Ancestral village - ceremonial leaders - grandmothers

Teresa Stone - Co-Curator of the ancestral village

Teresa Stone, a native to Durango, born on Valentine’s Day, her heart is a gateway in which high dimensional love floods this earth and spreads throughout the universes. A humble servant of Heaven on Earth, she is a channel of living Christ light that stands for harmony between humanity and Mother Earth. Gathering in prayer with large groups of brothers and sisters in ceremony, she calls forth the highest potential for humanity and Mother Earth that benefits and honors All!

 Teresa is pouring tons of love and beauty into co-creating an honoring space we call the “Ancestral Village”.  Our invitation to you and all is to sit by the fire, listen, speak, sing, drum and share.  We are calling all into alignment with a cultural premise that the people of the earth have a choice and a united voice to define a place of agreement to optimize our relationships with one another and all beings including our host planet herself. The Ancestral Village is a place of ceremonial effort to restore and remember our innate power and collective ability to transform ourselves, our families, our community and Mother Earth.

Teresa will be facilitating Opening Ceremonies with Nathan Strong Elk and his family, along with the Wolfchild Clan from the native lands of the Ute and Pueblo tribes.

Jim white

Moves Like Thunder, "Wakiyanii-piciye", James White Wakute , is a Sundance Chief, a Yuwipi Chief and a sacred Medicine Man.

A humble, gracious, warm, kind, gentle man ~ Moves Like Thunder, (“Wakiyaniipiciye”), James White, is an enrolled Santee Dakota tribal member. 

He is a Sundance Chief, a Sundance Dancer & Singer since 1991, a Yuwipi Chief, and a Medicine Man helping others in the ways of prior Dakota Medicine Men who have already passed into the ancestral realm, Grampa Wallace,Elmer Running and Joe Tiona.

The word ”Yuwipi” refers to a healing/curing ritual, as well as the ritual specialist, the "Yuwipi man", (“Yuwipi wicaša”), among the Lakota, Dakota & Nakota Oyate. The ritual specialists are wrapped in a blanket or quilt and bound with leather cords while they call their spirit helpers for deep spiritual insight and guidance. 

Wakan Tanka also blessed Moves Like Thunder with the idea of creating “Tobacco ties”, (“Cante paka” )meant to bless and enrich people's lives.

His “Yuwipi” Dream came to him at age 35, but he didn't follow it until he turned age 52. That dream changed his life in a good way.  

Today he follows this dream, enjoying his ability to positively affect many lives educating the the Indian Way of Walking the Red Road, and still works as a Transit Driver on the Santee Dakota Indian Reservation.

Nathan Strong Elk

Nathan Strong Elk is a Southern Ute Tribal Member, Sundancer and Medicine Chief who supports his relatives in a humble way, as life is short, with healing, forgiveness and reconciliation. “We have to honor our elders while they are still here.” -- Strong Elk.

 Strong Elk will be leading us in the Opening Ceremony for SunFire Festival, bringing his medicine, his songs and his native wisdom for stronger balance, connection and positivity.