|
I don't often post to the list nowadays because of my long work hours
and little free time. However I wanted to send to the list something Walter Hill had me prepare last week for distribution
at an upcoming powwow. The information below is based on what he told me to include in the printed document, on
things that he has told me privately, and information from a booklet he shared with me that was written by one
of his close friends, the late college professor and Cayuga chief Jake Thomas (http://www.dickshovel.com/elders.html). He has approved what I wrote for distribution and I wanted to share it with the list members
since you may never get to meet someone like him..
For those who don't know about Walter Hill (Shakoieta), he is a very highly respected 74-year old traditional medicine
man (counselor, healer, holy man, and teacher) from the Mohawk Nation at the Six Nations Reservation in Canada.
Walt is a descendant of medicine people, clan mothers, and chiefs. One of his greatgrandfathers and a grandfather
were medicine men. His father would have been one, too, but he died before he attained the requisite age. Walt
is a respected elder from Alaska to Florida and from the Gulf Coast into Canada. He also is an adviser to traditional
chiefs and clan mothers of the Iroquois Confederacy. Walt is also one of the very few medicine people who knows
how to properly perform the Four Directions Prayer.
Les Tate
-----------
The Four Directions Prayer
The following is an approximate translation into English of an abbreviated version of the prayer used at the opening
and closing of meetings, ceremonies, and other gatherings of North American Indian people. The language used by
Walter Hill (Shakoieta [sha-koh-yeh-ta] = Wake Them Up In The Morning) in doing the prayer is an ancient dialect
used by medicine people of the Iroquois Confederacy. Grandfather Hill enters from the east (the direction from
which the sun rises), then walks earth-wise (counterclockwise) to the north, west, south, and east singing parts
of the prayer as he proceeds, usually to the slow beat of a handheld drum. At each compass point he bends to touch
Mother Earth, then straightens and lifts his eyes upward to the Creator as the prayer continues. The long version
of this prayer, which can sometimes take a week or longer to recite and discuss, addresses the following topics
for which the Indian people give thanks: the people (including those yet to be born), the Earth, the plants (including
the Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash), the animals, the birds (especially the Four Messengers: eagle, hawk,
raven, and owl), the winds, the waters, the Thunderers (clouds), the sun, the moon, and the stars, and especially
for the Creator. Depending on what Walt feels is important at the time, he may change the things he includes in
the prayer and what he says about each.
Upon entering from the east:
"We now put our minds together as one. We turn our thoughts to the Creator (On-gwa-ya-dis-un = the one who
made me). We choose our finest words to give thanks and greetings to the Creator, for Creator has prepared all
things on the Earth for our peace of mind. The Creator has said 'No one will know my face, but I will be watching
over all the people who move about the Earth'."
Walking to the north:
"Our thoughts now turn to the sky where we see the sun, the source of life. We are instructed to call him
our Eldest Brother. With the sun we can see the perfect gifts, for which we are grateful. Our Brother nourishes
Mother Earth and is the source of light and warmth. Our Brother is the source of all fires of life. With every
new sunrise is a new miracle. Now our minds are as one (O-nahn oh-kwat-neh-goon-wah)."
Walking to the west:
"During the night we see the moon, who we have been instructed to address as Grandmother. In her cycle she
makes her face in harmony with other female life. Our Grandmother still follows the instructions of the Creator.
Within these are the natural cycles of women. She determines the arrival of children, causes the tides of the oceans,
and she also helps us measure time. We are grateful and express our thanks. Now our minds are as one."
Walking to the south:
"The stars are the helpers of Grandmother Moon. They have spread themselves across the sky. Our people know
their names and their messages of future happenings, even to helping mold the individual character of mankind.
The Stars provide us with guidance and they bring dew to the plant life. As we view the beauty of the Stars, we
know that they are following the instructions of the Creator. Now our minds are as one."
Walking to the east:
"The four powerful messengers who have been assigned by the Creator to guide us are called the Sky Dwellers.
Our Creator directed these helpers to assist him in dealing with us during our journey on Mother Earth. They know
our every act and they guide us with the teachings that the Creator established. We give our greetings and thanks
to the Sky Dwellers for their power of direction. Now our minds are as one."
At the east, he turns to face the sun:
"We who have gathered together are responsible that our cycle continues. We have been given the duty to live
in harmony with one another and with other living things. We give greetings that our people still share the knowledge
of our culture and ceremonies and are able to pass it on. We have our elders here and also the new faces yet to
be born, which is the cycle of our families. Now our minds are as one."
Closing and exit: "We now have seen that all things are faithful to their duties as the Creator instructed
them. We therefore gather our minds into one and give our thanks to the Creator for all that has been given to
us. Now our minds are as one. Yo!"
|
