Pocahontas' decendents not alone is transmitting history

With regard to the July 21 article on Pocahontas ["Uncovering the true story of Pocahontas"], native oral histories have commonly been ignored by anthropologists as sources of reliable information. Yet native peoples all over the world have transmitted their histories orally for thousands of years and have developed precise and demanding techniques of consciousness to protect the information's integrity. Only recently have scientist begun to understand the special state of consciousness that make such phenomenal feats possible.

My friend Paula Underwood (Turtle clan Iroquois, native name: Turtle Woman Singing), now deceased, was one such special historian. She was raised by a Native American father and a White mother. Paula elected to become a carrier of ten thousand years of oral history which her father carried. She was extensively tested and trained by her father from her earliest days until she was deemed competent to become the vessel which contained the Ancient Tellings.

The special charge to her generation was to write the history down in English so that it might be shared with all who had Listening Ears. The result is The Walking People (Tribe of Two press), touching and fascinating in its telling. It is an oral history, transmitted in the ancient way.

Carolyn Amundson
Staunton