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Bear
Clan
The Bear Clan is the caretaker of
the Earth's medicines. The Iroquois people have passed
on stories for generations about how the Bear Clan people
came to receive the gift of medicines from and elder woman
who had the knowledge of healing with the medicines from
the Earth.
The legend says that an Iroquois village was visited by
a strange man seeking food and shelter. This stranger
was turned away by every Longhouse he came to until he
came to the house of the Bear Clan. The elder woman of
the house welcomed him in and shared her food with him.
The next morning, the stranger became sick and told the
woman to go gather a certain plant. He told her how to
make a medicine from it, and when he took the medicine,
he was better. The next day the stranger became sick again,
with a different sickness. Again he sent the woman to
gather a plant and instructed her how to make a medicine
from it.
The cycle repeated as the man came down with many different
sicknesses, sent the woman to gather many different plants
and instructed her how to prepare them to cure the sickness.
This stranger was the Creator, and He had taught her the
cures for all the sicknesses of His People. He told her
from that day on members of the Bear Clan were keepers
of the medicines, and Medicine Men and Women were to always
belong to the Bear Clan.
Wolf Clan
The people of the Wolf Clan are known
as the fire keepers, and hold all informational things.
They are the pathfinders, as it is the Wolf that gives
us direction in the way that we shojuld go on the pathways
of life. The Wolf is responsible for guiding the people
in their lives to live in the way the Creator wished for
them. The Wolf is respected for its sense and importance
of family, teaching us to use our ears and be watchful,
just as a family does. In nature, the Wolf seeks out and
explores new situations to find new knowledge and return
it to the pack. Passion, benevolence, artistic ability,
generosity, sympathy and understanding are all qualities
of the Wolf Clan. The Wolf Clan are often the ones to
whom others turn to in time of need. They have a great
sense of curiosity and while they might explore on their
own they prefer the company of others.
Turtle Clan
In the Creation story, the Earth began
to grow after the muskrat brought mud from the bottom
of the sea and placed it on the back of the Turtle. Live
was created from the Earth. The Earth is a representation
of what we refer to as the World and the Turtle has the
Earth on its back. North America is referred to as 'Turtle
Island' because of this. The Turtle has all the responsibility
of the shifting Earth and the cycles of the Moon. It is
the Turtle Clan's responsibility to look after the environment.The
Turtle represents the Earth, as well as all the gifts
that the earth provides the people. The Turtle teaches
patience and to never give up with the use of strength
and solidarity; the Turtle is old and wise and well respected.
Turtle Clan people need a strong base where they can live
and grow roots. They move slowly to teach patience; lessons
learned are not fogotten. Although Turtles may appear
slow, their determination allows them to obtain their
goals. The Turtle is a creature of two elements --earth
and water. Because of this, the people of the turtle clan
share a bond with both of these. They enjoying helping
things grow --plants and people, yet enjoy their freedom
just as a Turtle would in the water. |
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