Smudging with Herbs and some OT: Ceremonies

[Guest guest]

I only thought I was leaving for the fair. Sigh.....

 

Thank you for the posts on tax record keeping. Now on to another topic. In

case you haven't guessed it with homeschooling now an everyday endearment for

the next ten years and losing a day today to the fair (a good trade really) I am

trying to cram my one year business plan into a week. LOL

 

Has anyone here performed a cleansing? I would like to have more information

regarding smudging, how to make my own smudge sticks and a resource for smudge

sticks until I've had a goodly amount of time working with them to feel

confident in creating my own.

 

While I'm at it I may as well also ask if anyone has participated in a blessing

way ceremony could you e-mail me offlist with your experiences?

 

And one more: Has anyone here ever done any drumming? I think that is what it

is called....folks together drumming on various instruments in their own way...

 

Thank you in advance yet again!!

 

Dale

 

 

[Guest guest]

me too!! I'd like to know more. I've " played " around with some cleaning but

would love to know more.

 

Thanks

Rita

 

Dale Bernucca <dbernucca wrote:

I only thought I was leaving for the fair. Sigh.....

 

Thank you for the posts on tax record keeping. Now on to another topic. In

case you haven't guessed it with homeschooling now an everyday endearment for

the next ten years and losing a day today to the fair (a good trade really) I am

trying to cram my one year business plan into a week. LOL

 

Has anyone here performed a cleansing? I would like to have more information

regarding smudging, how to make my own smudge sticks and a resource for smudge

sticks until I've had a goodly amount of time working with them to feel

confident in creating my own.

 

While I'm at it I may as well also ask if anyone has participated in a blessing

way ceremony could you e-mail me offlist with your experiences?

 

And one more: Has anyone here ever done any drumming? I think that is what it

is called....folks together drumming on various instruments in their own way...

 

Thank you in advance yet again!!

 

Dale

 

 

[Guest guest]

A friend of mine held some drumming at her house several years ago -

it was just sort of an open thing, held once a month for a couple of

hours. It was fun! The first couple times we had someone who had

actually done it before as a sort of " leader " but it's really one of

those things that just takes care of itself. Those that had drums

brought them, and any extras they had, otherwise you can improvise

with kitchenware, buckets, or whatever, ala my 3 year old nephew (or

" Stomp " , if you need a more sophisticated role model, haha) It's

interesting to feel the energy and rhythms just ebb and flow...

 

-maggie

prairielandherbs.com

 

> And one more: Has anyone here ever done any drumming? I think that

is what it is called....folks together drumming on various instruments

in their own way...

>

> Thank you in advance yet again!!

>

> Dale

>

>

[Guest guest]

DAle,

I had to think about answering your letter.

For smudging and drumming is something very serious to native Americans

and although not born into it, I was adopted by the Odawa tribe of my

area many years ago.

It' s not really to be just a 'fun' thing...

The herbs that are used for smudging have significance as to their

position in the medicine wheel and have a purpose.

If you take them apart in photo chemistry, you will discover that they

have a medicinal attribute to disinfect, keep bacteria down etc.

However, those things are also a bit regional. Herbs used are watched

and prayed over, to be not contaminated and taken in prayer with a

special Thanks to the 4 directions, the Earth and the Creator, an

apology to their 'Buddies' close by and a request that only the good

will come from the herbs taken.

The smudging is to 'cleanse' your aura and environment.

You can make smudgesticks* or burn the loose herbs in a shell or a

stone that has a 'hollow' in it.

Tobacco is the most cherished herb to use by natives, for it's a

neutral herb and one uses self grown or organically grown tobacco,

underneath the herbs to start a 'smudge' smoke.

When you smudge someone, you start at the

Head and say: " May your Head have clear thinking "

Than the left arm up to the heart and you say: " May your heart be pure

and brave "

Down the right arm and around both hands and say: " May your hands do

good deeds "

Down the one leg, than the other and you say: " May your feet walk in

honor on Mother Earth "

 

\You can make smudge bundles by tying together:

White sage, mainly

Sweetgrass, just a little

Cedar ( arborvitae) ( just a little)

tobacco leaf ( a little)

Smudge sticks have to be bone dry and are tightly bundled with red

cotton threat ( embroidery floss)

 

Drumming is to bring your heartbeat in synch with with your drum, you

want to drum the rhythm of a heartbeat, done so the Creator can hear

your heartbeat.

