Greetings to friends near and far. I hope your days are filled with love, sunshine and enough of whatever it is you may need.

My prayers are sent to all who are involved in Sundance and to all everywhere. May Great Spirit guide your steps along your path in life.

The time has come to listen to echoes from our land...the wisdom and teachings of our Native American Elders. Their words are simple and their voices are soft. We have not heard them, because we have not taken the time to listen. Perhaps now is the time to open our ears and our hearts to the words of wisdom they have to say.

A friend of mine sent me a link to a video with the following message:

"Tyler is one of the most humble yet wisest Elder I have ever known. He has a wonderful message here that we all can use."

To hear Tyler's message, click on the following link:

http://vimeo.com/5269271
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My friend also sent me this message about the Sacred Pipe:

"I am writing this to everyone I know who may carry a chanunpa. It spoke to me very clearly, and I strongly believe that we need to pay attention to the message here. Some of you may already be aware of this. If so, I apologize for repeating. David Swallow, who is a respected Lakota ceremonial elder, wrote this speech.... which was about the birth of "Miracle's Second Chance", another white buffalo calf in 2006. Swallow issued a call to all those who carry a c'anunpa."

Here is the link to David Swallow's speech:
http://www.snowwowl.com/flashmiraclesecondchance2.html
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If you missed any of my July articles, click on the following links to read them.

July 2009 articles:

Comanche At Heart
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art22367.asp

Lozen, Apache Woman Warrior
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art22654.asp

Message To Native American Teens
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art22856.asp

Serpent's Tongue Book Review
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art22553.asp
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I have a cast iron skillet that belonged to my father. It is over 60 years old and probably the most important tool in my kitchen. I use it for so many foods. After each use, I rinse it out with hot water, run a scouring pad over it lightly to loosen any crusties, rinse it again thoroughly with hot water, dry it out, and spray it with a light film of cooking oil then wipe it out with a paper towel and hang it up by the stove. This way it is always ready for when my grandson and his friends run in and ask for some fry bread. Here is a wonderful desert recipe that my skillet does a great job with:

Elder Blossom Fritters
The flowers of Sambucus Nigra (Black Elder are used to produce elderflower cordial.
Dessert for eight

2 cups fine white cornmeal
1 cup water
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp maple syrup
16 elder blossom clusters
1/4 cup corn oil for frying

Beat together cornmeal, egg, water and maple syrup. Wash the elder blossom clusters, let them dry before using. Heat oil in skillet and drop the batter by large tablespoons into it. Right away put one blossom cluster in the enter on top of each fritter, gently press into the batter. Let each fritter reach a golden brown on bottom, turn and fry for another 3 - 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with maple syrup. If Elder Blossoms are not available, use dried apricots for a different flavor.
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Till next time, Friends, may your heart and moccasins always find a happy path. Blessings and Walk in Peace and Harmony.
Phyllis
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Please visit nativeamerican.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Native American.

To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Native American located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=140

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!

Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Phyllis Doyle Burns, Native American Editor
http://nativeamerican.bellaonline.com

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