Ray John Sr. Bear Clan Chief Oneida Nation of the Thames, Friend, Kinoamageinini, singer. Ray was the inspiration and elder who gave me my first deweigan, and told me it was ok for me as a woman to sing with a hand drum when all the other men around me had said that we could not sing. He gave me the courage to sing, and later on in my journey I was led to a women's talking circle in mt. pleasant, and met Mae and the rest is history.... He taught me many things about the world, about language learning and teaching both his language and mine, about traditional stories and history of his people and mine, about plants and medicines, and songs... so many things.
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