It's a form of prayer, so are the traditional dances that go with it.

 

Just whooping it up, drumming wildly, blowing the smoke nilly -willy

would be considered a sacrilege to native Americans.

C-M

[Guest guest]

Christa Maria -

 

This is what I was looking for...I put the desire out to the earth and waited.

I'm very happy that you decided to reply on list and not offlist as I too want

to affirm the sincerity of these rituals to others here.

 

My great-great-grandparents on my mother's side are French and Spaniard (thank

you Napoleon!) colonists to Mexico. My great-grandmother is a slave who escaped

from the South to Mexico for her freedom. We do not know her original name. My

great-grandfather named her Paloma because she had flown to find peace. This

great-grandfather is a native Indian of Mexico. On my father's side we are 100%

Native Mexican Indian - we do not say American Indian although the history

passed down by my ancestors is that some of our family's original land holdings

were supposedly in what is now Texas and California.

 

It is hard to explain to my friends why I feel not quite complete in not knowing

these ways and why I've had this long-held

stirring to bring it into my life although my parents had lost many of these

traditions due to their ancestors who had to deal with Christianity arriving to

those regions. It's been a very difficult wish to bring to fruition because I

am not with people who have these same backgrounds. I love my family, my

friends, my neighborhood but they are not what my past is. Don't get me wrong -

I do cherish being in this country and I am astounded really by how many

different cultures are represented here. It's just that it is also hard to

retain ancestral identity here. Especially when you run into folks who think

that is just not PC. My family is supportive of this wish but they cannot

provide the history I'm looking for because they're in the same boat! At one

time in my youth our church held Spanish services and the Spanish Youth Group

was really flourishing learning traditional dances from a folkdancer. Alas, the

group disbanded as members grew up, married and moved to other states as they

gained citizenship and found 'real' work with benefits.

 

Whenever I've found someone with some of the same history either they didn't

cherish it or they were more interested in other parts of their background than

the one that we happened to share. And that's okay. I'm just putting out the

vibe that I hope I find others who share this same identity and want to share

it.

 

It is this same loss of the family links that drives my passion to restore

birthing links and traditions back to the family. Family centered birth as we

call it in the field of birthcare.

 

Now if I feel this way imagine my kids' feelings in the future: one set is also

part Puerto-Rican. The other set is also Italian-Scot-Irish!! They always

tease me and ask which part, foot? arm? ear?

 

Now of course I realize the honor of being adopted by a tribe and I don't want

to belittle it here by asking how. It is enough to recognize the honor and that

is all one needs to know and I would like to say that here.

 

So again, thank you for your decision to share this truth with the list. And

thank you for expressing it so well.

 

I hope we can continue this conversation offlist if that does not offend anyone

and of course if you wish to.

 

Warmly,

Dale

-

Christa Maria

 

 

DAle,

I had to think about answering your letter.

For smudging and drumming is something very serious to native Americans

and although not born into it, I was adopted by the Odawa tribe of my

area many years ago.

 

snipped....

 

Just whooping it up, drumming wildly, blowing the smoke nilly -willy

would be considered a sacrilege to native Americans.

C-M

 

 

[Guest guest]

<<It is hard to explain to my friends why I feel not quite complete in not

knowing these ways and why I've had this long-held

stirring to bring it into my life although my parents had lost many of these

traditions due to their ancestors who had to deal with Christianity arriving to

those regions. >>

 

