Storytelling Webinar
Storytelling Webinar
With The Mother Earth Delegation
All donations appreciated.
* Fundraiser for the Mother Earth Delegation*
All are Welcome!
Stories • Prophecies • Instructions • Teachings
Grandmother Loretta Afraid of Bear Cook, Oglala Sioux Nation (Turtle Island)
Luisah Teish, Iyanifa and Oshun chief (USA)
Randy Lays Bad, Oglala Sioux Tribe (Turtle Island)
Elin Teilus, Sámi (Sápme, Sweden)
Shawna Bluestar, Shawnee Lenape (Turtle Island)
Steven T. Newcomb, Shawnee Lenape (Turtle Island)
Kurikindi, Sumae Causai (Kichua Nation, Ecuador)
Mama Edie McLoud Armstrong (Residing on the ancestral lands of the Council of Three Fires (Odawa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi))
Bonga, Master Haitian Drummer
The Mother Earth gave Her sacred gift of storytelling to the Original Peoples in the beginning days. These creation stories and stories that also prophesize and instruct have been passed down through the generations. These stories provide a tapestry of The Story of our existence.
They share the bigger picture of Mother Earth’s story and how all has evolved. We invite you to enter with us into this very sacred space and ceremonial time where traditional storytellers will share the stories that will help us walk through these challenging times. As Grandmother Luisah Teish says, “We must re-inspirit the art of storytelling. Our children must learn to sit still and listen. The story is important in their instruction.”
Storytelling Webinar with Loretta Afraid of Bear Cook, Randy Lays Bad, Kurikindi, Elin Teilus, Bonga, hosted by Jyoti Ma
Recorded on APRIL 25th, 2024
WATCH THE RECORDING HERE 
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Grandmother Loretta Afraid of Bear Cook, Oglala Sioux Nation (Turtle Island)
Loretta is a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation. She was born at home on Pine Ridge, South Dakota on November 22, 1947. She is the faith keeper and holder of the Afraid of Bear/American Horse Sundance Pipe. Fluent in the Lakota language and protocols, she serves as a cultural specialist and ceremonial keeper for her People. Loretta has made promoting Indigenous education and defending the political and human rights of Native peoples her life’s work. Her activism began in her twenties on the Trail of Broken Treaties as one of 800 Natives who occupied the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters in Washington, D.C. during the federal election week of November 1972. Their 20-point position paper became the basis of Indian thinking across Indian Country since, addressing the restoration of Indian lands and the reconstruction of a future for Indian peoples. Sixteen of the 20 points have been resolved in the 47 years since that time.
thefountain.earth
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Randy Lays Bad, Oglala Sioux Tribe (Turtle Island)
Randy Lays Bad, Oglala Sioux Tribe (Turtle Island)
Oglala Sioux Tribe
Lakota Language Speaker
Born: Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Education: Our Lady of Lourdes School; K – 8
Little Wound High School; 9 – 12
Oglala Lakota College; A.A & B.A Degree in Lakota Studies/ A.A in Tribal Law
2011 W.I.N.S(Washington Internship for Native Students) 8 week internship – intern at U.S.D.A – evening college courses at American University
Paraprofessional, Lakota Language Teacher, & Lakota Language Instructor
Type 2 firefighter & Engine Boss @ Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Fire Dept
Type 1 Tatanka Hotshot Firefighter @ Custer S.D
Oglala Sioux Tribal Council Representative in Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
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Kurikindi, Sumae Causai (Kichua Nation, Ecuador)
Golden Colibri from the Ecuadorian Amazon, Protector of Mother Earth and of the Sumae Causai, Guardian of the Amazon
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Elin Teilus, Sámi (Sápme, Sweden)
A singer, yoiker and artist of the Sámi. Daughter of the lands of Udtja, Sábme. From her rebel heart and with a proverb for the innocence of Life she yoiks the unseen and unspoken.
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Bonga, Master Haitian Drummer
Gaston Jean-Baptiste, known as “Bonga“, is a musical virtuoso who has been performing and studying traditional Haitian drum, dance and song since the age of seven. He began playing drums in his family’s peristil in his hometown of Croix-des-Mission in La Plaine, an area of Haiti known for culture and history.
Bonga is regarded as a master of the Afro Haitian drum, sought-after for his extensive repertoire of pan-African rhythms. A dynamic performer, accompanist, session player and educator, Bonga works on stage, in the recording studio, and in educational settings. He is one of the few drum experts and craftsmen outside of Haiti who continues to build traditional drums using techniques that are centuries old.
As a core member of the seminal Haitian roots bands, Boukman Eksperyans and Foulà, Bonga was invited to the U.S. in the ’90s when musicians were becoming a strong voice for the Haitian people. Since then, Bonga has continued to play solo and in ensemble and at numerous worldwide venues. He is a featured performer with Peter Yarrow, Grace Jones, Dan Zanes and Urban Tap, to mention a few. His drums opened the NY premiere of the Rolling Stones “Voodoo Lounge” tour and he is prominently featured on recordings by Wyclef Jean and Salif Keita.
