Post by yellowhair1850 on Mar 2, 2014 19:54:09 GMT -5
Before the celebration commenced the pipe was smoked. When the pipe had gone around the fire and came back to us, Tom asked White Dog about the feathers and the work on the bowl. As the others at our fire talked among themselves, White Dog told Tom and me of the sacred pipe and White Buffalo Woman.
“Before we were Lakota, before we were The People, there was a time we were hungry. Then one day, two scouts were hunting the buffalo when they came to the top of a small hill. A long way off, they saw the figure of a woman. As she approached, they saw that she was beautiful. She was young and wore a white buckskin dress, and carried a wakin. One of the scouts had lustful thoughts and told the other. His friend told him that she was sacred and told him not to have such thoughts.
“As the woman came up to them, she said to the one with the lustful thoughts, ‘Come forward.’ The brave moved to touch her and a white cloud covered them from sight.
“The woman stepped from the cloud and it blew away. There on the ground, at the beautiful woman’s feet, lay a pile of bones with worms crawling in and among them.
“The woman said to the other scout, ‘Good things I am bringing, something holy to your nation. Go to your village and tell your people that I am coming and for them to build a medicine lodge large enough to hold all the chiefs of the nation.
“The people heard the scout’s story and constructed the lodge. When the woman came to the village, out of the wakin she withdrew a pipe. On one side of the pipe was carved a bison calf. ‘The bison represents the earth, which will house and feed you,’ said White Buffalo Woman.
“From the wooden stem of the pipe hung twelve eagle feathers. The chiefs were told: ‘The feathers represent the sky and the twelve moons. On one side of the bowl are carved seven circles. They represent Ocheti Shakowin, the seven sacred campfires of the Lakota nation. With this pipe, you shall prosper. With this pipe, you shall commune with Wakan Tan’ka. With this pipe, you shall become The People. You shall be bound with the Earth, for She is your mother, She is sacred.
“She filled the pipe with bark of the red willow, lit it and told the People that the rising smoke was the living breath of Wakan Tan’ka. Having given the pipe to the People, and having said what she had to say, she turned and walked four paces from the lodge and sat down. When she stood, she was a black buffalo calf. She walked on, lay down and came up as a brown buffalo calf. Walking still farther, she turned into a red buffalo and finally she stood upon a hill as a white buffalo calf. She turned, bowed in the four directions of the four winds and then she vanished.
“Because of White Buffalo Woman we honor our mother the Earth; we honor our parents and grandparents. We honor the birds of the sky; we honor the beast of the earth. We know that Wakan Tan’ka resides in all animals, in all trees and plants and rocks and stones. Wakan Tan’ka is in all. We know that Wakan Tan’ka lives in each of us. Because of White Buffalo Woman we have become Lakota.”
amzn.to/18HFkQg
“Before we were Lakota, before we were The People, there was a time we were hungry. Then one day, two scouts were hunting the buffalo when they came to the top of a small hill. A long way off, they saw the figure of a woman. As she approached, they saw that she was beautiful. She was young and wore a white buckskin dress, and carried a wakin. One of the scouts had lustful thoughts and told the other. His friend told him that she was sacred and told him not to have such thoughts.
“As the woman came up to them, she said to the one with the lustful thoughts, ‘Come forward.’ The brave moved to touch her and a white cloud covered them from sight.
“The woman stepped from the cloud and it blew away. There on the ground, at the beautiful woman’s feet, lay a pile of bones with worms crawling in and among them.
“The woman said to the other scout, ‘Good things I am bringing, something holy to your nation. Go to your village and tell your people that I am coming and for them to build a medicine lodge large enough to hold all the chiefs of the nation.
“The people heard the scout’s story and constructed the lodge. When the woman came to the village, out of the wakin she withdrew a pipe. On one side of the pipe was carved a bison calf. ‘The bison represents the earth, which will house and feed you,’ said White Buffalo Woman.
“From the wooden stem of the pipe hung twelve eagle feathers. The chiefs were told: ‘The feathers represent the sky and the twelve moons. On one side of the bowl are carved seven circles. They represent Ocheti Shakowin, the seven sacred campfires of the Lakota nation. With this pipe, you shall prosper. With this pipe, you shall commune with Wakan Tan’ka. With this pipe, you shall become The People. You shall be bound with the Earth, for She is your mother, She is sacred.
“She filled the pipe with bark of the red willow, lit it and told the People that the rising smoke was the living breath of Wakan Tan’ka. Having given the pipe to the People, and having said what she had to say, she turned and walked four paces from the lodge and sat down. When she stood, she was a black buffalo calf. She walked on, lay down and came up as a brown buffalo calf. Walking still farther, she turned into a red buffalo and finally she stood upon a hill as a white buffalo calf. She turned, bowed in the four directions of the four winds and then she vanished.
“Because of White Buffalo Woman we honor our mother the Earth; we honor our parents and grandparents. We honor the birds of the sky; we honor the beast of the earth. We know that Wakan Tan’ka resides in all animals, in all trees and plants and rocks and stones. Wakan Tan’ka is in all. We know that Wakan Tan’ka lives in each of us. Because of White Buffalo Woman we have become Lakota.”
amzn.to/18HFkQg