Echo’s of Lost Footsteps

Tonight I witness something purely amazing! I went & saw a concert, now I know what your thinking… “How can a concert be purely amazing!” I had the privilege to hear RainSong Music and Storytelling at a church in our community. I was so excited when my new good friend, Dan, emailed me & said the “Indians are coming!” I was raised by my father’s parents, they were from English, Dutch, Irish, Wales & French-Canadian background. I had no knowledge of my Native American ancestry.

I remember when I was 6 or 7 years old, I was with my mother for a visit & she took me to a POW-WOW. I remember standing next to the drum set (very much like the one in the photo to the left) watching with intense joy the men beating on the drum, I could feel the drum in my heart… it was magic to me. Then something awesome happen, the oldest man in the drum circle looked at me (he had been watching me & smiling the whole I time I stood there) and when he looked at me he handed me his drumstick and said “Here little one, you beat the drum Whitefeather.” It was such a great time, me beating that drum! I had forgotten the memory of him letting me beat the drum… but not the name he used… Whitefeather! I remember thinking that was sooooo beautiful. When I was done with the drum, I handed him the stick and he tapped my small head & he said “Whitefeather, beautiful little one, princess.” He smiled and continued drumming & singing. Years later I went to my second POW-WOW, I was 14… stubborn & rebellious! I was too cool to stay with my mother & grandmother. So I walked around by myself looking at the different shops. I was so angry that I couldn’t bring a friend or least one of the cousin’s I liked. I was looking at some art work in a tent. The picture was of a woman on a horse and she was in white clothing, the horse was running or jumping and she had a single feather in her hair, it was long & white. An old lady that was in the tent, came up to me, looking at the picture said “This is Princess Whitefeather, she is beautiful yes?” As she said finished her question she looked at me and with eyes growing wide she said, “Whitefeather?” I didn’t know what to say, so I walked away. A few tents down another person asked me if my name was Whitefeather… I didn’t know what this meant but my 14 year old mind was starting to freak out. I found my mother & grandmother at a picnic table under a canapy. They were listening to the drummers… I sat there for a moment trying to process things I never understood… when one of the drummers said in English “Whitefeather you have returned dear princess!” That was all my mind could handle, I tucked it all away for another day.

Tonight’s concert reminded me of those drums & what my name means, for my birth name Sherry mean beloved, dear one, princess. One of the songs they sang tonight was Echoes of Lost Footsteps. It’s about wondering what happen to the people of the past. It’s one of the slower songs that they have, but as I listened to the song, I could hear deep in my heart that meant something to my Genealogy search. That’s what we do as genealogist, we never hear an answer or know what are ancestors were really like, (oh how I wish Time Travel was real, I would go visit my ancestors and get to really know who they were)! Our ancestors to us will only be Echo’s of Lost Footsteps in the Earth for us to search out & find.

That phrase touched my heart, Echo’s of Lost Footsteps, that I have renamed my Blog this. And I pray that you hear the Echo’s of the Lost Footsteps in your family tree.