July 8, 2013

Freedom Is Hard Won, Liberty a Gift

Independence Day has come and gone and along with that has brought contemplation on many levels .   The sacrifices made by our brothers and sisters who fearlessly fought for freedom from the tyrannny imposed by the British, so long ago is not easily forgotten.  Freedom was won, though not before great losses. But liberty and freedom prevailed.

Throughout history cultural clashes have always been prevelant.  That  will always be a fact of life, yet it is a fervant hope that some day we can learn acceptance and understanding.  A recent visit to the Pipestone National Monument set me to pondering just that notion.

While it was not my first visit there, this time I gained a new understanding of the sacrifice and struggle made by the Native American nation to hold on to the site of the sacred, precious stone-the only one of its kind in the entire world.

When the pipestone was first discovered so many years ago by Native Americans, it became a place where members of many different tribes converged peacefully to quarry the coveted stone. It was and still is considered a holy ground, where layers of granite, the second hardest stone, is painstakingly chipped away to reveal the thin strips of pipestone.  

On the grounds there was no war, no confict and no battling. Peace prevailed there always.

For hundreds of years, Native Americans have sought the beautiful soft, red stone used to craft peace pipes and other sacred artistic items there.  Little has changed in all those years years excepting the methods used to chip away at the earth and stone.  The rock is still painstakingly quarried and artisans still craft beautiful pieces of art including peace pipes and other lovely creations from the pipestone. It is refreshing to find that some things do not change.

But it has not been without sacrifice.  In efforts to preserve the grounds, native leaders gave up a great deal so many years ago.   

In an effort to protect the source of pipestone, lands surrounding the revered grounds were given to the government so that settlers could establish farms surrounding the pipestone fields.  And it was not until years of painstaking efforts to protect them that the National Monument was finally established in the middle years of the twentieth century.  So much was lost yet so much gained. The Native American people gave up a great deal of their freedom to preserve this holy ground.

But what remains today is a revered place where the red pipestone continues to be sought by Native Americans.  It is a comforting notion. 

Strolling the grounds one cannot but help to feel a blanket of peace and tranquility.  And at the same time, a feeling of insignificance as well.  It is practically impossible not to feel respect and reverence for this culture. One must merely listen and it will speak volumes.

It is so important to recognize that there are differences between cultures yet at the same time realize there are so many similarities.  It's all about respect. And acceptance.