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A Native American’s View of Italy
by Dr. Catherine Reimer, Inupiat 

"Praise be to Thee my Lord with all Thy creatures.
Especially for Master Brother Sun
Who illuminates the day for us.
And Thee Most High he manifests."
- St. Francis of Assissi, Italy

A month ago, my daughter Kristin Joy Thom, lived up to her middle name. She paid for our trip to Italy.  But, first let me digress. As a young college student, I had an opportunity to go to Florence, but at age 23, I didn’t go. I felt I could always go another year.  The opportunity never came though, and so for years, I regretted not going.  Now in my 60’s, I told Kristin of this wish when she said she would repay her debt of $2000.00 that I loaned to her when she bought a house.  When she offered to pay me back, I would just say, “put it in the Italian fund.”  In July of this year, she said it was time, and paid for  our trip and tour to Italy.  We left the USA  on August 29th and stayed through September 11th.

There is much I want o say about the trip, details that I wish to share. I will talk of this visit from my Native American perspective.  My mother is Inupiaq, from Kivalina, Alaska and my father is European in descent.  His parents came from Lithuania.

First of all, I would like to say, “If Christopher Columbus was from Italy, why didn't he bring the Italian influence with him?”  How nice it would have been to bring over to share with the American Indians the Italian values of life and work of taking care of their people and not having our 8 to 5 workdays.  How incredibly aligned is Sorrento’s schedule to our ways of life.  Get up early, work, rest, and then work again and stay up late (around the fire) and enjoy each other in the evening sharing one’s dinner and enjoying the beauty of our people.

My daughter even noticed the maintenance workers, dressed colorfully in orange jump suits in Rome and said, “Look at their young men, they are beautiful!”  One of the men in our tour said, “Have you seen the women, they are beautiful.” Truly, the Italians are a beautiful people, both in soul and spirit.  It is so refreshing to see the Italian women as they walked down the street in feminine dresses and shoes and not with their belly button exposed, wearing jeans.

 Assisi was more aligned with our sense of village and of tribe. Much like our Hopi villages, Assisi was wrapped around a mountainside, the houses in natural hues were part of the mountain and the natural landscape. In Assisi, material riches and wealth were not arrayed, ostentatiously outrageous from a Native perspective.  Although, my European side could enjoy the beauty of art and fine collections of artifacts, the Native side felt somewhat uncomfortable, such riches owned by only a few.  When touring the palaces, my spirit was distraught, as we went from room to room looking at the collection owned by one family.  It somehow drained me and only when I was in the garden’s could I breathe easily and touch my spirit again.  How refreshed my spirit was when I climbed to the top of the San Francisco hotel’s rooftop and saw the Assisi panorama before me.  The countryside was clean, not spoiled by freeways and billboards.  In the early dawn, I woke up early to pray to the four directions in the American Indian way and praise the Creator for all His wonderful gifts surrounding me.

In Assisi I felt the spirit of Francis. His value are alligned with our Native people.  Humility, gentleness, respect, sharing and his love for the outdoors, nature, animals and all God’s living creatures are what we treasure.  He even recognized the four elements of fire, wind, air, and water.  This Saint prayed like an American Indian as he recognized Mother Earth ….(Below are a few selected sentences have been chosen from The Canticle of Creation by St. Francis of Assisi).

Praise be to Thee my Lord with all Thy creatures.
Especially for Master Brother Sun
Who illuminates the day for us.
And Thee Most High he manifests.
Praise be to Thee my Lord for Sister Moon and for the stars.
In Heaven Thou thou hast formed them, shining precious, fair.
Praise be to Thee my Lord for Brother Wind,
for air and clouds, clear sky and all the weathers
Through which Thou sustainest all Thy creatures.
Praise be to Thee my Lord for Sister Water.
She is useful and humble, precious and pure.
Praise be to Thee my Lord for Brother Fire.
Through him our night thou dost enlighten,
And he is fair and merry, boisterous and strong.
Praise be to Thee my Lord for our sister Mother Earth,
Who nourishes and sustains us all,
Bringing forth divers fruits,
And many-colored flowers and herbs…
Bless and praise my Lord all creatures,
And thank and serve Him in deep humility.

