One facet of this wait has been answered...

[wayinktelo]

  I was enjoying the overall positive reception of my posts, and I asked permission to further share the Traditions and Protocols involved in being of the original First Nations here on the back of Turtle Island... the weight of the situation garnered a full scope of views, and I was asked to temper the information to fit the situation... I was relieved.

  Having exposed the bounds, I would care to respond to some comments passed my way.

  Without knowing, I was addressed as a "warrior"... my appointment in the Community was as a "Peace Warrior". It is my service to aid and protect those incapable of caring for themselves... examples would include widows and orphans, as well as the Elderly. I also serve my local Lodge (The Lodge Beside The Singing Waters) as the Firehawk and doorkeeper since my chronic hepatitis C prohibits my "doing a four door lodge". The Firehawk tends the Grandfathers (the stones involved in ceremony) by building and banking the fire to allow the stones to glow red hot, before the request of the first by the intercessor and leader of the ceremony. The doorkeeper is responsible for tending the door (the "flap" covering the doorway), opening between doors and allowing fresh air and water as refreshment, as well as allowing individuals to leave the ceremony if they feel uncomfortable and are not able to "pray your way through it".

  Myself and my Brothers harvest, soak (to make them supple for Lodge construction) and distribute materials for Lodges ("yellow willow", not weeping willow, boughs) to those who can perform ceremony easier than aquiring transportation to a Lodge for a "sweat".

  Here are some materials on "The Sweat Lodge" (inipi... a Lakhota Ceremony is the "wet sweat"), construction and ceremony: Purification/Healing sweats... no substitutes apply for the "newness" feeling when emerging from a Lodge. As all negative and non Wakan atributes are left outside the grounds, the sweat does as it should. When the Grandfathers are "painted", and brought to the womb in the inipi... destiny stands still. Before you were a "gleam in your poppa`s eye", it was known who would attend ceremony, and for what needs. The application of the medicine, (certain herbs and growing medicines are added to the water), is the culmination of the ceremony. (The Grandfathers were the first residents here on Turtle Island, their Spirit is wholesome and most powerful... the "pouring" is but a means of welcoming the resident and visiting Spirits, to embrace the building blocks of Creation... this is a most Wakan and necessary service, and the reason we are here) ============================================== http://www.think-aboutit.com/native/building_a_sweat_lodge.htm http://www.sevencircles.org/sweat.html http://www.thewildrose.net/sweat.html http://www.marial.emory.edu/exhibitions/sweatlodge/ceremony.html http://www.ar-t.org/Artist_Resume/Sundance_Cere/sundance_cere.html

   

[Cheryl Nelson]

Okay, I made a group. Wayinktelo, it might be easier to do a blog within the group with links to all of your recent posts, rather than copying them over.

[Cheryl Nelson]

Native American traditions and lore seems to encompass quite a large body of knowledge. Shall I make a group for it?

[wayinktelo]

http://www.matoska.com/cgibin/gencat.cgi?AC=gencat&PC=4&ST=...

http://www.dreamweaverlodge.com/sweatlodge.html

http://www.barefootsworld.net/sweatlodge.html

http://www.eagle-heart.com/seminar/seminar_5.htm

http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Sweat_Lodge/id/1014

http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/naspirit.html

http://bearspiritvision.com/sweatlodge.htm

http://www.native-languages.org/religion.htm

http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/kkroonenburg/kktemescal.html

http://www.garynull.com/Documents/nativeamerican.htm

http://www.healthandhealingny.org/tradition_healing/native-how.html

http://www.healing-arts.org/nativelinks.htm

http://www.ewebtribe.com/NACulture/sacred.htm

http://www.tahtonka.com/arts.html

http://members.tripod.com/~northlight22/index-4.html

http://www.aaanativearts.com/article547.html

http://www.desertmud.com/articles_details/ArticleID/9

http://www.think-aboutit.com/native/building_a_sweat_lodge.htm

http://www.siouxme.com/buildlge.html

http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/rituals/sweat-lodge.txt

http://www.indigenouspeople.net/sweatlod.htm

http://www.healing-systems.com/article_inipi.html

http://www.sacred-earth-camps.co.uk/

http://www.enota.com/sweat_lodge_ceremony.htm

http://www.saskschools.ca/~gregory/firstnations/swlodge.html

http://drumbeat.bc-payc.com/ezine/db003/article-db03_Sacred-Sweat-L...

http://www.buffalo-lodge.com/info-men-Sweat.htm

http://ritesofpassagecouncil.zaadz.com/photos/view/157950

http://www.thewildrose.net/sweat.html

http://www.crystalinks.com/sweatlodge.html

http://www.nald.ca/CLR/chikiken/page28.htm

http://www.curtis-collection.com/cheyannesweatlodge.html

http://www.worldcouncilofelders.org/SweatLodgeEtiquette.html