Author
|
Topic: The Lakota way of Life
|
Eagleman1108 Knowflake Posts: 113 From: bv,mn,usa Registered: Aug 2007
|
posted September 02, 2007 07:02 AM
To be Lakota is to be humble and understand your surroundings. Be thankful and honest with the Great Spirit.When a man holds his head with pride that man will stummble often for his concerns are what is ahead of him. He can only guess where his feet will land. When a man holds his head down but still aware of his surrounding that man will not fall for he knows the path ahead of him. This man knows humility and understands the power within him. When you take from the land offer somekind of thanks. It'll have more meaning to it. Don't be wasteful. The Buffalo (Tatanka or the majestic ones) helped my ancestors with food and shelter. Nothing was wasted. To grow up in those days must've been fun. No diseases, Healthy lifestyles. The difference between a cow and a buffalo is that the buffalo is healthier meat because the buffalo only ate grass, the cow on the other hand will eat whatevers in front him, no respect for the medicine or herbs or sage. Never whistle at night because it upsets the spirits. Never eat meat in front of open window at night, Don't make the spirits wish. Instead offer them some of your food with a prayer and some tobacco over it, and put it under a tree. If a animal or ant eats it let them. listening means learning. Have respect for yourself,others,and Nature. When you drop you food on the ground, give it to the spirits because they knocked out of your hand. the same goes for cigarettes. The sweat lodge or The lodge of purification (Inipi Ceremony) is misunderstood by other cultures. I go the sweat to pray for myself and others, to get closer to GOD. To be purified. And when I come out of the sweat I feel light like a burden taken off my shoulders, I feel new again. I haven't been to the sweat since last year. It's like church. Instead of books we learn from the elders about our way of life, or GOD will tell you in a prayer. John G. Neihardt about Black Elk: "Black Elk was very interested in the teachings of the Bible, and spent many hours talking to priest about the Good Book. Black Elk said that the Sioux religious way of life was pretty much the same as that of the Christian churches." Black Elk was a Lakota holy man, maybe one of the last ones before he passed away. If you want to be closer to GOD, sit atop of a high hill and stay there for 4 days without food or water. It's called crying for a vision, or vision quest. Didn't Jesus go to the desert by himself for 40 days and tempted by the devil? I never been on a vision quest, too scared of what I may find. Plus I think of all the things that go bump in the night. One day I will. WAKAN TANKA, PILAMIYA hey ya hey WAKAN TANKA, WICHONI hey ya hey oh Great Spirit, I thank you, oh Great Sririt, For my Life.
------------------ Eagleman, The dreams in which i'm dying are the best I ever had. IP: Logged |
double trouble gemini Knowflake Posts: 458 From: uae Registered: Dec 2005
|
posted September 02, 2007 07:23 AM
eagle,this is very intresting, i want to know more about this.. i have questions,according to your beliefs please tell me what do you think happens when a person dies? and where does he go? can we still communicate with him or can the dead show us signs?... just curious eagleman, pls reply.
IP: Logged |
double trouble gemini Knowflake Posts: 458 From: uae Registered: Dec 2005
|
posted September 02, 2007 07:25 AM
can anybody become a Lakota? what higher power do you believe in?Never whistle at night because it upsets the spirits. Never eat meat in front of open window at night... these rules are very similar to what my parents used to teach me specialy about the whistling. what more should one know if we dont want to upset the spirits and what can one do to please the spirits.
