


culture was not the problem, their dress was not the problem, nor their language. Dancing, in and of itself, was not the problem, it was who and why they were dancing. Instead of Restoring a right relationship with God through Yeshua (Jesus), and then allowing the Holy Spirit to show the natives how to turn their dance into worship to God, the natives were simply told that their dance was demonic and unfit for worship. In doing so, a very powerful spiritual warfare weapon was taken out of the hands (or feet) of the native people. God has placed a deep desire in our hearts to Confirm the Dance of the Native People as not only "Fit for Worship" but to declare to them, that their dance is Highly Desired by God. Our Heavenly Father longs for them to be Restored to Him through Yeshua, and then to take their dance and give it back to Him in Worship! Let me share with you how God brought us to this understanding.
My Testimony:
My name is Teri Martin, my husband, Myron and I co-founded On Eagle's Wings together. I am the grand daughter of Missionaries to American Indians (Natives) who spent their lives pouring love into many different tribes in California and the Mid West. My mother is white, and my father (long since gone to be with the Lord) was 7/8 California Native. I came to the Lord at an early age, and had an insatiable desire to worship and experience the Lord. However, in my walk with the Lord I began to see myself in two ways: as a Christian and devout follower of Jesus, and as an Indian. I separated myself into these two compartments feeling that my native side had some conflict with my Christian side. This may seem an oddity to most reading this article, but it is exactly how I felt. As the years went by, the Lord began placing before me the understanding that He was Restoring His Native People. I had seen several programs on Christian television where Native leaders were explaining this new and exciting move of the Lord. It touched my spirit to see how they were beginning to walk with Him completely in their Nativeness. By this, I mean that they did not have to put down their traditional dress, dance, and customs to follow God. But rather, they Redeemed those things in their Culture that had been "sacrificed to idols" and turned their culture back to its purity of worship - the way God created them to worship!
Arriving in Alaska - Hints from the Lord
We arrived in Alaska in October of 2004. The next Sunday, we went to a church nearby the hotel where we were staying in Eagle River, just north of Anchorage. Myron shared with the Pastor why God had brought us to Alaska, to aid in the return of the Jews to Israel and how Alaska was going to be a place of ministry for the Jews as we brought them out of their lands of dispersion. The Pastor was very interested and arranged to meet for lunch the following Tuesday. We met the Pastor and his wife, and they explained how 15 years earlier, an evangelist had stood at their pulpit and explained that Alaska was going to be a "major highway" for the Jews returning to Israel! What confirmation, for we had not previously known that there were prophecies regarding Alaska and the Jews before this time. On the way to the restaurant, Pastor pointed out a mountain range giving us a little tour as we drove. He told us that the mountain is called "Sleeping Lady," and showed us how she resembled a woman lying down asleep on her side. He told us that there was a native legend regarding Sleeping Lady. The legend says that she is a bride asleep, waiting for her bridegroom to come, when he comes she will arise from her sleep. Hearing the legend did little for me at that time, and I dismissed the conversation. I did not know that God had given us a hint of what we had come to Alaska to do: (1) Prepare to minister to the Jewish people, and (2) to Awaken His Native Bride.
Restoration!
After our participation in our first Feast of Tabernacles in October 2007, God began to develop a wonderful friendship with one of the dancers that we had met there. This friendship was one of the Divine Appointments of our lives. Karen is a beautiful, and very prophetic woman of the Lord. God had given her a love for our family, and He began to draw us close together. Karen shared with us a Spiritual dream that God gave her concerning the native people of the land. God was making it clear that He was going to "awaken" the Natives and He was going to use dance to do it. We felt the confirmation of the Spirit right away and pondered the dream. Over the next month or so, God began to unfold more of His Plans. Karen was moved of the Lord to share these things with us, and we began to rejoice at what the Lord was planning.
"Sleeping Lady, Arise and Dance!"
One of the most powerful things that Karen shared with us was, a Prophetic declaration that Karen was moved of the Lord to make, "Sleeping Lady, Arise and Dance!" She made this declaration while attending a prayer service at a friend's home. Her friend's back yard overlooks the Matanuska Valley here in Alaska, and she had a perfect view of a mountain range called Susitna. Susitna's nick name is "Sleeping Lady." After the prayer time, a visiting pastor came up to Karen and told her that there was great significance to her declaration. He said that there is a prophetic Word that was spoken over the native legend. The Word says that "When Sleeping Lady arises, she will dance!"
God was beginning to weave a beautiful picture before us and we began to wonder if we had a role to play in this wonderful restoration. I felt impressed to research the legend of Sleeping Lady. Now legends are legends, but God had made it clear that He was doing something with this story. He began to unfold to us, that He was using the legend as a parable, not unlike the parables that Yeshua shared in the Bible. So I will share with you the condensed version of this story:
Susitna is a young bride about to be wed. She is busy planning her big day with her groom, they are very much in love. In the midst of the wedding plans, news comes that a fierce war tribe is approaching their village. They have left no survivors wherever they have gone. The wedding is now suspended as the men gather to discuss their options. Susitna's groom offers a plan to go out and meet the tribe and present gifts to try and avert the coming battle. Led by Susitna's groom they leave. Susitna waits and looks for her groom to return. As she waits, she does many native things, she picks berries and weaves baskets. Finally, she grows tired, lays down and falls into a deep sleep. While she sleeps, a runner returns. The young man tells that presenting the gifts have failed, that war has broken out, and he is the only survivor. As the women wail in agony, they look over and see Susitna still sleeping. They decide not to wake her with this terrible news. Just let her sleep, and tell her when she wakes up. So, Susitna is still sleeping, waiting for her groom to awaken her.
As I read the story, the elements of Karen's dream regarding the native people began to become clear to me and the Holy Spirit began showing the legend as a parable. The meaning is this:
The Native People are Sleeping Lady, and she has been asleep for a long while. God is getting ready to restore the native people to a right relationship with Him through Yeshua. He is the Groom that she is waiting for, her love, and when He comes to awaken her, she will rise up. She will do what many do at weddings, she will dance! Do you see the picture that God is creating here? He is restoring dance to all who are called by His Name, for such a time as this. He has not forgotten His Native People, they are His Bride as well! The Dance that He desires from them is the dance that He created them to give. God's desire is for the Native people to turn their feet to worship Him. He has promised something special that will happen when this occurs. God has promised a Revival Rain that will be released when this happens. Isn't it just like the Lord? Genesis 12:3 promises that God will Bless those who bless Israel. God is preparing the land of Alaska to receive the Jewish people, and He is going to bless the people and the land because of the Jewish people!
I knew by confirmation of the Holy Spirit that this was God's plan for the People of this land. I prayed, "Lord, I believe that you are going to do this great thing. I believe the native people are going to be restored in a powerful, miraculous way, but are we anointed to do this?"


