A Dakota Conjuring Ceremony Wesley R. Hurt, JR., and James H. Howard Vol. 8., 1952., Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, Volume 8, Number 3.
A Dakota Conjuring Ceremony Wesley R. Hurt, JR., and James H. Howard Vol. 8., 1952
AMONG several highly acculturated American Indian groups
there appears the tendency for institutions concerned
with native medical practices to linger after many basic features of their
culture such as economic institutions, material culture, and forms of social
organization, such as clans, have virtually disappeared or have been very much
modified. A present-day Dakota conjuring ceremony, Yuwipi, (ceremony
of binding a medicine man performed for purposes of finding lost objects or
cause of sickness, the medicine man is untied by spirits.) curing diseases and locating lost or stolen objects,
furnishes an example. (Yuwipi sounds out - You- We-Pee) My
understanding of the Yuwipi within my late mother’s people, Sioux Valley,
Manitoba. She would tell me about her grandmother going to a ceremony were
puppy soup was eaten. As talking or taking part in any basic features of our
culture was criminalized, so not much was talked about amongst adults to their
children. This is of my opinion.)
Another example can be found in Redfield's account of the
medical practices surviving in highly acculturated Tepozlan.' Likewise, the
Wisconsin Oneida, though having lost almost all of their aboriginal social and
religious institutions, retain a false-face medicine man and use several native
herb medicines. (When I was a child, I would collect
medicinal herbs with my late mother. My mother used herbs to heal burn wound of
mine. My grandmother also used herbs. I remember my mother’s father; my
grandfather, he’s hung medicine pouches in his granaries to ward of bad spirits
from spoiling his crops.)
Some of the Tiwa and Mexican Indians of Tortugas village,
south of Las Cruces, New Mexico, follow certain native medical practices. While
it is not the purpose of this paper to explain the long life of native medical
customs, an obvious answer is that the services of the modern physician are not
yet readily available to all native groups. (When my late mother was fifteen her
mother died. She died from cancer. My mother remembered how thin and in how
much pain my grandmother experienced. There was no morphine or doctors to help
her relieve my grandmother’s pain. A medicine woman was brought in to help.
It’s from this experience and the witnessing my mother experienced as she
watched her mother die that I believe in was taught to believe in Wakan Tanka,
the Creator.) In
addition, even when a physician is available, the medicine man is called upon
and is able to effect cures. This seems to be especially true in the case of
psychosomatic illness. (My grandmother was not cured of her
cancer; however, I would not call the relief she received for her pain
management was psychosomatic. Forensic
psychologists would say I was insane for believing my mother’s story or what my
mother’s experience was a result of grief and was delusional. I know when
people heard my mother’s story, they were sceptical, but my mother didn’t sense
their skepticism like I observed from those who listened without hearing what
she was saying.)
The Dakota Yuwipi rite is a variant of a ceremony,
widespread in northern North America, called the "Conjuring Complex"
by Ray and the "Shaking Tent Rite" by Cooper. The rite involves the
"calling of spirits" by supernatural means and usually features the
shaman demonstrating his prowess and contact with the mystic powers by freeing
himself of tightly tied bonds. (I’ve heard it called the Night
Ceremony) The Dakota ceremony is basically native in origin although a
few Christian elements have been added in recent years by some of the leaders.
(Understand
this from the stories of my grandfather, who if he lived today would be 120
years old. He raised his children teaching them that these ceremonies were not
good anymore cause of the Christian elements that were being incorporated into
by his people. My late uncle, if he were alive today would be 97 years old, he
was a lay minister for the Anglican Church. It is of my opinion, that since the
Canadian government made such Yuwipi ceremonies illegal that it was the
matriarchs that kept these practices going, as they were preformed in secret.
If a man were caught doing these ceremonies he would be jailed, imprisoned, but
not the women. Agan, this is of my opinion. I believe they had to have
Christian elements to appease Christian converts within the tribes.)