IP: Logged |
double trouble gemini Knowflake Posts: 458 From: uae Registered: Dec 2005
|
posted September 02, 2007 07:30 AM
dpIP: Logged |
Eagleman1108 Knowflake Posts: 113 From: bv,mn,usa Registered: Aug 2007
|
posted September 02, 2007 07:52 AM
When one passes on they go to the spirit world, but that's one journey. As it was told by my ancestors, we face judgement on the spirit path(The Milkyway). If your not good enough or not fully purified then you go back to Earth until you're purified (kind of like purgatory). Then you take the journey back to the spirit world.We can only mourn for our lost or loved one who passes away, for one year then after that you have to let go or their spirit can't move on until you let the loved one go. I don't like caskets because I want my body to be wrapped in a star quilt and put in the ground so my body can go back to the Earth. I believe in One GOD, Lakota just say it different WAKAN TANKA. Tunkashila or grandfather is like Jesus, but grandfather is respectable term. we have many many spirit- good and bad. Yes any one can follow the Lakota way of life You just got to be sincere. Every religion has a cross, we have a cross too but it's surrounded by a circle. We call it the medicine wheel. I was raised by both spiritualities- the church and the sweat lodge. I just prefer to follow my way of life taught by my ancestors, They faught so hard to keep it when most of our ceremonies were banned because (I guess) were hostiles and pagans. Christians fail to see life as we saw it. nowadays, our ceremonies are not banned no more. IP: Logged |
ListensToTrees Knowflake Posts: 3844 From: Infinity Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted September 02, 2007 08:03 AM
I have always felt drawn to the Native way of life. It might be because I have always felt close to nature (I grew up in the countryside), or it could be something else. I am getting a past life reading soon. Hopefully, the reader will be one of the few genuine ones and I will learn something. There is a really cool documentary I watched a wile ago called "A Walk In The Sacred Manor", showing various pictures of Native people, Elders and landscapes, as a narrator spoke words of Native wisdom. I got goose pimples watching that! IP: Logged |
Eagleman1108 Knowflake Posts: 113 From: bv,mn,usa Registered: Aug 2007
|
posted September 02, 2007 08:09 AM
To please the spirits or not upset them is several things. One would be to offer food everyday beside a tree, hold the food and say a prayer for your loved ones or give thanks for this day, like saying a prayer before you eat only your giving some of the food to the spirits instead of it all going to your stomache. be thankful. Blessing your house with sage is a good thing. More good will come around keep out the bad spirits. First burn the sage in a metal bowl, me I have a counche shell, anything will do but something natural would be better. Bless yourself first before you walk around the house by holding the bowl in one hand and like fanning yourself off, let the smoke surround your body, say alittle prayer and ask for help to let the evil spirit leave from the house,then walk around the house, room to room saying prayers for good, like 'watch over my kids'. when your done walking around the house let the sage burn out itself. Then burn some sweet grass, and you'll feel a positive vibe.------------------ Eagleman, The dreams in which i'm dying are the best I ever had. IP: Logged |
Eagleman1108 Knowflake Posts: 113 From: bv,mn,usa Registered: Aug 2007
|
posted September 02, 2007 08:33 AM
These are some of the videos worth watching. Heres a link to my artwork. Ask me anything about my traditions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOvSAOnTat0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7AC4ld5hwg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL5gULCHV-E ------------------ Eagleman, The dreams in which i'm dying are the best I ever had. IP: Logged |
Eagleman1108 Knowflake Posts: 113 From: bv,mn,usa Registered: Aug 2007
|
posted September 02, 2007 08:38 AM
I forgot to put link to my artwork well here it is. http://members.tripod.com/sapawiyaka/robert.html IP: Logged |
Eagleman1108 Knowflake Posts: 113 From: bv,mn,usa Registered: Aug 2007
|
posted September 02, 2007 09:04 AM
:<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/lAkOtA_pRiNcEsS69/th955347d3.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>:IP: Logged |
Eagleman1108 Knowflake Posts: 113 From: bv,mn,usa Registered: Aug 2007
|
posted September 02, 2007 09:07 AM
I'm trying to put pictures in but I guess the last one didn't work. How do you put pictures in???? IP: Logged |
NeptuneLove Knowflake Posts: 551 From: Registered: Jul 2007
|
posted September 02, 2007 09:37 AM
Eagle,When you go to your Photobucket account under the HTML Tag you find the IMG code. You just paste it here IP: Logged |
Bluemoon Knowflake Posts: 4456 From: Stafford, VA USA Registered: Feb 2005
|
posted September 02, 2007 10:06 AM
Thanks for sharing. I would love to learn more. to put a picture in you put [img] begore the url address and [/img] after it.
Does that help? Zala taught me how. If you need to ask her. IP: Logged |
double trouble gemini Knowflake Posts: 458 From: uae Registered: Dec 2005
|
posted September 02, 2007 10:29 AM
hi eagle thanks for letting us know about your tradition. i saw your art work, its very nice and i feel your drawings represent your traditional symbols, are there certain colours that have meaning in your tradition, i mean as in for good energy, positive energy or any colors that one should avoid. (i heard once that green colour should be avoided... i dont know if that true)IP: Logged |
double trouble gemini Knowflake Posts: 458 From: uae Registered: Dec 2005
|
posted September 02, 2007 10:34 AM
i like this one the best PS: (eagle if you dont like me posting your picture then i will remove it)
very very neat.
