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My Spirit Soars
Paperback
96 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 2, 2021
As I was reading this book I thought of how I have already thought some of his thoughts about nature and our dying planet, and I wonder if this was something people think about when they get old, or if it is just the way many of us may be thinking about the planet today because we can see it dying? Dan George talks about the dying of the Indian way of life, of animals, and of this planet, and he thought a lot about grandchildren. In some ways this doesn't make it spiritually uplifting to me, not like his other book, "My Heart Soars." Instead, it saddens me, but it can give those who read it much to think about.
Chief Dan George was of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation in Vancouver, Canada. He played in many movies and even received an Academy Award nomination for his role in "Little Big Man," but it is obvious from his writings that he had retained his Native American spirituality and placed much more attention on it than on his acting career, and for that I am glad.
Helmut Hirnschall was his friend and did the drawings in his book. He also wrote the Epilogue to this book.
My Indian friend is reading a book on the Iroquois, and they believe in paying attention to your dreams, and when I read this epilogue by Hirnschall it made me realize that I should really do the same. I have only had two dreams in my life that actually changed me, putting my life in a different direction for the better. Because of the dreams, I couldn't do otherwise; they were that powerful.
Helmut Hirnschall dreamed that Chief Dan George was going to die in September of one year, but it didn't happen. But in September of the following year Chief Dan George passed away. During his burial an eagle flew in the sky in circles over the gravesite, and when the grave was covered with soil, the eagle flew away.
There is just so much that people don't understand about the Native American spirituality and instead it is often thought of as filled with superstitions, but there are many things that we just can't understand about it. Things that bring one very close to nature in a way that is so deep and rewarding.
Here are some of his poems that were most meaningful to me:
"When I was born my grandfather took me from my mother and wrapped me into a black bear's soft fur blanket.
It gave me warmth! It gave me security and comfort! How can I be anything but grateful to the bear? Of all the creatures he is closest to man. Yet it seems there is little place for him now."
"The wolf has been driven from the land. Without him the
wolf clan cannot celebrate the
wolf ceremony. To lose a
ceremony is to lose the past."
"Our children must go to school to be
civilized. There they learn about churches. It
seems they have been built with the purpose of
finding fault with one another. When people
quarrel about churches they drag God into
their squabbles. My grandfather's church was
not built by men: therefore he could never have
taught me to quarrel with God. Our church
was nature."
"...I fear for my grandchildren.
I fear for the earth.
Man's vanity has the power to do away
with all life and cause the earth to shake the
foundations of the universe. Honestly, the kind
that carries respect for life, is the only force to
prevail over vanity."
July 19, 2017
I dreamed that my husband wanted me to come out to the back yard to show me something. In the back there was a large pile of concrete, that we had to walk around, and behind it were some old steps leading into a building. We walked up the first flight, and then came the landing. On the landing was an old twin size iron bed with an old quilt on top. Then you stepped into a small room.
In his old room there were many shelves of Indian things. I knew that an old wise man had lived there and died. I picked up a large handmade basket that was wide but not deep. I found a small doll. Then I found a maroon colored beaded stone necklace, stones that went down to my waist, and at the end up the stones there was a shell on the end. I also found one like it, but on the end was handmade cross that had leather wrapped around it. My husband had found something but I don’t recall what it was. Also Taffy and a calico cat that I had never seen before had followed us up there.
Then my husband and I heard some singing. We couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but it led us to the corner of the room. We then decided that maybe we should leave since we couldn’t find the source of the music, which made us uneasy.
We walked down stairs, but Taffy stayed up there, and the calico cat, which we had never seen before, came down stairs with us. Once down the stairs we were in an old barn, and there were Indians in it that were scattered around in groups doing different things. I saw Indian making moccasins with beautiful bead work, but I knew that the shoes he had wouldn’t fit me. I asked him what tribe he was in, and he told me, but it wasn’t a name that I was real familiar with, so I didn’t remember it when I woke up.
