Dreaming of Sea Journeys

Click above to go to Pacific Voyagers website ~

11/5/2011 ~ I don't even remember when I began this draft, but will post it today... so much has happened in my water journeys ~ I hadn't realized that my daily water prayers would bring so many blessings... each day I live I am more enamored with the Creator and all our Universe ~ may light, love and pure sacred waters be safe on our beloved Pachamama ~

I sit here in awe at the power of spirit and the simplicity of listening. I am blessed by my relations, those who walk with me in these sacred times and I am honored to know you and be in your presence. This blessing crosses color lines and is truly representative of the medicine wheel, with all the races of the human being, Black, Yellow, Red and White. I give thanks to life itself, which springs from the beyond, our source, and I honor most of all our Creator, our ancestors, the elements of our Mother Earth (Tierra Madre/Pachamama) that we may live well in the beginning of times into the future. May all my relations be well in this time. May they be strong, may they see with new eyes, hear with open ears, speak truth, remember their beauty, and walk a good road.

I honor and respect my Pilipino heritage, and remember the message from Apo Reyna, received in Los Angeles, California, last year, that it was the Brown peoples that would bring peace and unity to the human beings. I am sharing that message now and calling all mixed blood peoples, the Brown peoples, like myself, a Pinay, to heed to this calling as time is very short and we must turn every soul to the light for our transition towards harmony and balance with the universe.

Many know me by different names, and I have yet to announce my true name, but I am pleased to meet so many people who are here to help save our Mother Earth and bring us into alignment with balance, peace and harmony in the universe. Each day we must walk a good path to bring those lost on a road to the good road, the road to life. We must embrace them with the Mabuhay spirit and bring calm to their hearts and peace to their mind that they join us on a good path. We must remember to pray each day with thanks and send our love deep to the land, to our waters, to our air and to the fire deep with our Mother and to our Sun, which brings warmth into our Solar System. Without these things, life as we know it, as human beings, along with all our relations, cannot exist. We must pray each day, each hour, each minute, each second within our hearts and recognized that, as Datu Vic, Talaandig Elder of Mindanao, told me, "All things are Sacred."

I return from the Canoe Journey to Swinomish Reservation in Washington with a message that the Coast Salish peoples are strong in reviving their traditions. I was blessed to travel with my Sistah Leng & witness together the strength, beauty and wisdom of the Elders in Swinomish. My good Sistah Shelly and her mother, Diane, hosted us and brought us into their family and blessed us with the presence of her wonderful sons, some wives and most importantly, the grandchildren. I am honored to witness the children as they represented both their Swinomish traditions and then joined Sistah Leng and I in the Storytelling Circle at Swinomish by presenting themselves, their fathers and then, along with Manang Juliet Cheatle, our Kalinga friend, some gangsa music to everyone. We danced around the beautiful fire in front of many Elders, including our wonderful Elder from California, Daryl Wilson, and a young woman, whose mother, an IndiPina with Kalinga roots, pulled in the canoe of the Chumash people. I am honored to know the sons of Grandpa Daryl Wilson, the sons he endearling called his Aztec princes & then with a twinkle in his eye, saying, "I must be a king!" I was so proud that CALI was represented in this year's Canoe to Swinomish 2011 that I recall after my volunteer shift, running to the point and saluting the pullers, with their double paddles, for representing the Chumash and peoples of my state in this Sacred Journey. I am blessed to witness the saving of a young girl from her troubles in the home of Elder Ray Williams, and honored that the Elders conducting that ceremony allowed my participation. I salute them in their work and I am honored to be in their presence and will always remember them. I am so thankful to see our dear Makah Grandma Dottie, whose guidance has helped me in this journey of life to be strong, be resilient, and to continue my work in bringing harmony, peace, unity and love back into this world. I appreciate her guidance and her prayers and I am honored to know her in this way.

My journey home from Swinomish was long. It was difficult because what should have been a short drive became almost double from the time we drove to Oregon. Nothing is without purpose. We finally arrived very late to OakTOWN early yesterday morning. Unfortunately, I slept through a midday meeting I had set up with my friend to plan for a healing cooperative we want to start. Next, I missed my own physical therapy appointment for my sprained ankle. Finally, I had forgotten about an evening meeting with my Asian artist friends, to plan our upcoming exhibit at NJAHS. Those meetings were not meant to be. Instead, I had a final meal with my wonderful "Road Perra," Leng Leng, with Joy from HI, and we share our dreams and a meal at No Worries, and met its owner, JR. This meeting was necessary for us to begin our plans for a seaworthy vessel of our own, one created to revive our own sea traditions. Joy then received a message to visit with her friends from the Pacific Voyagers, who just arrived from their own journey. These 6 of 7 vacas, flying flags from the Cook Islands, made their 18 day journey from Hawaii, wading outside at Point Reyes for two days when there was no wind. This voyage made to reconnect with Turtle Island.

I was honored to meet many of the voyagers yesterday, with Papa Koro, taking me on a tour on his vaca, and explaining vaca construction & the vaca fusion of modern & ancient constructions... several days of hanging out with the Pacific Voyagers, Bay Area residents who shared the love of the Pacific Islanders and the Voyagers, the Ohlone Heritary Chief, and my own Pin@y & Latino community ~ who gathered with me for the official welcome at Treasure Island. My life has been so full, blessed by the diversity of the SF Bay Area ~ I was honored to join my Tonga & Native American sisters in song & prayer to welcome the Pacific Voyagers to Turtle Island. There are so many memories of these blessed days, too many to recount ~ but I was to continue on to more water blessings in September, 2011 when I joined my Paiute/Washoe friends for ceremony at Lake Tahoe & traditional Washoe lands in Nevada.

