33 this area. The main power of all, however, lies in the spirit of the water. Our water. The Life giver. Baa’ bumundun nakand (Water is life). Our Creation story tells us of how ‘tamme newe’, the people, were created from the earth. We have no written language, so our stories have been passed down through generations of oral tradition. Despite how Indigenous peoples have been negatively impacted by external influences, we are fortunate to retain our stories through our language. When I am feeling lost, my language, water, and the mountains all have a power that centers me. Creation stories vary between each tribal band, but the one commonality is that the people, animals, and elements of nature all play a specific role in the creation and continuation of the human race. Native spirituality is focused on the cyclical nature of life and the interconnectedness of water, earth, humans, and animals, each serving a specific role in the sustainability of life and the survival of the other. The whirlwinds, although giving the appearance of havoc and chaos, are performing a ceremony. Whirlwinds are connecting the sky, the air, and the earth in one motion, sending seeds and medi- cines in the air that are essential for our beloved ecosystems. Our World. My feeling of connection with the earth goes back as far as I remember. Maybe it was the time in which I was born. While the 1960s yielded war, it also ushered in a new generation of belief. It was the time of hippies, Red Power, a time of love for each other and a love for Mother Earth. I’m not alone in sharing the belief that the human connection to our elements is authentic and the need to return to our homelands is imprinted in our DNA. Perhaps this is why most people always return home after being away for long periods of time. Many of us leave home to attend schools, to begin a new life away from our familiar surroundings, or to join the service and continue the legacy that our Veteran Warriors have started— protecting our lands from coast to coast. Even the buffalo have returned to the Wind River Valley after being gone for over 130 years. A return to the land means we have come full circle. Whatever the reason, we always return home. Of course, nobody wants to return for the ultimate reason, but we all do at some point. I know when the creator comes calling and I’ve fulfilled my purpose in this world, I will close my eyes in this plane and open them in the next. I will be met by my grandfathers and grandmothers who will welcome me to the lodge of the new winter and join others who have walked on before me. The riverbank of the Green River will glisten in the sun as we begin to form a whirlwind and make our way across the land, returning to the place we once called home.