The Yuwipi ceremony of the Dakota has been somewhat
neglected in the literature, although brief accounts of it, or of similar
ceremonies, have been written by several students of Dakota culture. Lynd
describes a Yuwipi type ceremony of the Yankton, Sisseton, and Mdewakanton
Dakota, and Pond describes one for the "Eastern Dakota." Densmore
also describes ceremonies of the Yuwipi type for the Standing Rock Dakota
(Teton and Yanktonai). MacGregor gives a brief account of Yuwipi as performed
by the Pine Ridge Teton Dakota, and is the only author to describe it under the
term Yuwipi. He states that it is "the only continuing cult of the old
religion." It thus appears that at one time or another all seven division
of the Dakota tribe have possessed some form of the Yuwipi rite, although at
present shamans are apparently found only among the members of the Teton
division, living on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota.
The Teton Dakota are probably the most conservative of any of the seven
divisions of the Dakota tribe at the present time. (The appropriate name for the Sioux
is the People of the Seven Council Fires (Oceti Sakowin Oyate). They speak one
of the three dialects of the same language, Siouan. Within the Oceti Sakowin
are seven bands: Wahpekute, Sistonwan, Ihanktown, Ihanktowana, Tetonwan,
Wahpetonwan, and Mdewankanton. There are now various groups who descend from
the original seven and maintain autonomy over the governing of their oyate
(tribe).)
Eyewitness accounts of Dakota Yuwipi ceremonies have been
secured from eight Dakota, one Arikara, one person of mixed
Mandan-Hidatsa-White descent, and another of Mandan-Arikara- White descent.
Additional details have been secured from several White and Indian informants.
By a comparison of these accounts with one another and with those in the
literature a fairly complete picture of the Dakota Yuwipi ceremony is obtained.
It should be realized, however, that there was, and still is, a certain amount
of variation in the rite as led by different leaders.
The word Yuwipi in the Dakota language apparently means
"wrapped." It is not listed by Riggs in his Dakota-English Dictionary
but the verb yuwi, meaning "to wrap" is listed
by Williamson in his English-Dakota Dictionary."
It ostensibly refers to the wrapping
and binding of the Wapiye (Healer),(Healer,
traditional healer) or shaman, in a blanket.
The ceremony is given to locate lost or stolen objects and
to cure the sick. It
is of a somewhat secret nature, and unbelievers and strangers are not welcomed.
Those who are allowed to observe the ceremony are warned against skepticism. (I was raised that these ceremonies are very powerful and
that entering such ceremonies requires a total investment to the healer’s
abilities. There must be no skepticism of the healer’s power. It was for this
reason why when attending NCH’s ceremonies not once did, I ever offer him
tobacco. The consequences of offering him tobacco meant I did not believe in
his powers. He knew I didn’t trust him from the very beginning; however, he
couldn’t refuse me attending as I was instrumental in finding financial
assistants from him and his followers) Meaning If
a person wished the Yuwipi ceremony to be performed, it was formerly the custom
to approach the Wapiye (Healer) healer with
a pipe. If this pipe were accepted and smoked, a feast was prepared as the
preliminary to the ceremonial. (Today, we give tobacco rather than a pipe to smoke to the
healer. I believe its why so many people today think having a pipe makes them
approachable to a healer, as so many today want a pipe at any cost. Understanding
that this article was written 71 years ago with the last ceremony documented 81
prior. Fragments of the tradition are just that fragments. For most healers
today, a small gift of tobacco is given for the healer’s services and should
not be anymore than that.) At the present time the use of the pipe
is sometimes dispensed with. It is the custom after the rite to give presents
to the Wapiye (Healer) for his services. Little Warrior was given a horse,
food, and clothing after a performance he led at Pine Ridge about ten years
ago. Albert Six Feathers, a Dakota from Martin, South Dakota,
stated that "after four nights" a horse would be the proper fee for a
Wapiye (Healer)'s services. This may indicate that the ceremony is customarily
performed in cycles of four as is sometimes the case in peyote doctoring. (In the case of NCH’s
ceremonies, one ceremony for each client was given for those to could invite as
many peoples as possible as he or she wished. 71 years ago these ceremonies
were closed. It was this client who offered the tobacco to NCH who used his
pipe to smoke with his client and the invitees. The client did not have a pipe
of their own, so NCH used his. Understanding that it skepticism of the client
that is not tolerated and not the invitees. Today, NCH’s ceremonies are not a four-day
cycle and this was never was never customary for him. The only time I saw him
do a four-day cycle was during his Sundance in Wolf’s Point, Montana USA. Today,
our four-day cycle ceremonies are held in combination with Christian elements
during funerals. These practices are different and vary throughout each tribe. We
light a fire on the day the person died until he or she is buried. Some have
sweats on the first day of the death, others have yuwipi and others sing drum
songs during the evenings with tobacco offerings for the visitor who come to
pay their last respect to the decreased. We try to bury our dead within this four-day
cycle.)
