Starman visited baby Jesus

Red Feather Woman weaves Native American Christmas story for eager crowd at museum

She also leads a packed house in song and dance

By Juley Harvey Trail-GazetteRed Feather Woman, along with her veteran musician/producer husband, Doug Haywood, who has toured with Jackson Browne, told the Christmas story in song and words of the traveling warrior, Starman. He traveled "to find the medicine of old--this is how the story is told."

Starman learned from an elder how to travel to different parts of the world by astral projection. He gathered herbs needed for healing in the villages. One night in winter, he saw the brightest star he'd ever seen.

"It seemed to glow brighter and brighter. Giant beams engulfed him," Red Feather Woman said.

He knew he was going on a journey and he was instantly in the desert. He followed a road into a strange village with square houses. The people wore long, flowing garments and the men had hair all over their faces. Starman sensed something was happening, but didn't know what. He was drawn to the back of a peaceful crowd, where a "beautiful woman held a little baby in her arms. There was a glow around the mother and the child." Starman remembered a story about when special children and chiefs are born--they have a glow.

Before he left on his journey, he had found an eagle feather, which he placed in his belt. When he noticed people were presenting gifts to the child, he took out his eagle feather and laid it before the infant. It was a simple gift among the gold and incense, but Starman knew the power of the eagle feather. It was the most important gift he could give. The mother looked at Starman and smiled. She knew it was a special gift.Comment:  Nice story. It would make a great children's book, comic book, cartoon, or video.

Without invalidating anything in the Bible, it adds a multicultural layer of complexity. Between the scenes of the Nativity story, a Native mystic leaves baby Jesus a gift.

This implies that Native religions recognize the holiness of Jesus, and that God recognizes Natives as part of his creation. Thus, any Christians who go killing or conquering indigenous people are even more clearly in the wrong.

For more on Indians and Christianity, see Tonto's Son the Minister and Seeking Advice on "Indian Demon."