Yona Unega-ale-Utsilvsgi-Utsisdalugisgi
A long time ago there were two young Native Tsa la gi lovers. They were both 16 Summer Season of age. White bear was strong and fearless by nature. He was very special among his clan - - the longhair - - due to his name and his creative skills, as well as his looks. The way he looked upon the earth, “Elohi”. White Bear was very handsome. White Bear loved the most beautiful young woman of the Wolf Clan, Shining Flower. All the clans of the real people, the tsa la gi, had never seen such gracefulness, love and intelligent spirit come to life on Earth, as Shining flower - - Utsilvsgi-Utsisdalugisgi. She was a real benefit to her clan and all real people who knew her. She was not only helpful, kind and joyful, but also full of all kinds of expression and true compassion.
One day White Bear came and greeted Shining Flower in the polite Cherokee manner: “O si yo” Utsilvsgi-Utsisdalugisgi - - Hello, Shining Flower. He spoke with a big smile and a gift of thirteen white flowers tied together with their stems in a pouch of wet mountain soil. “Here, Shining Flower, I, White bear, bring these beautiful flowers from the mountain. I said a prayer of thanks when I took them up - - for their beautiful white petals and sweet smell. I hope they will make you feel great joy as my use for them is to cause your love for White Bear to come alive in power. I pray that the GREAT CREATOR grant you and I love more powerful than the long man river, and all the elements of Earth, Fire, Wind, Water and Cosmos.”
When Shining Flower looked at White Bear she saw the greatest power and desire she had ever seen in any one being or any animal people. In that instant she took the thirteen flowers by putting her gentle hand under the wet pouch and accepting them from White Bear. As he released them from his hand to hers they showed an amazing glowing light – very bright and shining – for only a fraction of a second, but it was a beautiful moment. Then they both heard distant voices singing in the ancient way. White Bear heard stories from his great grandfather about the way of old. The voices seemed to come from the clearing in the nearby woods where the sun shone openly upon the earth.
They were surprised, yet they both understood, and White Bear and Shining Flower realized his prayer was power of truth and desire now coming to the earth from UNETLANVHI - - the GREAT CREATOR - - the source of all love and life, who is always everywhere at all times, omnipresent. Because most of the Cherokees still had their paranormal abilities in some way or another, White Bear and Shining Flower sensed and fully understood they had to take the thirteen white flowers to the sunny clearing where the ancient voices were singing softly, yet strong.
White Bear could already hear them sing the words his great-grandfather Wolf Alone had told him a long time ago. Ancient old Cherokee words. Words with power. The spirits singing those words came from the ancient times when the Cherokee were up in the North East. A time long before the real people came down to the South East, where the Cherokee now thrive in the Smokey Mountains. Yet Shining Flower was now in charge of the thirteen flowers and the wet pouch full of mountain soil. Her love and energy were now being shared with the special flowers as she held them. White Bear and Shining Flower started to walk towards the woods, moving gracefully together.
He, listening to the words, was doing his duty – she, feeding the energy of love to the flowers, was doing hers. As they arrived in the clearing and stepped into the sunlight again, the vibration of the ancient voices filled their hearts and thoughts. There was no need for their ears to hear them. This sound was from the spirit realm, the ghost country, and the songs were vibrations from the ancient ones of the Ani yv wiya entering the Earth plane.
White Bear and Shining Flower went to the center of the forest clearing and now they knew at the same moment that a wonderful blessing was taking place. White Bear sensed his heart and spirit telling him to dig a hole, so Shining Flower could place the unwrapped pouch in the Earth and replant the thirteen flowers. White Bear got down to his knees and took the long knife his father had made him from obsidian, a special black stone that came from far away where the Mexica and Mayas live. He dug a hole into the soil and started to pray the same prayer. For love to come from the GREAT CREATOR - for himself and Shining Flower.
Shining Flower was then kneeling down by his side, waiting for the Earth to be a clear open hole. White Bear dug like a bear right into the soil and made a perfect small hole. Now he said: “I place these herbs of the plant people, tree people and one fish, one stone from my medicine pouch into the hole and complete my prayer.” And so he did. He placed some cedar, some sage, some wolf berries dried and made into powder and one dry fish into the small hole in the Earth. The Black shining stone White Bear added was from far away from the Apache people far away in the Southwest - - Aztlan - -, a stone called Apache Tear. The Apache Tear was very rare on the southeast part of Turtle Island, among the Cherokee. Aztlan is partly modern day Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Oregon, Nevada, California, Colorado and Western Texas.
With all the offerings inside the hole, Shining Flower then set the soil and flower stems down together. Lowering the thirteen flowers that showed the sign of the Shining Flower, “Themselves”, like a prophecy of her name arriving in its time to show who she will be. White Bear made the last of his prayer and said all of a sudden, speaking in ancient Cherokee words, as new spiritual forces gathered within him- saying Fire, wind, water, earth from all four directions. “Give life” to the thirteen white flowers that were shining as the one whom I love. Cause love and every element of Sky, Earth, and Star Power to enter our hearts forever with the strength of an Ancient oak tree. UNETLANVHI, I ask “ga da do lis di ha, nas gi wu wi niga lis da – Wado.”
Shining Flower had tears running down her beautiful face and so did White bear, because something very special and set apart was happening to and for them. She patted down the soil and the thirteen flowers were standing strong in their new place in the clearing. White Bear untied his water skin and poured water over the flowers until every drop was upon them. And they were moving as if stretching or dancing in joy.
White Bear took Shining Flower by her hand and something very powerful began to happen. It was a mysterious thing they both had never experienced or thought of. Yet they accepted it as the powerful transformation continued to evolve through and with them. White Bear pulled Shining Flower tightly into his embrace with his arms holding her close - and she held onto White Bear and said: “our love will reach the skies forever and take root in the earth” Then they started to grow together into one and their indigenous flesh became a tall tree growing- higher and higher. While this was happening a gathering of animals formed. Birds and bears, deer and wolves, elk, cougars, and bobcats, they all came out of the forest to the clearing to witness this beautiful display of the “element of love”. In peace together they all lifted their animal voices saying: “Praise the GREAT CREATOR!”
Then all fell silent. One massive oak tree now stood in the middle of the clearing. All the animals of every kind in the forest had watched White Bear and Shining Flower turn into the massive great tree reaching far above any other trees in the vast forest. From right in the center of the clearing and about the length of 80 buck deer high, they could see 13 white shining flowers growing from a crevice in the side of the great oak tree - the love of two made into one.
And so it is and to this very day “forever more” the tree stands ever so strong in the present day North Carolina Forest. In a place of mystery where only those who respect prayer and love, can find the special clearing near the Eastern Band Cherokee Reservation