Each day I must give thanks that I have access to clean waters for now and for the generations that follow me. I must pray for all living beings, seen and unseen, that we be in balance, harmony and peace with our home ~ Pachamama.

Protest ~ China to build oil rigs in Spratly Islands

Pin@ys in San Francisco protest the building of deep sea oil rigs by China... our dependence on oil is destroying the earth and our seas... unite to keep our oceans clean... let's learn to live sustainably. Small, but passionate turnout. I was most impressed by our youth from SOMA, the manangs and our Filipino veterans.




Today's protest at the Chinese Embassy in San Francisco.

Art Travels to Nihonmachi

I guess this summer my travel is limited to local day rides & rides to the past & rides in my mind. I've been working with J-Town Arts since last fall and it's been an inspiration to hang out with Rich Tokeshi, Leland Wong, Pete Yamamoto, Sabrena Taylor and Leon Sun.

My first silkscreen was done in '71 or '72 at Serramonte High School ~ a poster for a school play... I have no idea where that poster is... The first time we cleaned the workshop Rich gave me some of the second poster, pictured above from 1979, "Mother and Child" (below). I had completely forgotten it, but it was done at the old Japantown and Media (JAM) Workshop space before it was torn down... It's me and my eldest, Sandino, unless it's really Mary & Jesus, but anyways I guess most artists do the Mother/Child thing. Sandino is currently 33 years old. The other silkscreen (top) was done for a calendar at JAM in 1985. What's cool about it is that I did this before I actually began really painting. I didn't start painting until the mid-90s, so the kulintang sticks were to predict my love of painting in the future. Another note on this ~ the kid in the print is Darío, younger son, who is now 27 years old...time flies...

J-Town Arts is geering up for a new show, so digging up these prints have been bring back new memories... speaking of memories, last night's performance by Joe Bataan was off the hook!!! That brought back some pretty cool high school memories - - more on that later...

Aeta Struggle For Autonomous Land

Protesters in Tahrir Square break into song

All my travels lately have been via Internet ~ here's one postive scene from Tahir (Liberation) Square in Cairo ~ sending love, prayers & peace to the people of Egypt ~

"Being Frank," by Billie Frank, Jr.

Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
6730 Martin Way E., Olympia, WA 98516-5540
Phone: (360) 438-1180 - FAX # 753-8659

Note: You are receiving the “Being Frank” column courtesy of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) in an effort to enhance communication between the Indian and non-Indian communities. You are welcome to publish it intact or in part, or to use it as a source of quotation or information for other news or editorial use. As a statement from the NWIFC chairman, the column represents the interests and concerns of treaty Indian tribes throughout western Washington.

“Being Frank”

Water Law An Accident Waiting to Happen
By Billy Frank, Jr.
Chairman
Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

OLYMPIA, WA (12-02-10) ̶ The State Supreme Court chose to pass the buck when it ruled recently that the Municipal Water Law doesn’t violate the state constitution.

Back in 2003, a number of tribes, environmental groups and others challenged the law because it gives away a public resource to private interests and ignores tribal treaty rights. It encourages urban sprawl and takes away water needed by fish and wildlife. It gives priority of the water for future growth rather than protecting the rights of the citizens that are here today.

We pointed out the injustice that this law – aimed at helping towns preserve their water rights while planning for growth – included private developers, but left out everyone else. It left out our environment, fish and wildlife too.

It’s a fact that there are more water rights on paper in Washington State than there is water to fulfill those rights. By upholding the law, the Supreme Court has made it possible for developers to hoard water rights, then begin drawing out more water than actually exists.

Before this law, if you couldn’t use all of your water, it could become available to other users. The Municipal Water Law changed all that. Now, developers can hold onto water they can’t even use. That’s a monopoly and it isn’t right.

There’s also nothing to prevent developers from leasing their monopoly water rights to others. That could encourage even more urban sprawl fueled by private gain from a public resource.

In the end, the court punted the ball, saying any specific problems with the law will have to be dealt with case by case. That’s too bad, because now it will take longer and cost more to overturn this bad law.

The law’s a funny thing. We went to court to try and stop an unjust piece of legislation from becoming law, but instead we are being told to wait. Wait until the accident happens.

Well, we can’t wait, and neither can the salmon. We don’t have that luxury any more.

All of this is happening at a time when our glaciers are melting and our rivers are running dry. Our groundwater is being drained by tens of thousands of unregulated wells. At a time when all of us and our natural resources need water the most, we are losing out to those who can’t use it and don’t have to share it.

We all know there’s a big difference between what’s right and what’s legal. Us tribes don’t plan on going anywhere soon. We will continue the fight here and now for our treaty rights and a sustainable future, one battle at a time, or 20 battles at a time.


CONTACT: Tony Meyer or Emmett O’Connell (360) 438-1180
www.nwifc.org

MInd Travels

...so sorry folks that i've traveled very little lately ~ most of my travels have been in my mind & since i day dream so much, i've been to many places....

but in this reality.....

i haven't had time to post my pacific northwest road trip or our big summer pool party in LA, so that's a part of my "TO DO" list & also, several overnight camping trips ~ great spots ~ &&& VERY CLOSE ~~ Mt. Diablo, which grows taller every year & Portola State Park to celebrate Patty's birthday ~ it was great to do both mini-camp trips ~ the 1st b/c the mountain greets me on my commute to work when i drive down twin peaks towards the mission (it really does seem taller!!!) & the second because i had a peaceful fireside watch with keenan & a fabulous breakfast meal & musical moment with patty, john & keenan ~ short little nature visits that will last me a lifetime ~

hopefully i can find the time to post a few photos ~

~~~ oh yeah, but since my son and his wife bought a house in concord, i now have a new vacation spot ~ thank you Sandino & Shy! I love you & see you next weekend!!!! (he he)