Bear's Den: "Being Sunshiny & Resolute About the New Year"

Man… I´m curious. What the heck do New Year´s Resolutions do the rest of the year? They only work a few weeks, and then they´re off. So, are they tanning themselves on the sun-drenched beaches of Maui? Are they dining on exquisite food along the sunlit French Riviera? Are they wind surfing off sunny Key West? As far as that goes, do they ever get bored? Nah, probably not, eh. But whatever they do, it´s gotta give ´em a sunny disposition, wouldn´t ya say? Boy, but wouldn´t it be nice to be a Resolution, though? I mean, what a job, man. Hmm… on second thought… maybe not, eh. I mean, the Hopi have to be ´Resolute´, and maintain it, or… the sunshine will disappear. Uh-huh. That´s kind of an onerous responsibility, huh? Oh, and let´s not forget what the old author Oscar Wilde said, "Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank… where they have no account." Yep, and I don´t need to be bouncing any checks, either. So, on´a account of all that… I´ve decided to be resolute… in not having any New Year´s Resolutions – that´s my New Year´s Resolution…um-hmm.

Still, on the surface, ya gotta admit, New Year´s Resolutions do seem to have a fantastic deal going. They only have to work for about one week or so a year. Yes´sir, they begin on January first, do a week or two, and then they´re off… until the New Year rolls around again. Sure, and talk about an easy gig with perks, a New Year´s Resolution has tons of stuff given to them by two-leggeds. People make all kinds of commitments to their New Year´s Resolutions, and, they actually follow-through on them… right up until the Resolutions have to leave. And these are good things, too. Dieting, quitting tobacco – all kinds of stuff like that. Sure and two-legged´s do this… and they´ll do that… just for their Resolutions. Initially, they´re just full of admiration, determination and dedication for their Resolutions. Well… right up until, those resolutions have to split the scene, anyhow. But jeeze… wouldn´t it be dreamy to be a Resolution and have the ´this´s and that´s´ done for you, eh? Never mind the fact that it´s usually the two-leggeds… which tell the Resolutions that they have to go. It´s the job that a New Year´s Resolution has… that´s so appealing, don´t´cha think?

Oh yeah, sure. But like I said, there are things worth noting in regard to resolutions, too. Like the Hopi I referred to, for instance. Originally, the Hopi Indians believed that during the summer solstice, when the days are longest and the sun was closest to the Earth Mother, that things were peachy-keen. But along about the beginning of January, the sun had wandered far away from the Earth Mother – the winter solstice. Now, if a large part of your survival – farming, hunting staying warm, etc. – depends on keeping the kesathwa (sun) nearby, then you fret a little that this entity may be blowing town. Your survival depends on keeping the sun shining on you… and everything else, eh. So, the Hopi set about remedying this and found a way of beseeching kesathwa to stick around… close to their home. This is the Hopi Soyaluna ceremony, and it´s still practiced to this day, with a dedicated resolution. It is one of the Hopi´s most sacred ceremonies. The idea is to prevent the disappearance of the sun at the time of the year when the days are the shortest. Kind´a like calling back a wandering friend, eh, and it´s an annual resolution, which positively… can´t be let go.

In late December, the Sun God has traveled far from the Earth Mother. Yes´um, and so, in order to bring this heavenly dude back, the Hopi have a great festival. Yeah, and while everyone takes part, it´s up to the warriors of the Band, to call kesathwa back, so that he will rain warmth and light down upon the land again. You bet´cha, and for many, the Soyaluna ceremony usually begins around late December and runs into early January of the New Year. A big part of the ceremony and celebration includes gift-giving and telling the story of the original event, or holiday. Puppets are used and play-acting is the mainstay for everybody. Tribal folks dress-up as snakes, warriors, and most importantly of all, as the Sun God. They act-out the fact that the Sun God is leaving Earth Mother forever in darkness. Yeah, and wouldn´t´cha know it, it´s the black snake that symbolizes the evil influences that are driving the sun away. I mean… a snake is a snake, eh. So, the assembled chiefs make offerings of prayer and a meal is eaten to appease the shementeo (black snake). It is a way to persuade this Black Plumed Serpent, not… to "swallow" the sun. The old Hopi had seen that before, eh. He had swallowed the sun during an eclipse. Yeah, then the warriors have to convince the Sun God to return by offering gifts. Since he has such a sunny disposition… kesathwa comes back and everyone celebrates this fact.

So there you have it, and that´s what I mean. Resolutions may have a plumb-job but then again… it ain´t all it´s cracked-up to be, either. I mean, the Hopi have to be ´Resolute´, and maintain it, or… the sunshine will disappear. Uh-huh, and let´s remember what Oscar Wilde said about resolutions, too – New Year´s or otherwise: "Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank… where they have no account." Yeah, like I said, I don´t need to be bouncing any checks, either. Yep, so on´a account of all that… I´ve decided to be resolute… in not having any New Year´s Resolutions – that´s my New Year´s Resolution…um-hmm.

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David Walks-As-Bear is an Inter-Tribal Elder and Kispoko Shawnee Indian. He works as a private game warden and detective and is a novelist and syndicated newspaper columnist living in Northwest Michigan. Contact him at The White Lake Beacon: 231-894-5356 or visit his website at: www.Walks-As-Bear.com