It was rather a feeling of synchronization that many Native people sensed when in 1990 an old sacred archeological finding of a Shinnecock ceremonial site was located, quite by accident through the preliminary digging of a would-be developer.
About the same time, the governor of the Pueblo of Pojoaque was calling his people back to their traditional land to revive their culture and to enrich not only themselves, but also the surrounding community in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with this exciting revitalization.
So it was from north to south and east to west that the spirit of the Red Man was moving again in the rhythm of the earth mother's calling and in answer to the voices of the ancestors that live in Native people.
It was also during this period that Richard West, director of the National Museum of the American Indian, began his long and arduous consultations with the tribes of North America in preparation for the conceptual design and development of the last structure to be erected on the Mall in Washington, D.C., the building to honor the First Americans.
And, in 1990, the calling to build the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum started with a grant from the Administration for Native Americans. It was no accident that these deeply cultural movements were occurring simultaneously in Shinnecock and in Washington as well as across the country. Old prophecies were being awakened and fulfilled in the hearts of the "People of the Shore," the Shinnecock, the Pueblo people in the southwest, the rancheros in California, the people of the high plains and the Native Alaskans in that vast beautiful north country.
All things are connected, and the traditional Native people have tried to keep that reality alive. They try to pass it down to the youth who are so immersed in the technological age of the computer and the culture of those who came to this land from across the Atlantic and other places. The truth that only Native people in this country can trace their history and culture back for thousands of years is not to be taken lightly.
It is a powerful statement of a people once nearly decimated entirely by the dominant society, and that truth is what is being experienced today on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation outside of Southampton, New York, and will be experienced in an awesome way when the Native nations from all over this country gather in Washington, on Tuesday, September 21, to celebrate and commemorate the historic opening of the National Museum of the American Indian.
It is indeed poetic testimony to the old prophecies and visions of all Indian people that we would again walk proud and strong as one united people under the guidance and protection of the Creator. It is, "Spirit Moving" in the heartland of the United States for all to know and see, both Indian and non-Indian alike, with acknowledgement that Native people have given many gifts to this country and are yet willing to continue to do so and to fully participate in the health and healing of all.
The dreams of the Shinnecock people were realized that day in June 2001 when the ribbon was cut at the front door of the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum, but that was only the beginning. The museum that is dedicated to the revitalization of the history and culture of the Shinnecock people and to the collective memory of the ancestors, has exceeded all expectations, and will, like the eagle, soar yet higher as our visions for the future continue to be reflected in our work.
As we walk together with our brothers and sisters of many nations toward the front door of the National Museum of the American Indian, there will be a powerful "Spirit Moving" experience of vision connections between the Shinnecock people and the other nations as that long-awaited dream speaks for us all as we are propelled into history for the generations to come.
Winonah Warren is president of the board of directors of the Shinnecock National Cultural Center and Museum.