Video & Article
Restoring Your Native Dance unto Yahuwah (Yahweh's Hebrew Name)
By Teri Martin
[Elohim's] Work of Restoration is coming to all His Children. God has given us the special task of helping Native people to understand their role in [Yahuwah's] Kingdom. In years past, well meaning missionaries came to the Native peoples of this land (and others) and saw a people lost without the Son, Yeshua. They saw a culture much different from their own, and often times saw evidence of demonic influence in these customs, particularly in the dances. In their zeal to cleanse the people of the demonic influences, these well-meaning people did a great dis-service to the Native people. They began to strip away all evidence of their culture, (or as much as they were able to take away). In many cases, they were forbidden to speak their native tongue, dance their dances, and sing their songs. In other words, they threw the baby out with the bath water. Their
Revival Rain
Not long afterwards, Karen shared with us a vision that God gave to her in church service. She saw a native man in full native regale dancing with all his might. He had a very big head dress on that reached to his feet full of eagle feathers. The dance he was dancing was a rain dance, a Revival Rain dance. Then the Lord said, "plop, plop, plop can you hear the rain?" When Karen shared this with me I felt that [Elohim] had given me an answer to my prayer. I felt as if [Yahuwah] was saying, "Yes, you will have a part in this." The eagle feathers spoke to me greatly for two reasons. First, because of the name of our ministry, which was pretty obvious. The second reason that the eagle feathers spoke to me is in an interesting fact regarding eagle feathers in America. Did you know that it is actually illegal to own an eagle feather?

