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April 2006 
My friend
Posted on Apr 10th, 2006
by 
Jack
Jack
On saturday I was doing a New Warrior Training Weekend, and I was notified about a friend, brother, mentor who had past over. I had no feeling dancing around that celebratory fire that night, but sang a song for him, it was a Lakota Wailing Song.
Any way I first met Henry Antoine (Tony) in 2001, he would go into this new age store here in Memphis, He came from Canada, his Nation was Okinagoan, (I hope I spelled that right), and you could see the widsom in this man's face. He was living with this young man named Ben, they did landscape work together.
I had this idea to open a Native American Store; one to teach the philosophies that the Natives had, Ben was a herbalist and wanted to open up an organic farm, and sell the produce, and have low income people work it for food and credit. Tony had an idea to have a Non - Profit Corporation set up to help the people and elders on the reservaions around the country, he wanted to call it First Nations Peoples Center, a name which the Canadians refer to the Indiginous Peoples in Canada.
We met at a coffee shop here in Memphis, while Ben and I talked, Tony would just observe me, not saying a word, just sitting there watching me. After a couple of hours of talk and me having to buy the coffee, we walked outside of the coffee shop and he started telling me about his dream of First Nations.
When ever we did something that had to do with a big decision, he would say lets go do a sweat, and pray about it. Tony was a Medicine Man, although you wouldn't know it by his talk or demeanor, he was the traditional Native Amrerican Elder.
He had a hard life, one of drugs, alcohol, and incarceration, and he left his native Canada, and some how or another ended up here in Memphis. He like Vietnamese and Chinese food.
Tony respected the Native Walk, he was a member of the Native American Church, attend Pow Wow's, Vision Quests, and Sundances. He was a fire tender; and he made a Sacred Fire, he was a teacher; and he would teach one about the ways of the fire; (This had to do with ceremonial fires). He honored the traditions not just his peoples but all Nations traditions, and if someone did something to not respect the ways he would let you know about it.
He like seeing new visitors come to a Sweeat Lodge or ceremony, who would say "Come here young man and sit beside me", and if went over with them, you would look at you and say "Are you this young man?" thenhe would start lettng them tell about themselves, and then instructing them about the Native Path.
I didn't see Tony for about a year until one day I was going to a Sweat Lodge, and sitting by the fire was Tony, we sat and talked for a while, and then I would see him at the lodge.
In 2004 I met a person and she wanted to open up, a Conscious Living Store, and I wanted to open up my Native American Philosophies store, we merged these ideas together, and came up with Spiritual Freedom. The parent company is called First Nations Peoples Center.
It encompases everything that we talked about in that first meeting, and more.
Last September, First Nations sent Tony up to Canada to visit his family,he was suppose to stay there only for a month, they were having trouble with his grandson, so he decided to stay there until Spring.
On wednesday April the 5th of this year he had a heart attack at his home, they called the Paramedics and he had two more on the way to the hospital, and when he got to the emergency room, he had one more, the doctors told his family, that he probably would not survive. they had him on a heart lung machine. On thursday morning April the 6th the family unplugged the machine and five minutes later he died. His funeral will be a traditional First Nations Ceremony and he will be buried in his homeland of Canada on thursday.
Tony had a impact on many people here in Memphis, and we will all miss him, especially me. Today I talked to the man whom he lived with the last years of his life, he was up in his room cleaning it out, and putting aside his sacred objects for family, and friends, thinking of the man who was stayed in his house friend and mentor (father), with sadness and joy for the life of Tony.
Any way I first met Henry Antoine (Tony) in 2001, he would go into this new age store here in Memphis, He came from Canada, his Nation was Okinagoan, (I hope I spelled that right), and you could see the widsom in this man's face. He was living with this young man named Ben, they did landscape work together.
I had this idea to open a Native American Store; one to teach the philosophies that the Natives had, Ben was a herbalist and wanted to open up an organic farm, and sell the produce, and have low income people work it for food and credit. Tony had an idea to have a Non - Profit Corporation set up to help the people and elders on the reservaions around the country, he wanted to call it First Nations Peoples Center, a name which the Canadians refer to the Indiginous Peoples in Canada.
We met at a coffee shop here in Memphis, while Ben and I talked, Tony would just observe me, not saying a word, just sitting there watching me. After a couple of hours of talk and me having to buy the coffee, we walked outside of the coffee shop and he started telling me about his dream of First Nations.
When ever we did something that had to do with a big decision, he would say lets go do a sweat, and pray about it. Tony was a Medicine Man, although you wouldn't know it by his talk or demeanor, he was the traditional Native Amrerican Elder.
He had a hard life, one of drugs, alcohol, and incarceration, and he left his native Canada, and some how or another ended up here in Memphis. He like Vietnamese and Chinese food.
Tony respected the Native Walk, he was a member of the Native American Church, attend Pow Wow's, Vision Quests, and Sundances. He was a fire tender; and he made a Sacred Fire, he was a teacher; and he would teach one about the ways of the fire; (This had to do with ceremonial fires). He honored the traditions not just his peoples but all Nations traditions, and if someone did something to not respect the ways he would let you know about it.
He like seeing new visitors come to a Sweeat Lodge or ceremony, who would say "Come here young man and sit beside me", and if went over with them, you would look at you and say "Are you this young man?" thenhe would start lettng them tell about themselves, and then instructing them about the Native Path.
I didn't see Tony for about a year until one day I was going to a Sweat Lodge, and sitting by the fire was Tony, we sat and talked for a while, and then I would see him at the lodge.
In 2004 I met a person and she wanted to open up, a Conscious Living Store, and I wanted to open up my Native American Philosophies store, we merged these ideas together, and came up with Spiritual Freedom. The parent company is called First Nations Peoples Center.
It encompases everything that we talked about in that first meeting, and more.
Last September, First Nations sent Tony up to Canada to visit his family,he was suppose to stay there only for a month, they were having trouble with his grandson, so he decided to stay there until Spring.
On wednesday April the 5th of this year he had a heart attack at his home, they called the Paramedics and he had two more on the way to the hospital, and when he got to the emergency room, he had one more, the doctors told his family, that he probably would not survive. they had him on a heart lung machine. On thursday morning April the 6th the family unplugged the machine and five minutes later he died. His funeral will be a traditional First Nations Ceremony and he will be buried in his homeland of Canada on thursday.
Tony had a impact on many people here in Memphis, and we will all miss him, especially me. Today I talked to the man whom he lived with the last years of his life, he was up in his room cleaning it out, and putting aside his sacred objects for family, and friends, thinking of the man who was stayed in his house friend and mentor (father), with sadness and joy for the life of Tony.
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