Bonneville Point   May 27th  

 Twelve of us gathered at Bonneville Point for an Intention Ceremony. Elder Nahum Hersom, Winnebago, shared a story about the Stone Heart, and showed us the one he had found as a boy in Winnebago country.

The Stone Heart By Nahum Hersom

            Here is a story that is in a way unbelievable. I found a stone heart, when I was about 14 years old along the lake shore of Long Lake (Winnebago Country) which is near Wild Rose, Wisconsin. As a boy, I had the run of the country so I roamed everywhere and  found many things of interest. (I even had a horse tooth necklace I wore.) And brought home any birds turtles, and odd shaped branches to make things out of.

            As I said, I found this heart shaped stone and showed it to my mother who had been a nurse and she named the places where the various blood vessels would be connected.

          When I was 18 years old, I was helping teach Indian arts and crafts in the Chicago Park system under Chief Whirling Thunder. One day he, told this story:

          On long winter nights when the story tellers held their audiences entranced by their stories and legends, it is told that a long time ago before even the oldest of the tribe was born, that there lived far to the north of Wisconsin, up near where it is always cold, a tribe of giants known as Wong-a-Rouskah-Podarou­huh-Poruh-Wah-Roughe-a-ga, or "those who eat people and have hearts of stone".. They were so cruel that it was said they even had ice in their stomachs. When ever the giants appeared among the Winnebago's some people would disappear never to return.

 It has been told that one day a long time ago one of these giants, a young man came into Winnebago country, in his wanderings as he was about to cross a stream he noticed that on the other bank was a beautiful Indian maiden. he was so struck by her beauty that he sat on the stream bank and watched her as she drew water from the stream. When she looked up and saw him ,her first impulse was to run to the village and warn her people, but since he did not chase her, she took the water and walked to her chee wondering why this giant wasn’t fierce and cruel like those she had heard about. Every day there after she would see him watching her as she went about her duties, and soon lost her fear of him.

           The day came when she realized that she was in love with him, but since he had a heart of stone they could never become man and wife.  That night she went out onto a hill top and prayed to the Great Spirit, to cast out his heart of stone and give him one of flesh and blood with all the human feelings of love, warmth, compassion ,and patience.

          The Great Spirit heard her prayers ,and in his great wisdom and love, cast out the stone heart and gave him one of flesh and blood, so they could live as man and wife.

          A legend is a traditional story, part fact and part fiction, and perhaps as in this Winnebago Indian legend, fact and fiction, aren’t very far apart, for here is a stone heart.

After the story was over I told him I had the stone heart. Since this was a legend, he didn’t believe it, so he came to my house and I showed it to him.

            I found the heart in 1932 and have had it all these years and have told the story to many school children an in camps where I told and taught Indian Lore and crafts. And over the years I have learned that the legends told often have a vein of truth running through them. I have had several people who said they could feel energy or tingling in their hands while holding the heart.

Bonneville Ceremony

Blue Thunder shared teachings for us to consider in our lives as well as for the world of energy and nature. People brought things to set in the energy so they could take that day home with them, and have the Peace, Love, and Harmony radiate throughout. The day was beautiful with a brisk breeze blowing. The energy was placed in the crystaline structure of the 6 triangles of the concrete flooring, sacred geometry.    

Bonneville Point is a historical site overlooking the Oregon Trail. Along the viewpoint are graphics of the history of the trail  showing those pioneers that crossed that area to come over that point and see the valley below. One can only imagine the emotions and thought forms imprinted in the sands of time there. Grief, hardship, trauma, relief, joy, stone hearts, guns, survival, death. None the less purple flowers, Mother Earth's color, the women's color, the color of Peace,  grew profusely around the hillside.

 spirit@EarthMotherCrying.org