The Sacred Lakota Inipi

Introduction

Lessons & Ceremonies of the Inipi (1)

By Ghost Dancer

Inipi – Breath of Spirit

Some people have heard of a Native American sweat lodge but have little understanding of what they’re all about. A few may even have experienced the sweat lodge, but still have many misconceptions or concerns. While the traditional sweat lodge originated with the plains tribes, over the years, the practice has been adopted by Native peoples of all nations. While the customs and practices my vary, overall the spiritual depth of meaning and purpose is universal. My sincere hope is to help people of different faiths come to understand the sacred beauty of our Native American religious practices.

I have participated and even conducted traditional ceremonies for decades, but I do not claim to be an expert and I know no one who is an expert! Why? Well first, each experience is different, each time you can learn something new, get a better understanding or even a new understanding of some idea or teaching! Each time you come out of an Inipi ceremony, you should be as a child again and begin to see things as a child and learn as a child and experience again as a child.

In Christianity when a person is reborn, they are a new babe, and have been washed clean. Correct? Well it is like that in the Inipi as well. We go in grown up thinking we know this or that, have these burdens on us, unclean, polluted with negative energies, thoughts, bodies etc.  We come out purified, clean, reborn, and beginning all over again to learn as a child. We have to crawl before we can walk!

We only worship the Creator! We give respect to the forces of the elements which are created by the Creator and are, therefore, part of the Creator.

Now, many people think we worship different entities! Wrong.

We respect the sun for the blessing of light and warmth it brings to all life which was created by the Creator. We respect the forces of the four directions which the Creator made and empowered. See, everything the Creator made has been given power too, not just us. Everything! Now since we are all created by the same, therefore we all are related, and are all connected to each other and everything! This is where the term, “all my relations” comes from.

Now, without going into great detail, keeping this in your mind, let’s enter and explore the Inipi – “Breath of Spirit.”

Remember building the lodge is a sacred act; the lodge is built in love for it symbolizes our Mother Earth who truly loves us, and the Inipi represents our mother’s womb. It is everything in the universe, all that has ever existed, all in existence, and all that ever will be.

We come as a child, an empty vessel, because a full cup cannot receive. If the cup is empty, then it can be filled with the water, knowledge, love, and everything of life! We are here to learn from Spirit.

Four Doors of the Inipi

The Inipi ceremony is conducted by a knowledgeable leader with the help of assistants. The ceremony consists of four separate and unique parts, called doors:

Door 1 – The first door is for purification. Prayers are sung for calling and inviting the spirits to come in, calling the four directions to come in. This door is the time for thinking about what you want to pray for, getting your heart right with your mind and preparing your own spirit, because YOU must be right before you start to pray for others. You must have a heart of love, compassion, forgiveness, generosity, and humbleness, to feel and see all those you are going to be praying for. You will not pray for yourself until the very last door.

Door 2 – The second round of prayer teaches us to love. The direction is the south which represents the color white which represents purity, love, balance, and peace. The door represents the element water and the adolescent stage of life.

Door 3 – The third door is gratitude for all the sacred gifts that are given to us, such as air, water, earth, fire, feathers, medicine bags, rattles, cedar, sage, holly, corn, corn pollen, etc. We also recognize this is the stage of adulthood.

Door 4 – The fourth door of the inipi is for the North and represents the cold, elderly, wisdom, enlightenment, reflection, new goals, etc. This door is when you pray for the things you need in your life. It is for you.

Brothers and sisters who participate in the inipi ceremony come with good intentions, good thoughts, good feelings; we must crawl as a child when we enter. We must be mentally and physically prepared for what we are about to do. What we do is for our families, friends, loved ones, our people. We sing prayers for every living thing in existence, but not for our selves until the very last.

There are many different types of Inipi ceremonies, but generally, they will be conducted something like this. Before the ceremony begins, a chosen number of rocks are heated outside by the fire-keeper. As each round or door begins, the red-hot rocks for that round are passed inside and placed in a depression in the center. Once the  door is closed, the conductor will humble him/her self to Spirit and then open with a prayer. The conductor or the helper will pour the water at this time. It is totally dark inside other than the hot glowing rocks. We listen to the rocks, look to see what they may have to show us or tell us.

The water hits these hot rocks creating a cloud of steam, which is close to the breath of Spirit. We breathe this in and cleanse ourselves from the inside out! This heat is so hot that if you are not concentrating on your prayers and thoughts it will burn and may even cause you to panic. Many who do this for the first time panic thinking they can’t breathe, but they can if their mind is focused! If it is too hot, then a person simply puts their head to the ground and asks Mother Earth to help them, to take pity on them. See, when we enter the Inipi, we must humble ourselves; we must know and understand how weak and little we truly are in the order of life.

