A TRIBUTE TO ELSIE FEATHERSONG

Born Monique, and quite the glamorous ‘Rockette’ in her time, I was always mystified as to why the name Elsie became her chosen handle. The Feather Song part, was easy. She moved light as a feather and could always be found singing to the children at The Medicine Wheel gatherings. Our girl Elsie helped us establish children’s programs at Hawkwind with several very special visits, before she left this planet. She lives on in teddy bears and shiny things hanging from trees. She lives on in silly memories of her many famous personas.

Now you see, when I met Monique, she was head of security for a large fortune 500. We met at a convention in New York City. She was dressed in the appropriate dark suit, however her blouse slipped out showing the most outrageous lime green with yellow scarf, you can imagine. She was always seen wearing her wrap around sun glasses to hide her darting eyes that never missed a move in any direction. She was a cosmic 007, to be sure. When she joined me at a cocktail party for high profile execs, one of whom she was body guarding for the night, I was fascinated to find out that she was a closet cosmonaut, as well! We had many metaphysical friends in common, and our corporate coyote mode in tact, I had found someone way more stealth than me.

The next time I ran into our girl, she was all dressed in a lemon yellow and orange Native dance dress. Her blonde hair teased and swept up in a beehive, like the 60's, and those silly sun glasses wrapped around her face. She was carrying a Barbie Doll suit case filled with Care Bears for the children. No share in her appearance, she showed me that her Medicine suitcase was a Gummy Bear design with bright plastic sequins to catch the rays of the sun. Today she was body guard for Gram Twyla Nitche. Gram was her mentor and most blessed teacher, and her bright colors a tribute to Gram’s bright Medicine Wheel of Life. I soon saw that in most of Gram’s girls, however, Elsie always seemed to find the brightest and most outrageous outfits to keep us all delighted and the children smiling.

The last time we got to stand in circle with our fair lady was the year we held Sun Bear’s Memorial Dance here at Hawkwind. She was there as lime green head woman dancer in charge of the children. They flocked to her bright pink suitcase as she stopped to bless every child and make sure they had something soft to cuddle. She was like that. A protector and a cuddler, all at once. She was an amazon woman only 5 feet tall. Fierce in pink, and beautiful as a graceful dancer to the end....always peeking behind those sun glasses and giving me hand signals as if we had a secret language, in our little club we called W.B.D.W.....which will later be explained when I introduce you all to my sis-star Susun Weed.

As I went through the pictures to find one of her to add to the collection, I noticed that she almost always stood behind everyone, never in the forefront...just bright, smiling and protecting her cosmic, Sacred family. Love ya Girl, and miss you more.

Mitakuye Oyasin

Charla Hermann