Voices from the past

Page 18

In the last issue of AMMSA we examined some of the different ways in which the Ceremonial Pipe is used for social, spiritual, political, and even military purposes. Now let us take a look at a Pipe ceremony in detail and explore its meaning and purpose.

First of all, it is important to understand that each tribe has its own various Pipe Ceremonies for different purposes. Each Pipe Holder has his own ceremony which is given to him at the time when a sacred pipe is placed in his care.

Five years ago, I became a Pipe Holder when an Elder placed a Sacred Pipe in my hands. The pipe had been made, passed through an Initiation Ceremony, and blessed by the Sioux Elders in Minnesota. The pipe was made from red catlinite stone and has a spiral stem which is one of the characteristics of the Sioux pipes. For many years this pipe was used in the Sioux ceremonies. Then it was brought north into Saskatchewan and was placed in the care of an Elder named Ernest Tootoosis. Tootoosis, a grandson of Chief Poundmaker, kept the Sacred Pipe for some time.

In the fall of 1979, I made a special trip to the Poundmaker Reserve to visit Tootoosis. I took some gifts with me because I believed that if I honored the Elders, then the Great Spirit would be pleased with me.

In his home, I presented Totoosis with some tobacco, a Crow Indian necklace, a set of Indian paintings mounted on wooden frames, and $100 sealed in a white envelope. I did not what he had been wanting the exact set of paintings that I had brought for him.

That night, I sat alone with the Elder and silently listened as he talked of things that are sacred. He spoke of the beauty and wisdom in Indian culture. Then to my surprise, he took the sacred pipe of the Sioux and placed it in my hands. His decision caught me off guard and I didn't know what to say. I felt very unworthy of this sacred honor that was bestowed upon me. As I held the sacred pipe in my hands I suddenly felt very small in God's creation.

It was a memorable night for me for a number of reasons. First of all, it is a very high honor for a young man to be chosen as a Pipe Holder. Second, Ernest Tootoosis was a well known and respected Elder all across Canada. Third, this Sioux pipe had a special sentimental value to me because my grandfather was a Nakoda-Sioux. The fourth reason why it was a memorable event is that the sacred pipe was given to me on Cut Knife Hill. This was the same hill where my grandfather had fought for our people during the Riel Rebellion. (Ernest Tootoosis lived on Cut Knife Hill, just above the creek).

That night, for the last time, Ernest performed the ceremony that belonged to the Sioux pipe. He told me to smoke the pipe with him. I carefully observed every detail in the way he held the pipe in his hands, the words he spoke in prayer and the movements he made with the pipe. When the ceremony was finished he spoke to me for a long time. As I listened, I felt a mixture of pride and humility. Today, Ernest Tootoosis is no longer with us in the world but I still hold the sacred pipe that he passed on to me.

I perform this ceremony for myself from time to time. I also perform it for anyone who requests for it in a traditional way. It is not I, but the Sacred Pipe, that brings the blessing.

The Pipe Ceremony begins with the burning of sweetgrass. The Keeper of the Pipe holds his hands over the smoke of the sweetgrass and passes them over his head. This prepares his mind for prayer. Then, he holds his hands over the smoke again and passes them over his heart because it is from his heart that the prayer is uttered.

When the purification ceremony with sweetgrass is finished, the stone bowl and wooden stem of the pipe are joined together which makes the pipe complete. As the Pipe Holder fills the pipe with tobacco he remembers that tobacco is a sacred gift to the Indian directly from the spirit world.

Next the pipe is passed over the smoke of the burning sweetgrass, first the stem and the the bowl. Then the pipe is rotated over the smoke in the same direction that the sun circles the sky. This makes the pipe spiritually alive, sacred and powerful.

The pipe is lit and the holder takes several puffs. Traditionally, it is supposed to be four puffs but the holder may take as many as needed to get the pipe going. Then, the pipe is lifted with the stem pointed upward toward the creator because He is above all things and He comes first before all things.

A prayer of thanks is said to the Creator for his love and kindness in giving life to all things.

Thanks is given for the Sacred Pipe which is used as an instrument of prayer, a channel of blessing, and the medium for spiritual intervention.

The Creator is told of the reason for the Pipe Ceremony, whether its is for the Pipe Holder of for someone lese who needs help. This prayer may be short or lengthy depending on the reason for the request.

When the prayer to the Creator is finished, the pipe is lowered with the stem pointed downward to the earth and a prayer of thanks is given to all living things growing from the earth. The Indian was created from the earth, therefore, the Creator is our Father and the Earth is our Mother.

A mother provides food, clothing, shelter, and medicine for her children. Our Mother Earth fulfills that very purpose. The berries that we pick grow from the ground. The various roots and herbs we use for healing grow from the earth. The Indian used the buffalo for food, clothing and shelter. The buffalo ate grass which grew from our Mother Earth.

In truth, all of our food, clothing, shelter and medicine is provided by Mother Earth.

It is not a theory but a simple fact recognized by the Indian people for hundreds of years.

Modern man should take a lesson from the Pipe Ceremony and join the Indian in giving thanks for Mother Earth.

After Mother Earth is honored, the pipe stem is pointed to the East, South, West and North. The reason for this is that the Creator appointed fou spirits to be the guardians of the universe. They dwell in the four points of the compass and a prayer is said to each one. The guardian spirit may come himself or he may send another spirit under his authority to the place of the Pipe Ceremony. This is why some people see visions and sometimes supernatural things happen when the pipe is passed around. It is not an empty ritual but a sacred ceremony blessed in a supernatural way.

After the pipe has been directed to the Creator, the earth and the four guardian spirits of the universe, the pipe is then lit again and smoked.

During the entire ceremony the participants are seated in a circle. The Pipe Holder takes a few puffs and then passes the pipe to the person on the left who also takes a few puffs and passes the pipe to the left. In this way, the Sacred Pipe travels in the same direction that the sun circles the sky.

As each person takes the pipe and smokes, he thinks of the Creator above, the earth beneath, and the sacred powers of the four directions around him. This ceremony brings him into contact and harmony with all these things.

Four times, the pipe is passed around in the circle. The number four has significance in the Indian culture. The Great Spirit created four things which give life; sun, earth, water and air. The four cycles of the pipe also represents the four directions, the four seasons of the year, the four phases in a person's life and the four guardian spirits of the universe.

After the pipe has completed its fourth round, the Pipe Holder then offers the pipe to the Creator above, the earth beneath and the sacred powers of the four directions and a short prayer of thanks is said to each one.

The stone bowl and wooden stem of the pipe are then separated and laid down. This concludes the Sacred Pipe Ceremony.