| Two Wolves One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all." "One is evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." "The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith." The grandson thought about this for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed." |
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WHITE BUFFALO WOMAN
(Brule Sioux)
Oceti-Shakowin . the seven sacred council fires of the Lakota Oyate, the nation.
Ptesan-wi, White Buffalo Woman
Two young hunters were out hunting getting very discouraged because there was no game left to hunt. Suddenly, there appeared in the distance, a beautiful Indian woman wearing a white buffalo skin. She was so attractive they were both spellbound by her.
One reached out to touch her in a lustful way and a bolt of lightning struck him down.
He was burned beyond recognition (by another account he was devoured by snakes) .
She told the other young man to go back to his tribe and tell them that she was coming and that they were to build a 24-pole medicine lodge for her. The center of the tipi was to be made an altar of red earth with a buffalo skull and a three stick rack for a holy thing she was bringing. The holy thing she brought was a bundle that contained Chanunpa-The Sacred Pipe. She gave the chief directions for the handling and use of the pipe.
It was to be grasped by the stem with the right hand and the bowl with the left and this is done still today. The chief was to dip sweet grass (or an eagle wing) in water and offer it to the white buffalo woman. Now, water is sprinkled on the one to be purified using this same ceremony.
To all the people she said, .The pipe is alive. It is a red being showing you a red life and a red road. This is the first ceremony for which you will use the pipe. Chan-shaha, red willow bark tobacco is what she filled the Sacred Pipe with.
Then she walked around the lodge in the direction of the sun 4 times, representing the circle without end, the sacred loop, the road of life. The White Buffalo Woman used dry buffalo chip to light the pipe, to represent Peta-owhankishni, the fire without end, the flame to be passed from generation to generation. Smoke rising from the Sacred Pipe was tunkashila. Breath, the living breath of Great Grand Father Mystery.
She said the Buffalo represents the universe and the four directions because he
stand on four legs, for the four ages of creation. The pipe bowl represents the buffalo.
Every year the buffalo loses one hair and every one of the four ages he loses a leg. The sacred hoop will end when all the hair and legs of great buffalo are gone. Water will return to cover the earth.
The wooden pipe stem presents all that grows on the earth. 12 feathers hang from the stem taken from the spotted eagle, a very sacred bird, Great Spirit's messenger, and wisest of all flying ones.
Seven circles on the pipe bowl represent the seven sacred Lakota Nation Campfires.
Women are from mother earth, great a work as what men do. The pipe binds man and woman in a circle of love. White Buffalo Woman told them of the marriage ceremony with the pipe. She gave woman Corn Wasna (Pemmican) wild turnip, and taught them how to make a hearth fire and how to cook corn and meat by dropping a hot rock from the hearth into a pouch of water and meat or vegetable.
To the children she said that what their parents did for them and that there place in the circle of life was very important as they were the seed that would carry on the people.
The day a human dies is always a sacred day. The day when the soul is released to the Great Spirit is another. Four women will become sacred on such a day. They will cut the sacred tree, the Can-wakan-for the sun dance.
Lakota is the purist among the tribes. They had been chosen to care for the pipe for all the Indian people in this turtle continent.
Buffalo woman promised to return as she left. She walked away and stopped and rolled over four times. One time she turned to a black buffalo, the second time a brown buffalo, the third time a red one and the fourth time a white female buffalo calf. The most sacred thing you can ever encounter. When she vanished buffalo came in great herds. People had meat for food, skins for clothes and tipis and bones for their tools.
