Life and Struggles in Louisiana in the 1930s

Life in Louisiana, much like the rest of the United States, moved at a lot slower pace in the 30s than it does today. Yet, there were no shortages of troubles. The song by Alabama folk singer Vera Hall comes to mind.

The Great Depression was one of the largest troubles throughout most of the 1930s and affected economies worldwide. With Louisiana being a major agricultural state in the South, these economic problems led to the downfall of many farms. Especially those owned by poor whites and poor blacks alike. Prices of goods fell to all-time lows and many farmers couldn't afford to keep their farms. In turn, workers weren't able to get paid or had to settle for even lower wages at plantations or at other jobs. It was bad enough that many families in rural Louisiana already lived in poverty. The Great Depression made it far worse. As had the drought of 1930-1931 where many families had to apply to get aid from the American Red Cross. More on this can be read at https://64parishes.org/entry/great-depression-in-louisiana

A poem by Langston Hughes, Let America Be America Again, was written during the time of the Great Depression. In it is a section that is an expression of how many citizens felt at the time. Especially in the Southern States where many working-class citizens were affected. Most of us have not learned about the details of this shared history but it was immigrants, more recent descendants of immigrants, descendants of slaves, Native Americans, and owners of small farms who were mainly affected. This while larger farms (wealthy plantations) in the South thrived due to the cheaper labor and other factors. They proudly took advantage of the economic troubles to the detriment of nearly everyone else. See: Were there successful farming plantations during the Great Depression?

"I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek--
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak."

Those who were just scraping by before the Great Depression, many of them felt the brunt of the blow of economic troubles. Yet they persevered. Many of these photos display the strong character of those days and of the past. Which was not only a trait of Louisiana but also of Americans from other states and walks of life during the Great Depression.

Florestine Carson, unemployed Creole Negro trapper, and daughter, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.
By Ben Shahn (FSA photo by Ben Shahn via [1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Citizenship Class in the Hungarian Settlement in Livingston Parish Louisiana - Albany, Louisiana
By Uncredited photographer for the WPA (Works Progress Administration photo via [1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

1936; Works Progress Administration night school for African Americans in the town of Kenner, Jefferson Parish
By Uncredited WPA photographer (Works Progress Administration photo, via [1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

"Negro school, Destrehan, Louisiana", September 1938
Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Musicians playing accordion and washboard in front of a store, near New Iberia, Louisiana. November 1938
Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

WPA work repaving and widening on St. Claude Avenue, view at the corner of Mandeville Street, with St. Claude
By Uncredited Works Progress Administration photographer (WPA photo via [1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

New Roads Louisiana in 1938. Looking across the railroad tracks into the African American section of New Roads, Louisiana. Store sign reads: Felix Fazenda Fine Wines and Liquors. Morning Treat. Signs also for Jax beer, RC Cola, and the Cresent Saloon.
Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

An image of musician Cléoma Breaux with her husband Joe Falcon
See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


African American musicians playing guitars on St. Joseph's Day Night,St. Joseph's Day is the traditional post-Mardi Gras last gathering of the season for the "Mardi Gras Indians" organizations.
By Unnamed WPA photographer (WPA photo via [1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Young woman with umbrella, Louisiana, July 1937
Dorothea Lange [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons



Men standing on the sidewalk outside Federal Emergency Relief Administration office. October 1935
Location seems to be S. Claiborne Avenue between Washington Avenue and 4th Street, on the lakewards side of the street.
By Ben Shahn [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Spiritual meeting at Father Treadwell's Church in New Orleans Louisiana in the 1930s. Church of God in Christ. Rev. Lucien H. Treadwell, Pastor.
By Unnamed WPA photographer (Works Progress Administration photograph via [1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Three Creole Girls, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, October 1935
By Ben Shahn [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Men talking on a porch of a small store near Jeanerette, Louisiana. October 1938. Iberia Parish, Louisiana
Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Drinking at beer the bar, Raceland, Louisiana. September 1938
Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Two boys leaning on fence watching parade, state fair, Donaldsonville, Louisiana, November 1938
Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Men in cooperative general store. Transylvania, Louisiana, January 1939
Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Mother teaching children numbers and alphabet in the home of a sharecropper. Transylvania, Louisiana. January 1939
Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


New Orleans Mardi Gras, 1936. 3 street costumers dressed as clowns.
By Unnamed WPA photographer (WPA photo via [1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