 Still enjoying the memory of Assisi the next morning, I said the Canticles in our n Sorrento hotel.  As my daughter was getting ready, I stepped outside our hotel room. As I opened the door I was attacked! Making a guest call in front of our room was this gigantic insect that jumped on my lapel and I screamed so loudly that Kristin rushed out of our room to see if I was ok.  I was indeed startled by its bigness  but to my surprise, it was a harmless grasshopper.  It was one of the largest I have ever seen.  I laughed out loud!  Old St. Francis was affirming my prayers about all “God’s creatures”.  I gently picked up grasshopper and returned him back to nature through our bedroom window.

I loved our tour throughout Italy.  Rome enchanted me with its energy and sense of excitement.  Every night seemed like a Pow-wow was going on.  People were excited, happy, and full of fun.  Florence, now called Firenze, was quieter and more serene, while Venice charmed my spirits with all the water ways.  Everyplace I went there were so many churches.  Beauty of architecture seemed to delight every visitor.  I wondered though, if these are the place where the wakan, the sacred came and was present, why did not people stay longer in the quiet chapels with the little red lights, and spend some time in holy prayer as we do when we visit our sacred places.  I did see one young man who was so beautiful as he humbly prayed in the back of the chapel and seemed almost transformed in the dim light in holy communion with the Sacred Presence.  I yearned to stay longer, but our tour moved us along.

There are so many little stories in my memory but perhaps what stands out the most is the way I felt seen.  Often in the States, I will not be seen or better yet, direct eye contact to me is avoided.  I can ask a question from two White clerks standing near each other and the two will answer my question by looking at each other.  With a friend, I will ask a question, and the person will look at my light complexion friend.  My husband, who is fairer than I, has often recognized this.  Even on this trip, my daughter who is ¼ Alaskan Native, was the object of direct contact when I asked the question.  A few tourists in our group did this when we shared dinner.  The most incredible thing happened in Italy.  When I asked a question or made a comment, my eyes would be made directly at a very deep soul level.  Often, I was given such wonderful compliments, such as:  “You are very kind, Madam, I can see it through your eyes.”  “You have beautiful eyes that express your soul.”  “I can see you are a very kind person.”  This recognition of who I am and the appreciation of my being gave me the most wonderful feeling of being loved and accepted for the person I am, not the color I am.  The communication through the non-verbal was powerful and I felt at home.  Our people too, recognize who you are through the eyes and the way one conducts oneself.

The history enfolded me in a feeling of awe as we viewed historical settings.  Pompeii reminded me of our own ruins in Mesa Verde, located in Colorado.  We differed in our ways of constructing buildings and dwellings.  We focused more on keeping things aligned with nature.  We had no temples to display our artistic gifts as the Pompeii’s people did.  Maybe in South America, there could be some comparisons made.  Beauty and Balance were important to the early residents of Rome and Pompeii.  They too wanted to express the eternal soul of harmony and balance that emanated in nature and within the soul, as our people did through their prayers and ceremonies.

I am not too sure if those early deities are really dead, buried among the ruins.  This was brought to my attention in Rome.  In our culture, nature speaks to us.  When visiting the Square near the Pantheon, a tremendous explosion of noise broke out!  It traveled in sound all through the Seven Hills of Rome.  Thunder!  Thunder and electricity celebrated the arrival of the ancestors!  As if to say, “We are still around!  We still carry our power!”  As Kristin and I stood under the dome of the Pantheon, we watched the larger birds swoop around the dome and then take flight as the storm grew nearer ( birds are messenger to Native Americans.)  Then the rain came.  Pouring with such ferocity we saw the cleansing rain, fall.  I remembered a scripture verse (yes, Native Americans are both Christian and traditional).  “I will come to you like spring rain that waters the earth( Psalm 72, 6).”  So, who be these welcome guests?  My Christian side said, “the saints and the Lord.”  My traditional side wondered if it could be the ghosts of the past?  Ancestors often visit our people.  Another side, wondered, what became of the energy of the great forces that were once erected as myths and deities?  Were the ghost’s of the past still about?  Chief Seattle reminded the conquerors of his lovely land to beware that the ghosts of his ancestor’s would still be wandering about, mingling with the crowds.   Questions and wonderment emerged as I walked about the old building and the ancient cobble stone streets.   My friend said it never rained in Rome during her visits in September.  We felt privileged and also humbled by the great powers, whoever they be.