If we try to be stronger or make ourselves look strong, or try to make others look weak, then we will receive nothing from Spirit or the spirit helpers. Remember we must come as a child, full of wonder, full of love, full of eager wanting to learn, know, understand, and with humbleness. We must be willing to share, to be generous and to help each other. If we see a brother suffering, we try to share his pain and take it from him. Same as we take the pain from those we pray for! Stop and think, this stone, this little rock can make you cry out in pain.

Many of us fast before we go to an Inipi ceremony. We take no food and no water and we stay in constant prayer. This is not easy; we are offering ourselves up to Spirit, giving up our food, our water, our bodies for the answering of our prayers for others. We do this for those who have asked for our prayers, for those who need our prayers, but can’t ask. We pray for all life, yes even those who hate us, torture us, and imprison us.

With each door we sing songs: spirit calling songs, inviting songs for the spirits, elements, animals, birds, plants, etc. We sing songs to ask for help, we sing songs giving thanks and praise. Our songs are prayers. The vibrations of our voices are all natural, we are all natural. This is the Inipi, the womb of Mother Earth. This is where we are safe, at peace, surrounded by love, and all that exists.

Love you all, Ghost

© Ghost Dancer 2014, 2021

Editor’s Note: In the weeks to come Ghost will give us insights and understanding from actual lessons and ceremonies he has given or participated in over the years in the Sacred Lakota Inipi. Links will be found to each one on Ghost’s Home page. epd

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Holiday Joy

Along the Way. . .

Experiences, Insights & Humor on the “Long Road Home”

By Steven Maisenbacher

Walks On The Grass

Well, it’s that time of year again for me, but this time I refuse to let the holidays get to me. I’m not going to act all cheery while inside I’m dying a thousand times by my own hand. For my entire adult life I have been in prison on Christmas, separated from family and friends (even though I never really had any true friends as an adult, just drug buddies.) See I’ve only been out of prison on Christmas two times since 1986 and both of them I was fortunate to spend with family – Bob and Babs and the girls – and one time my mom even came from Florida. That was amazing.

Other than that I have had to settle for a call on or around Xmas and another around New Year with all the usual good cheer and bull that was really the baseline. I know I should have been there! I made my own choices, I’ve been in trouble all my life, the list of spoken and unspoken aspersions is a mile long, and rightfully so. But those are the ghosts of Christmas past. Now I’m digging the prospects of Christmas futures, even though I am unsure how or where they will be spent. Seems I’m not the guy that everyone wants around, but that’s ok and I understand. I made my life, now I have to live it.

But I will not live my life in misery or regret or guilt or any of the things I used to feel and there will not be one bit of shame this Christmas. Oh, I’ll make a couple of calls to those I feel honestly and genuinely want to hear from me, of course I will, but this is the last prison Christmas I will simply endure. Even when I get to the halfway house where I will be next Christmas, I will still feel as I do now. I’d rather go to the park with my drum, my cannupa (pipe), and sing some prayers. I’ll have a little pipe ceremony and thank the Creator for turning me away from myself and for helping to turn me into me. I know the Creator must really love a project because when he reached into my heart and started making his changes, boy oh boy, did he ever have his hands full, and still does, but each day I am stronger in who I am now and further from what I once was. Palamya Tunkisilla (Thank you Creator).

Anyway, I’m not doing the gifting this year. I used to feel so guilty about myself that I busted my butt to make and send gifts to my family for the holidays. This year, I will send a card or a note expressing how thankful I am for their presence and support in my life. I will return to the act of gifting when I am free, stable and able.  Now, truly the best gift I can give anyone is to stay the course, steady as I go, keep saving my pennies, get out in August of 2022, and begin living the rest of my life in the best way possible.

I know I can’t make up for Christmases gone and I need not try to catch up on anything. Every year gone is just that – gone – given away by the foolish choices and stupid, needless acts and ignorance I perpetrated in my past. Again, it is just that, past.  I have received all the forgiveness I expect from the Creator, allowing me to live in this world and make it right in the future by a life lived with a purpose, plans and intentions.  So, there it really is. All the time I have left is going to be used to move forward and to get closer to the things that truly matter.

This season, more than any other, I’m going to strive to help others, to make myself a man that people want to spend time around, and a man who is able to achieve this for myself, just as easily and readily as others. I know now that the world doesn’t owe me anything. I, however, do in fact owe the world. I owe it to the world to be the best, the truest, the humblest and the most compassionate man I can become, so that the term, “Peace on earth, good will towards men” isn’t just a cliché, but a true manifestation of my being, a way of life gladly lived and not grudgingly entertained.

