To All My Relatives :
Time has come up for me to go up on the hill.
We got to Vision Quest camp around 5:00pm, on Saturday May 3, 2003. All Vision Questers and Supporters had to gather at the Yurt to do their Walutas and to get ready for next morning. Outside was cloudy and rainy and had been this way for a week.!!
When I finished doing my Waluta, Fred Wahpepah asked me to go and look for a site before it got dark. Jay was the helper, and up hill we went. Most of the sites were taken by the time we got up there, just a few were available, I didn’t have to many choices, so I had to make a quick decision, before it got dark. There was a site that call my attention, but the only thing that concerned me was a creek runed by it, and a little water fall was running all the time. I know how difficult it is when thirst start to posses you and
to control you. This was a Vision Quest!!! After All.
And I knew inside of myself that I was being tested by Spirit right there. I took the site!! And I thought I am going to be tested harder later on. The next morning is pouring rain, again!!!. We waited until it stopped raining.
The drum and the songs led us up the hill and one by one we were locked in. It began raining!!!AGAIN.
I was at my site, I was alone, wrapped up in my five star blanket, my Chanupa, the prayers for the people and one prayer for myself. Holy Mother Water was there!! I could see her flowing one step away from my site.
Holding my Chanupa I prayed to our Holy Mother Water, I gave thanks for her presence,for her miracle of life, medicine of purification and her healing. I honor her and pay my respect to her.
I pray to Creator to keep our Holy Mother Water safe for ourselves and our children and the seven generations to come and for all Our Relations. I prayed for nobody to control her in the future, she doesn’t belong to anybody. I prayed so she can still run with freedon and joy the way she does it now and hopefully in the coming future too.
Four days had gone by praying to Creator. Stunned by my own amazement, Creator didn’t test me with Holy water. Our Holy mother water didn’t test me either, never called to me, never tempted me!!! It was the other way around, she just helped me out, the fact that she was there to help me, with purification and healing to wash away my own impurities. And I always thought that I would be tested harder!!
The Water fall had a purpose too, it was to kept me awake day and night soI could pray harder for the people.
I am grateful to Creator for all what I received at Vision Quest. Thank you to Creator and Holy Mother Water for my life and for my faith that is even stronger.
To All My Relations
Ana Bravo
05-04-03