We walked back to the house, and the owner of the health food store here, I told her what had happened and also told her what we had found. She told me that it would bring us bad luck if we kept the artifacts. So we were going to take them back and find Taffy.
When I woke up, I thought of Dan George.
October 13, 2017
Dreamed again of Dan George’s old room. My husband and and I were walking through an old building on our property. It was a rectangular building made of old wood slats that were weathered, nailed on horizontally. We wanted to clean out the building of everything that other people had stored in it. For example, a thrift store had piles of clothing. Then I walked upstairs and opened the door. It was Dan George’s room. I closed the door and said, “This stays.” We walked outside, and the man who owned the house was there. We asked to buy it, but he would only rent it to us for $40 a month.
When I woke Up, I looked on the internet to see if there was a photo of his old home, and when I found it I was surprised that it looked like the one in my dream.
Chief Dan George was of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation in Vancouver, Canada. He played in many movies and even received an Academy Award nomination for his role in "Little Big Man," but it is obvious from his writings that he had retained his Native American spirituality and placed much more attention on it than on his acting career, and for that I am glad.
Helmut Hirnschall was his friend and did the drawings in his book. He also wrote the Epilogue to this book.
My Indian friend is reading a book on the Iroquois, and they believe in paying attention to your dreams, and when I read this epilogue by Hirnschall it made me realize that I should really do the same. I have only had two dreams in my life that actually changed me, putting my life in a different direction for the better. Because of the dreams, I couldn't do otherwise; they were that powerful.
Helmut Hirnschall dreamed that Chief Dan George was going to die in September of one year, but it didn't happen. But in September of the following year Chief Dan George passed away. During his burial an eagle flew in the sky in circles over the gravesite, and when the grave was covered with soil, the eagle flew away.
There is just so much that people don't understand about the Native American spirituality and instead it is often thought of as filled with superstitions, but there are many things that we just can't understand about it. Things that bring one very close to nature in a way that is so deep and rewarding.
Here are some of his poems that were most meaningful to me:
"When I was born my grandfather took me from my mother and wrapped me into a black bear's soft fur blanket.
It gave me warmth! It gave me security and comfort! How can I be anything but grateful to the bear? Of all the creatures he is closest to man. Yet it seems there is little place for him now."
"The wolf has been driven from the land. Without him the
wolf clan cannot celebrate the
wolf ceremony. To lose a
ceremony is to lose the past."
"Our children must go to school to be
civilized. There they learn about churches. It
seems they have been built with the purpose of
finding fault with one another. When people
quarrel about churches they drag God into
their squabbles. My grandfather's church was
not built by men: therefore he could never have
taught me to quarrel with God. Our church
was nature."
"...I fear for my grandchildren.
I fear for the earth.
Man's vanity has the power to do away
with all life and cause the earth to shake the
foundations of the universe. Honestly, the kind
that carries respect for life, is the only force to
prevail over vanity."
July 19, 2017
I dreamed that my husband wanted me to come out to the back yard to show me something. In the back there was a large pile of concrete, that we had to walk around, and behind it were some old steps leading into a building. We walked up the first flight, and then came the landing. On the landing was an old twin size iron bed with an old quilt on top. Then you stepped into a small room.
In his old room there were many shelves of Indian things. I knew that an old wise man had lived there and died. I picked up a large handmade basket that was wide but not deep. I found a small doll. Then I found a maroon colored beaded stone necklace, stones that went down to my waist, and at the end up the stones there was a shell on the end. I also found one like it, but on the end was handmade cross that had leather wrapped around it. My husband had found something but I don’t recall what it was. Also Taffy and a calico cat that I had never seen before had followed us up there.
Then my husband and I heard some singing. We couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but it led us to the corner of the room. We then decided that maybe we should leave since we couldn’t find the source of the music, which made us uneasy.