The
Yuwipi ceremony is always held in a dark place, i.e. a dwelling with all the
windows and cracks covered. Formerly a tipi was commonly used. No wires, ropes,
or cords are permitted except those to be used in the ceremony. Rawhide ropes
are preferred for binding the shaman (Wakhan Ieska
– a spiritual interpreter, to be endowed with spiritual power, be sacred, holy,
spiritual Yuwipi wichasta – medicine man who practices the yuwipi ceremony). Several
hundred bags of tobacco are strung together, going around the inside of the
house in front of the spectators, who are seated next to the wall. (These bags of tobacco are called tobacco ties with each
bag having a different color with different sequences arranged inches apart
tied together in one long string.) The men sit cross-legged on the floor; the position of the
women is not important. (NCH’s ceremonies
were held in the dark with no light coming through any spaces. Everything was
checked to make sure no light entered.)
There are four flags or "drapes," one in each
corner of the room. These are colored red, white, yellow, and black. Wallace
Walking Bull, a Dakota informant from White River, South Dakota, stated that
they represent the four winds (directions). Thomas Goodall, an Arikara, stated,
however, that a Dakota leader had informed him that they represented "the
four great races of mankind": the American Indian, Caucasian, Mongolian,
and Negro. The latter interpretation may be an individual variant received in a
dream by the Dakota leader. Flags were not used in all the ceremonies described
to the authors. (NCH’s ceremonies had
four flags as described here 71 years ago)
Walking Bull mentioned an altar or "sacred place"
of yellow sand, encircled by a line of "smokes," but
this feature is not mentioned by other informants nor in the literature. The Wapiye
(Healer) draws the face of the "spirit" on this sand in small dots,
according to this informant. On each side of this altar are "nests"
of sage in which two wamnuha (Grourd Rattle) or
sacred gourd rattles are placed. The Wapiye (Healer) healer
has a bed of sage on which to lie. Gifts to the spirits, which disappear during
the ceremony, are placed about this area. Four singers are seated in the one
corner. They accompany their singing with small hand drums. (Before my mother was dressed for burial,
I washed her corpus with sage water and when my mother was placed in her
coffin, I placed a bed of sage for her body to lie. As her coffin was carried
throughout the burial ceremony, her grandsons, her pallbearers walked onto of a
spray of sage wherever her coffin went, right up until her body was placed in
the ground. A spray of sage was thrown into the grave. Her grandsons sang with
their small hand drums. These were the instruction given to me by a Healer.
Understand this, this healer did not know about the gift my mother was given
when she was a child by my great-grandmother. My great-grandmother took my mom
to many ceremonies and gifted her an eagle-staff symbolizing the transfer of
her gifts to her granddaughter, my mom. My mom shortly after was taken away
from her family and lived the next sixteen years in an Indian Residential
School. I am forever grateful for this healer who saw who my late mother’s
gifts were. Throughout her life my mother was afraid of non-indigenous people,
white privileged people. I told her that I would be with her every time she
entered the hospital, and I told the doctors I was staying with her cause of
her fear of them. It triggers me to think of what she experienced to cause such
fear throughout her entire life.)