Bonga’s first CD, Kanzo (2000), incorporates elements of jazz, blues, and funk to create a dynamic version of mizik rasin. The recording features Lou Reed, bassist Fernando Saunders, and trumpeter Frank London. Bonga’s second CD, Ayiti Afrika (2006), received critical acclaim. Featuring cellist Rufus Cappadocia, multi instrumentalist Peck Allmond and Guinean balafonist, Famoro Dioubate, Ayiti Afrika explores the African roots of Haitian music.
www.bongamusic.com
* Fundraiser for the Mother Earth Delegation*
Storytelling Webinar with Yeye Luisah Teish, Mama Edie, Steven Newcomb and Shawna Bluestar, hosted by Jyoti Ma
Recorded on FEBRUARY 29th, 2024
WATCH THE RECORDING HERE 
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Yeye Luisah Teish, Iyanifa and Oshun chief (USA)
Yeye Luisah Teish is a writer, storyteller- activist, and spiritual counselor. She is an initiated elder (Iyanifa) and woman chief in the Ifa/Orisha tradition of the African diaspora.
She has studied the indigenous spirituality of African, Native American (North, South, and Central) and Caribbean cultures. She is a priestess of Oshun, the Goddess of Love, Art, and Sensuality, and a devotee (mambo) of Damballah Hwedo, the Haitian Rainbow Serpent
She is the author of six books, most notably “Jambalaya: The Natural Woman’s Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals,” a women’s spirituality classic (1985) that has been translated into German, Dutch, and Spanish.
She co-authored “On Holy Ground: Commitment and Devotion to Sacred Land” with Leilani Bireley, a Hawaiian Kahuna.
Her latest work, “A Calabash of Cowries: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times” ( Feb. 2023.), is an Amazon Books best seller.
She has received a lifetime achievement award for community service from the International Black Women’s Congress, the XX award for Defending women’s rights, the Radical Truth Telling Award, and the Grandma’s Hands Award.
Luisah Teish is a writer, a ritual theater performance artist, and spiritual guidance counselor.
She has contributed to 25 anthologies and published articles in magazines such as Essence, MS, Shaman’s Drum and the Yoga Journal.
She is a featured storyteller in the film “Changing of the Gods.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU_QkhxfZjs&t=2s.
She can be reached at
https://linktr.ee/luisahteish
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Mama Edie McLoud Armstrong, (she/her/hers)
Residing on the ancestral lands of the Council of Three Fires (Odawa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi)
Bilingual Storyteller/Percussionist/Speech & Language Pathologist
Mama Edie McLoud Armstrong has often been called the “Singing, SIGNING, Spanish-Speaking, Storytelling, Percussion Playing Speech Pathologist. She was inspired over 30 years ago as a speech and language pathologist to begin writing stories, songs and plays for her predominantly African American and Spanish Speaking Children. She saw the need to show them the beauty and power that she saw within them that they didn’t know how to see. Blending her West African, Gullah, Cherokee, Seminole and Italian ancestries, she has encouraged both children’s and adult audiences to embrace all of who they are, realizing the value in their sense of wholeness. She has provided performances and workshops for universities, museums, cultural arts festivals, various places of worship, the social service, corporate sectors and much more. Her published stories and articles reveal the power of story for literacy, language development, interpersonal communication, and connecting with the Great Spirit within. Traveling internationally, and at times blending various languages (including American Sign Language), Mama Edie’s mission is to remind us all of the power there is in simply feeling welcomed; to also find the light we have inside, to nurture it and to nurture the light in each other, so that our spirits all shine. From there, we will soar beyond our greatest imaginings and – without wings – we will learn to fly!
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Steven T. Newcomb, Shawnee Lenape (Turtle Island)
Steven T. Newcomb (Shawnee, Lenape) is a scholar, educator, author, journalist, film producer, public speaker and workshop leader/facilitator. He is internationally recognized for his more than three decades of research and writing on the origins of federal Indian law and international law dating back to the early days of Christendom, most notably focused on the religious doctrine now known in history as the Doctrine of Christian Discovery. He is considered one of the foremost scholars and speakers on the subject.
Steven is author of “Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery” (Fulcrum Publishing, 2008) and a Producer of the 2015 documentary film, “The Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code”, and co-founder and co-director of the Indigenous Law Institute, founded in 1992 and dedicated to supporting Indigenous nations and peoples to protect their sacred ancestral homelands, to restore and revitalize their linguistic, cultural and spiritual traditions and to heal from the trauma of colonization.
facebook.com/steventnewcomb1 / originalfreenations.com
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Shawna Bluestar, Shawnee Lenape (Turtle Island)
In this time of uncertainty, in a world filled with confusion and chaos,Shawna reveals hidden history and truths behind current events. She shares the root causes behind current ecological, social, political and economic imbalances. Shawna teaches a way to rise above the darkness, fear, anger, and anxiety at this time as we enter into what she calls the “New Era of Love”. She is dedicated to bring healing and balance on an individual and collective level for the benefit of all peoples, the planet, and future generations.
www.shawnabluestar.com
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https://thefountain.earth
Questions? Email at centerforsacredstudies@gmail.com