Bear's Den: "Swooshing in the New Year with the Jolly Green Giant"

I´ve never seen a lot of sense in the New Year´s ´hoop´-la. Nah, New Year´s, as it´s usually celebrated, has never been special to me. Maybe that´s because I´m Indian – yeah, probably so. Um-hmm, I'm resolute in my continued resolution about the New Year and that´s a fact. So, whenever I see all the anticipation leading up to that big ball falling in New York, however... I´m all excited, too. But, it´s for a different reason than most folks. I´m waiting for the Jolly Green Giant to run in, grab that baby, dribble it once or twice and then... jump-shoot that ball into the basket-looking cup... that the Stature of Liberty lady is holding, eh. If he ever does, and makes it... then that there... would be something to celebrate!

I know, I know. New Year´s is a big deal – a national holiday, even. But, as far as I can tell, this particular holiday doesn't mean anything except... that it is a state and federally recognized time to party, eh. Well... hey... don´t get mad at me – it´s a fact, as far as I can tell, and... that isn't my fault. Besides, I always figure that the New Year stuff is all off-kilter, anyhow. For the Shawnee, and many Indian nations, starting the year anew was a common sense notion – know what I mean? So, it isn't blustery old January, aka: Papoonwi or winter, when everything is stifled, frozen and immoveable that begins the New Year – nope. That honor goes to the much warmer April, aka: Melo´kami or spring, when the ground is thawed and the air much warmer. Now, for my people, it´s the sacred Spring Bread Dance that kicks off the New Year – not 12:00 o´clock midnight on December 31st. The Bread Dance is a twofold deal. It´s a time to be grateful for allowing us to survive winter and a celebration of life. And it´s also a time to ask the Creator for a good year ahead. Middle to late April is traditional planting time, a logical point for things to begin, eh – new life, the building of fresh things – that kind´a stuff. It´s a logical beginning point, and points... whether at the end of a lance, an arrow or... the ´new year´... are pretty important to Indians.

The Life Circle is actually an American Indian concept. Yep, and the Shawnee year was set up for both the sacred and the secular life cycle, within this total Life Circle. Sure, and this yearly cycle is divided into just two seasons: the summer – beginning in April, is the time in which crops are grown, foods are gathered, fish are caught, etc, and the winter – beginning in October, is when hunting, trapping and preserving foods are the primary focus. Within these two seasons, however, there´s the highly respected "Spirits of the Four Winds", or... the four main ´POINTS', which are governed by four distinct grandfathers. Uh-huh, this may be where folks pick up the notion that there actually are ´four seasons´. This is why, in the old days, Indians didn´t have deadlines. Time was, and still is, to many traditional Indians, just a relative thing. Known as simply "Indian Time", it´s a facet of the yearly cycle. You´ll find it in many native cultures. In the Hawaiian Islands, it´s called "Hawaiian Time". Time in minutes or hours, if it was dictated by anything – was judged only by the movement of the sun. Otherwise, it wasn´t a concern, and that brings me back to New Year´s.

The Grandfathers, who are the Spirits of the Four Points of the Wind, were given to us by the Creator to help us get the necessities of life within the two seasons. So, for me, it´s Melo´kami, the Spirit of Spring that starts the New Year – not Father Time, eh. That´s why I'm resolute in my continued resolution about the New Year. I see nothing to celebrate, or get excited about, on Dec 31st or January 1st. But, ya know, in the Christian Bible, within the Old Testament, there´s reference made to both valleys and giants. You bet´cha, and I´d sure like to hear that jingle... "From the Valley of the Jolly... Ho! Ho! Ho!" and then see that Jolly Green Giant run in, grab that Times Square ball, dribble it once or twice and then... jump-shoot that baby at that basket-looking cup... that the Stature of Liberty lady is holding. Um-hmm. If he makes it... then that there... would be something to celebrate!

May ya´all have a great and healthy coming New Year… whenever you think it arrives!