We walked down stairs, but Taffy stayed up there, and the calico cat, which we had never seen before, came down stairs with us. Once down the stairs we were in an old barn, and there were Indians in it that were scattered around in groups doing different things. I saw Indian making moccasins with beautiful bead work, but I knew that the shoes he had wouldn’t fit me. I asked him what tribe he was in, and he told me, but it wasn’t a name that I was real familiar with, so I didn’t remember it when I woke up.
We walked back to the house, and the owner of the health food store here, I told her what had happened and also told her what we had found. She told me that it would bring us bad luck if we kept the artifacts. So we were going to take them back and find Taffy.
When I woke up, I thought of Dan George.
October 13, 2017
Dreamed again of Dan George’s old room. My husband and and I were walking through an old building on our property. It was a rectangular building made of old wood slats that were weathered, nailed on horizontally. We wanted to clean out the building of everything that other people had stored in it. For example, a thrift store had piles of clothing. Then I walked upstairs and opened the door. It was Dan George’s room. I closed the door and said, “This stays.” We walked outside, and the man who owned the house was there. We asked to buy it, but he would only rent it to us for $40 a month.
When I woke Up, I looked on the internet to see if there was a photo of his old home, and when I found it I was surprised that it looked like the one in my dream.
January 18, 2022
“My face is the land.
If you misunderstand one you will neglect the other.
If you harm one you scar the other.
If you shame one you cause the other to weep.
If you look at one and cannot call it’s name you will never know the other.
But how can you not know my face?
And how can you not know the land?
Is it not all around you?
Is it not part of all you do and live for?”
How can you say you know yourself if you do not know the land on which you stand; a person estranged from their land will ignorantly discern that there was always a separation between the two. Chief Dan George pleads us to not to further this wedge.
If you misunderstand one you will neglect the other.
If you harm one you scar the other.
If you shame one you cause the other to weep.
If you look at one and cannot call it’s name you will never know the other.
But how can you not know my face?
And how can you not know the land?
Is it not all around you?
Is it not part of all you do and live for?”
How can you say you know yourself if you do not know the land on which you stand; a person estranged from their land will ignorantly discern that there was always a separation between the two. Chief Dan George pleads us to not to further this wedge.
June 23, 2017
4.5 stars
June 19, 2024
Filled with insightful words, captivating anecdotes, and heartfelt poetry, this book was a true pleasure to read, enhanced even further by the mesmerizing illustrations by Helmut Hirnschall.
His ruminations seemed to be a poignant expression of his thoughts on the dying Indian way of life, the diminishing animal population, and the state of our planet.
His words raise awareness for the future of his grandchildren, the environment, and all of us. Maybe trying to recall and capture the mystical essence that accompanies a deep connection to the land. The lovely yet melancholic poem, ‘To a Native Teenager’, vividly conveyed his feeling of discord, leaving a lasting impression.
The poems and anecdotes that stood out to me were: ‘There Is a Longing’, ‘The Empty Loon’s Nest’, ‘My Face is the Land’, ‘To a Native Teenager’, ‘If Your Soul Should Choose a Tree’, ‘I Never Scorned God’, ‘What Wonders and Hopes?’
My Spirit Soars was a wonderful read. Now, I am on a mission to find My Heart Soars, his other poetry book.
His ruminations seemed to be a poignant expression of his thoughts on the dying Indian way of life, the diminishing animal population, and the state of our planet.
His words raise awareness for the future of his grandchildren, the environment, and all of us. Maybe trying to recall and capture the mystical essence that accompanies a deep connection to the land. The lovely yet melancholic poem, ‘To a Native Teenager’, vividly conveyed his feeling of discord, leaving a lasting impression.
The poems and anecdotes that stood out to me were: ‘There Is a Longing’, ‘The Empty Loon’s Nest’, ‘My Face is the Land’, ‘To a Native Teenager’, ‘If Your Soul Should Choose a Tree’, ‘I Never Scorned God’, ‘What Wonders and Hopes?’
My Spirit Soars was a wonderful read. Now, I am on a mission to find My Heart Soars, his other poetry book.
March 10, 2024
Beautiful and sad but instructive. A book to read again and again.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews