By Doug Alderson

Šetnja je samo kilometar i pol, uzimajući oko pola sata, ali se osjećao kao da sam hodali natrag u vrijeme deset tisuća godina.

To je bio kraj zapadnoj United States putovanje-uglavnom se automobila u kojem sam retraced je 1939 put poduzimaju moje bake i djedove. Sam posjetila Grand Canyon, Yosemite i Yellowstone i drugih prirodnih ljepota, te je odlučio da 10.000 stopa planinski plato koji je imao priznatih ljudskih povijest razgranalog tisuće godina, jedan koji označava posebnu svetost za Native American ljudi, bio prikladan zaključak .

Wyoming je flat-topped Medicina Mountain, dio je Bighorn National Forest, domaćini jedne od najvećih pretpovijesnih medicina kotačima u Sjevernoj Americi. Osamdeset i podnožju širok kameni krug, s dvadeset i osam žbica oko središnjeg rock nasip i šest rock gomile ili gomila nalazi na različitim vanjskim bodova, procjenjuje se da su bili u uporabi za tisućljećima od strane raznih ravnice i planinskih plemena. Danas kotača još uvijek posjećuju nekoliko plemena, najčešća praksa vizija potraga u kojima pojedinci nastoje duhovno smjeru i sklada, i ostaviti molitve prinose u povratku.

Podrijetlo Priča o kotaču varira od plemena do plemena. Crow Indijanci tvrdio je postojao kada su prvi stigli, vjerujući da je sunce ga sagradili da pokažu ljudima kako napraviti teepee. Shoshone i ostali vjerujem da malo ljudi izgradili točak i da još uvijek žive u špiljama ispod njega. Rani etnolog, GB Grinnell, predložio da se kotač je kamen model Cheyenne sunca ples doma, izgrađen u kojima je drvo bilo rijetko.

Možda je kotač služio kao sat ili kalendar za određene rituale i obrede. U proučavanju kotač za National Geographic, napomenuo astronom John A. Eddy utvrđeno da mnoge od Cairns postroje za ljetni solsticij izlaska i zalaska sunca, a diže točke tri svijetle zvijezde Aldebaran, Rigel-i Sirius. "Rani Indijanci napravili ravnice na korištenje sunca i zvijezda u prilično sofisticirane načine", zaključio je Eddy.

U ranim večernjim satima, imao sam izdvajali u makadama Forest Service parkiralište u blizini baze Medicina Mountain i počela je 1,5 milje hodanja uspon. Pristup osobnim vozilom do stranice jako je regulirano i da se činilo prikladnim. Jedan je da zaradite pravo na odlazak kotač, osjećao sam se. Uostalom, urođenik narod kroz stoljeća nakon što je otišao do tog mjesta za dana i tjedana, pa čak i azila u sveto.

Uzlazni se vijugavom cestom, ubrzo sam upoznao zadnji skupinu posjetitelja koji su bili na putu prema dolje od samo jedan automobil bio je u prostor za parkiranje. Posjet je u stalnom porastu u posljednjih nekoliko godina, pa sam osjetio da je gotovo čudotvorna da sam našao samo hodanje do planine. Zapadne sunce porinuće i iz oblaka, kupanje planine u mekim žutim svjetlom-spektakularan prizor. Tada sam uočio jasan oblik lisice trčanje dolje stazom prema meni. Gotovo smo susreli licem u lice prije nego što je brzo scooted off u četkom. Ljudi su napustili planinu za navečer, ali ne i život u divljini.

Na jaz prije zadnje ustati, znak je rekao kako je to bio spoj drevne stazi gdje bivolsko orijentirani ravnice ljudi interakciji s više lovačko-sakupljačkih planinskih ljudi, vraćajući 10.000 godina. Medicina Planina je uvijek bio mjesto mira, gdje je čak i tradicionalni neprijatelji, kao što su Crow, Sioux i Blackfeet mogao skupit nenapadan. Isto vrijedi i drugim mjestima, kao što su Pipestone područja u jugozapadnoj Minnesoti, gdje je dobio crveni catlinite za medicinu cijevi.

Na odgovarajući način, na posljednjoj dionici uspona, staza je crvena graška šljunka, možda simboličan svete crvene ceste jedna slijedi kad posvetiti svoj život u službi Stvoritelja.

Približava kotač, šarene zastave molitvu, duhan kravate, medicine vrećicama i drugim ponudama koje su vezane na ogradi konop perimetra pleše na vjetru. Snaga mjestu bio porozne. Bio sam penjanje sa živahnošću, osjećaj više energized nego što sam imao u danima, ali sam usporen kad sam se približio vrhu i hodao oko kotača u smjeru kazaljke na satu. Sjedeći na zapadu, prema istoku, onda sam kleknuo i izvukao davno stabljikom medicina cijev sam primio od Muskogee duhovnog vođu po imenu medvjed srca više od dvadeset i pet godina ranije. Ja sam zamrljan i cijev s cedrovinom ostavlja-čisti prirodni tamjan, kao što sam ispunjena crvenim zdjelu čistom duhan, zuji srca pjevati medvjed me je naučio. Kao što sam prvi put bio uputio sam ukazao na stabljiku prema četiri smjera, a zatim prema nebu i zemlji, prije nego što ga donosi prema mog srca i moje usne da ga vidjelo.

Mnogi ljudi vjeruju da native Stvoritelj nalazi duh pomagače u sva četiri smjera, a na nebu i zemlji, te da dio božanstva je smješten unutar svakog od nas. Zato je broj sedam često se smatra svetim brojem.

Ja dimljena cijevi i pomoli se za sav život na Zemlji, za moju obitelj i voljenima, za svoje pretke i budućih generacija, a za duhovni sklada i jasnoće u mom životu. Dao sam hvala za moje putovanje i kako je prvi put došao o tome. I dao sam hvala za javne zemalja koje su pažljivo zaštićena u budućnost, a za one koji ostaju budni u upravi tih zemalja.

S moje oči zatvorene, sam podigao cijev prema nebu u zahvalu baš kao mlada glasom zove iz stazom, "Indijanci!" Preplašiti, ja sam pogledao na pješčana kose, dječak koji je fiksiran na šarenim molitvenim zastavicama i drugim predmeti vezani za ogradu. On je utrka uzbrdo. Iza njega je bio muškarac i žena, mlada djevojka od oko četiri, a veliki crni pas. Sam odustao tiho kao otac pokušao zadržati dječak iz rukovanje ponuda. Razgovarali su glasno, popucali nekoliko slika, a ostao je samo nekoliko minuta, jedva me primijete. To je jasno turistička stanica za njih, znatiželja. Pa što ako je netko moli? In that instant when that boy had cried out “Indians!” I realized the tremendous educational challenge that remains regarding Native American sacred sites that are open to the general public. What if I had been on a vision quest, sitting inside the wheel praying for up to four days without food or water, and tourists strolled up taking photos of me? How would I feel? One wouldn't enter a Catholic Church and scream, “Nuns!”

Signs can be effective-if people stop long enough to read them. One sign explained that some native leaders believe the medicine wheel belongs to all people, but with that access comes a tremendous responsibility. Visitors should approach sacred Native American sites with respect and reverence, as they would their own church or temple. Of course, children will be children, and I bore no ill will towards the young boy.

What is the best way to regulate a sacred site? When numerous tribes are using it, such as the medicine wheel, you can't put it in the hands of one tribe, and if you allowed only Native Americans to use it, who would determine who is a Native American? The lines are blurry after generations of racial mixing and the fact that some tribes and groups are not recognized by the federal government, even though members may have bona-fide native blood and cultural heritage. And what about those sincere seekers who are not Native American? Is there a place for them?

I remembered a visit to another holy site–Bear Butte in South Dakota-many years before where a clear-eyed caretaker reminded every visitor to be quiet and to not disturb people who were praying. One on one human contact can be very useful in educating visitors. The sacred can remain sacred, and all visitors can leave and take away something that is good.

A good start regarding the stone wheel on Medicine Mountain was the formation of two Native American tribal organizations, the Medicine Wheel Alliance and the Medicine Wheel Coalition, in response to a 1988 Forest Service proposal to build a viewing platform at the wheel. With help from environmental and historic preservation groups, the platform proposal was successfully blocked and a long dialogue was begun on how best to protect the integrity of the site. The groups and the Forest Service eventually developed an historic preservation plan for the wheel and the surrounding 18,000 acres, the entire mountain. One tenet allows for privacy by Native American practitioners when requested. Additionally, efforts are being made for more Native American interpreters during the tourist season.

In trying to explain the spiritual importance of places such as the medicine wheel, the author TH Watkins points out that modern classifications such as “national forests” or “national parks” are virtually meaningless because Native American belief systems and practices have no walls. “They [sacred places] represent a quality whose value cannot be measured by boundaries drawn or ecosystems measured or wildlife inventoried,” he wrote. “There is a spiritual dimension to these lands that can only be measured by the protocols of the heart, a dimension that has to do with the ancient connection between human beings and the wild world that sustains them. The Indians, the First Peoples of this continent, have honored that connection more faithfully than those who have followed them as the dominant human presence on this land. It is, traditional Indians believe, a sacred connection, and they validate it where and when they can with rituals older than recorded time.”

Bill Tall Bull, a Northern Cheyenne elder, put it even more succinctly, “The Earth has a spirit. All of creation has a spirit. Everything that comes from the sacred earth is sacred.”

Traditional native people point out that there is a danger to protecting certain sacred sites, or, in a broader sense, parks and wilderness areas, if the rest of the lands are then open for rampant exploitation. If all of our actions were done with careful planning and attunement to the land, our entire economy and way of life would become more sustainable, and our problems would be solved from the ground up, with day to day choices. Pie in the sky, I know, but places such as the medicine wheel have given me a glimpse of the possibilities.

Before leaving the wheel, I placed tobacco and ash from my pipe along the perimeter where I had been sitting. I knew not to leave crystals or other objects that have not been traditionally used in this region. Tobacco, on the other hand, is sacred to nearly all Native American tribes on this continent. It was always used with prayer and ritual; only since the arrival of Europeans has tobacco been used in an addictive and recreational fashion, with numerous health consequences. Even chemicals are added to some brands to enhance addiction. One has to question the moral efficacy of such practices.

The next morning, after sleeping on the ground for the last time, I drove south, towards Denver and a plane ride home. I felt less alone than I had in my entire journey. It is that way when you touch the sacred-you feel a part of everything and everyone. My highest hope was for our nation's sacred landscape to remain as steadfast guideposts to point the way for future travelers, helping us to honor and strengthen an age-old compact between humans and the earth.

Doug Alderson is the author of numerous magazine articles and three books, including The Vision Keepers (Quest Books 2007), about walks across the United States and experiences with Native American people. His first book, Waters Less Traveled (University Press of Florida) was runner-up for best travel book in 2006 by the North American Travel Journalists Association. His newest book, New Dawn for the Kissimmee River: Orlando to Lake Okeechobee by Kayak, will be released by the University Press of Florida in late summer of 2009. To learn more about his work, log onto www.dougalderson.net.