Earth Names

[Moff8]

This reminds me of a discussion some friends and I had about a totem animal. We thought that things Like an earth name or nickname is something you are given (by close friends or whatever) and not really something that you pick for yourself.

The only exception to this I have discovered are online games/forums etc where you do get to pick the name others associate you with.

 

[Willowbark]

I studied with a Native American medicine man for some years. Sometimes a name for someone would come to him, and often that marked a change in a persons life or a new phase they were entering. Sometimes people would come and offer tobacco to him and ask for a name. Then he would smoke pipe and ask Spirit if that person was ready for a medicine name and what it was. Sometimes they seemed really to fit, and other times they seemed strange at first and then later became relevant. These medicine names were not for general use, they were used in ritual, sweat lodge, or vision quest, or when praying over pipe. Generally they were only used around friends and family, outside of a ritual setting.
Other names were more "use names" like nick names, that people picked up, often through physical characteristics, or funny things that had happened to them. Occasionaly someone would just pick a "use name" because they fancied a change or wanted to associate with something (often animal totem names).

 

[RovingArcher]

Having recently seen brat camp on the TV in two out of the three series both the brats and instructors were given “earth names”

E.g. Shimering Aspen, Fire Shaper, and Reluctant Bison Charging amongst others.

I found myself quite liking this idea of a wilderness (outdoor name if you like) I could even go as far as to say I find it a touch of romance about it and would quite like one of my own or to have a bit of fun with friends giving names to each other.
I have seen a couple of examples of naming in the past:
The only real world example I have seen is the name of an African pupil at the school where I work and her names meaning in English is “people are dieing” she was given this name as her grandfather died around thetime she was born and names are given in her culture around events that happen at the time of birth may.
There was also group of users on the forum a wile ago that started a taking names for the selves “reverend so and so of the bushcrafti” if I remember correctly. If any of you are still out there how did you come to start giving/taking these names and how did you decide on them?

I quite like the giving of symbolic names and naming I’ve had had a bit of Google around but not found much. So does this type of naming used by the American camps have any roots with the indigenous people of North America or is it just made-up bunkum to add a spiritual edge to the course for the attendees? If it does have it’s roots in indigenous culture is there any ceremony or logic/convention to the giving of names in the Indian cultures and do words in the names have specific symbolisms?

If you have any other tit bits of information about tribal name giving through out the world maybe even in ancient European cultures please post anythings of interest all info welcome


James

Giving a name was and is still a very personal part of any family or people. The roots of giving a name (earth name) might stem from the names given to Indian children and later on, their names would change as they gained status in their village, accomplished certain feats, or certain spiritual things happened at certain times in their lives.

For instance, a baby would be given a name that only the child, the giver and GOD knew. Maybe a morning dove, or a particularly beautiful morning dew was present at the babies birth. These would be considered a gift from GOD. Then the people would give the child a name that everyone knew. Usually as the child developed their personality and their particular gifts/talents became known. Then as the child grew into an adult they would receive another name. Using Crazy Horse as an example, he received this name because of his horse. His actualy name was *His Crazy Horse*. Names changed many times in a lifetime and would always reflect the whole person, their accomplishments and signs that happened at a particular time in their lives. A good example of name giving was illustrated in *Dances with Wolves*, when they named the soldier *Tsunamitutanka Owaci* because they saw him and his wolf friend playing.

Anyways, that is how it was explained to me.

 

[Abbe Osram]

Personally i cringed when i heard about these Earth name things. I think its people borrowing from other cultures to try and give meaning to their own.

Amongst the things Bushcraft has taught me, is to respect my own culture and its history and not jump on another to appear more in tune with nature anymore than england`s rural ancestors. I do not see anything wrong with using the name my parents gave me at birth to me the name i use in the wild areas of our planet and I do not see anything gained by having a made up name. I`d have used it on here if someone hadn`t already chosen it.

In short its the hippy mentality as it appears to me, a lot of saying and not a lot of doing.

Why would you cringe if someone else is doing what he feels like doing?
Isn’t his life his life and his choices in life his choices? You are not right either in saying that the hippies where not doing a lot. If you check a bit in history you will see that they rocked the boat quite a bit and actually changed a lot of things.