So let me say this and then close this glimpse of me down (in prison), this holiday season look at someone you care about and tell them you wish them peace and inner joy, and resolution to all inner conflict.

To those of you who support me, who talk to me, who care for me, just know that I love you in the deepest way in my heart and thank you for your being you and for the Creator putting you in my life.

To those of you who read my ramblings even though you don’t know me, I say that really you do know me, more than most. I put my truths and pains and shames and triumphs here for you more than others because you, my unknown friends are wanted in my life and I am grateful you are there.

PEACE ON EARTH, GOODWILL TORWARD MEN. I wish this for all of you, from me, this holiday season.

Steven “Walks On The Grass” Maisenbacher, This Holiday Season 2021

Keeping the Faith

Along the Way. . .

Experiences, Insights & Humor on the “Long Road Home”

By Steven Maisenbacher

Walks On The Grass

Creator, thank you for giving me another waking breath, thank you for looking over the ones that I love and those that need your help. I’m positive I’m one of them. Help me in understanding even when I don’t agree. Help me be kind even when I’m angry. And help me to continue to grow in my learning of your ways. Thank you for the air I breathe and the foods that I eat so I may do all these things. And thank you for coming to me, finding me, saving me, from the man that I was, and for making me grow into the man I want to become. All my relations…

This is how my day started, 4:49AM (I slept in cuz it’s the weekend). these are the words I utter in my mind as I look through the window into the darkness approaching the dawn, up to greet Sun Boy as he comes home from his evening hunt and lights the fire of a new day for Grandmother Moon to see to her affairs by.

But this morning was a bit different, just a hunch, a feeling, a stray thought, out of place in the context of my usual thoughts, like a brief glimpse out of the corner of the eye of an object moving fast thru the field of vision. Hhhmmmm… not exactly sure what it was but I was definitely aware. All my prison “Spidey senses” were in tune and firing, something was coming, what I ain’t sure of.

Now here it is 9:01am and it still ain’t come, but I’m none-the-less aware that today won’t be a usual Saturday. Maybe it’s just how my week has gone. Maybe it’s something I felt after conversations with certain people. Maybe it’s just me, but I know it’s something and I’m very intuitive about me. Smile. I know me like a well-read book – the secret me, the public me, and the persona me. It’s the deep inner me that says, “Watch out Walks.” Trouble is afoot, whether it be on a confrontational front, or just a simple person being as they usually are, woefully lacking in consciousness where others are concerned.

Some feeling says “beware” so I will gird my loins and try to keep to myself, reflective of my spirituality, stay humble and thankful for the things I do have and know, the ability to continue to grow and dodge all the rigamarole that I know is coming.

But think for a second, what do you need to look at on a daily basis in order to improve or stay the course? I bet it’s something, even the things we do need to look at or the little “self-talks” we have within our own heads. All those count and yes, I still hear the people who are beyond sorrow talk to me. I hear them in their own voices, my mom, my sister, my wife gone these 22 years now, so many things that make us/me tick. But all that says this: when ya  got a feeling, go with it, why not? It doesn’t cost anything to stay on point. Smile.

Maybe this was the thing that was nibbling on the fringes of my consciousness, that I needed to remind myself what matters most, what means the difference between me and was. I like me a hell of a lot better and I promise, so do you even if you don’t know it. I like me clean, unclouded, calm and rational – or at least my semblance of it. I know I’m convoluted, but hey, I’m working with it, so get over it… Smile.  

OK, here’s the AHA!!! moment… Ready?

Things happen that we can’t control at all times, so occasionally the mind throws a  “Danger Will Robinson! Danger” at us. And if you know what that means then you were as big a “Lost in Space” fan as I was as a kid.

So what does all this mean?  Well, I don’t think I’m sure, just that instead of getting all warped and bent about what I can’t control or change, I had better just stay with… THANK YOU CREATOR FOR GIVING ME ANOTHER DAY.

© Steven “Walks On The Grass” Maisenbacher, December, 2021

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Ghost Dancer’s Holiday Message

Ghost Dancer

December 2014 – During this season of holidays so many people celebrate whatever beliefs and customs they choose. It is especially important that all people respect everyone else’s beliefs and remember the main purpose for all is to share and celebrate LOVE; to share the Love of Family, of Life, and being given so much to enjoy.

Many people don’t have as many material things as others and many people don’t value what others value. I believe the best gift everyone should want to give, receive, and understand is LOVE! Love is what is given to us each day by Spirit to give us Life, the gifts to breathe, drink, eat, and so much more.

We all need and want to be loved; we should all want to give love as well. Love is something we can give so freely and it doesn’t get measured by dollar value or personal gain value, or with strings attached. Love is given just as it is given to us, with true heartfelt of wanting to do so!  So when you enjoy those meals, the gifts, the family or friends or even strangers, open your heart and let the love radiate from you.