There is an exception to this law; you may own eagle feathers if you are a Native American. And so, [Elohim] is saying that this move of His Spirit will come through the Restored Dance of the Native people. Since I am California Native, I felt that [Yahuwah] was using this picture to confirm that we were going to have a part in this Restorative Work. Karen and I talked several times about the different things that [Elohim] was revealing concerning the native people. At one point, she shared that the Lord showed her a native woman dancing in a Dancing Shawl. We talked excitedly one day about how the people of this land were God's Native Bride, waiting to be awakened. She said, "When you talk like this, I can see the native woman dancing, the shawl is rising up as she spins very fast." It was always so much fun to talk to her, and share in the blessing of the revelations that God gave her. Knowing that we were part of the plan, we began planning a series of dances to take to a nearby native village. Our idea was to come and present live concerts, teach Jewish dance to bridge the cultural gap, and then work our way to the native dancing as the Lord [Yahuwah] directed. As we prepared to go to the village, we recognized that Shavuot was coming, so we scheduled to go to celebrate the Feast. We had a wonderful time, the Lord [Yahuwah] was definitely working, and we felt that we had began something that we could build upon for the future.

The Mantle
Karen was given a piece of leather from a good friend, who is also a very prophetic person. She said, that she ran across it, and the Lord told her it was for Karen. She took the leather, but didn't know what to do with it right away. Later, she told me that the Lord had instructed her to make a Dancing Shawl, and that it was a mantle for a native woman. I had an idea that she was making it for me, but I was still having a hard time grasping onto the idea that [Elohim] could use me in such a way as He was indicating. One day, I asked her if she knew what the native woman was wearing on her head. For whenever I ministered, I always envisioned a head covering on my head. This was my reminder that I ministered and operated under the spiritual authority of my husband. I was surprised when she said that it was a headband. I thought, well I don't think its me then. As the time for Shavuot and the native village outreach neared, I felt impressed of the Lord [Yahuwah] that I should wear my Indian beads that my Grandmother (the missionary) had made for me. I went upstairs and pulled them out. I have several pieces, I put the beautiful necklace on, I pulled out the intricately beaded tie that my Grandfather wore when he preached. Then I pulled out my beaded headband, my Grandmother made it for me when I was about 10 years old. I placed it on my head, and immediately I remembered what Karen said about the native woman
God had shown her. I thought, "I'm not going to tell Karen about this." I really didn't want to influence her, if this gift was for me, then I wanted to make sure that I did not do anything to make it happen.
fellowship and learn about one another's ministries. We planned a night of worship, Jewish dance, and speakers from several international ministries including On Eagle's Wings Inc. The day before the event, we found out that our key note speaker had a medical emergency and would not be able to attend. Our friend Kathy, and the dance group she leads, were going to be there. Kathy had indicated that she felt a leading from the Lord to do "something." We told her that we had time in the schedule since our 4th speaker of the evening was unable to attend. The evening was great. The worship was such that we had to throw out the schedule. You just can't stop to stay on a schedule when [Elohim's] Spirit is moving the way it was. Our speakers all came from different ministries, but there was such a spirit of unity as we all understood that the work to be done belonged to [Elohim]. During our ministry's presentation, we felt it was important to share with the others the leading that [Elohim] was giving us regarding Sleeping Lady. Our son, David, had written a beautiful song entitled "Sleeping Lady, Arise and Dance," and I danced with worship flags to the song. Right before our fellowship reception, Karen presented me with the shawl she had made. It was beautifully painted, and has an eagle with outstretched wings flying over the mountain range of Sleeping Lady. Along the bottom of the shawl is a Scripture verse that God had directed her to include. It was Revelation 12:3, a verse we knew quite well, as it describes the woman (Israel) being flown into the wilderness on the wings of a great eagle and protected. Here on the shawl, is the full circle of the "hint" [Elohim] had given to us when we first arrived in Alaska. Then Kathy led a "Commissioning Ceremony," where [Elohim] launched my native dancing. I had never participated in a native dance or pow wow, or anything of the sort in my life. I had no idea what the dance even looked like. I knelt and prayed for the Lord [Yahuwah] to show me how to dance with the shawl, while Kathy and Karen placed a Jewish prayer shawl over me. Others in our gathering participated in the Ceremony and one of our dear friends blew the shofar. And then I heard native drum worship music. It was powerful, as the natives drummed and sang of Victory, all the while giving praise to Yahweh. Then I was released to dance, the Holy Spirit gave me several steps. I wasn't sure if I was doing it right, but I felt a strong presence of the Holy Spirit. [Elohim] has been teaching me ever since that night. Myron ended up not taking a very good job in Anchorage, and we moved to the Native Village where we held the Shavuot Celebration. [Elohim] has been on the move, and we were privileged to bring with us to the 2008 Feast of Tabernacles the Nondalton Native Bride Dance Team. The team is built with members of the home church we attend here in Nondalton, and we dance traditional Jewish folk dances, Contemporary Messianic music, and to Native Worship Drums. I also dance "Sleeping Lady, Arise and Dance" with my Dance Shawl now. [Yahuwah] is teaching me how to dance my native dance to Him, and He is still unfolding the fullness of understanding the "Mantle" that He has placed upon me. What a joy to worship Him the way I was created to worship. This is a joy that I long for my fellow natives to participate in. In [Yahuwah's] Timing, we will see Sleeping Lady Arise and Dance!

