Page 2

Hello, my name is Robert Rainey. Some people call me Tanner, which is just a nickname a friend gave me back in high school. I am a Chiricahua Apache, "enrolled member", but also being of mixed blood Cherokee/Choctaw/Chickasaw descent. I was gifted the name Bearclaww from a mountain climbing incident one night in 1986, in which a bear had walked into my tent to take my canteen.(Hence, the reason for the bearclaww tatoo's on my left arm). This happened while spending two weeks in the Cimmeron Mountain region of New Mexico. I was climbing Baldy Peak (approximately 11,500 feet).

I am very blessed and thankful everyday for what I have learned over the years. I'm proud to be able to carry on my Native American heritage in the traditional ways through dancing Powwow's and for being able to have raised Appaloosa horses and buffalo.

I have a special appreciation to all Native peoples that have contributed to what some others of less fortunate Native American descent have lost. I want to thankyou from all of us that appreciate you for "allowing" us, and for "sharing" with us some of your customs that are so sacred to you. You have done this in a way to allow other less fortunate Native American tribes and individuals that have had their customs taken away or their heritage lost to all time. Thankyou for "allowing" other tribes to "adopt" and to participate in such ways that they can celebrate their Native American Ancestry by participating in such events, as in certain powwow categories, or through the wardances, and other special ceremonies. Thankyou for sharing, so that we can all celebrate our sacred heritage as United Native Americans. Wado! Aho!

From 1997 to 2005 my daily life consisted of taking care of 16 horses that ran free here on "The Indian Horse Reservation". I loved to ride bareback on my stallion named "Warpath" as the horses grazed and lived out their daily routine, or to watch the buffalo as they they ran through the land and through the creeks. It was back then when one friend would call me by the name "horsesrunfree". Lol, a man of many names.

A message for those "Training" horses: Its very important to treat all of God's creatures with respect and patience. It is important to take one's time and keep one's mind positive, being gentle, calm and loving towards them. Horses can feel your body language and mood. By practicing certain methods, through patience and taking one's time, the horse will bond to you far beyond what the harshness of quickly "breaking" a horse would. It seems a horse would remember you for your compassion beyond this lifetime, and on into the next.

My Meaning to Life!

As brothers united on earth, we must all accept our differences. We must learn to live together in peace, and equality with spiritual compassion for all mankind.
Let us all be proud of who we are and celebrate in it. Let us be thankful for our differences, for the world might not have been so interesting. Let us also be thankful that our creator has given us such a wonderful and beautiful world to live in and to share. After all, none of us chose what color, race, nor the place in which we should be born. The modern day Powwow is an "Intertribal" event. Its an example to all people that we can come together as one, despite our differences, in a sacred circle of ceremony and celebration.

We must let go of our selfishness' in society, to achieve true joy (spiritual happiness), through the art of "giving." This is the key to finding peace within yourself, and the reward is the incredible feelings of ultimate completeness and satisfaction in your life. We must keep our faith in front of us to recieve strength from the "Great Spirit" at all times and we must realize that we are all an important part of the great circle of life. Ultimately, by expanding our knowledge together as brothers united, we can make this world a better place for all living things!