I threw my coin with my daughter at the fountain of Trevi.  Coming home, I felt something had changed within me, but I am not sure what it is or what it means.  I cried in my husband’s arms because I felt a longing for Rome, for Italy.  It seemed that I was wooed and loved, not by men, but by a country with all its beauty. 

The late summer Mediterranean air at Capri surrounded me with warmth, Verona brought memories of the inner Juliet in me and the eternal search for my Romeo, the romantic part of my heart.  Assisi held me and offered me to the Eternal Father in the early morn… dusk and the sound of silence bathed me as the sun slowly rose to greet the day.  Florence toasted and celebrated my birthday after over 40 years of regret that I did not arrive when I was 23.  Beautiful people like  Massimo (who looked like Antonio Banderas), Remo, our tour guide, Franco,  Marcelle from Capri  Chinci, Laboreo, and others from the tour celebrated it with me.  But it was Florence that stirred my heart. Tuscany captivated my spirit with its rolling hills and little villages.  The Northern mountains at Lake Maggiore welcomed me with its heights and trails full of mushrooms, flowers, and wild herbs.  Breathtaking are her sister mountains.  And to top it off, when the fireworks were set off near our hotel, my daughter said, “See, we are still celebrating your birthday.”  What a lovely treasure she is.  What a lovely gift to remember.  Italy

Catherine Swan Reimer, Ed.D.
Inupiat Psychologist
www.swancircle.com

Nation Red Lake
Condolences

"Whenever there is a tragedy, there are also great outpourings of graces." - Dr. Catherine Reimer, Inupiat

Our Nations are saddened by the Minnesota killings at Red Lake, we offer our condolences to the community.  We pray that the healing will come to the people who have lost loved ones and that the community will be blessed with graces to heal.  It is very hard when someone as young dies in a community but when several die in an act of violence, it is difficult to overcome the sadness and grief.  In our villages, I remember one lady told me from Point Hope, that “we can help each other, but when someone young dies in our community, we are all in grief, and it is at that time that we need intervention from the outside.”

Whenever there is a tragedy, there are also great outpourings of graces.  These graces may come in many forms.  For us Native Americans, it may be something from Nature that reminds us that the Creator is watching over us.  This may be in the form of a bird, a special messenger to our people.  Even an eagle will come to let us know that we are cared for.  It may be in a rainbow, or if it is dry weather, rain will come; and if it is rainy and cold, the sun comes.  Even a breeze will let us know that we are not alone.  Our spirit helpers, our Creator, Our Lord, our ancestors are there to help us.  We American Indians and Alaska Natives have a special relationship to the land, and because we take care of her, she will take care of us in our time of need.  It is good to go out to Nature and good to cry so that much of the pain and grief are washed from our souls.

We also as Native Americans have a special sensitive soul that “knows” the spiritual that surrounds us.  This means that we are sensitive to the spirits of our love ones who may be so near that we can feel them.  They come back to let us know that we are not alone and that they are in a good place.  Sometimes, they may come back in a dream and communicate with us; other times, they may even come in a vision.  One Northwest Tribal member told me his grandfather came to his grandmother three days after his death to tell her some important things he forgot to tell her about the house when he was alive.  So, it is important to be open to these things because they are all forms of consolation that are given to us in our times of need.

When my son died a year ago, last February, I was visited by a symbol in my dream that became the catalyst for healing and hastened up my healing and lessened the grief.  The symbol was that of a salamander.  My friend asked me, “Do you know what it means?”  I did not know.  She said, it means, “Can endure fire.”  This became so powerful to me that I drew the salamander with fire coming from it.  I knew this was my son, and that his death was not the end, but he was being transformed from his earthly state and could endure the fire.  (Some family members wanted him cremated).  When, I became overwhelmed by grief; I looked at the symbol and was elevated to a higher state of grace, to walk in hope and love.

Lastly, there are also those special feelings that are felt.  Usually, they are very subtle and come to us as a feeling of love or peace.  This is the Lord, be aware He comes with His angels, your ancestors, His special friends to offer comfort to you and your family.  We send our prayers to Red Lake and all their members that they are all blessed with this special grace.

Catherine Swan Reimer, Ed.D.
Inupiat Psychologist
www.swancircle.com