Wow! It is 2023! Time flies and waits for no one! I hope everyone reading this had a wonderful Christmas, Happy New Year’s and all will have a Healthy, Happy 2023!
As mentioned in my book: Sky Woman Lives in Me, Oneida Indigenous people celebrate New Year’s by saying “Hoyan”, which in Oneida means, Happy New Year! When my Grandmother Millie lived on the Oneida Indian Reservation, she and her siblings would ride in a horse drawn wagon through Oneida early New Year’s Day. The wagon full of kids, stopped at homes nearby for donuts or other treats. Neighbors gave the children donuts, fruit or some other treat to celebrate the Oneida New Year. Grandma Millie loved the Hoyan Celebration! She and the other children huddled together in the wagon, covered in blankets. Her father also put heated bricks on the wagon to keep the children warm, as they traveled from house to house for donuts or other treats.
Below is a photo of my relatives, left to right: Great-great Grandmother Aliskwat (Elizabeth Hill Huff Denny); Grandma Millie Powless-Elm; Me as a little girl; Great-Grandmother Sophia Huff-Powless. I share the story of these women in my book, Sky Woman Lives in Me. The Turtle represents our clan, The Turtle Clan. In the Iroquois Creation Story, the earth was created on the back of a turtle. It was there that life began to grow. The Turtle Clan represents the shifting of the earth and the cycles of the moon. The people of the Turtle Clan are considered the well of information and the keepers of the land. As a Turtle Clan member I share information about my relatives below in my book.
Please pray for the People of Ukraine. Ukrainians did not start this war with Russia. The people of Ukraine deserve to live on their land in peace. Thank you for reading my blog. Sincerely, Roberta Capasso
Sky Woman Lives in Me 