When you see the trees or plants, the waters of streams, rivers, lakes, oceans and even the rain, just remember how these are given to you in love. When we see the birds singing and flying, they are happy and given love to. When you see the puppy or kitten or any other living being, just remember these were all created and born in love – the Love of Spirit! 

Let us cherish each moment with our families and friends; put aside any and all petty disagreements, bad feelings, or attitudes and enjoy just being in the moment with the Love of them being there with you, for that is a precious gift!

With LOVE to all of you! Ghost

Reprint: Ghost Dancer, December, 2014

Dream Haters

Along the Way. . .

Experiences, Insights & Humor on the “Long Road Home”

By Steven Maisenbacher

Walks On The Grass

OK, I’m pretty ticked off at the moment and I’ve let a particular issue fester for a couple days. Actually the problem has been building for years, decades in fact, but recently it has started to play so important a role as to be a detriment to me.

When this “gremlin in my mind” invades even my subconscious and manifests itself in my dreams, ESPECIALLY DREAMS OF BEING FREE AGAIN – and I hardly ever have those (twice in the past few months) – then I feel I have earned the right to put it out there for all the world to see, just like I’ve revealed the depth of my guilt and my regrets, I will and must also stand on my faith and my wonderful plans.

So, naysayers, let me get it done – news flash: YOU DONT KNOW ME OR WHAT I CAN DO.

So, I’m wrong? Ok, what’s my favorite color, or band? Who is my favorite author? and who do I wish to one day be able to meet and why?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Now let me tell you a bit about what I can and can’t do: I can teach myself to read. I can teach myself to be compassionate and caring,  I can be goal oriented and driven. I can teach myself that the world without drugs or alcohol is much better to me and for me than otherwise, and I can actually deal with sobriety and functionality on MY OWN TERMS.

I CAN THINK ABOUT MY PAST, AND REGRET THE THINGS I DID, NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY COST ME BUT BECAUSE OF THE HURT AND COST TO OTHER INNOCENT PEOPLE!

THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE IN WHO I AM NOW AND WHO I WAS. I may not be able to convince you, but still I must insist that you PLEASE DO NOT GET THAT FACT TWISTED.

I can do anything I set my mind to do, I’m that strong, I’m strong enough to walk down 38 years in federal prisons and keep some semblance of sanity, learning and teaching what I have been taught, all the while doing so because it’s the right thing to do. I can aid and encourage others, help them believe in themselves and help them accomplish their dreams.

Man, I AM going to go back to school – just because I can and want to in order to do what I intend to do with the rest of my life – help others or at least try.

So don’t try to pop off some moral high horse and think I can’t. I can and will.

The next right thing is what keeps me from being the me I was and will never ever be again. I will never allow that. and that’s something else I can do – continue to grow, refusing to take (or submit to) an attitude of superiority or arrogance.

See, I know this reads kind of arrogant, but that’s because you don’t know me. Case in point, this isn’t arrogance; it IS defiance. I will spend the rest of my life defying failure. I will do whatever it takes, stay on hold on a phone, or stand in a stupid line, or get shuffled thru a zillion options till I get connected to the right one.

I’ll stay the course and deal with the hassles, I’ll wade thru the bull just to get to the office of admissions. Yes, I’m gonna need my class schedule. I’m gonna need at least an associates in arts in social sciences to become a counselor, either drug and alcohol rehab or juvenile. But I will get it done! My life will not have been lived in vain. MY LIFE WILL HAVE MEANING.

So for all you dream haters, save yourselves the hassle. For all who think you know me but don’t, stand back – I’m on to what I believe is the next right thing whether you believe in me or not.

And just so you know, my favorite color is red, my favorite band is “Dream Theatre.” My favorite author is Conn Iggulden and I’d like to meet Bill Bryson because of his ability to bring even astrophysics down to earth. I’m interested to know how he is able to translate all these amazing facts into a format that can reach a man like me. I didn’t make it thru 5th grade but I appreciate brilliant writing and the man’s quirky sense of humor with a little twist of smart aleck thrown in is so cool. I’d like to meet Bill Bryson and talk for an afternoon on a park bench maybe. Now you know.

So, maybe you could learn a lot more about who I am right now and the others in the world you might care about if you weren’t so caught up in you.

© Steven “Walks On The Grass” Maisenbacher, December, 2021

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Ribbon Dance

The Creeks and Their Dances (10)

By Ghost Dancer

The ceremonial grounds are the backbone of all Southeastern Creek peoples. Before the removal there were numerous towns and each town had its own ceremonial grounds, the place where tribal members practiced their religious ceremonies.