They challenged their culture and that is a good thing. Cultures are mind-based jails where we put people in and judge them according to “our” cultural views but not according to life. Cultures only exist in the mind of the beholder; the same is with a national identity. Having a national identity is as stupid as following a culture or religion. It only creates boxes and borders, which we love to defend, are getting angry about and in the end manage to kill each other.

I hope that people more and more kick away their cultures, ideologies, religions, politics and start living the free life.

Lets them change their names, nations, jobs, views, religions. Let everyone change constantly! I believe we would have less trouble in the world if we would not follow any kind of believe system or culture. A wise man said that one cant cross twice the same river. Everything in nature and life is moving, changing and living while mind made stuff is static and dead.

Cheers
Abbe

 

[Rebel]

When I went through a life changing experience I changed my name.

I still have the same legal name but everybody calls me by new new name. I made a new start in life and I wanted a new name to go with it. There was nothing wrong with my birth name it was just that I associated it with my old life that I was putting behind me.

It has been common in the past for people to change their names or to have new names bestowed upon them. The Bible is one easy to find book that has examples of this practice.

If people want to give themselves an "earth name" then I think they should go for it. I would feel a bit silly having one myself as I don't think it would suit my current lifestyle and would create an image of me that isn't accurate, by the same token it would be odd for me to have some unusual foreign name and it would make people think I'm something other than what I am (a pretentious prat probably ).

Names are meaningful but in our Western culture they have become nothing more than an interesting sound and we have little concern for what they really mean. If somebody calls their child Brooklyn, for example, they do it because they like sound, or because it seems posh, or has a nice image, or is the name of their favourite soap actress, never for the real meaning of the word. Our surnames have also largely become meaningless tags.

I'd like to see us taking names of things that we believe in or hold to be important and significant in some way. Some of our online names are more relevant to how we see ourselves or how we would like to be seen than our real names.

 

[Emma]

The youth group I used to belong to apparently used to get kids to choose names and then whenever they were at a group meeting they would use those names only.
They actually haven't done that for years and years, but they did get us to choose names once, and mine was Harebell. Never has suited me...
One of my friends chose "Time" which led to a few jokes, and then most other people had names from books, like Ninereeds (imaginery dragon (and employer) in one of the Discworld books).
But we never used those names. Thank goodness!

 

[pierre girard]

I went through what I guess you'd call a vision quest when I was 12. Wasn't much to it. Sat up in a tree, in a deer stand, and didn't eat for five days (my grandfather said it should be ten days, but my mother balked). My grandfather and some of the older guys in the family asked me what I'd seen. Only significant thing I saw was a bear walking through the woods. So, my Anishinabe name is Makwa Bemosi (Bear Walking).

PG

 

[Fallow Way]

Why would you cringe if someone else is doing what he feels like doing?

Why would you say you wish all cultures, ideologies, religions and politics be cast aside if people are doing what they feel like doing?



Culture is not just some intellectual theory for people to be `freed` from. Culture is the consensus of a community and the product of our history. Whilst personally I believe in nature and freedom coming through looking towards it for truth, that’s not to say I’m right. Also with regard national identify, whilst i am possible the least patriotic person you can find, it is an inbreed function of most species to identify with those who are similar and local.



If you check your history, the people who’s skills we hold in such high regards were all tribes people who were territorial.



You can not live without a belief system or culture. As soon as there is a regional variation in customs, that is a culture. As soon as you start having views about the nature of existence, that is a belief system.



I would also argue the point over names not meaning anything in the West. I find I am always having someone’s reputation precede them, especially if their family has been in a trade for generations, the family name tells you most of the story.



Back to the original discussion though. I just personally find it very odd indeed that a “James Smith” (name made up) would call himself "Bowing Low Moose" for the duration of his stay in a wood in South Hampshire...I can not see any reason for disassociating yourself from the rest of your life for those times you are going through changes and new experiences, especially those as wondrous as nature. This is where we start getting into the semantics and psychology of it all.



I am btw specifically not talking about those cultures that have it as an integral part of their life, only those who take it on as some sort of special pathway to understanding/enlightenment

 

[Abbe Osram]

Why would you cringe if someone else is doing what he feels like doing?