2 African American men sitting playing Conquian (card game), September 1938.
Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Dancing at bar in Raceland, Louisiana, September 1938.
Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Steel guitarist at microphone, Cajun band contest, National Rice Festival, Crowley Louisiana, October 1938
Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Literacy class at the Parish Prison, New Orleans. February 16, 1937
By Uncredited WPA photographer (WPA photo via [1] # 17.33) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Photograph of WPA Education — Radio Class, Magnolia School, 2246 Carondelet Street, New Orleans. January 18, 1937
By Works Progress Administration [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Trumpet players with WPA band, New Orleans, November 30, 1937
By Uncredited photographer for the Works Progress Administration, a U.S. Federal Government agency. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Children on parade float with the inscription "Rice Is King", National Rice Festival, Crowley, Louisiana., October 1938.
By Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Musicians in Cajun band contest, National Rice Festival, Crowley, Louisiana. October 1938
By Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Street dancing, National Rice Festival, Crowley Louisiana, October 1938
Russell Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


A store with live fish for sale, vicinity of Natchitoches, Louisiana. 1939
By Wolcott, Marion Post, 1910-1990, photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Title: A cross roads store, bar, "juke joint," and gas station in the cotton plantation area, Melrose, Louisiana. 1939
By Wolcott, Marion Post, 1910-1990, photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Tree Sitters Block Bayou Bridge Pipeline Construction in Atchafalaya Basin

ATCHAFALAYA NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA, LA: Water protectors living high in the canopy of old growth cypress trees brought construction on the Bayou Bridge pipeline to a halt earlier today in the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest swamp in North America.

The action – known as a tree sit– was initiated to amplify pleas from Louisiana residents who have begged their local elected officials to protect these ancient trees from destruction by the pipeline company and to provide an evacuation route for the predominantly African American St. James community, which sits at the tail end of the 163-mile Energy Transfer Partners project.

The Bayou Bridge Pipeline

The Bayou Bridge Pipeline (BBP) would impact numerous communities across Southern Louisiana. The pipeline would lead to more fracking for oil in the shale fields of North Dakota and further the global dependence on climate change-causing fossil fuels.

http://nobbp.org/breaking-tree-sitters-block-bayou-bridge-pipeline-construction-in-atchafalaya-basin/

Samuel Tom Holiday, code talker, passes away | Navajo Times

Samuel Tom Holiday, one of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers, died Monday evening (June 11) just nine days after his 94th birthday celebration at his home in Tódinéeshzhee'.

Quick Facts:
He was born near the Utah-Arizona border, within Monument Valley.

He was forced to attend a government-run boarding school, like many Native American children were in those days, to attempt to strip them of their cultural identity. Stripping of identities, just as they had done to many who came to this country as immigrants, the indentured, or as slaves

Samuel Tom Holiday enlisted in the Marines in 1943, when he was nineteen years old.

The code talkers consisted of hundreds of Navajo at the height of the operation.

The Navajo Code Talkers used Navajo stories to communicate top secret information, among other tactics. The code was never broken by the Japanese.

For more details about his life and legacy:

The post Samuel Tom Holiday, code talker, passes away appeared first on Navajo Times.

Rest in Peace, Art Bell - The End of an Era

I write this as I'm listening to a streaming playing a classic Halloween Ghost to Ghost AM episode from 2003. The first time I heard Art Bell on the radio was in the mid-90s on WHAM in Rochester, New York. His show was the perfect show, for the perfect time, in an era where the paranormal was a little more mainstream and yet still on the fringes.

Back then, the young person that I was, my ability of suspension of disbelief was much easier than now. The topics were fascinating and Art was the perfect voice. Between The X-Files, all of the paranormal shows on TV, the '97 UFO over Phoenix, Heaven's Gate, the landing of the Mars Pathfinder, Hale-Bopp, and the beginning rise of the internet, it was a great time. Not as much in a nostalgia sense as it just being a simpler time in comparison to now. A different time when we were a different people and a somewhat different nation.

Back then, Art Bell's site was my go to. A stop for the latest paranormal, astronomy, and scientific news and similar diverse-yet-easily-blended topics. The internet too was simpler back then. I'd spend days during summer vacation listening for as long as I could to Art Bell's shows and keeping the radio on all night. Complete with the bumper music that he would play that would set the environment for the show. The next morning, i'd catch up on what I missed by visiting his website. I still even remember browsing the VR site for the Mars Pathfinder and keeping up with the news regularly way back in 1997 through his site's links.