This is exactly how I feel about my own ancestral heritage. I can't tell you how

happy I am about the current revival of interest in pre-Christian Northern

European traditions and history. One has to weed carefully through the available

information, of course, because a lot of it is silly and made up, but there are

truths to be discovered. There is a purity and depth of emotion in recreating

your ancestral customs that gives you a great sense of connection to history, to

the spirit of place even if you don't live there, even to your own DNA, that you

might not experience any other way. I am not of Semitic origin and my people

never set foot in a desert before coming to the New World, so it isn't

surprising that the traditions of the Biblical peoples are not my perfect fit. I

can appreciate them, and I certainly acknowledge the impact of those traditions

on our present culture, but in the spiritual sense I feel more at home, more

resonant, with the history, stories, songs, and customs of my personal

forebears. Those were the people who looked like me, shared my same genetic

weaknesses and strengths, and the weather patterns, geography, diet, flora and

fauna, catastrophes, hardships, artisanship, and joys they experienced shaped

the spirit that comes down through the centuries to me. I couldn't be fully

alive in my life if I didn't understand where I came from and who they were,

those people who are part of me. Their life force continues to some degree in

the blood coursing through my veins and in my dreams. They belong to me, as I to

them, and their traditions are freely mine. I don't have to adopt something that

I already own, I just have to relearn it )

 

<< Don't get me wrong - I do cherish being in this country and I am astounded

really by how many different cultures are represented here. It's just that it

is also hard to retain ancestral identity here. Especially when you run into

folks who think that is just not PC. My family is supportive of this wish but

they cannot provide the history I'm looking for because they're in the same

boat! >>

 

I was just reading an article about genetic testing that is now available to

African-Americans to discover what part of Africa their people came from, and

what modern tribes they are most closely affiliated with. I think that's very

exciting. For a lot of African-Americans, this is the first knowledge they will

have of their ancestry. Africa is a large continent full of many diverse

peoples, so there will be an incredible richness of discovery going on. I love

that.

 

<< Now if I feel this way imagine my kids' feelings in the future: one set is

also part Puerto-Rican. The other set is also Italian-Scot-Irish!! They always

tease me and ask which part, foot? arm? ear? >>

 

I guess mine is pretty straightforward for a United Statesian ;O) My ancestors

all came from Northern Europe (mainly Celtic--and presumably proto-Celtic--but

some Norse and Germanic, as well) except for my great-grandmother's grandmother,

who was full-blooded Cherokee. I'm very proud of that tiny drop of Native blood,

of course, but I don't presume upon it. None of the Native Americans I know feel

it's enough to give me ownership of their traditions, but that doesn't mean I

can't enjoy them )

 

Since my husband's ancestors came from the same places as mine, my children just

say their heritage is Norse-Celtic with all that implies. When my older son

started middle school I had a medallion made for him that had a Viking spirit

ship on one side and Celtic knotwork on the other, so he could carry the

reminder of his ancestors' strength and vitality, talents and wisdom with him as

he made the scary transition from elementary school. (When my younger son went,

he just wanted " really cool clothes " instead of anything symbolic <G> ). The

older boy researched and taught himself to make his own kilt, and a mantle, and

a shield and a bow and a cloak...he listens to Irish and Scots music both

traditional and modern, he even eats haggis. The younger boy couldn't care less

about any of it, although he still talks about our first Bealtaine celebration,

mainly because we made May wine and I let him have a thimblefull ;O) I hope

someday he'll become interested in the past and in why he is who he is. I think

it's important for people to know such things. I'm certain he'll never eat

haggis, though....

 

jaime

 

 

[Guest guest]

I am Chata (Choctaw) through my father's line.

 

I had a very traumatic experience almost 2 years ago and was hospitalized.

While I was in the hospital, I mentioned something about smudging. I was

shocked and absolutely floored by the response I got--I can't even remember what

was specifically said but these other patients were making fun of this. Now,

please note, I'm not saying that anyone is making fun of this or is trying to be

disrespectful or anything of that nature. I just wanted to echo C-M's statement

about this being a very serious thing--it is.

 

On a side note, please beware of anyone trying to tell you your ancestry

through DNA testing. This is bogus. Race is a social/geographical construct;

not a biological one. So called 'markers' that distinguish one group from

another simply don't exist. People are just as likely to differ in DNA

structure within a 'race' as they are outside of their so-called group. I've

heard of this testing for people wanting to know if they have Native American

blood--it just won't work. Oh, sheesh! I'm sorry--I get hot under the collar

when I hear about this stuff. People, I think, have a need to know their roots.

It is a very ingrained thing to want to know where we come from because it

helps, in part, to answer where we may go. These people doing these so-called

DNA tests take advantage of that and it's just plain wrong. So, I'M NOT FUSSIN'

at anybody ('cept the people that do these tests)--just don't want no one to get

burnt--those 'tests' aren't cheap.