Diagram
insert from my sketches that not as detailed as described here. The Yuwipi ceremony of Little Warrior (Kyle, South Dakota,
1940). 1, Shaman (Wapiye (Healer)); 2, medicine bag of wapíye; 3, rattles; 4,
calumet pipe; 5, helper's drum; 6, helper;7, members of audience; 8, tobacco
pouches.
Little Warrior, of Kyle, South Dakota, used a variation of
this arrangement at a ceremony which he led in 1940. He sat in the center of a
room facing westward toward a single assistant who sat beside the wall. The
assistant placed a drum in front of his feet and further forward a calumet pipe
oriented north and south. Little Warrior placed his medicine bag to his left
and built a small altar in front of his feet. First, he made a square border of
a series of small stick about the size of clothespins. The center
of this altar was filled with a matting of sage brush twigs. On the matting
were placed two rattles with their handles toward Little Warrior. (NCH built a small
alter in front of his feet. There was sage, rattles, and his pipe place on this
small alter with round shaped rocks on either side of the alter. I am sure that
the variety of what was placed and used by NCH changed for each client.)
First
the Wapiye (Healer) healer makes a speech,
telling the reason for holding the ceremony and asking that everyone present concentrate
on this purpose. He warns unbelievers that their presence may bring evil consequences.
(For me, this reasoning of bringing evil consequences meant to
those who offered NCH the tobacco, must truly believe in the power of their
prayers, and not his. Since I didn’t offer NCH any tobacco in this manner was
my way of respecting Creator, no matter what the outcome of the client’s
request.) No one may leave once the ceremony has begun. According to Six Feathers, during this
speech the Wapiye (Healer) acknowledges his inferiority to Christ. The
Wapiye (Healer) is then wrapped in a blanket, quilt, or a piece of canvas and
thoroughly bound in several feet of rawhide or hemp rope. All accounts of the
ceremony describe the thoroughness with which this binding is done. Some
accounts mention that even the individual fingers and toes are bound together. (In NCH’s case, his
fingers were individually bound together.)
The
leader then sings songs addressed to the spirits, and perhaps his own dream
songs as well. He calls to the spirits for assistance in achieving the desired
purpose of the ceremony. Ceremonial "crying" of the type which occurs
in the Sun Dance and during ritual fasting also occurs here. The Wapiye
(Healer) is then laid, face down, upon the bed of sage. At this point all of
the lights in the cabin are extinguished. (In NCH’s case, there was no leader who sand any songs prior to NCH
being bound with rawhide.)
The
four assistants then begin to sing, accompanying themselves with hand drums. (In
NCH’s case there were only three assistants. The songs used are called Taku
Wakhan Odowan (something sacred’s songs) and
are known to only a few individuals. With the first song, ideally, small blue
or green lights resembling electric sparks appear. These lights are said to be
caused by inyan wasicu, (spirit stone) or
holy stones, knocking together. These stones, small, usually round rocks, are
considered to be the embodiments of spirits. Although they are termed inyan
wasicu generically, they all seem to have specific names. These stones enter
the room, often by way of the stovepipe, and fly about. Sometimes each one
falls to the floor in turn with a heavy thud, thus enabling the spectators to
count their number. (My understanding in
what I witnessed in terms of trickly, were sparks appearing around where the
tobacco ties lie. This is from the account of his helpers who later left his
cult. A round rock that NCH brought with him rolled across the floor, but I believe
the floor was uneven. I never saw the sparks; however, those closest to the
tobacco ties reported seeing sparks and sounds. I believe they may have inhaled
cannabis or hashish.)
Next,
the gourd rattles are heard to stand up in their "nests" and dance,
and soon are dancing about the room. They keep strict time with the drums all
the while. Sometimes the drums are levitated as well and continue beating from
up near the ceiling. According to Six Feathers and his wife this portion of the
ceremony may last an hour or more, depending upon the seriousness of the occasion.
