THE NATIVE AMERICAN PIPE CEREMONY
The pipe ceremony is a sacred ritual for connecting physical and spiritual worlds. "The pipe is a link between the earth and the sky," explains White Deer of Autumn. "Nothing is more sacred. The pipe is our prayers in physical form. Smoke becomes our words; it goes out, touches everything, and becomes a part of all there is. The fire in the pipe is the same fire in the sun, which is the source of life." The reason why tobacco is used to connect the worlds is that the plant's roots go deep into the earth, and its smoke rises high into the heavens.
There are different kinds of pipes and different uses for them. There are personal pipes and family pipes as well as pipes for large ceremonies. The particular stone used depends upon the tribe's location, and various symbols are added to attract certain spiritual energies. Also, the type of tobacco used depends on tribal custom in the pipe ceremony. But despite these differences, there are certain important similarities: The pipe ceremony invokes a relationship with the energies of the universe, and ultimately the Creator, and the bond made between earthly and spiritual realms is not to be broken.
Ed McGaa (Eagle Man), an Ogalala Sioux, and author of Mother Earth Spirituality: Native American Paths to Healing Ourselves and Our World, says that most pipe ceremonies have the same intention: to call upon and thank the six energies: "All of our Sioux ceremonies beseech to the four directions, the earth and sky, and ultimately the Great Spirit. We see our Creator through nature, and we try to emulate what the Creator has made. This has worked out well, as you can see from the track record of Native American people. The old time Indians were honest, ethical people, and they had an unblemished environmental record. When the Pilgrims first landed, they kept them alive, and they took in black slaves. They were extremely humanistic. That's one of the main reasons that I believe in the natural way."
Eagle Man begins a pipe ceremony by beseeching the West power, while thinking about the life giving rains and the ever present spirit world. Next, he beseeches the north power, the source of endurance, strength, truthfulness, and honesty, which are qualities needed to walk down a good path in life.
Then, he will look to the east power.
The east is where the sun rises, and the sun brings us knowledge, the essence of spirituality such as meditation practices. Without knowledge, we become ignorant and cause harm to ourselves and others. The fourth energy is the south power, which brings us bounty, medicine, and growth. Next to be acknowledged is the earth spirit.
Eagle Man touches the pipe to the ground, and says, "Mother Earth, I seek to protect you." Since Mother Earth depends on the sun's life giving energy, the pipe is then held up towards the sky. Lastly, the pipe is held straight up to the Great Spirit, the Great Mystery, the unexplainable source of all life. These words are then spoken: "Oh Great Spirit, I thank you for the six powers of the universe." Unlike many westerners, Eagle Man explains that the person reaching out to the spirit world has no fear: "Most of us are not afraid of the Great Spirit. We don't fear something that has given us our life."
Legal names are given, but Native American names are earned. Gabriel Horn gives a personal account of why and how his Indian name was chosen: "By the time I graduated from college, I had already done my battles for the people. I had protested against stereotypes of Native Americans, I had fought for a Native American literature course on campus, and I had asked for participation in the United Nations. My immediate family believed that I had earned a name. The name came to my uncle, a traditional Cherokee man, who had a vision of a white deer coming to him and singing my name. He knew it was to be White Deer.
"My godmother, my uncle, and some close friends attended the Native American names ceremony. A pipe was filled with tobacco, and offered to each direction, as they called out my name. They called it out to the east, the south, the west, and the north. They called it out to the sky and to the earth. They called it out to the plants. They called it out to the animals. In other words, I was introduced to the universe as White Deer. That was my rebirth. In a sense, I was a born again Indian at that point." Receiving a new name was a healing experience. I was now completely comfortable with my Indian identity, whereas before I felt fragmented, not totally in touch with who I was."
Name changes can be physically as well as psychologically healing. Some time later, White Deer became ill, and a longer name was the solution: "I had gotten very sick, and was near death. A very old Ojibwa medicine man from Canada came down to Minnesota. I believe he was over 100 years old, and he didn't speak any English. During the ceremony of healing for me, a manifestation appeared in the room. At that point, the medicine man said that the entity wanted me to also be called Autumn. I was now White Deer of Autumn. The ceremony ended, and my sickness was healed.
"The name, of course, bestows certain powers and responsibilities. The power of the deer is its awareness, its keenness, and its protective nature. The white is purity, purity of heart, mind, and words. Autumn, I was told, is a time when change is most visible. It's a time when change is at its most powerful. And so, I was named for that season."