 

Nitey-nite from battered Florida.

 

 

 

-

Christa Maria

 

10/1/04 7:01:22 PM

Re: Re: Smudging with Herbs and some OT: Ceremonies

 

 

DAle,

I had to think about answering your letter.

For smudging and drumming is something very serious to native Americans

and although not born into it, I was adopted by the Odawa tribe of my

area many years ago.

It' s not really to be just a 'fun' thing...

The herbs that are used for smudging have significance as to their

position in the medicine wheel and have a purpose.

If you take them apart in photo chemistry, you will discover that they

have a medicinal attribute to disinfect, keep bacteria down etc.

However, those things are also a bit regional. Herbs used are watched

and prayed over, to be not contaminated and taken in prayer with a

special Thanks to the 4 directions, the Earth and the Creator, an

apology to their 'Buddies' close by and a request that only the good

will come from the herbs taken.

The smudging is to 'cleanse' your aura and environment.

You can make smudgesticks* or burn the loose herbs in a shell or a

stone that has a 'hollow' in it.

Tobacco is the most cherished herb to use by natives, for it's a

neutral herb and one uses self grown or organically grown tobacco,

underneath the herbs to start a 'smudge' smoke.

When you smudge someone, you start at the

Head and say: " May your Head have clear thinking "

Than the left arm up to the heart and you say: " May your heart be pure

and brave "

Down the right arm and around both hands and say: " May your hands do

good deeds "

Down the one leg, than the other and you say: " May your feet walk in

honor on Mother Earth "

 

\You can make smudge bundles by tying together:

White sage, mainly

Sweetgrass, just a little

Cedar ( arborvitae) ( just a little)

tobacco leaf ( a little)

Smudge sticks have to be bone dry and are tightly bundled with red

cotton threat ( embroidery floss)

 

Drumming is to bring your heartbeat in synch with with your drum, you

want to drum the rhythm of a heartbeat, done so the Creator can hear

your heartbeat.

It's a form of prayer, so are the traditional dances that go with it.

 

Just whooping it up, drumming wildly, blowing the smoke nilly -willy

would be considered a sacrilege to native Americans.

C-M

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Sometimes it is difficult to understand where we are all coming from. I felt

drawn to Native culture way back in the 80's, didn't have a clue why but

felt like a long tunnel and something was pulling me. I followed it no

questions asked.

I still don't have answers to my lineage except my grandfather, who I

thought was, was married into the family and my father was adopted by him. I

was overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions and some not nice. I tried to

find out who my birth grandfather was. I found a name but no history on

parents, his marriage to my grandmother back in early 1900, but they did

live in Indian territory in Oklahoma. He disappeared and with the best of

trace, I cannot find out anything yet. There are 6 men with the same name

from the same area, so I need to get some documents from them all. ( nothing

I can afford at this time).

But it is a calling in your heart, you know it and can feel it. Do we need a

writing to understand? I don't. I won't even go into the part of needing to

be registered.

My husband now also believed all his life he was Wampanaug. Born and raised

in New England, VT, CT, MA and RI.

When he and his sister were reuninted this year after 40 years of being lost

to each other, she said " Momma said we were Cherokee " he bout hit the roof.

Again, back then, if you left the tribes and married outside, the tribes

disowned you. His grandfather came down from Canada. Again, searching and

searching was a dead link except when they did live in CT and his mother was

7.

Sorry for going on a long tangent.

I meant to say, I have learned from Jerry, my husband about smudging. We

smudge in a shell and he burns white sage, and I do and sometimes I add

sweet grass or want something special and add the 4 sacred herbs of Native

Americans. For me it is a connection to the " Great Mystery " " Great Spirit "

" Creator " and carries whatever prayers and thoughts are with you at that

time to and from you through the smudge smoke.

Others may choose wrapping the herbs and using a stick or wand. For me, I

just try to learn from folks around me as to what they are doing and why?

Then we share information if it is different. A great learning experience

and respect to each others ways. Again, I apologize for any long windedness.

Warmly,

Fran

I just wanted to echo C-M's statement about this being a very serious

thing--it is.