In Memory of a Warrior

A warrior, a leader, a hero in every sense of the word, a man we were privileged to call "Brother," Carter Camp, has walked on.

His spirit left us last Friday, December 27, 2013, at about 3PM CST; we got the word a few hours later.  Services were held yesterday in White Eagle.  We've known it was coming for close on a year now, but that doesn't lessen the loss.  As the new year begins, the world is a much colder place.

As I've said elsewhere, Carter was one of the original founders of the American Indian Movement.  Warrior - for his own Ponca nation, and for all of us.  Hero.  Leader.  Teacher. Elder.  Friend.  Brother.  

The image above [uncredited in the accompanying article] is from the honor dance held for him last April.  We couldn't go, so we sent gifts with a dear friend and who was attending, a warrior woman in her own right.  In the photo, which was apparently chosen among thousands of other options to accompany one of his obituaries, he's holding the cuff bracelet Wings made especially for him last year, in his honor:  a sterling silver band hand-cut in the shape of a dual eagle feather, as befits a man of his stature, set with garnets and opals.  That this image was chosen, from all of those available . . . it's a gift to us that we'll hold in our hearts forever.

But the greatest gift of all was his friendship and his presence, even from a distance, in our lives.  

Carter, we love you.  Our prayers are with you on your journey. 

And as I said elsewhere:  About Shongeh-Ska - even as we mourn, we understand.