor America's last wild bison by working for their well-being, protection, and freedom. Won't you join us?  [ send green star]
 
 February 27, 2008 5:55 PM

Prairie dog and buffalo
Prairie dog and buffalo roamed northern plain

Tiny and large enjoy days in copious innocence

Until poison and bullets whizzing like metal flies

Forced to lose heaven‚s sanctified knoll

Faint smiling visages on sun-kissed mounds

Inhaling what is left of their home, they wait

For government uniforms to sneak up

Those we vote for murder indiscriminately

Insurrection comes as we lie down peacefully

Near satiated buffalo‚s on vast lonesome space

Horns curved and ready, fat prairie dog paws

gently nibble on the grain of sunkissed lands

Staring back at barrels, they are powerless

They are more victims of human ignorance

Ready to withstand their ground from onslaught

Waiting to disappear like those before them.

2005 By Diana Morton.  [ send green star]
 
YOUR SPIRIT AFFECTS WILDLIFE & VS February 27, 2008 5:54 PM

EARTH IN MOTION  
by Monica RavenHeart
What the bison are teaching us

A great phenomenon is happening in our little part of the world: the animals are assuming the role of teacher. It is no longer possible for them to wait for humans to get it right.  In their annual exodus from the confines of Yellowstone Park , the last genetically wild bison are teaching us that movement is a sustainable, and inevitable, means to the revitalization of the earth.

In their prime, the bison herds that roamed the expanse of North America grazed on the hoof. Their biological makeup required them to eat on the move. Their mouths and teeth were designed to remove grasses in a rotating fashion at the base that left the root structure in place, stimulating the plants‚ growth. Their instinctual patterns of migration sustained the health of the land and that of millions of bison and other free-roaming ruminant herds. The symbiotic relationship between animals and earth allowed for the harmonious, optimal health of both. 

With the introduction of domesticated cattle came segregated land areas rendered fallow by constant compression. Cattle are contained in fenced parcels, restricting their movement. Their body weight compresses the earth, and depresses the soil's ability to regenerate the native grasses critical to the health and well-being of the land and its native grazing animals. The land is unable to breathe and renew itself. Confined cattle are destructive to native plants, trees, shrubs, and riparian areas (banks of rivers and lakes). They are forced to stand, eat, and sleep in their own waste. There is nothing healthy or life-sustaining about this treatment, either for them or for those who consume them.

It has become evident, through the problems we now face, that life on this planet˜its very health˜requires movement. It requires migration. This reawakening can be seen in the recent critically dysfunctional behavior of migratory herd and flock species˜such as whales, elephants, caribou, birds, butterflies, and buffalo˜as they sacrificially persevere through every obstacle to actualize their DNA-encoded mission of migration. Thankfully, scientific data now undeniably shows that the energetic movement of hoofed, finned, and winged species (that instinctively follow magnetic routes) actually stimulates the earth's life blood, the mineral and magnetic forces contained in and around this planet. The continued cyclic stimulation of primary grid lines (the earth's energetic veins) is crucial to the internal mass and function of the earth. Humans, plants, animals, soil, and water (being chemically made up of the same mineral and liquid content as the earth) all mirror what happens when circulation is obstructed or completely cut off. Disease, stagnation, and death are certain over a period of time. For decades the earth has been showing us the signs of her struggle to maintain a healthy existence. She is showing us now that if she has to, she will take care of herself˜with bizarre weather patterns, tectonic shifts, or whatever else it may take. She is moving on.

The primary, universal goal was for humans and animals to be stewards of the earth. However, with separatism came self-imposed hierarchies, and the original mission and intent were lost to dominance and greed. Looking back now and pointing fingers serves no useful purpose. The sands in the hourglass are but a few grains, and we must awaken and act this minute or lose everything that is sustaining life on this planet. Right here in Montana we are allowing the few to dominate and destroy the last natural resources of the many. Mass trophy-home development, the destruction of vital waterways and riparian areas, and the slaughter of Yellowstone bison are issues that need our immediate intervention. Conservation lands designated as migration corridors are an attainable solution to preserving the vitality of our natural resources and will allow our local migratory species˜wild bison, elk, antelope, geese, swans, and others˜to show us the way to a naturally thriving, balanced, and harmonious existence on this earth. When we change, everything changes.

For more information on the importance of migration and how you can assist, attend the Drumming a Sacred Circle for Life event Sunday, March 18, at the Livingston Depot Center . Call 333-4098 for more information.
Monica RavenHeart  [ send green star]
 
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