Art Bell was a definite influence and a great figure that introduced many of us to a whole different world through his show. These days, my belief in as much of the paranormal isn't the same as it once was. But, as it was in the 90s, as the teenager that I was it was a great source that exposed me to ideas and knowledge that I would have not otherwise known about. 1997 was that year. The year that I also first heard of Michio Kaku. Art Bell was central to the outreach of knowledge to many young people and adults alike back then.

It was an era that has lost its reach now. Paranormal radio is nowhere near what it once was. A combination of repetitive voices, the quicker reach of information, and the growing loss of imaginative thought in our society all play a role. As do many other factors. As I said, Art Bell's radio show in the 90s was the perfect show for the perfect time. The cultural atmosphere was just right and the timing was perfect. There will not ever be anyone that will replace him nor those times.

The passing of Art Bell is a true end of an era and that's not just a figure of speech. It's the full truth. His loss is a massive loss for paranormal radio and paranormal 'infotainment'. As people are posting about him on Twitter and Facebook on social media and sharing their memories of listening to his show. Though he was much more than just a radio voice to millions. He felt like someone closer to a friend or a good neighbor through those airwaves.

He will be greatly missed.

Art Bell Takes His Final Ride, R.I.P.


Another Drone Video

Pawnee - The Star People

Many of us have heard about the new-age tales of "star people". These star people, a opportunistic, new-age marketer belief, were a creation of Brad Steiger back in the 1970s. His 'creation' was built on ideas lifted from Native American beliefs. Steiger's beliefs are that some people have an extraterrestrial spirit. A spirit which grants them the ability to see other worlds, communicate directly with these other beings and are ideas based in ego. His and others commercial writings, and more modern definitions of star people, star seeds, indigo, crystal, rainbow people, and the like represent nothing of actual Native American beliefs.
more on that here

Anyways, on to the subject.

The original star people were the Pawnee. Though some tribes held similar beliefs in later times. The Pawnee saw their ultimate home as being amongst the stars. The Pawnee used the stars as guides. From these ideas they began to build their dwellings in the shape of domes. Which was a reference to the sky. The placement of their dwellings were also aligned with stars in the sky. The centers of their dwellings were held up with poles that were marked white, yellow, red, and black as colors of the stars. White stood for Sirius, yellow for Capella, red for Antares, and black for Vega. These stars are the Four Direction Stars.

Another important star was the Great Chief Star. Which, to us, is known as Polaris or the North Star. The passing of certain stars were important to Pawnee ceremonies, festivals, and spirituality. The Pleiades and other star formations were important to them and their planting ceremonies. One of the most symbolic group of stars to the Pawnee were the Swimming Ducks. They were two bright stars that made up the tail and stinger of the constellation of Scorpio, Lambda Scorpii, and Upsilon Scorpii. When they were seen before sunrise, in the southeastern sky, the Pawnee saw them as a sign of spring and a time to prepare for their spring ceremonies. Ceremonies that took place around the time when the first thunders of the seasons were heard.

By Boris.stromar (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

The Milky Way also held importance in the spiritual beliefs of the Pawnee. They saw it as the soul pathway of the deceased. The region above the Milky Way, where there are no stars, is where the Pawnee believed that the spirits of the deceased returned to take their place amongst the stars. They also believed that the Milky Way was divided. One part was for those that died of natural causes and the other part for those that died before their time. Which also included death in battle. The stars of the east are, in Pawnee spirituality, male stars. Within the eastern stars is a red star, the Morning Star, which is Mars. It is seen as the greatest among the eastern stars. The stars of the west are female stars and the most important amongst them is the Evening Star, which is Venus. Another star, the Wolf Star, is representative of the wolf coming and going from the spirit world. The wolf running down the Milky Way is where the Milky Way gets its name in Pawnee belief, the Wolf Road.

Pawnee: The Star People - Angelfire

More about the Pawnee, their history, ceremonies, and beliefs

Sarah Franklin Bache

Sarah Franklin Bache

Sarah Franklin Bache
 by John Hoppner in 1793 [Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons

Born: September 11, 1743, Philadelphia
Died: October 5, 1808, Philadelphia

Sarah Franklin Bache was the only surviving child of Deborah Read and Benjamin Franklin. Yes, that Benjamin Franklin, the founding father. She had an older step-brother, William Franklin, who was Benjamin Franklin's illegitimate son. He was raised as Benjamin and Deborah's son from infancy. Much of her knowledge, political knowledge, she had learned from her father. She was also said to have been a skilled harpsichord player.