Six Feathers stated that the "spirits" bring the gourd rattles and
rub them on the body of the sick person, thereby removing the pain from the afflicted
part. (From the six ceremonies I attended, my niece who was eight years
old at the time, had a rattle hit in the head. I believe NCH did this, as prior
to the ceremony he seemed annoyed with her. In hindsight, I believe this was
his propensity for girls that aroused him not her fidgeting. Again,
this is my opinion.)
The
spirits, as manifested by the flying sparks or stones, are addressed by the wapiye,
(Healer) who calls them by the ceremonial term thunkásida, or grandfather. He
asks, if the meeting has been given for a sick person, what the cause of the
disease is, and where a medicine for it may be found. If the ceremony is being
given to recover a lost or stolen object, he asks where this object is. The spirits
reveal this desired information to the Wapiye (Healer) in an archaic, rapid,
speech, which is incomprehensible to
anyone else. (The rapid speech of
the spirits was not heard by me; however, again those closest to the smudge
cans did report hearing a high-pitched sound. In my opinion again, as I was furthest
away from this alter I was not drugged or induced to see or hear such sparks or
sounds. People may say I went into these ceremonies a skeptic; however, I did
not. I totally understood the consequences of giving tobacco. As I didn’t offer
NCH tobacco the said contact with him and the Creator & NCH’s client was
between them alone and not with me, an observer.)
Sometimes
persons other than the Wapiye (Healer) receive advice from the spirits. If this
occurs the Wapiye (Healer) informs the person to be so visited beforehand, and
this person then offers tobacco to the spirit. A Hidatsa woman reported having
been visited by the spirit of her deceased sister during this portion of the
ceremony. (Understand that
many people who developed a distrust to therapeutic practices may only trust an
intuitive individual. Modern therapeutic practices will use intuitive method to
make their clients feel comfortable rather than alienating them for the values
and beliefs. I use intuitive method to make people feel comfortable around me.)
After
this episode the lights are again put on. The Wapiye (Healer), who was so
tightly bound, is now seen to be standing in the center of the floor,
completely free of his bonds, which have supposedly been untied by the spirits
in the darkness. The ropes which bound him and the blanket in which he was
wrapped are neatly rolled into tight balls. The knots have not been untied. (This is what happened in NCH’s ceremonies. Again, reported by his
assistant that they performed trickly and assisted him in freeing him from his
bindings. Again, this is of my opinion.)
The
Wapiye (Healer) then reveals what the spirits have told him, either concerning
the nature of the ill person's disease and where to find the correct medicine,
or the location of a lost or stolen object. If the spirits have visited some of
the spectators, they also tell what they have learned at this point. In some cases,
one of the small round "spirit stones" remains with the Wapiye
(Healer) and is given to the sick person to carry home with him. This stone
predicts coming events for the owner. In certain instances, herbs may be given
to the sick person. (NCH from my observation
never came anything away freely like any of his rocks or medicines he used in
ceremony. When he was tied up he told his client in front of everyone
witnessing this ceremony what the spirits were saying, but not once did I hear
him ask the witnesses or his client’s family or friends what they learned.
Questions were asked, but nothing was directed in finding lost objects or what
or where to find medicine. I would explain to witnesses that it fine to
participate in ceremonies finding alternative methods of healing; however, I
also advised them to continue with what medicines they were already using.
Nevertheless, people did not listen to what I understood. As within these
ceremonies, and not outside these ceremonies are these conversations to happen.
What NCH did was listen to what people talked about with each other outside of ceremony
that for me was totally inappropriate. In my opinion, it was his way of
learning their weaknesses and their strengths. From these moments afterwards
that he would appear sexually frustrated listening and would immediately leave.
In hindsight, little did I know what he could do to children.)
