Of Ceremony and Symbol…

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First Man had many wives

among the Animal People.

The sacred beast, bird or reptile

was treated with reverence

and as totem was carried to ensure

guardianship of the spirits.

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The two fundamental ceremonies of universal application

are the steam bath and the clay pipe.

Everything used in connection with the steam bath is regarded as sacred.

The aromatic cedar and sage, the water,

and especially the water-born boulders which are deemed to be ancestral stones.

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The natural boulder is often reverenced

by the raising of the tobacco filled pipe.

This simple ceremony is the commonest

daily expression of thanks and grace.

– Ohiyesa

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