David Granados keeps his American Indian heritage alive at his Earth Lodge Foundation

By Lee Roberts

Saturday, November 26, 2005 11:24 PM CST

Living in harmony with nature and the world. That's how David Granados spends each day. It is also a way of life Granados helps others learn about.

As founder of the Earth Lodge Foundation, a non-profit organization that advocates for the empowerment of persons to build self-esteem, pride and positive thinking, Granados leads workshops and presentations about American Indian history and culture in a variety of settings, including classrooms, museums and churches.

His credentials for teaching such things include years of study and training with American Indian spiritual leaders, as well as transcendental meditation practitioners. Granados' life experiences - which are wide-ranging and include everything from serving four years in the U.S. Air Force (including time in Vietnam) to working at Milwaukee's Indian Community School, to being a parent and a businessman - have also played a role in his development.

The common thread that is woven among all of them is Granados' spirituality. With an American Indian name of Eight Eagles, Granados practices Earth-centered ceremonies as part of his everyday life. Smudging (a smoke and prayer offering to the creator) and spending time in a sweat lodge are commonplace activities for Granados, and ones he is happy to share with those around him.

Discovers heritage Life has not always been as such for Granados, though. The Caledonia resident didn't discover his American Indian heritage until he was 45 years old.

He and his four sisters were raised in the Catholic faith and assumed that their heritage was strictly Mexican. It wasn't until their father became ill in his later years that they found out he was born on an Indian reservation in Texas.

"My dad never talked about it, but when we looked at his birth certificate it said he was a Pueblo Indian, from the Tiqua Tribe."

Granados' mother was Mexican, her family having migrated to the United States from Za Zactecas. And, when the children were young, their father decided it would be better for them to be identified as Mexican so that they wouldn't have to deal with the discrimination that faced American Indians at the time.

"It wasn't cool to be a Indian at the time I was growing up," Granados said.

Once he found out about his Pueblo roots, however, Granados set out to learn as much as he could about American Indian culture. It wasn't an easy task, as most U.S. history books, don't tell the whole story, he said.

`Complicated history' "We have a complicated history," he said. "The Pueblos alone have 18 different tribes, and all of them are distinct, with their own traditions, culture and language."

Sharing such knowledge and helping people understand the true stories of American Indian history is one way to help stop discrimination, said Granados, who is very proud of both his Pueblo and his Mexican heritage.

In addition to the time he spends in schools, Granados works with offenders at the Racine Correctional Institution, as well as other prisons, and he recently began ministering to American Indians at the veterans hospital in Milwaukee. Helping American Indians in these facilities to re-discover their roots and allowing them to express their spirituality can be very therapeutic for them, Granados said.

Inmates helped

"Until 10 years ago, Indians weren't allowed to practice their religion within the prison system," he said.

Today, inmates can keep sacred Eagle feathers and are allowed to participate in sweat lodge ceremonies, which Granados leads at the RCI once a month.

"The sweat lodge is like our church, and it serves as healing type ceremony for inmates. It helps them to be able to connect with their spirituality and pray with the creator. Being in a sweat lodge is like going back into Mother Earth's womb," he said.

It can be a real struggle for someone within the prison system to become a better person, he said. But keeping their spirituality alive can help those who are incarcerated let go of the negative aspects of their lives and focus on the positive.

"Even a simple act like the everyday offering of tobacco brings a spiritual connection to the creator and allows you to open up and take away the stress and the fear around you. Then you can think of things like peace and harmony and love. It helps people to feel connected and to feel like they have a purpose in life."

Sharing knowledge Those with American Indian heritage aren't the only ones Granados shares his knowledge and experience with. There are many people, from all walks of life and faith backgrounds, who want to learn about Earth-centered spirituality, he said.

"They tell me they want to learn the simplicity of Native American ways. We have a very simple way of doing things, but even the most simple ceremonies can create a very powerful connection with nature and the creator."

Granados recently began leading talking circles at Racine's Lake House Health & Learning Center. American Indian talking circles are places for dialogue and idea exchange where each person is allowed to speak without criticism or interruption.

For more information about these programs, contact the Lake House Health & Learning Center, 932 Lake Ave., (262) 633-2645. For information about the Earth Lodge Foundation, call (262) 835-9698.

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