For the most part, human diversity exists on Maine islands in color only, and that thanks to individuals or couples who have adopted children of other cultures. It was therefore a mind-expanding time on North Haven when Arnold Neptune, a Penobscot Indian elder, presented workshops on the history and culture of the Penobscot Nation, and only a week later, eight Tibetan Monks from the southern part of India visited the school community and school.
Arnold Neptune was sponsored by North Haven Arts & Enrichment to complement history classes taught by Keith Eaton, a former Island Institute fellow. In the minds of some of his students, Native American culture was dead; Arnold Neptune, accompanied by Jane Smith of the Passamaquoddy, proved it is very much alive.
Arnold Neptune explained that he is referred to as “Grandfather Thunder,” a result of his initiation as an elder. He spoke of the structure of the existing government, its relationship with the federal and state governments, After showing the film, “Penobscot: The River and Its People,” he spoke about the current educational opportunities and struck a familiar chord when he said that there are negatives and positives in ensuring that Indian students take advantage of post-secondary education: the “do-ers” leave and there is a youth brain drain. However, many of them return and become leaders. In recent history, he said, there has been a positive sense of togetherness, of solidification, of pride.
In terms of diversity, he pointed out that it is the white European invaders which provided the initial diversity to the long-established cultures that existed on this continent. It is the descendants of the white European culture who are still threatening the Indian culture through the pollution of the Penobscot River.
Jane Smith, who brought various instruments to illustrate their meaning within the culture and to play them, elicited hauntingly beautiful notes from the flute and then explained that the drum has its own spirit and is therefore sacred to their people. Playing instruments and dancing are forms of praying, but they are also fun.
One of the first rituals Elder Neptune performed was to purify the room in which he spoke. He explained that the smudge ceremony purifies the mind, body and spirit. In interpreting as he motioned with the smudge, he mentioned the body’s chakras. In the questions following, one student asked if he integrated other forms of spirituality, since he had mentioned the body’s chakras. The response was that we all need to feel the inner spirit that we share. The words and songs may be different, but it all comes from within.
That thought resonated the following week when eight Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Gaden Tsawa Monastery, formerly of Lhasa, Tibet, arrived on North Haven. These eight men, varying in age from early twenties to late forties, are accompanied by a Tibetan Herbal Doctor/Astrologer and their U.S. sponsor. Their tour of North America is to raise money for housing, food and medical care for their monastery, being rebuilt in South India because of the destruction of the Buddhist temples in Tibet by the Chinese invaders. Becky Bartovics, having met the monks in Massachusetts while they were on tour there, managed to entice them to North Haven when a hole happened to open in their busy tour schedule.
Over 50 people crowded into North Haven’s library on the night the monks arrived. (Fifty-three people represent about 15 percent of the total population. Imagine the crowd if 15 percent of most mainland town populations turned up for an event!). Those attending were mesmerized by slices of Buddhist rituals and traditions, and once again transfixed by the music of a different culture. Various dances were performed, with the monks disappearing into the stacks to change the garb to fit the dance, as he with the most comfort with English explained the meaning behind each ceremony. The clothing worn for each of the ritual performances was a feast for the eyes and a salve for the snow flying outside: hues of oranges, yellows, pinks and corals and trimmings galore.
The space was tight and the acoustics were less than ideal. The horn, which sounds incredibly beautiful when played outside, was a little strident inside the library’s high ceiling and hard floors. But poor acoustics could not stop the polyphonic chants from reverberating in the very essence of every attendee – surely anyone who can emit that kind of sound has a direct link to their creator.
Despite a very constricted space, the two-man snow lion managed to perform its dance – without apparent benefit of sight – without careening into the audience. An attitude of respect was palpable, but it seemed to take a little time for a connection of understanding between the two cultures. (That came about through humor when the translator gave the audience permission to laugh at the snow lion.)
This connection took far less time for the students the following day. A lack of space did not allow the monks to repeat the ceremonies that the previous night’s audience were treated to, but the simple red and saffron robes were striking enough. The monks split into two groups, one group talking with each of three groups of students, while the other four monks constructed a sand mandala that represented compassion, a totally coincidental choice which actually reflects part of the school’s motto: challenge, community, competence, and compassion. Student groups were presented with age appropriate material, with the high school group focusing on political and religious persecution.
The sand mandala was constructed on the floor of the music room, which had just been purified by Arnold Neptune the previous week. (Henceforth, we anticipate particularly ethereal and pure music emanating from this room). The radiant colors of the mandala reflected the brilliance of the garb from the evening before. Mandalas are an expression of the state of complete enlightenment, and are used as an aid to meditation. The creation on the floor of the music room, which took four men four hours to create, was an incredibly detailed, incredibly beautiful creation. Various student groups returned two or three times to watch the progress of the mandala. Even the kindergartners maintained a reverent hush while watching the monks in the process of the creation. And the process itself was fascinating. A myriad of plastic jars containing indescribable colors sat just within the reach of the monks. Metal tubes were dipped into the jars, scooping out what must have been teaspoonfuls of brightly colored sand. These tubes were serrated on the top and cut at a slant at the end. A second metal tube was vibrated against the serrations, releasing what looked to be a grain of sand at a time from the end of the tube. The intricacy of the design necessitates this kind of process. Each part of the mandala is rich in symbolism, and reminds the meditator of the states of mind he is trying to accomplish. It was an exercise in patience, and the fact that this creation leads to enlightenment for Buddhists underlines the differences between our cultures. This difference was reinforced when, at the end of the day, the mandala was deconstructed and the sand released into the ocean at Pulpit Harbor Bridge. In Buddhist thought, this deconstruction and release is not only a reminder of the states of impermanence and non-attachment, but, the sand is released into the water to carry its message of compassion to all parts of the world.
Not all aspects of our cultures were vastly different. When the seventh and eighth graders began a soccer game at recess, they found themselves playing with the monks, and the laughter and encouraging gestures and words were in a universal language. For those of us lucky enough to witness it, the sights of burgundy robes billowing against a snow-covered soccer field will remain etched in our memories for a long time.
After both Arnold Neptune and the Buddhist monks, the students’ comments on evaluation sheets that are always circulated after a special event were all glowing with positive energy. “We want them back, we want to learn more about different cultures, we want to learn more about other religions.” It was a great start.