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| Native Universe: Voices of Indian America (Native American Tribal Leaders, Writers, Scholars, and Story Tellers) |
~N. Scott Momaday
This is the Wheel of Dreams
Which is carried on their voices,
By means of which their voices turn
And center upon being.
It encircles the First World,
This powerful wheel.
They shape their songs upon the wheel
And spin the names of the earth and sky;
The aboriginal names.
They are old men, or men
Who are old in their voices,
And they carry the wheel among the camps,
Saying: Come, come,
Let us tell the old stories,
Let us sing the sacred songs.
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced. - Psalm 126:1-3
There’s an element of reminiscing here. A bit of nostalgia, even. If it were a movie, we’d be transported back in time in a dream-like sequence. Maybe you can relate to this, as you think about those better days of the past when life was simpler and you didn’t have a myriad of people and issues asking for your attention.
Dreams aren’t only a longing for the past, but also a call to live into so that all might experience it. So that mouths might be filled with laughter and tongues with shouts of joy.
That’s why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech still speaks to us and provokes us today, is it not? We are still living into the dream.
"Sometimes dreams are wiser than walking" Black Elk (Oglala Sioux)
This week our journal theme is actually about dreams. Monday we discussed Momaday's poem and wondered if the dream wheel was a tangible object. Today we talked about Black Elk's quote and discussed the difference between dreams (goals) and dreams (movies in our heads at night). Many students actually stated that nightmares weren't dreams because dreams were good. I found this interesting. In Carriers of the Dream, time is spent reflecting, reminiscing and yet passing on the story (oral tradition). Perhaps this is fitting of today's prompt from Rethink Church. "Dreams aren't only a longing for the past, but also a call to live..." Tomorrow we will listen to Dream Catcher by Hans Ouwejan and contemplate the words of this legend. Many students will have had a dream catcher or at least have an understanding of their importance. Merely talking about dreams this week helps students realize the importance of their dreams (goals or movies) and the importance of passing them on. Perhaps it's enough to "provoke us... to live into the dream". Dream on!
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