Native American names can be passed down, as western names often are. The distinction is that you are not stuck with one name all your life. This represents different beliefs about human potential, says White Deer of Autumn: "Crazy Horse passed on his name to his son, who took the name Worm as he got older. So, we can pass on names, too. The idea is that you're not stuck with the name you were given at birth. In western society, it's almost as if you can't change; you can't evolve; you can't grow. From a native perspective, your name reflects who you are. White Deer of Autumn reflects what I've done. But as I go on in life, I may want to let go of that and take another name. I have that right. So, naming is the ability to evolve and change in your identity. I think this is healing, both physically and emotionally."
The pipe ceremony is a sacred ritual for connecting physical and spiritual worlds. "The pipe is a link between the earth and the sky," explains White Deer of Autumn. "Nothing is more sacred. The pipe is our prayers in physical form. Smoke becomes our words; it goes out, touches everything, and becomes a part of all there is. The fire in the pipe is the same fire in the sun, which is the source of life." The reason why tobacco is used to connect the worlds is that the plant's roots go deep into the earth, and its smoke rises high into the heavens.
There are different kinds of pipes and different uses for them. There are personal pipes and family pipes as well as pipes for large ceremonies. The particular stone used depends upon the tribe's location, and various symbols are added to attract certain spiritual energies. Also, the type of tobacco used depends on tribal custom in the pipe ceremony. But despite these differences, there are certain important similarities: The pipe ceremony invokes a relationship with the energies of the universe, and ultimately the Creator, and the bond made between earthly and spiritual realms is not to be broken.
Ed McGaa (Eagle Man), an Ogalala Sioux, and author of Mother Earth Spirituality: Native American Paths to Healing Ourselves and Our World, says that most pipe ceremonies have the same intention: to call upon and thank the six energies: "All of our Sioux ceremonies beseech to the four directions, the earth and sky, and ultimately the Great Spirit. We see our Creator through nature, and we try to emulate what the Creator has made. This has worked out well, as you can see from the track record of Native American people. The old time Indians were honest, ethical people, and they had an unblemished environmental record. When the Pilgrims first landed, they kept them alive, and they took in black slaves. They were extremely humanistic. That's one of the main reasons that I believe in the natural way."
Eagle Man begins a pipe ceremony by beseeching the West power, while thinking about the life giving rains and the ever present spirit world. Next, he beseeches the north power, the source of endurance, strength, truthfulness, and honesty, which are qualities needed to walk down a good path in life.
Then, he will look to the east power.
The east is where the sun rises, and the sun brings us knowledge, the essence of spirituality such as meditation practices. Without knowledge, we become ignorant and cause harm to ourselves and others. The fourth energy is the south power, which brings us bounty, medicine, and growth. Next to be acknowledged is the earth spirit.
Eagle Man touches the pipe to the ground, and says, "Mother Earth, I seek to protect you." Since Mother Earth depends on the sun's life giving energy, the pipe is then held up towards the sky. Lastly, the pipe is held straight up to the Great Spirit, the Great Mystery, the unexplainable source of all life. These words are then spoken: "Oh Great Spirit, I thank you for the six powers of the universe." Unlike many westerners, Eagle Man explains that the person reaching out to the spirit world has no fear: "Most of us are not afraid of the Great Spirit. We don't fear something that has given us our life."
Legal names are given, but Native American names are earned. Gabriel Horn gives a personal account of why and how his Indian name was chosen: "By the time I graduated from college, I had already done my battles for the people. I had protested against stereotypes of Native Americans, I had fought for a Native American literature course on campus, and I had asked for participation in the United Nations. My immediate family believed that I had earned a name. The name came to my uncle, a traditional Cherokee man, who had a vision of a white deer coming to him and singing my name. He knew it was to be White Deer.
"My godmother, my uncle, and some close friends attended the Native American names ceremony. A pipe was filled with tobacco, and offered to each direction, as they called out my name. They called it out to the east, the south, the west, and the north. They called it out to the sky and to the earth. They called it out to the plants. They called it out to the animals. In other words, I was introduced to the universe as White Deer. That was my rebirth. In a sense, I was a born again Indian at that point." Receiving a new name was a healing experience. I was now completely comfortable with my Indian identity, whereas before I felt fragmented, not totally in touch with who I was."
Name changes can be physically as well as psychologically healing. Some time later, White Deer became ill, and a longer name was the solution: "I had gotten very sick, and was near death. A very old Ojibwa medicine man from Canada came down to Minnesota. I believe he was over 100 years old, and he didn't speak any English. During the ceremony of healing for me, a manifestation appeared in the room. At that point, the medicine man said that the entity wanted me to also be called Autumn. I was now White Deer of Autumn. The ceremony ended, and my sickness was healed.