The Ribbon Dance is the most important dance of all among Southeastern Native peoples. Traditionally, the Ribbon Dance has always been performed at the Green Corn Ceremony – every community’s annual cleansing and renewal – but is also widely used before many other ceremonies as well.

The Ribbon Dance honors our women who give us life, our bloodlines and our connection to Mother Earth and our Creator. The ribbons symbolize the umbilical cord and the dance reaffirms the connection of our mothers, grandmothers and all females to Mother Earth, Grandmother Sun, and to all of our bloodlines which are connected together by this umbilical cord.

All Creeks know that women are the true power of the tribes, clans, towns and nation. The ribbon symbolizes not only our bloodline connection, but also our DNA and spiritual connections to all things that exist. Even the colors of the ribbons signify the clan we belong to. The Ribbon Dance highlights and reaffirms that we feel and understand this connection at all times. In ancient times, these beautiful ribbons were made from braided hemp fibers dyed in an array colors from plants and other natural sources.

As preparations are made for the annual Green Corn, four women are selected to lead the Ribbon Dance. These women will serve in these matters for four years as the lead dancers. After four years, selection will be done again. Some women are selected many times and it is always a high honor to be selected.

The Ribbon Dance is held in the evening the day before the Green Corn Ceremony. The dance begins when four calls are made by the town crier (announcer) to make sure all the singers, drummers and dancers for the Ribbon Dance are prepared. The women all wear bright colored dresses with ribbons of their clan colors streaming from their hair and dresses. At this time the men sit in the arbors and two will drum and sing while only the women dance.

The women who were selected lead the other ladies in a colorful procession of dancers moving counter-clockwise around the grounds four times. Holding hands the leaders step out on their right foot, forming a line, side stepping around the ground. Behind the leaders come the clan mothers and behind them the beloved women who represent unity among all the people. The younger women and then the girls gradually join hand as the dancers proceed around the grounds, all side stepping with their colorful ribbons streaming from their hair, arms and hands.

As the lead dancers reach the starting point they take a step inward to begin forming an inward spiral for the second round. The dance pace quickens with each round. After the first four rounds, one by one the men and boys join the dance, falling in between the women. With ribbons flying from their arms and hands, they bring their male energy to the dance of honor and respect for all women. Once all the men and boys have joined in, the spiral of dancers covers the grounds.

As the dance ends, the four leaders, now positioned in the very center, stand close together like posts representing the sacred directions, East, South, West, North, Above and Below tying all the dancers and everyone together with a sense of love, balance and beauty. Now, the dancers respectfully remain still while the leaders, elders, clan mothers, and beloved women all make their way off to be seated in places of honor in the arbors surrounding the grounds.

At this time, the town crier will announce the next dance designated by the musicians. The drums will begin again and the dancing will continue on into the night.

Women are the ones who lead in our way of life and we as males follow their lead (or wish we had). This is why the four who are chosen to lead the dance are so honored and in turn have others join them as the dance goes on.

Now I know that in today’s society, many men believe they are better or of a higher status than women. But men, listen up, realistically you are not! And traditionally you never were and never could be for all women were highly respected and above men in all matters.

Ghost

© Ghost Dancer 2021

You Can’t Wash it Off

Along the Way. . .

Experiences, Insights & Humor on the “Long Road Home”

By Steven Maisenbacher

Walks On The Grass

And another amazing segment in the never ending rantings of a somewhat sane person. See, I was on the phone with Edna “Sings Many Songs” Dixon the other day before we went back on Covid Code Red protocols. We were talking about how recreation activities were beginning to “open up” again and I had been back out with the music thing getting ready to start singing again and all.  I got side tracked to my days in Yazoo medium where I actually was the vocalist for the Praise and Worship group in the chapel services weekly. My buddy Kenny who was a devout Christian man from Missouri, made a deal with me to play in my classic rock band on the yard if I would sing for his praise band in the chapel.

Now me being me knew right away this was a win/win situation. See I love learning new styles of vocals and the chance to learn some actual contemporary Christian music by artists like Chris Tomlin and Casting Crowns and some other really good artists was awesome, and on the other side it gave me Kenny on guitar in my band on the rec yard. So I was elated, but then the inevitable came.

I’m on the way back from chow one evening and Kenny and I are plotting on going out to rec to get the guitar and see if we can practice in the little room out there, when one of the Native American brothers said, “Hey Walks, watch out for the white man’s Jesus, he ain’t our god.” Wow, I was floored, I had to look at Kenny and ask him if that fool just said what I thought he said. Yeppers, he sure as heck did, so I let him go on his way. Then while we were out at the rec working on a song called “This is Amazing Grace,” that particular brother walked by and I hollered for him to come over.

