Sunday, May 17, 2020

Call Upon the Spirits


“Wiohpeyata etunwan yo
Nitunkasila ahitunwan yankelo
Cekiya yo, cekiya yo!
Ahitunwan yankelo!
Waziyatakiya etunwan yo
Nitunkasila ahitunwan yankelo
Cekiya yo, cekiya yo!
Ahitunwan yankelo!
Wiohinhpayata etunwan yo
Nitunkasila ahitunwan yankelo
Cekiya yo, cekiya yo!
Ahitunwan yankelo!
Itokagata etunwan yo
Nitunkasila ahitunwan yankelo
Cekiya yo, cekiya yo!
Ahitunwan yankelo!
Wankatakiya etunwan yo
Wakantanka heciya he yankelo
Cekiya yo, cekiya yo!
Ahitunwan yankelo!
Makatakiya etunwan yo
Nikunsi k’un heciya he yunkelo
Cekiya yo, cekiya yo!
Anagoptan yunke lo”

“Look towards the West
Your Grandfather is looking this way
Pray to Him, pray to Him!
He is sitting there looking this way!
Look towards the North
Your Grandfather is looking this way
Pray to Him, pray to Him!
He is sitting there looking this way!
Look towards the East
Your Grandfather is looking this way
Pray to Him, pray to Him!
He is sitting there looking this way!
Look towards the South
Your Grandfather is looking this way
Pray to Him, pray to Him!
He is sitting there looking this way!
Look up above
The Great Spirit sits above us
Pray to Him, pray to Him!
He is sitting there looking this way!
Look towards the Earth
Your Grandmother lies beneath us
Pray to Her, pray to Her!
She is laying there listening”

 This song is typically sung by the Lakota before ceremonies or prayers to the spirits of the four directions (North, South, East, and West)


Grizzlies West, present day 1898


Runs with the Wind sat by the fire and lit a cigar. It was the closest thing he had to the Sacred Pipe filled with tobacco that the elders once used for ceremonies. Though the cigar was not quite the same as the pipe, his intent was still the same. He smoked the cigar slowly, sitting by the fire he had made on the hill just to the west of the cabin.



The moon shone bright in the sky, reflecting off the white of the snow and illuminating the world around him. Sparks from the fire danced upward into the air, disappearing when they strayed too far. Runs with the Wind reached into his satchel and pulled out his last bunch of sage and threw it into the fire and let the smell of the sage fill the air around him. Taking a puff of the cigar, Runs with the Wind closed his eyes and began to call out to the spirits.  

"Wakan Tanka (Great Spirit), teach me how to trust in my heart, in my mind, in my spirit. Show me how to trust in my senses and my inner knowing so that I may enter my sacred space. Help me to love beyond my fear and to walk in balance and harmony."

Runs with the Wind took a few more puffs of the cigar and exhaled the smoke upward into the sky. Calling on the spirits had become a regular and familiar occurrence for him. When he first arrived on the mountain over a year ago, Runs with the Wind had felt lost and hopeless. He had been so far removed from his people and from his culture. He was frail and thin from months of abuse and neglect, and he had little food with him from his journey. Runs with the Wind had not only been physically weak, but mentally weak as well. The weight of losing his brother, leaving his family, and being held captive had finally come crashing down on him. The pain, anger, and sorrow had wrapped around him like a noose that left him waiting for that fatal drop. For a time, part of him almost wished for it to happen. To end his pain. But it was that pain that drew him closer to the spirits.

They were the ones who had helped him get this far. Runs with the Wind used the limited resources he had to replicate rituals and ceremonies that he had recalled from his youth, and in turn the spirits gave him guidance and direction. He owed his life to the spirits that watched over him and he thanked them every chance he could.

Runs with the Wind took another puff of the cigar, letting the smoke linger in his mouth. As he exhaled, he began another prayer. This time, to the spirit who had helped him the most - the spirit of the mountain, of strength and endurance - the northern wind.

"Waziyata (northern wind), you have helped me on this journey on the mountain. Continue to give me strength and peace of mind so that I may be guided by the spirits and shown the right path. Help me to remain strong against the elements of the mountain, to be worthy of help and healing. Show me where my path will lead me."

As Runs with the Wind finished, a strong gust of wind blew from the west. It blew loose snow up into his face and threatened to put out the fire. Runs with the Wind suddenly had a feeling, one that he could not explain if he tried. He heard the spirits reaching out to him and their message was clear - his time on the mountain would be coming to an end. How soon, he was not sure. But he had heard it as clear as if someone were standing right next to him speaking.


After a few moments of silence, Runs with the Wind snuffed out the fire with a couple handfuls of snow. Just as he was packing up to head back down to the cabin, Runs with the Wind heard a noise that sounded like someone shouting. He stood up and looked out toward Lake Isabella where he had heard the noise. Down below him he saw someone crossing over the stream, the glow of their lantern illuminating the ground around them. Not far behind the figure, several others were coming around the bend of the lake.






The mountain was no stranger to travelers, Runs with the Wind had seen a few groups passing through in his time on the mountain. There was an old settlement not far from the cabin where travelers usually stayed. Travelers were usually coming over the mountains during the day from the north, stopping to take refuge in the dilapidated buildings before heading south to New Hannover or West Elizabeth. But this group worried Runs with the Wind. They were traveling from the south at nightfall. And Runs with the Wind knew all too well that there was only one reason someone would travel up into the mountains at night – they were in trouble.

A sour feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that his life in the mountains might be coming to an end sooner that he thought. The lead horse came to a stop Runs with the Wind could swear the figure was looking up at him. He froze in his tracks, being careful not to move in hopes that the group would move on. After a few seconds, the rest of the group began to catch up with the lead and they pressed forward to the old settlement. Runs with the Wind made sure his fire was out and hurried back down to the cabin. Despite the frigid temperature, he did not light a fire. He didn’t want any wandering members to know of his cabin tucked away in the trees and smoke would have been a dead giveaway. He needed to stay hidden until he could figure out their reason for being here. In the morning, he would head over to the settlement to find his answers.

No comments:

Post a Comment