"The name, of course, bestows certain powers and responsibilities. The power of the deer is its awareness, its keenness, and its protective nature. The white is purity, purity of heart, mind, and words. Autumn, I was told, is a time when change is most visible. It's a time when change is at its most powerful. And so, I was named for that season."
Native American names can be passed down, as western names often are. The distinction is that you are not stuck with one name all your life. This represents different beliefs about human potential, says White Deer of Autumn: "Crazy Horse passed on his name to his son, who took the name Worm as he got older. So, we can pass on names, too. The idea is that you're not stuck with the name you were given at birth. In western society, it's almost as if you can't change; you can't evolve; you can't grow. From a native perspective, your name reflects who you are. White Deer of Autumn reflects what I've done. But as I go on in life, I may want to let go of that and take another name. I have that right. So, naming is the ability to evolve and change in your identity. I think this is healing, both physically and emotionally."
THE SACRED PIPE
The sacred pipe, often referred to mistakenly as the 'peace pipe,' is one of the most powerful and sacred objects for Native Americans. By using the pipe, we may communicate with the spirits and make our needs known, asking for the things we need in our lives.
In its most basic form, a pipe is simply a bowl and a stem, which together can be used to smoke an herbal preparation. Generally the bowl is made of stone, while the stem is made of wood. There is no need for fancy decorations, as they are not what makes the pipe special or powerful.
It should also be made very clear that true followers of the Mi'kmaw spiritual ways NEVER smoke so-called 'recreational drugs' in the pipe. While some nations were given such drugs as part of their sacred medicines (for example, the use of peyote in the south-west) the Mi'kmaq were not given these medicines, and so for us to use them is an insult both to the Creator, who gave us what we need, and to the nations for whom these medicines are truly sacred.
THE ORIGIN OF THE PIPE
According to Lakota legend, the pipe was brought to earth 19 generations ago by White Buffalo Calf Woman, at a time when the seven tribes of the Lakota nation had gathered in council, and were starving because they were having no luck hunting. White Buffalo Calf Woman came to the people and instructed them about living in balance with nature, and about the sacred directions. She also taught them all the things they needed to know about making, handling and caring for the pipe, and about how it is to be used for praying. When the pipe was used properly to ask the buffalo to sacrifice himself so that the people could eat, the buffalo returned and the people were able to eat well.
PIPE CARRIERS
There are two types of pipes. A personal pipe can be owned by anyone, and be used to pray on their own behalf. It should not, however, be shared. Pipe Carriers, on the other hand, carry a pipe on behalf of the people. If there is need, the Pipe Carrier will use the pipe to pray for the people, to call in the spirits for a gathering or ceremony, or perhaps for healing or teaching.
In the Mi'kmaw tradition, a Pipe Carrier is born to the task. There is no way to earn this privilege - it is something you were given before you arrived on this Earth. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of confusion today about the role of the Pipe Carrier, caused mostly by people who are learning about the traditions of other Nations and trying to apply them to ALL Nations. In addition, because First Nations traditions are now seen as 'cool', it seems that everyone wants to be a Pipe Carrier, but again, it is not a task you can assume simply because you want it. Acting as a Pipe Carrier when it is not your true calling is not only disrespectful, it is dangerous, both to you and to anyone who shares your pipe.
THE SYMBOLISM OF THE PIPE
The bowl of the pipe, with its hole for accepting the pipe stem, represents the woman; the stem, then, represents the man. Joining the pipe symbolizes a union and a balance between male and female aspects of the world. At the same time, the stone of the bowl represents the spirits of the inorganic things of our world, while the wooden stem represents the organic beings. While other symbols may be added through carvings or decorations, these are very powerful, and are present in all pipes.
THE PIPE CEREMONY
An entire ceremony surrounds the use of the personal pipe for praying, which allows you to adopt the correct frame of mind for the prayer.
Prior to handling the pipe, ensure that you have smudged. Also, when the pipe is removed from its container, it must be smudged as well. When you join the pipe, be aware that you are creating a sacred moment in time. As you handle the pipe, use your left hand to hold the bowl, and your right to hold the stem.
Loading the pipe is done in four steps, each honouring the four directions. During each step, offer a pinch of tobacco to that direction, and address the spirits of the direction, asking them to hear you when you pray. Place the tobacco into the pipe bowl and repeat for the next direction.