The conversation was rather brief but it was like, “Hey bro, do you know what the 10 Commandments are?”

“Yes,” he said.

I said, “Ok let’s see how many of them are tenents of our Native beliefs. Don’t hurt others, don’t steal , don’t lie, share what you can, help when you can, be courteous, kind compassionate, believe in the Creator/God, don’t worship false gods, don’t get caught up with what belongs to someone else, be grateful for what’s yours.” With this being the vein of the conversation, I then said, “Hey bro. when ya shower use soap, but be careful, you might wash the Indian off yourself the way you think.”

See, I may not be going at this quite the right way, what I’m pointing out is that it doesn’t make you any less Indian if you believe in the simple fact that there is a Jesus, the same as there is a God, the same as there is a Buddha, or an Allah, in fact they are actually all the same entity if you ask me, which you didn’t. But since you’re the one reading this and I’m the one writing it you will see that I believe that the Creator came to all the creations in ways they could understand and that made sense to them and their circumstances and life situations, in ways that offered answers to the problems they/we face in the times we/they exist.

He/she appeared to all humankind in one fashion or another, bringing the message of peace and prosperity and the simplest of instructions for making any world a utopia: to be kind, do the right thing, respect your elders, do not steal, lie or covet, always seek the peaceful solution – and here’s the big one – forgiveness of others.

If we could all follow these basic principles in their rawest, truest form then there wouldn’t need to have a gazillion other rules or laws; people would just naturally fall in sync with the plan that God made for us.  But we are who and what we are, fallible humans and we all make mistakes and we all fall short of the perfectness that is only the Creator, but he still loves us.

So the whole thing I’m trying to get to is this: do I follow the Native ways? Yes, absolutely, but it doesn’t make me any less of a follower of Christianity, or Buddhism or Islam. I have made it a point to learn of all the religions, I just choose to remain in my mind and heart the Native that I am. I won’t go further except to say, God is everywhere, in everything, and it doesn’t matter how you get there, but you better get there.

© Steven “Walks On The Grass” Maisenbacher, Nov. 2021

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War Dance

The Creeks and Their Dances (9)

By Ghost Dancer

Now many of you have never heard the sounds or seen a more exotic and exciting dance than the war dance. In the old, old days the sound would cause such a great excitement in any town, but there is lots to talk about before we actually get to the dancing.

The act of war was not something that would happen in the spur of the moment. First there would be meetings of the clan mothers, meetings of the beloved women and men with the micco and war leader. Now before there was an act of war it would be determined:

1. Could the problem be balanced without war?

2. Was war in the best interest of the tribe and a blood law violation?

3. Could the tribe really afford to do this at this time?

4. Would it require only a small group of warriors to correct the blood debt?

5. Would it require a majority of the warriors to go as a force?

6. Would the help of other towns’ warriors be needed to accomplish this? 

7. How vulnerable would it leave the town at that time?

8. What do the signs and Spirit have to say about this?

All these things had to be discussed and decided before anything could happen. If it was decided that war must be called, then preparations must be conducted first. Warriors must make sure their weapons were all in good shape and blessed. This is done by smudging them in the sacred cedar smoke and praying with them. The warriors must all be cleansed by smudging and do their individual prayers. To seek the council of their spirit helpers, they go into a deep meditative trance state.

Now, a warrior was not required to go, this was the warrior’s choice. Why? Because we each have to listen to our hearts and the voice of Spirit. Spirit may say, not you, there is something that you must do now. This was not looked down upon. This was showing your courage to listen to your heart and Spirit. If the war leader was not going, say, if it wasn’t necessary he go, then it would be decided who was going to lead the warriors and who would be next in charge.

Preparation for war also required that warriors fast unless the matter was of utmost urgency and they must leave as fast as possible. This was done so that they were more aware, more open to feel everything, more sensitive to the environment around them. Warriors carried rations with them if they were going a long way. These rations would be parched corn and pemmican (jerked, smoked meat w/berries/nuts ground and rubbed into the meat and dried. Once everything was ready , a war dance would be performed.

Only red towns were war towns, so if a white town (peace towns where even enemies had sanctuary) needed war, warriors went to the nearest red town and asked and called for war. 

Now in the center of the red town there is a red pole (many called this the blood pole). When the square was cleaned and  runners had been sent out to all the bands or villages so warriors there would know what was going on, all would come to be present for the war dance. War was very serious business. Even those who lived in white towns who wanted to gain honor and a reputation came to go to war. Later they would return to the white town after clean-up ceremonies were performed to purify their bodies and spirit so as not to take any bad things back amongst their people.

