QUEEN SIZE QUILT - JBE

Community Pride - pay it forward!

Community Pride “Pay it forward!” Oki Piikani, Long ago a memory not so distant if you can imagine, our ancestors, grandparents, and parents all worked together, they took pride in our homeland and respected every living creature sacredly. The sacred places, land, animals, and people alike were all treated with dignity and were respected equally and treated fairly. We took pride in our creations, our people, animals, and land. We made beauty out of ordinary places and things alike. The people from our ancestor tribes did not believe in destruction, or destruction of created monuments, landmarks, nor sacred places. We were so strong in our beliefs, that to this day many traditional families still practice these beliefs. These beliefs are taught through oral tradition, through legends and stories of our people, and have since been passed on from generation to generation. We were a very strong people; we believed in teamwork, we believed in treating each family in our tribes equally. No family was treated of great status, because we were an equal tribe, doing our best to make time for the people, places, and animals. We would make sure everyone and everything was respected. If you think about today, the present, it really truly is a gift from our Creator Iihtsipaataapiiohpi. We the Piikani are blessed, each morning, every day and night. We were given the beautiful sight of the Great Rocky Mountains, the beautiful sunlight Naatoosii, Our Old Man River, the Great Prairie Fields our grasslands, the fields, hills, and the starry night sky. Our People’s blessings are plentiful and many come disguised, but if you truly look around you can find that blessing every day. Each Piikani Member has been blessed, with the gift of sight, our feelings and emotions, our reactions, strengths, knowledge, artistry, stories, our teachings. Many and all of us were given these gifts in the very beginning of life. It’s how we learn and how we grow as a people. When a community is angry & negative, even just a few of us, how can we learn? How can we change? Well there is a simple fact in life many of us can learn, “take the time to change, take the time to be positive, pay it forward!” Make change happen, whether it be spending more time with your family or friends. Teach our young Piikani Children how to share, how to prevent bullying, destruction and violence. Spend time and learn from your elders. Maybe even start a family tree for our younger generations. Do your best to gain and share knowledge with each other. Share the good ideas, make new things, become educated in health and safety, work in safe environments in businesses, with our land, and people. Education comes in all areas of life and we can always learn something new. Take a look at our community Piikani, we have some of the best places here, in our very own homeland to build something new, start something new. Maybe schedule gym nights for community members 2 – 3 times a week. Maybe seek funding for a homeless shelter and women’s shelter. Even seek funding for more recreational activity. Start and create the much needed jobs for our people. Our people can start support groups for community members in need; we can build these positive changes in our very own community. Personally I believe in my people from the past and the present, that change really truly is possible for our community. Change has happened over many years, look at our community infrastructure we have nice roads to drive on, nice homes to live in, even nice older and newer buildings. That we a community together should take pride in. It is possible to work on reducing dependency through education, by creating employment for our people & families. We can work on starting new business’s, community gardens, teach our youth and young alike about horses our animals, how to ride, how to farm, encourage and inspire our children to graduate and become exactly who they want to be in life. My belief is that a strong community is an educated, positive, and safe environment at all times in our very own homes and business’s. We the people have the power to start something new, change. Change can happen at any time, whether it be something small or huge, maybe a community department can take on the challenge to host annual community clean ups in the late spring. We have the power to take pride in who we are, and honor our respected past relatives. We can even research who they were, and find out exactly what they did for our community. Look at Piikani now, there are vacant buildings that can be utilized to their fullest potential, there are current departments that deserve appreciation and respect. Our community can take the opportunity to take bids from local artisans to create something new, a piece of art in our own community. The possible idea can be” what Piikani means to the people.” The art can be created on our vacant signage in Piikani. Try inspiring and encouraging one another, to be who you are, to try something new and stop all this negative attitude against your own fellow Piikani Members. Values are learned growing up, try remembering the good values, and do your best to avoid malicious activity and gossip, because that takes anyone who takes on the task of trouble nowhere! I leave you with this “IIKAAKIIMAAT PIIKANI!” Respectfully, Piitaakii – Jarrellee Bad Eagle; Daughter of Anita Bad Eagle/Darrell Haggard and granddaughter of the late Iihtsimainskii James Bad Eagle/Late Loretta Four Horns – Great granddaughter of Piihksitsaakoohmii - Pat Bad Eagle/Late Susan Plain Eagle