My Commissioning
As it turned out, the next two events that we had scheduled in the native village had to be placed on hold. Myron was laid off only a week after our Shavuot celebration in the native village. We lived in a remote fly in village in Alaska, and since our home was company housing, we found ourselves having to move into Anchorage. It was very stressful, but we felt the Lord [Yahuwah] was with us all the way. While we were in Anchorage, Myron was looking for work, but we had a longing to do the work of the Lord [Yahuwah]. We had long since felt that the time had come to unite some of the ministries and people who were preparing to care for the Jewish people when they come to Alaska. We had met many people who were actively preparing for the Jews. Getting in touch with some key people, we were able to schedule an event where we could all


Redeeming Native Dance
As I encourage native people to dance, I am struck with one obvious conclusion. One can not worship [Yahuwah] without a relationship with Him through Yeshua (Jesus). I am therefore assuming that the native reader has been justified through the blood of Yeshua, and is honoring Him with the process of Sanctification (learning to be more like Yeshua with the help of the Holy Spirit.) I must admit that one of my first concerns was if someone I was encouraging to dance would proceed to dance a dance with demonic ties and meanings. But I felt the Holy Spirit strongly urge me to not worry about this - that [Yahuwah], Himself would Redeem the dance. You see, most native dance steps are not evil, but it is rather the focus of the worship. Satan does not own the "stomp" any more than he owns drums.
Nondalton's Native Bride Dance Team
Not many of us believe that a set of drums is inappropriate in a worship service just because they have been used in acid rock music (or any other music that lacks [Yahuwah] our [Elohim]). We simply understand that drums are a tool for worship. Our feet are also tools for worship. They can be used of the enemy, to be sure, but we don't have to cut them off when we become Saved. [Yahuwah] created us, our unique culture is part of His Creativeness. When we dance our native dance unto Him, we are joining creation in its praise of [Yahuwah]! As we Redeem our dance, we also need to consider the music we dance to. We simply can't turn the radio on and dance to secular music that does not honor [Elohim], and expect to lift praise up to [Yahuwah]. In the same way, I would encourage you to seek out Native Worship music that is performed with worship to the [Elohim] of the Bible in mind. Praise [Yahuwah] that He has been working in this area for at least the last 10 years now, and you will find powerful native worship music that will help you to dance for Him. I also feel strongly, that if you have participated in inappropriate native spiritual dances, that as part of your sanctification process, you need to confess this before the Lord [Yahuwah], ask for forgiveness as you would for any sin, and then turn your heart to vow to use your native dance only to honor and worship Him. I believe it is important to say this prayer out loud. [Yahuwah] is faithful and just to forgive you, and this process is necessary to break the ties that satan may have because of the dance, and to walk in the Freedom that [Yahuwah] has promised His children through Yeshua. You were created to dance for Him, and so to dance your native dance brings something to the Throne Room of [Elohim] that only you can bring. As you pray and seek His Will for your native dance, He will teach you how to turn your dance into a sweet aroma to Him. So pray, pray, and pray some more. Then let your feet dance to Him a New Dance. Sleeping Lady, Arise and Dance!

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