Todd Smith ~ Mud Toe Sasquatch http://www.mudtoesasquatch.com

Todd Smith ~ Mud Toe Sasquatch http://www.mudtoesasquatch.com

Mud Toe Sasquatch is not the name I was born with.  The name was
gifted to me by Spirit on the day I set forth on my journey as a
purveyor of written and spoken words, and a healer of society.  Most
people still know me by the Christian name my parents gave me, and
that’s just fine with me.  I honor my original name and heritage, and
I also affirm that the name “Mud Toe Sasquatch” identifies me more
closely.

Where did the name originate?  I’ll start with “Sasquatch.”  Most
people recognize this as the name of a legendary gigantic primate who
lives in California and sells beef jerky.  More accurately, the name
refers to a spirit or god recognized by the First Peoples living in
the Pacific Northwest region of what is now called North America.
Similar legends with different names exist all over the continent (and
South America as well, I presume), as well as in northern and central
Asia, where the First Peoples originated.   I believe the name
“Sasquatch” was originally introduced into pop culture on an episode
of the TV series “The Bionic Woman,” but whatever the pathway, the
name is now firmly associated with a mysterious, tall, hairy beast
with a shy disposition.

The name found its way to me via Chief Iggy at Itsipi, or sweat lodge,
on our old sacred grounds in the heart of our great City in the
Midwest.  The grounds was enclosed by trees on three sides.  The Chief
observed me walking along the treeline, and my loping stride reminded
him of the famous film of Sasquatch, taken in the 1960’s.  The brown
sweat suit I was wearing added to the look.  I resonate with the name
because Sasquatch is something just about everyone knows of, but not
about.  He pops out every once in a while for all to see, then
disappears into the trees, and no one knows where or why.  I think of
myself as someone who’s not afraid to be visible, but at the same time
is reluctant to reveal much of my inner self.  The written and spoken
word have become my tools to do that.

“Mud Toe” landed on me at the same sweat lodge.  I had a certain
prissy manner in the lodge.  I didn’t want to get dirty, but getting
dirty is kind of the point.  The lodge is a place to release the
trappings of society and simply be.  So, on that particular day,
Spirit decided to teach me a little lesson.  Crouched down and trying
to make my way to my place in the circle, I lost my balance and sunk
my foot deep into a magnificent mud hole.  As a pulled my foot out, I
found the big toe on my right foot was encased in mud, and I decided
to leave it that way, to remind me that I’m not as clever as I
sometimes think.

As the sweat got underway, I underwent a highly-emotionally-charged
experience.  I saw myself standing on a path that was broken, and the
only way I could continue was to build the path ahead of me myself.
As I struggled to build, my body unequal to the tast, the Ancestors
and Heavenly Beings and Spirits appeared around me to help.  As I came
back to the world, I was lying on my side in the mud, gasping for air,
body drained of sweat.  I could feel each beat of my heart forcing
thickened blood through my veins.  Another person in the lodge, to
this day I don’t know who, called out, “Hey, Mud Toe, are you okay?”

At the feast afterwards, Chief Iggy suggested a number of lyrical
names I might try on.  “Swift Sloth” is one a remember, and “Green
Bear.”  However, I just couldn’t shake “Mud Toe Sasquatch” from my
mind.  When I hear it, I feel the way a dog must feel when his name
was changed by a new owner, and he hears the old name, filtering
through the mists of time.

I am Mud Toe Sasquatch, and so it is.  I have spoken – all my relations!

**** Copyright 2016 by Mud Toe Sasquatch – all rights reserved