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Presentation part of American Indian Awareness Month
By Sean Barron
STRUTHERS
Gene Allison takes great pride in an artifact he has called a dream catcher, not so much because of its symbolism, but because of its shape.
“Indians firmly believe in the circle of life. Everything comes back,” the Warren man said during a one-hour presentation he gave Friday at the Struthers branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, 95 Poland Ave.
Allison, a member of the Red Hawk American Indian Cultural Society, shared stories and discussed the significance of several artifacts during his talk, which also recognized November as American Indian Awareness Month.
The middle portion of the dream catcher’s circular design is intricately patterned after a spider web and is intended to “catch” bad dreams while allowing good ones to get through, he explained.
“I’ve had this for 25 years and have had no bad dreams or nightmares,” said Allison, whose Indian name is “White Eagle.”
Wearing knee-high moccasins and a colorful Cherokee ribbon shirt, Allison recalled having attended an inter-tribal council meeting about 20 years ago.
One of the topics focused on changing certain phrases related to Indian people such as replacing “Native Americans” with “American Indians,” he noted.
Allison, who served in the Air Force in 1959 at Mountain Home, Idaho, also told a few stories, including an allegory about two wolves that examined the choices a young boy had when dealing with taunts and bullying.
While at a trading post, the youngster’s father tells the boy he can have one item for having helped the father all year, Allison explained.
After selecting a hunting knife, several other boys taunt and strike the youngster, causing him to fall backward and the knife to fly out of his hand.
The boy then tells his grandfather, who explains that everyone has “two wolves,” one that feels and cares for others and the other that is mean-spirited. The moral is that everyone has a choice regarding how to handle adversity, Allison said.
He also talked about various traditions associated with inter-tribal powwows, as well as an annual one that takes place in August at Mosquito Lake.
Years ago, many tribes had one powwow each every spring, summer and fall.
The occasions called attention to the importance of hunters and farmers returning to work after winter, the celebration of a summer harvest and the need to take stock of what they have in advance of winter, he continued.
Allison also brought and demonstrated other items that included war clubs, tomahawks, handmade knives in rawhide sheaths, arrowheads and a feather fan, the likes of which many people used to cool themselves.
Also on hand was a set of bells often used during powwow dances.
In addition, Allison brought sage, which, when lighted, creates smoke that a medicine man or other healer waves toward and sanctifies the center of a circular gathering.
Numerous books on Navajo, Apache and Cherokee Indians, as well as their weaponry and customs, were on display.