SAGE

Today I attended a small Pow Wow with some friends. As we waited for the grand entry of the dancers we noticed the distinctive smell of sage permeating the air. This led to the discussion of the importance of sage in Native American culture. Many tribes consider sage a sacred herb. To these Native Americans, the smoke from burning sage offers remedy for physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental imbalances. Sage is thought to cleanse the body and mind of negative spirits and impurities.

I thought it would be interesting to try sage smudging so I did some research.

Here are some basic directions.

You will need a heat proof container, or hollowed rock.

Tie the sage in a bundle or crumble the dried sage and place in the container.

Light the sage, let it flame for a minute or two then extinguish the flame so the sage is smoldering and smoking.

Take the smudge container and using circular clockwise movements, encircle yourself with the smoke.

Additionally, you can use a large feather to fan the smoke around the room.

Start at the most northerly room and work clockwise through the house

Try to end at an open door.

Smudging is a sacred ceremony and should always be performed with sensitivity and respect

SUMMER POW WOW PICTURES

WHAT A DAY

What a day! I attended a Pow Wow, visited an art exhibit, visited an historical exhibit, and attended an International Expo. And I did all of this in the span of four hours, one of the advantages of living in a small university town. I want to tell you about each of these events as each had emotional and intellectual impacts. Each made me think and ponder and wonder.

Okay then. My first visit was the Pow Wow. I'm not new to pow wows. I've attended quite a few at the Saginaw Chippewa Reservation. This pow wow, however, was held inside a sports arena at the university. Universities educate. Attendees were given a program with information about the pow wow, pow wow events, as well as the meaning of the different dances and the "drum".

The Grand Entry was spectacular. A tribe elder carried the "Eagle Staff" and was followed by war veterans bearing the United States flag, Canadian flag, Michigan State flag, and POW flag, then head dancers and dancers dressed in colorful regalia. I felt priveleged to be able to share in this celebration even if my participation was only as a spectator.

Some interesting facts:

Pow wows were originally held in the spring to celebrate the new beginning of life.

For the Grand Entry all the dancers enter from the eastern direction to signify this is where everything begins.

A dancer's clothing is called a regalia or outfit, not a costume.

The "drum" calls the dancers into the dance arena and symbolizes a heartbeat. The songs are a form of oral history.

Some of the dances include Traditional Dance; Grass Dance; Jingle Dress Dance; and Fancy Dance

TO BE CONTINUED