Why would you say you wish all cultures, ideologies, religions and politics be cast aside if people are doing what they feel like doing?



Culture is not just some intellectual theory for people to be `freed` from. Culture is the consensus of a community and the product of our history. Whilst personally I believe in nature and freedom coming through looking towards it for truth, that’s not to say I’m right. Also with regard national identify, whilst i am possible the least patriotic person you can find, it is an inbreed function of most species to identify with those who are similar and local.



If you check your history, the people who’s skills we hold in such high regards were all tribes people who were territorial.



You can not live without a belief system or culture. As soon as there is a regional variation in customs, that is a culture. As soon as you start having views about the nature of existence, that is a belief system.



I would also argue the point over names not meaning anything in the West. I find I am always having someone’s reputation precede them, especially if their family has been in a trade for generations, the family name tells you most of the story.



Back to the original discussion though. I just personally find it very odd indeed that a “James Smith” (name made up) would call himself "Bowing Low Moose" for the duration of his stay in a wood in South Hampshire...I can not see any reason for disassociating yourself from the rest of your life for those times you are going through changes and new experiences, especially those as wondrous as nature. This is where we start getting into the semantics and psychology of it all.



I am btw specifically not talking about those cultures that have it as an integral part of their life, only those who take it on as some sort of special pathway to understanding/enlightenment

Why I wish all cultures, ideologies, religions and politics be cast aside if people are doing what they feel like doing?

--Do they?

Cultures are not a choice, they are mind made objects created by time.
Instead of being free, meeting your neighbor with an open heart people are wearing colored glasses called “Belief or Culture”.

In Ireland people might judge their neighbors through the colored glasses of history. Woman in Africa are circumcised in a very cruel way because their culture demands it. They like it or not. They will be cut! Jewish and Moslem little boys are not even ask what they want before their foreskin is removed. What is that, freedom? Who is asking them if they want or not? Christians would burn so-called "witches" because the majority of people thought they had sex with a devil and deserved to die. Protestants would kill Baptists until they escaped to the States. Not to forget how the Catholics where treating the new upshots called protestants in their time. Are they all evil? No they are blinded by their believe system. They believe they do something good.

In Sweden is a family on trial right now. Why? This family killed a young man in a very cruel way because he was from another tribe? Do they feel bad about it? No, they are proud because they did what their culture ask them to do if one of “their” family members dishonored the clan by having sex before marriage.

You said that it is not possible to live without a belief system. But I can tell you that you can!. If you watch yourself, look into your heart and question yourself why you do the things you are doing, than you have a chance to wake up, being simply aware without an identity. Why would you need an identity? You said: "You can not live without a belief system or culture." There you have it again! A believe system, yours! But do you truly “KNOW” if you cant live a life without a believe system or a culture. If you want to know you can test it:.

Ask yourself: Who Am I ?
First comes maybe your name. You would say: I am Follow Way! Lets cut your name away. What happens to you then?
Do you stop to exist? No, in the concentration camps they took the names away from people and gave them numbers instead but the continued to exist. So it’s not your name.

Are you your job? Well, lets take that away. And you will see that you still exist after you lost your job. Cut one thing after another away from you and your life in the end you come to the point of your nation, culture, faith etc. If you cut them all away you will see you continue to exist. There are some people who choose to believe that their life is finished if they loose everything they identify with, but that’s only an illusion.

Please understand me right. I am not saying you are right or wrong. I only asked you why you bother at all if someone else is changing his name. That’s the most interesting point in our little discussion. In my account you are free to have an opinion like you choose.
Call the whole thing with earth names childish. Fine. I too would feel wired to be named "Running bear". But the interesting thing is, why do I feel in that way.

“WE” feel wired but we think the guy who has the funny name is wired and we start hassling him, why?. So I start asking myself and wonder why do I feel like that. Than for the sake of an experiment I would give myself the name "little flower in the wind” and tell others that this is my new name. With interest I see a funny changes in their faces? Why? Why do they bother that I have a funny name now? Funny enough after a month of humiliation I start to like my new name and it feels quite ok to me .Why that, because I got used to it. Try some experiments too. And you will “KNOW” and not “BELIEF”

Cheers
from
Little flower in the Wind!