Some of this knowledge aided her in her work during the American Revolutionary War. After the passing of her mother, in 1774, she took on the position of political hostess when her father returned, in 1775, from a diplomatic mission in France. Much of the work that she was involved in consisted of relief work. Which also included raising money for the Continental Army. She was also involved with the Ladies Association of Philadelphia. As a leader of the group, they made 2,200 shirts for the Continental Army, for soldiers at Valley Forge during the winter.

Prior to the war, she married Richard Bache on October 29, 1767. She did so despite the concerns of her parents about his financial standing and abilities to support her. They had eight children altogether.

After her father died in 1790, he left most of his estate to her. In 1807 she was diagnosed with cancer and died from the disease in 1808.

The Women of the American Revolution

Wooden Leg - Cheyenne Warrior Who Fought Custer

Wooden Leg, of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, was born in 1858 in the area of the Black Hills and the Cheyenne River in Dakota Territory.

See page for author [Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons

Quick Facts:

His father was Many Bullet Wounds. He also went by the preferred name White Buffalo Shaking off the Dust. His birth date and death date are not known.

His mother was Eagle Feather on the Forehead. Her birth and death dates are also unknown.

His two older brothers were Strong Wind Blowing and the other's name was Yellow Hair. His younger brother was named Twin.

His older sister was named Crooked Nose and his younger sister was Fingers Woman.

As a child, Wooden Leg went by Eats from His Hand. He received the name Wooden Leg from his uncle. He received the name since he was able to walk farther than his peers when it came to long travels.

The first time that he saw white men involved in a large battle was the Wagon Box Fight of 1866. His older brother, Strong Wind Blowing, was killed in this battle during Red Cloud's War. Wooden Leg was too young to have taken part in the battle.

Wooden Leg became a part of the Elkhorn Scrapers some time in 1872. It is said that they were one (of three) warrior societies made up of Cheyenne and perhaps members from other tribes.

The morning of March 17, 1876 Wooden Leg was encamped at Powder River near modern-day Moorhead, Montana along with a few hundred of his own tribe, the Northern Cheyenne, and some Oglala Sioux. Around 9 in the morning, Colonel Joseph J. Reynolds, with US soldiers under his command, carried out a surprise attack on the camp. The warriors were quick to get their women and children to safety. They also set up a defense to slow the US soldiers. The federal soldiers burned the village and their food supplies to effect federal policy, in an effort to cause tribes to move on to different lands. US forces also captured around 700 of the Cheyenne's horses. The tribes counterattack, which caused the army to retreat and leave most of the horses behind. The next morning, the Cheyenne took back the horses left behind, which was most of their previous 700 recovered, with little resistance from army soldiers still present. Despite this, their resources were devastated and members of both tribes, Cheyenne and Oglala,  men, women, and children, to the Oglala Sioux village of Crazy Horse. Relocating to the village, which was also along Powder River, took them three days of walking north. Many Cheyenne succumbed to the elements, freezing to death, while making their way to the village.

On June 17, 1876, Wooden Leg fought in the Battle of the Rosebud. Most of the cavalries from the Powder River attack were present at this battle. The allied tribes won this battle.

The morning of June 25, 1876, Wooden Leg and his older brother Yellow Hair were awakened by a warning about the arrival of US soldiers. The two of them quickly prepared for the battle alongside the rest of the warriors. It was a defeat for the US forces at the Battle of Little Bighorn.

In the latter months of 1876, General Crook held a force, at Cantonment Reno, further north up the Powder River. Indian scouts under his guidance, comprised mainly of Pawnee, Shoshone, and Sioux, discovered the Cheyenne camp near Little Bighorn River. The 4th U.S. Cavalry carried out an attack on Chief Morning Star's camp on November 25, 1876. Soldiers and scouts attacked the camp, killing many of the inhabitants and causing the rest to flee. Two individuals amongst those who fled were Wooden Leg and one of the Elk Horn Scrapers leaders, Little Wolf. The camp was burned by US soldiers and their food was taken by the soldiers.

After this attack, the Northern Cheyenne moved north, yet again, and met up with Oglala Sioux. Numerous tribes allied there and they moved on to the valley of Little Bighorn and then to the Tongue River. They were again involved in battle with the US forces at the Battle of Wolf Mountain.

Later in life, Wooden Leg, his brother Yellow Hair, and 34 Cheyenne refused to relocate to reservation land stayed in the region of the Tongue and Powder Rivers. Though much of the tribe did agree to relocate due to hunger. They stayed in the region until they too were experiencing hardship, mainly hunger, and moved on to the reservation. They settled at the White River Reservation.

