Welcome, Bryant Cochran (a-da-we-hi di-ka-ta)!

After talking with my mentor,a lakota medicine man, Gray Wolf, I now add my true name. I was given the name I finally added here in the cherokee phonetics. I was given this name at a powwow held in my home town. The elders of the visiting Lakota tribe told me that this event was the first time Gray Wolf had ever left the reservation. They also wanted to know if I knew the great honor which was being bestowed upon me. I did and still am greatly honored that such a great man and elder would travel over one thousand miles to meet me and my daughter because of a dream.

My daughter and I went to this powwow because I had a dream that showed me this was something I had to go to. I also found out that the face in my dream was the face of the man who came out of his tipi as my daughter and I stood nearby, watching the drummers and fancy dancers. He came up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder, said "I have been waiting for you. I must speak to your daughter in my tipi." I looked into his eyes and I said of course. My daugher (6 at the time) was rather excited to get to go inside a real tipi, Gray Wolf's wife was also there and I was told (not asked) to stay outside for what he had to say to my daugher was for her ears alone and he added, "I will be speaking to you next, we have much to discuss."

When it was my turn to speak with Gray Wolf we did not go into his tipi, instead he led me to another lodge which I soon found out was the elders lodge for this powwow. Within the lodge I was asked why I came to the powwow by the other elders. I explained that I had had a dream that showed me to come to this particular powwow with my daughter to meet with a medicineman named Gray Wolf. That in this dream I would find a tipi with two particular symbols above the door flap and this is where we would stop and stand to be found by Gray Wolf. Indeed it did happen exactly as fortold in the dream I had. The elders just nodded and said,"you have found Gray Wolf, now what is it you have to say?" I stood still before the elders for a long time, then I said "I have nothing more, I have told all of my dream.

Gray Wolf then came up beside me and told his dream to the elders of the council. When he finished he patted my shoulder and said my true name was Angel Eyes he said it was the name given him for me in his dream. I said I was greatly honored. The council members rose after that and left to drum another dance. Gray Wolf said for me to come with him, one of the elders took my daughter with him telling her she would learn to drum with the elders while I talked with Gray Wolf.

During my first meeting with my mentor I was told that I was to study under him, that I would learn more medicine than just the Lakota and Cherokee medicines. He told me that I was going to recieve a great gift from an Apache medicine man, a gift that would be both great and wonderful yet also a burden to keep safe and not misuse, for this gift would have great power but only in the right hands, the hands of the gifted, would it be used for the proper intent. I have this gift in my possession now. The Apache medicine man has passed through the veil, the object came to me via one of his good friends who only told me that I was the one intended to recieve it. The first time I touched my gift, I knew just how powerful it is and what it is for. Perhaps one day I will be finished with enough of my studies to be counted, something I would consider the greatest honor indeed.