IP: Logged |
Bluemoon Knowflake Posts: 4456 From: Stafford, VA USA Registered: Feb 2005
|
posted September 02, 2007 10:39 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRaM0whsnxo&mode=related&search= IP: Logged |
ListensToTrees Knowflake Posts: 3844 From: Infinity Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted September 02, 2007 10:40 AM
That's right, [img] and then [/img].Great artwork! IP: Logged |
NeptuneLove Knowflake Posts: 551 From: Registered: Jul 2007
|
posted September 02, 2007 10:46 AM
IP: Logged |
Lialei Knowflake Posts: 1887 From: blank canvas Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted September 02, 2007 10:49 AM
The thoughts and actions of men should soar as high as the eagle. ~ Lakota saying Your art is beautiful. Welcome to LL, Eagleman IP: Logged |
Eagleman1108 Knowflake Posts: 113 From: bv,mn,usa Registered: Aug 2007
|
posted September 02, 2007 11:39 AM
IMG /IMGIP: Logged |
double trouble gemini Knowflake Posts: 458 From: uae Registered: Dec 2005
|
posted September 02, 2007 11:43 AM
congrats u did it..
IP: Logged |
Bluemoon Knowflake Posts: 4456 From: Stafford, VA USA Registered: Feb 2005
|
posted September 02, 2007 12:12 PM
IP: Logged |
Eagleman1108 Knowflake Posts: 113 From: bv,mn,usa Registered: Aug 2007
|
posted September 02, 2007 01:09 PM
Story of the White Buffalo Calf Woman and the bring of the first Chanupa (pipe) The Oceti Shakowin (Lakotas)were in camp and they had a meeting to send out two scouts to kill buffalo. They were on top of a hill and as they looked to the north in the distance something was appearing, and getting closer until they saw that the image was a woman. One of the men had bad thoughts about this mysterious woman, so the other guy said "throw all bad thoughts away for this is a sacred woman" She was very beautiful with very long hair, and she had on a buckskin coat. She put down what she was carrying and covered it up with sage. She knew what they had on their minds. "You probably don't know me, but if you want to do as you think, come." The good one said to his friend "That's what I told you, but you won't listen to me" So the man with bad thoughts and intentions went for the woman. A cloud covered the man and woman. A moment later she came out of the cloud and stood there. Then the cloud cleared away and the man with bad intentions was a skeleton with worms eating on it. This is what happened because of his intentions. She turned to the good man and said " you shall go home and tell your nation that I am coming with a sacred gift. Therefore in the center of your village you shall biuld a big tipi and there I will come" So the man left at once and he was very scared, for his friend was a skeleton. He told the tribe what had happened and the ppl got excited and right away they prepared a place for her to come. They built this great big tipi right in the center of the villages and she was now in it. She put whatever she was carrying facing east. All the people gathered right there. She sang a song as she entered the tipi. With visible breath I am walking. A voice I am sending as I walk. In a sacred manner I am walking. With visible tracks I am walking In a sacred manner I am walking. And then she unwrapped the bundle she was carrying and presented a pipe. It was no ordinary pipe but there was a calf carved in one side and there were 12 eagle feathers tied on with a grass that never breaks. She said, "Behold this, for you shall multiply with this and a good nation you shall be. You shall get nothing but good from this pipe, so I want it to be in the hands of a good man and a good nation" and gave the pipe to the chief. She said, " the good shall have the privilege of seeing it, but the bad shall not" Then she taught them how to use the chanupa. She told the Oceti Sakowin or people that when there was no food they should offer this pipe to the Great Spirit. And they would know from this pipe when they were going to have trouble. The pipe gets long at certain times and this means hard times. When it gets short the times are good. This woman was really a white buffalo. After she went back she sang another song. As she went out of the tipi everyone saw a white buffalo kicking up her hind legs and leave in a hurry. Mitakuye Oyasin (All my Relations)
------------------ Eagleman, The dreams in which i'm dying are the best I ever had. IP: Logged |
Eagleman1108 Knowflake Posts: 113 From: bv,mn,usa Registered: Aug 2007
|
posted September 02, 2007 01:28 PM
Some other version of the white buffalo calf woman is where she came without clothes that why one man had bad intentions while the other looked away. Then, when she leaves the tipi everyone watches her go, not to far away she turns into a buffalo and changes into different colors until she is a white buffalo. My uncle Orval Looking Horse has that pipe now, he lives in Green Grass. I never seen it but I heard it's wrapped in 7 different types of cloth. The first person to keep the pipe name was High Hollow Horn. ------------------ Eagleman, The dreams in which i'm dying are the best I ever had. IP: Logged |
ListensToTrees Knowflake Posts: 3844 From: Infinity Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted September 02, 2007 02:49 PM
Wow.Perhaps the latter is true and she could shape-shift. Would be such a cool skill to possess! Thank you for sharing these. It's incredible that you are so closely related to the one who has the pipe at present. Have you ever heard of this website: http://www.wolflodge.org/ I found it many years ago but wasn't sure about the authenticity, etc. Back then. Infinite Love.
IP: Logged |