I met an Indian woman named Caleen at Panther Meadow, a sacred place on the mountainside of Mt.Shasta.
Caleen and her friends are praying for the spirits of water in front of the sacred fountain.
We were a party of 13. Only 10 of us were permitted to join the praying, and 9 were remained and other 4 had left.
After for a while, one of them, a lady with large build came to us and asked “Who is your leader and why you’re here?”
It was Caleen, and she started to talk to us with clear eyes like melted snow water.

“Over 50,000 people visit this place every year. They walk into the nature and feel happiness and leave. However, at the same time, they also damage the nature;
Some of them leave their old crystals in our sacred river. I have even found someone’s missing tooth there once! We want to welcome the idea that our sacred place also meant for others, blessing and leading everyone, fairly. But, I want you to know. Now the time of the melting snow, is very important for this mountain. If you look down at the ground, you don’t see any plants at this moment. But if you look inside of the ground, there’re many plants waiting for the moments to come out. I’ve heard that at my mother’s age, many wild flowers were blooming up to here ( chest ) and those were so so beautiful. It’s our role for welcoming people who visit here, but protecting this holly place in a state of nature and leading it to our descendents is also our important role. Please think about it together for what is the best way for each others. Do you really need to visit this place? Isn’t it possible for you to feel to pray and to protect here from distance?”
When each of us started to think for what we could do about it, Caleen started telling us an Indian tale of the porcupine brothers. Their mothers are sharing this tale with their children for many years in Mt. Shasta. Caleen talked this story to us with her shifty eye and tender hands so that we could imagine the porcupine brothers are playing here just in front of us. Suddenly it thundered. It’s a sign of the beginning of the next season just like it in Japan. “ Now it’s summer here in Mt.Shasta. Did you call this thunder?”

“ This is a sign of the beginning of the telling story.” She winked at me with a playful sparkle in her eyes. I talked to her. “ this is a sign of the beginning of an action in Japan. We climb Mt. Fuji after the thunder.” Then I realized that we did not come here for healing ourselves in nature. Our purpose for visiting here is to make an action from “the beginning of the telling to the beginning to the action.” I don’t know what we can do for that. But we have had this experience, so we can’t go back to the place where we were before. We bow to the mountain with respect when we step in and out with like the following feeling; “How are you mountain ? ” “ thank you so much for sharing good time with us, mountain.” Naturally we bow and put both palms together. Caleen watched us bowing to Panther Meadow when we’re out, and she started teach us an old Indian song.
“We sign a song when we express our gratitude to the mountain. Then he feels happy.”
Soon after we sang the song, I saw Mt.Shasta move! I could feel that Mt.Shasta and us had become became one.

Each of us thought that where we should start was by making promises to Mt.Shasta and Caleen. We could make it come and stand here. However we might never have come to known Caleen if we had arrived 5 minutes later to Panther Meadow that day. But we met Caleen because of this “timing”. I will start doing something from here. After coming back from Mt.Shasta, we’ve heard news that Panther Meadow has been put off limits to visitors for a while. Also we found out that Nestle Ltd has bought a license for selling Native American holy water from their river. This was shocking to us.
Please think with us. It’s the beginning of action. Our mother earth, land, water, fire, wind, plants, animals are all ONE. Caleen says they have a big festival the 2nd week of every August. Despite the distance, I always would like to feel like beautiful Mt.Shasta and Caleen who is like a mother in this tale.

Winnemem Wintu Tribe URL: http://www.winnememwintu.us/