Dull Knife and Little Wolf, along with a group they led, refused to obey unjust rules enforced by soldiers. They defied the forces and left the reservation, heading north to settle somewhere near the Tongue River. Wooden Leg refused to follow them and remained behind. Wooden Leg was then married to a Southern Cheyenne woman in 1878 and decided to meet up with Little Wolf at their camp, leaving the reservation.

In 1889, Wooden Leg joined up at Fort Keogh as a scout. Which he and other scouts guided US forces in the Ghost Dance campaign. Which would also lead to the Wounded Knee Massacre.

In 1906, he spoke about the Battle of Little Bighorn at the location where the battle took place. It was during a memorial for the battle.

In 1908, he was baptized on by a priest on the reservation.

In 1913, Wooden Leg, Two Moons, Black Wolf, and Little Wolf were a part of delegation headed to Washington to speak about the Cheyenne tribe, their experiences, and his experiences. He had also traveled to New York around this time. When he headed back to the reservation he became a judge on the reservation. He declined to become a chief of the Elkhorn Scrapers. Despite this, whites that he worked with called him a chief.

Wooden Leg did have two daughter but they died at a young age. He and his wife adopted a son from his sister. The boy was John White Wolf.

A lot of Wooden Leg's experiences prior to living on the reservation and his experiences at the Battle of Little Bighorn can be found in the book Wooden Leg: A Warrior Who Fought Custer. The book contains information told in interviews and conversations by Thomas B. Marquis, with Wooden Leg, in 1903. The book was first published in 1931 as a first person autobiography.

Wooden Leg lived until 1940, aged 81 or 82.

Learn More:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wooden_Leg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wooden_Leg:_A_Warrior_Who_Fought_Custer

Full Book:
https://archive.org/details/warriorwhofought027166mbp

Language and Culture of Kauai

Hawaiian culture, like all cultures, is deeply complex and interesting. Hawaiian culture also varies on each of Hawaii's main, major islands. Hawaiian cultures are varied much like cultures all across the mainland United States. Accents, word pronunciations, and even the meanings of words, especially slang, can change depending on where you are. With many of the more secluded communities on Hawaii's islands, these cultural differences can be more noticeable (in a good way).

Braden Jarvis

The Hawaiian island of Kauai is one island that has an amazing culture. Most of all, the culture of Kauai is mellow. The people of Kauai and very passionate about following long-held traditions. Of course, the more known traditions in Hawaii, such as hula and Hawaiian music, are important to Kauai. Music played using traditional Hawaiian musical instruments, like the ukulele and the pa'u, is popular during performances. Kauai was once the location of a culturally important hula school, One that was seen as the best across all of Hawaii. Yet, hula is still a major part of Kauai's culture as there are still numerous hula learning facilities. Though most are geared towards tourists. Kauai is still considered a center of Hawaiian culture to many and especially its residents. The communities across Kauai have a deep interest in, and dedication to, keeping their local culture, traditions, and skills alive.

Below is a short list of Hawaiian words as examples of the Hawaiian language. The Hawaiian alphabet is currently comprised of 8 consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W, and ' ('okina) and 5 vowels: A, E, I, O, U

kahiko (traditional, old)

kahuna (priest, expert in a field)

kai (ocean, ocean water)

a hui hou (until we meet again)

aole (no)

ewa (westward)

kapu (tax, forbidden)

muumuu (long and loose fitting dress)

nani (beautiful)

nene (rare native goose)

kona (leeward, leeward wind)

koolau (windward side of island)

John Dolph - Akron, New York Historical Figure

John Dolph was a historic figure in the local Akron tale of Ah-weh-hah. He was involved in events that took place in Akron. Which includes events at Murder Creek. From historical record, he had moved to Akron some time in the 1820s. He and his wife aided Ah-weh-hah in escaping from a white man, named Sanders, who wanted to force her into marrying him. The story unfortunately ends in tragedy.

John Dolph (Find A Grave link)  was the husband of Sarah Dolph. He was born in 1781 and died on June 30, 1834. He was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Sarah Dolph was born in 1783 in New Jersey and died February 11, 1861. From known cemetery records they had two daughters. In the book, The life of General Ely S. Parker, the story says that they had a son. The son was likely Reuben J. Dolph. They may have had another son named Arthur Dolph. These records are as such:

Reuben J. Dolph 1826 - February 11, 1889
Arthur Dolph 1819 - 1891
Mary Ann Dolph 1811 - August 26, 1850
Susan Dolph 1813 - 1829

You can find more Dolphs from cemetery records, in Erie County, on Find A Grave

Cover of Dream by Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez' cover of Dream at the SiriusXM Hits 1 Soundcheck. It's an incredible cover at that. The song was originally written and recorded by Priscilla Ahn in 2008. Here are performances of the song by Selena Gomez and the original by Priscilla Ahn.