A warrior has a name but warriors also have a war name and a war clan. Names are power too and every person has four names!  When the dance begins every warrior entering into the dance must be smudged again and war clan mothers sprinkle corn pollen and tobacco on them. As the drum and rattles begin and all the women begin trilling, the warriors break out in a fast and furious dance. Each has a red stick in their hand and as they come by the red pole they strike the pole with their sticks and let out their war whoops and war cries. As they dance around and around they are mimicking striking and destroying their enemies. Leaping high in the air twisting their bodies and landing gracefully to continue on.

This dance will last well into the night until early morning. The warriors are gathered and cheered as they take off at a trot, with scouts sent ahead and out to each flank. When it is time to battle, they will stop before hand to paint their faces and bodies, put on masks and other protective medicine so that the spirit of the enemy cannot know the identity of the warrior to haunt and follow them. This is also why there is a war name and the masks are designed to frighten even the bravest of hearts.

Respectfully, Ghost

Ghost Dancer July 2017 ©

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Normally Abnormal

Along the Way. . .

Experiences, Insights & Humor on the “Long Road Home”

By Steven Maisenbacher

Walks On The Grass

Thanksgiving Week 2021

Now I generally don’t bash the Bureau of Prisons, but sometimes ya just gotta tell it like it is. Otherwise most of the fine people will never believe that things like this happen, but they do. In fact more times than not, and so when it comes down to things like the total lockdown due to a storm, it’s just plain unbelievable unless you’re the one that has to cope with the chaos.

So its 4 am Monday morning, little do I know what a severe and wild day lies ahead. See, in the night a storm passed through and blew out the fence sensor. But I don’t know this so I do my usual routine: up at 4 am, pray, get ready for the day and lie back down till they unlock the door at 6 am to go to medical for my insulin.

Now here’s 6 am, no unlock, 7, 8 am. By now it’s obvious something is up and we won’t be going to work. But I am most aggravated because by then I’m not feeling so good and  I know I need my insulin – head pounding, vision blurred and the sweat rolling off my forehead like I had just run a marathon. Beating on the door, I tell the officer on duty to call medical. Even he could look at me and tell something isn’t right. Another hour goes by and I have told the cop twice that I need insulin. Finally, around 10 am in waltzes medical, they sashay over to my door, we check my sugar level, 310! (the normal range is between 80-120).

No wonder I’m feeling like I got eaten by a wolf and pooped over a cliff.

So they get me loaded up with insulin, and I spend the rest of the day in the bed, all but incapacitated. Evening rolls around, 4:30 pm, 5 pm – the time I usually get my evening sugar check and insulin. Then 6 pm, 7, 8 pm – same situation and I’m a wreck. The officer on duty is notoriously unprofessional at best, now downright abusive. His exact words when I tell him I’m sick and need medical: “You always sick.” and “I am not a doctor.”  With that,  I’ve had my fill and lose it.

“Look here,” I yell, “You may not be a doctor but you are damn sure a correctional officer and I’m telling you I’m in medical distress, now get on the radio and get me some f-#*% help over here!”

He made some lame comment and an hour later medical finally comes. Sugar level 268. No wonder I feel horrible. So another blast of insulin and back to lay down. My vision is like looking through a well-limed shower curtain, so reading is out of the question. The same scenario happened the next day as well. Medical staff apologized, saying they were doing the best they could. I understood; medical services is chronically understaffed, and on holidays, there is only one person on duty for each shift. God help the inmate who has a life-threatening emergency on a holiday.

This is just one of the crazy things that we as inmates have to deal with during a lockdown. Another biggie is access to commissary. Inmates rely heavily on being able to purchase supplementary food items, vitamins, over-the-counter medications, and personal care items each week. By unit, we are assigned a specific day and time to make our purchases. Since we were locked down on Monday and Tuesday, the staff only worked half as hard and served only half of the units that they needed to do for commissary. Bear in mind the holiday is already a compressed schedule and so they got a full day less to do what is hard at best to begin with because it entails actual organization and labor – something that the wonderful government employees that I currently have contact with do not seem to be able to manage without going thru some sort of seizures.

So we get up Wednesday morning and they announce that they are having a work call. Seems they were able to figure out how to get the fence working in only 2 whole days, so off to work we go. Then we were told, oh the pandemic is up in the community, so we are back to code red operations which precludes half the things that they couldn’t seem to manage to begin with thus further cutting us out of more opportunities, like recreation and access to education which had only just begun to “open up” after two years.

And here’s the “big one.” Since they couldn’t get done with what they had to do as far as commissary shoppers, they are just going to cancel the commissary for all of Sigma A and Sigma B units until next Monday. This is pure bull. They manage to serve everyone else in the prison – except the units that actually go to the factory every day and are productive.

