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www.shamansociety.org 25 Mahi-cani-tuck is the name the Lenape call New Yorks great Hudson River which in English means River That Flows in Two Directions. A fjord the Hudson ows both north and south as the tides come in and go out. To the thirty shamanic practitioners who gathered on the river in June 2012 Mahi-cani- tuck reected the shamans dual nature of a person who walks with spirits between the worlds. On this occasion our group was there to walk between the ancient world of the Lenape and the modern world of New York towns cities industries power plants parks railroads bridges quarries farms schools and monasteriesthe contemporary world in all its complexities. SSP members Jane Burns Jim Wood and I called this gather- ing to remember the old ways of living in harmony with the river valley and to allow the Lenape spirits who still roam this region to guide us as we considered the present needs of the Hudson Valley. A tradition holds that some of the Lenape made vows while still alive that after death their spirits would continue to wander the land and be of assistance to later generations who loved and cared for the land. We were there to let that happen. Specically our gathering was to continue the work we call shamanism without borders an initiative to tend strengthen and heal places of suffering from natural causes or trauma created by human activity. We would gladly accept whatever spiritual help the Lenape would give us. The Lure of the Valley The Hudson River has seen terrible things. From the count- less wars and bloody skirmishes between native people and Euro- pean settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries to that dreadful day in September 2001 when terrorists hijacked two planes out of Bos- ton ew into New York airspace and then used the Hudson River to guide them to the World Trade Towers. Mysterious diseases brought by Europeans disrupted demoralized and eventually de- stroyed much of native life. Revolutionary war battles were fought throughout the valley and near West Point the nations military academy. A General Electric plant at Hudson Falls north of Al- bany has deposited a great number of hazardous wastes includ- ing PCBs into the river for decades. Rock quarries have scarred mountains and ridges along the riverbanks. A nuclear power plant sits on a point in the river only 30 miles north of Times Square in Manhattan. Currently nine power plants spew warm water into the river killing sh and other riparian life and causing the salt point to creep farther north. Farms and towns contribute large amounts of pollutants into the water. And the recent frak- ing activities while a bit farther west of the Hudson threaten to contaminate rivers and streams in the Hudsons watershed. And still the region continues to inspire much that is noble in human life. In the early 19th century Hudson River artists made the valley famous for its striking spiritual beauty and today envi- ronmental organizations work tirelessly to preserve that beauty. A threat in the 1960s to carve up Storm King an important moun- tain and landmark along the river to create a hydro-electric plant gave birth to what today we call environmental activism. Strong environmental organizations were created and Storm King was saved. Today important ecological groups strive to clean up the river preserve open space and protect greenways along the banks. The Hudson Valley also attracts many spiritual seekers its banks dotted with retreat centers of one kind or another. Catholic mon- asteries Jewish camps Buddhists centers ecumenical organiza- tions and the world-famous Omega Institute can all be found in the valley. As the native people long before us realized the river is a place of great power beauty inspiration and mystery. On Friday evening the thirty shamanic practitioners met each other at a lodge in Bowdoin Park a county park on the banks of the Hudson and began our shamanic tending by dividing into three groups or tribes named for Land Water and Sky. Each of us journeyed to invite a spirit of his or her tribal realm to pres- ent itself as a companion for the weekend to teach and guide and then we danced those spirits around a re. We would speak for these spirits and ask that they lead us beyond our personal borders of self-centered concerns. These spirits also connected us with those Lenape ancestors who are still present. We pledged that this particular weekend would not be about us and our issues but about the Hudson River environment and the generations of life that once lived and continue to live in this great valley. E S S A Y Drums Along the Hudson The New York Regional Conference by Tom Cowan ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Opposite View of the Hudson River by Robert Havell Jr. ca. 1866.