Here's the original version of the song by Priscilla Ahn:

Chinese Traditions Involving Autumn and Other Seasons

The other day i was reading this excellent article titled A Chinese perspective on autumn over at EarthSky. I know little about Chinese cultures, ancient or modern, but they (as the article states) differ from the cultures of the western world, as they do not throw out old ideas to be replaced with new ones. They build onto old ideas and intelligently create deeper roots. That's not to say that there aren't subcultures in the western world that do this but, by and far, mainstream western culture does its best to wipe out old knowledge and unfortunately replaces it with the inferior knowledge of a fleeting nature. "Knowledge" that's based in entertainment media these days.

As for Chinese traditions, here's a short summary of part of the article linked above. Many of their traditions and observances are worth thinking about. Research your family history and find the equivalent meanings amongst the culture of your ancestry.

It is said that five seasons are observed by some in Chinese tradition. Spring being the rise, sprouting of life, summer being the igniting of the blooming of nature, late summer being the completeness of the blooms of the season, autumn being when nature begins to dry/wither and settle in, and winter is when nature is at rest. These five phases/five elements come with the understanding that the cycle always repeats and that it is a new beauty that is meant to be looked forward to.

In terms of emotion, summer is expectedly associated with joy.

Autumn is associated with courage and sadness as nature begins to wither and the days become shorter. These seasons tend to give some a sense of sadness. Perhaps it explains Seasonal Affective Disorder, with some, but that is another subject. Sadness is just seen as a natural reaction to the changing season.

Here's how Chinese traditions observe the season and give it meaning. In Chinese tradition west is seen as the direction of autumn. Face west and think about your dreams, what you look to achieve, the visions of such things, and the path you look to be on in your life.

White is seen as the color of the autumn season. So you can light white candles, to light up the season, and/or place white flowers anywhere you choose in your room or around your home. Allow yourself, if need be, to express the emotions over what/who you've lost over the previous seasons. Allowing yourself to cry and release these emotions. According to tradition it is weeping that is the sound of the autumn season. And within it, after the tears have fallen, is where you permit yourself the courage to face the times, events, and what's ahead of you.

The realizations you reach, in understanding the seasons, is also a path that leads you towards understanding the cycle of life itself. Towards finding peace and handling life better. You can use these traditions to combine or find the equivalent of that of your ancestry or find the equivalent within your current beliefs. Be they Christian or otherwise. Nature is our connection, not the worship of nature itself, per se, but the recognition of its patterns and how it supports us whether we realize it or not. How it is a part of finding our own peace away from the worldly, the fleeting, material creations of humankind.

To learn about more Chinese traditions just visit this link

Witness Trees of Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia

Witness Trees are trees that are old enough to have been alive and growing during the times when notable events in U.S. history have occurred. Those witness trees that had been around when the events of the Civil War occurred, and still living today, are over 150 years old. It is said that there are hundreds of Witness Trees at Manassas National Battlefield Park. Many of which are oak trees that can live for hundreds of years. Many of which, such as white oaks, can live beyond 500 years. To just imagine the events that occurred around that tree during the battles at Manassas or even just ordinary events before and after the war. Soldiers that sat in its shade or for defense during battle. Or the witnessing people that walked through the battlefield site, post-war, in the latter 1860s. Back when many artifacts from the war still existed. These trees would've even witnessed the early days of the park's founding in May of 1940. They've been around an incredible history.

As of 2017 there are at least ten witness trees that have been found and identified along the trails. All of which are marked by brown signs along the trails. The trees are found at these locations in the park:

One tree near Thornberry House, along Sudley Loop Trail
Three trees along the Unfinished Railroad Trail
Three trees along the Stuart's Hill Loop Trail
One tree along the Chinn Ridge Loop Trail
One tree along the Henry Hill Loop Trail
One tree along the Stone Bridge Loop Trail


In addition to the Witness Trees there are plenty of other notable sites along the trails and throughout the park. Visit the National Park Service site for the park and their Facebook page for updates about the park and upcoming events.