When the pipe is loaded, it should be lit from something besides your trusty Zippo. If you are near a sacred fire, use it to light a small twig, or better yet a sweetgrass braid, and use that to light your pipe.
As you smoke the pipe, again acknowledge each direction as you take a puff. Release the smoke deliberately; as it rises toward the sky, it takes your prayers with it. If you wish, smudge yourself by guiding the smoke over your head with your free hand. Between each direction, turn the pipe stem in a circle clockwise to honour the four cardinal directions.
Finally, when the tobacco has been consumed, separating the pipe is a way of telling the spirits that you are finished. Clean the ashes out of your pipe, and dispose of them in a thoughtful way: for example, in a sacred fire, or at the roots of a tree. Carefully wrap your pipe and put it away. As you do all this, be aware that your prayers have been heard, and offer your thanks for the attention of the spirits.
Should you be involved in a pipe ceremony conducted by a Pipe Carrier, the pipe may be passed around. If so, you accept the pipe stem with your right hand and the bowl with your left. Take a puff, and again release it thoughtfully as a prayer. Turn the pipe stem clockwise through a full circle, then pass the pipe to the next person stem first. If for some reason you do not wish to smoke the pipe, or if the tobacco has been exhausted, then you can simply touch your shoulders with the pipe stem and pass it along.
The pipe is used in only sacred ceremonies.
Only pipe carriers do ceremonies
The pipe ceremony is sacred.
Respect and honor is always shown at these ceremonies.
The pipe carrier is the only person allowed to hold a pipe ceremony.
The pipe carrier is picked from people who are well respected or someone who has had a vision.
The pipe carrier and his helpers are the people who prepare the pipe for the ceremony.
There are many pipes used for different occasions, such as the healing pipe, the Thunder pipe, the corn husk pipe, the wood pipe, and the black clay pipe.
Everything is purified before the ceremony begins. Prayers are offered to the four directions: East : Source of light for ail the earth and the source of all nowledge.
South : Cedar - Place of birth and growth. West : Sage - The doorway to the Spirit World.
The smoke of this plant can be used to purify your body and surrounding.
North : Sweetgrass – purification The smoke from the pipe will carry thoughts into the Spirit World.
Its smoke will be your visible thoughts. You must use tobacco when you want to speak to the Creator.
The pipe intercedes our prayers to the creator.
As all things have both female and male, so is the pipe. The stem represents the male and the bowl of the pipe represents the female.
If you look up to the sky at night you will see the Big Dipper.
This also reminds us of the pipe. Sometimes only men smoke pipes and women touch the stem.
The Pipe Ceremony can be used at the Naming, Wedding, Thanksgiving, Sweat Lodge, Healing and Sunrise Ceremonies.
The Sunrise Ceremony tells about the miracle of the entire creation.
The flow of knowledge and wisdom in this world is endless.
Each day offers new learning experiences, asking us to pay attention to all things Mother Earth has to teach us.
Only pipe carriers do ceremonies
The pipe ceremony is sacred.
Respect and honor is always shown at these ceremonies.
The pipe carrier is the only person allowed to hold a pipe ceremony.
The pipe carrier is picked from people who are well respected or someone who has had a vision.
The pipe carrier and his helpers are the people who prepare the pipe for the ceremony.
There are many pipes used for different occasions, such as the healing pipe, the Thunder pipe, the corn husk pipe, the wood pipe, and the black clay pipe.
Everything is purified before the ceremony begins. Prayers are offered to the four directions: East : Source of light for ail the earth and the source of all nowledge.
South : Cedar - Place of birth and growth. West : Sage - The doorway to the Spirit World.
The smoke of this plant can be used to purify your body and surrounding.
North : Sweetgrass – purification The smoke from the pipe will carry thoughts into the Spirit World.
Its smoke will be your visible thoughts. You must use tobacco when you want to speak to the Creator.
The pipe intercedes our prayers to the creator.
As all things have both female and male, so is the pipe. The stem represents the male and the bowl of the pipe represents the female.
If you look up to the sky at night you will see the Big Dipper.
This also reminds us of the pipe. Sometimes only men smoke pipes and women touch the stem.
The Pipe Ceremony can be used at the Naming, Wedding, Thanksgiving, Sweat Lodge, Healing and Sunrise Ceremonies.
The Sunrise Ceremony tells about the miracle of the entire creation.
The flow of knowledge and wisdom in this world is endless.
Each day offers new learning experiences, asking us to pay attention to all things Mother Earth has to teach us.