Ancestor

I took a spirit journey the other night.  It was clear and cool at the shore, the sky was clear and the stars lucent; Jupiter and Venus in conjunction with the crescent moon were brilliant.  The sea was crystalline and dark.  I walked up the path into the trees.
I was well into the woods when I saw a man standing beside the path ahead of me.  He was an Indian (Native American) man, in traditional plains attire with feathered and beaded boots.  He smiled at me, and took a few dance steps/stomps, and guestured for me to do the same.  I did, and he smiled and did a few more; for a few minutes he danced softly with me, encouraging me to stand pround and strut in the dance.  He said that he was proud of me, and that I should be proud of myself.
I am a quiet, gentle, soft-spoken person, uninterested in sports.  Although I am a tribe member, I know practically nothing of my tribe's traditional culture or language.  He said that this does not make me less of a man, or less of an Indian.  Although I have not followed the traditional paths, and have never been made a man by the traditional rituals, I have found my own paths and have earned my manhood and my place by my own experiences, wisdom, and gifts; and I need apologize to no one.  Strength is shown in gentleness, and wisdom in tolerance.  He is proud to claim me as a descendant.
With thanks, we parted and I continued up the path.