--Ellen Gilchrist
from her journals
O'siyo! My name is Freedom Heart Rising. I am a mixed-blood Tsalagi
(Cherokee) Indian.
My maternal grandfather was full-blood Cherokee. My maternal grandmother was French-Canadian. My father was Sicilian. So, I
am Cherokee, Sicilian, and French-Canadian. It's a good mixture, I am told. An interesting one, anyway.
I was born and raised in inner city Chicago, then lived in Colorado for a few years, and spent the next 13 in Oklahoma - Indian Territory. It was a great place for me to be. I presently live in Illinois. We moved here due to a transfer in my husbands job, about 7 years ago. We live among the sacred corn - and lots of it!!! Unless the crops are being rotated - then we have soy beans. I still miss the good red Earth in Oklahoma, and probably always will.
My husband, Tony, and I have 2 teenagers. My son, William Blake (Majik Star Rising) will be 14 next month, and my daughter, Tabitha Cheryl (Little Greene Rising) will be 15.
We also have a German Shepherd/Norwegian Elk hound dog, who is just over a year. His name is Calvin. I call him Cal the
Wonder Dog. And we have a cat named Lobo. He was named after John Trudell, who is one of my heroes. Kris Kristofferson - (another hero of mine, and I don't have many) - wrote a song about John Trudell called _Johnny Lobo_. Thus, Lobo's name...nine lives. While you are here why not take a look at John's Home Page?
I am an enrolled member of the Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama. My brother, Dancing Heart, has put that page together. Take a look at how great the
Tribal Home Page looks. I really love him a lot. Can you tell? Speaking of brothers and web pages, he actually has an excellent page on Zen Buddhism. Fingers Pointing to the Moon has just about anything you could want to know and it has it's own links, as well.
It's a wonderful Tribe. I am a proud and honoured member of that family. Our Chief, White Eagle (Jim Pell), has been a great influence in my life, and he holds a very special place in my heart!
I also, of course, am a sister of these wonderful women in the Wolf Lodge.
It is an honour and a privilege to be linked with these sisters, who have all become such a part of me. For an "only child", I did good in acquiring such a lovely family. This Lodge is really something very special to me, and my heart is filled with much love for these true sisters.
While you are here, why not pop over and meet Garry and Lisa, my other brother and sister?
I also have CFIDS/FM (Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome, and Fibromyalgia.) Kara Red Hawk has this as well, so if you go to her page within the Lodge , you will find some information about that, and some links to learn more about it, if you'd like. The two links I would like to include here
are The CFIDS Association of Americaand my page CFIDS Dedication.
I have also been working for years, toward Leonard Peltier's freedom. I have an NET/Leonard Peltier Support Group (LPSG). Please visit The Leonard Peltier
Defense Committee's Home page. If you are interested in being added to the support group, please drop me (Freedom Heart) a
line.
They say you should do what you love, so that's what I do: I write. Please take the opportunity to visit my Heart Words page to read some of my work. I also play _at_ playing guitar - I have an acoustic Yamaha. I really wish I were better, because I love it. I am a book and music addict. Since I am ill much of the time,
these things have saved my life...beautiful words, beautiful music. And I have been abundantly blessed by those who people my life.
I am also a practicing Zen Buddhist, as well as a Christian - and then there's the American Indian spirituality. It makes for a rich spiritual life. There are many links to great zen sites. If you're interested, do a zen search! You'll come up with jillions of things.
I appreciate you visiting my page, and hope in future to have things here that you will find interesting.
In Peace, (Nvwhtohiyada)
Freedom Heart
(Adudalesdi Adanhdo Adidiha)
Dana Tiger, Creek Tribe, Muscogee Nation
Last Updated: June 16, 1998
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