So the silly people decide that it’s ok to make us wait till Monday, further delaying our chances to purchase any items to eat, drink or groom ourselves with. Brilliant. Just brilliant, and their reasoning, “Oh, we ran out of time and you can wait, since tomorrow is a holiday.”  Translation: We are not gonna come in on Friday just to treat you fairly and serve you like we did the rest of the prison, tough!

Now my Unit, Sigma A, shops on Wednesday, so if we go on Monday, we will not be allowed to shop on our regular day, forcing us to go without for 10 days. why? Simple laziness, inability to adjust routines efficiently, uncaring and absence of professional integrity. These kinds of things are typical of the wacky way things work in here, and this this is exactly what actually happened. This isn’t a fabrication and I’m not “enhancing” any of it. So tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving, I figure we’ll be getting mystery meat turkey loaf or some such. I really don’t care; I’m just happy it’s my last Thanksgiving in prison!

© Steven “Walks On The Grass” Maisenbacher, Nov. 2021

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Eagle Dances

The Creeks and Their Dances (8)

By Ghost Dancer

Most people associate the Eagle Dance style with other tribes, mostly those from the western states or plains peoples. I would like to talk about the Southeastern tribes and their relationship to the eagle and what the eagle is renowned for. To Southeastern Native peoples, the eagle is the leader of all bird people, just as rattlesnake is the leader of the snake people. Eagles are warriors, hunters, fishers, parents and lovers, all characteristics we want to bring into ourselves.

The eagle is one of just a few who mate for life. If something happens to one of the pair, the other’s heart is broken and it will never be with another. The eagle is swift to justice and defends its territory, its home and family with its life. The eagle is our messenger to our Creator and offers its prayers along with our prayers. The eagle watches over all below and represents the eyes of truth and honor. So now knowing these things you will understand that the Eagle Dance symbolizes these things.

Please remember, we Southeastern tribes did not wear eagle feathers in our hair, nor did we wear war bonnets or such made from eagle feathers. That custom belongs to the cultures of other Native Peoples. Yes, we had eagle feathers; these were used as awards for deeds of honor, respect, sacrifice, and accomplishments. These feathers would be placed on coup sticks, walking or sacred staffs or used in ceremonies and as fans.

For the Eagle Dance, dancers cover their arms with eagle feathers and wear eagle-feather head dresses. Their legs have the down feathers lightly covering them and their ankles have the fluffs. An eagle-bone whistle made from the wing bone is tied around the neck by a leather thong and the whistle will be kept in the dancer’s mouth. Some dancer’s will have golden eagle feathers, some will have the spotted eagle or immature eagle feather, and some will have feathers from the mature bald eagle. Some will wear eagle feathers dyed red, representing the sun eagle which looks like the eagle is bleeding. Some will wear black eagle feathers, representing the very young. This array of colorful eagles all blending together is a sight to see.

The Eagle Dance begins when a clan mother of the Bird Clan stands and blows the eagle bone whistle once. The dancers, both male and female, squat like an eagle sitting. The clan mother blows the bone whistle again to sound like a mother eagle calling and the eagle dancers all spread out their arms, flapping their wings. She blows a third time and the dancers all rise while flapping their wings. She blows a fourth time and the dancers leap in the air and begin dancing to the fast beat of the drum, flapping their wings as they mimic taking off in flight. Now the dancers all blow their eagle whistles, sounding like screaming eagles. Then they began soaring as they gather in rhythm and begin forming into couples. Yes, these eagles are now flying together, moving as one, and their dance moves mirror one another.

The drum slows and the eagles slow down. The drum becomes quieter and softer and in perfect rhythm the eagles slow their movements as the clan mother blows her eagle bone whistle and all eagles come down and land, flapping their wings and settling themselves in. They begin rubbing their faces together and lay their heads on the other’s shoulder, symbolizing their love and commitment to each other. Using their head dresses, which include a, beak they begin grooming one other. The clan mother blows her eagle wing bone whistle and the cycle begins all over again. this dance lasts for as long as the clan mother chooses. Hope this clarifies the differences in our traditional eagle dance and those of other peoples.

Two Eagles, a pastel by Ghost Dancer

Now there is a second Eagle Dance that is done for asking or calling the eagle spirit to come and help. This dance is very spiritual; a religious ceremony, asking for the prayers to be taken up by the eagle spirit.

The dancers wear all the feathers and head dress as before and have the eagle bone whistles but is not done before the whole town. Rather, it is done in a ceremonial place and is conducted by a spiritual teacher of the bird clan, who more than probably is an eagle spirited person as well. I prefer teaching in person on sacred matters and ceremonies, so this is all I will say about this.

Respectfully, Ghost

Ghost Dancer July 2017 ©

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