Lightfeather Lectures
      & Art

    Welcome Back!

Time to move in a different direction. We hope you like the changes. The pictures were taken at a lecture and the description is besides the subject. Video's of a lecture presentation will be coming soon. The videos will run around one hour. Changes will continue to happen so be sure to check back from time to time.
   Thank you, Talking Otter
    Darlene

Smudging
Before any celebration the Native American will always smudge.
A smudge is made from cedar, white sage, and sweetgrass. It is wrapped up and tied in the form of a stick. This sacred blend must be lit with a wooden match or stick. It is allowed to catch fire just enough to make smoke and then the person is smudged from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. This allows the smell of man to disappear and the spirits to enter and this also purified the mind and head an heart. Through the smoke the prayers are carried to the Great Spirit. Smudging was also a way of bathing and was always used in the sweat lodge. Through these pictures you will see a Cub Scout group that was asked if they would like to smudge before the lecture and Standing Owl and Lightfeather smudging before the presentation.
Greeting the Sun
The Native American arises and leaves the Tipi through an opening that always faces east. At a place of their choosing the men and women greeted the sun. They never did this together because each had their special prayer and giving thanks in their own words and thoughts. Offerings were usually done at this time. A piece of fruit or bread. or maybe even tobacco or White sage could have been the offering.

    

 Each morning this was done every day of their lives and everyone thanked the Great Spirit for all the wonderful things in their life, family, friends, eyes to see and ears to hear the wind and songbirds. Just to think in a positive way was always a good way to start the morning. We have a few Native Poems that you night like.
Lightfeather with Coupe Stick.
 The coupe stick was used by warriors to prove their bravery and earn eagle feathers. A warrior would ride his horse as fast as he could towards the enemy, holding the coo in his hand and the reins of the horse in the other hand. He would either touch or hit his enemy with the coo, indicating he could have killed him, but there was more honor in letting him live.
He would then go before counsel and someone must have witnessed this feat for him to be awarded an eagle feather. Then he would be asked to smoke the pipe and a lie could never be told while smoking the pipe as the smoke went to the Great Spirit.
Only then would he decorate his coupe stick with feathers and horsehair in honor of the horse he rode in battle. This was the fastest way for a warrior to earn respect from the members of his tribe or band.

Music Used by Kind Permission of Jeff Ball

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