According
to Six Feathers a pipe is passed around after the lights are put on again, but
Walking Bull states that this is done only in meetings led by older leaders,
and that younger Wapiye (Healer) do not require this feature. (Again, there were no older leaders who lead the songs nor were there
any to pass around the pipe. Only NCH non-indigenous assistance sat watching as
the client lit the pipe and passed it around. In this ceremony, the client is
not the leader as he or she is the individual who needs healing or helping in
finding a lost object. A young Wapiye like NCH is not required to light a pipe
rather an older leader. I was wondered why my late mother didn’t feel comfortable
around NCH. She probably saw how disrespectful he was around older people like
myself and her. Understand this, my mother is she were still living would be 96
years old. She was 79 years old when she met NCH and she was raised around Dakota
leaders who knew these songs and ways.)
At
the close of the meeting food is eaten after having been blessed by the Wapiye
(Healer). This feast consists of dog, wild peppermint tea, and "fry
bread," with possibly other foods, such as wild cherry pudding, added occasionally.
The dog used is painted with wase, or native paint, from the tip of its nose to
the end of its tail. It must be killed by being strangled with a rope pulled
around its neck. Its mouth is tied shut to keep it from howling. The hair is
singed off and the meat cut up and boiled. The head, tail, and feet are not
used. Of the entrails only the liver is eaten. (As I was growing up other indigenous people would make fun of me identifying
a Dakota Sioux and would call me ‘Dog eater! Little did they know that dog was
only eaten after a Yuwipi ceremony was completed. My mother told me about a
puppy she had as a child that went missing. It was after her grandmother
returned from Yuwipi ceremony that she was told this puppy was fatten up and
kept healthy for ceremonial purposes only. Understand this again, I say. These
practices were outlawed. If a man was caught practicing these ceremonies he
would be jailed or imprisoned; however, its our Dakota, Lakota and Nakota women,
the matriarchs, who kept these ceremonies going. They were never suspected as
conducting such ceremonies in secret. My great-grandmother made sure my mother
attended ceremonies. )
Macgregor
states that an older member of the Yuwipi cult mentioned that the worshippers
believed in the
Sun
and the Daylight--that is Wakan, our god (the chief god). Then we worship
Darkness (the creator god); that is why we sit in darkness in the tepee at a
Yuwipi ceremony. The women think of sexual things and later they go home with
their men. That is creative; that is not bad; the Darkness is holy. (When I think of all
the healing properties of our ceremonies in healing trauma. I think about ‘sex
addiction.’ This form of addiction is as old as time itself. Just as in modern
time when people deal with alcohol and drug addiction, it’s this adrenaline and
hormonal sexual rush that is more addictive than alcohol and drugs combined. These
Yuwipi ceremonies deal with grief, isolation and depression. These are the key
triggers in relapse and recovery of any addiction. Being intuitive in a
ceremonial practice was not barbaric or hedonistic. It’s found that the sounds
and the frequencies of movement and sound helps restructure the traumatic brain.
It is a terrible flaw of NCH’s own
childhood trauma and that of his family. A healer must create a safe, protect
and healing environment. I hope people understand the healing practice of
indigenous peoples is good when combined with the rest of humanity.) Then, there is a rock (the executive
god). The leaders have a little bundle of sticks in their hand when they are
tied up and a blanket is thrown over them. The rocks make sparks and lightning
shoots all over the tepee. The Rock is hard and steadfast and that is what our
faith must be. It is like the earth. Then there is Wakinyan or Heyoka (an
associate god). It flashes through the sky, and storms
come, and strong winds, and floods that wash away the soil. The Yuwipi people
say that it is cleansing them and cleansing the earth. Wakan
washes away everything and makes everything clean and new. (My
great-grandmother was blind in her later years and would request the help of my
mother. Who was a child. My great-grandmother never missed a day of going
outside and praying in all the sacred directions with her woman’s pipe. She’d says
to my mom, ‘granddaughter, what does the sky look like? If it was cloudy or
clear or it there was a sign of storm coming. My grandfather respected the
Wakinyan and was fearful every time there was lightning. My grandfather was a
great farmer. These were the ways of those that came before me. The government
took my mother away from her people because they thought we were savages.)
As noted above there
is a certain sexual element in the Yuwipi ceremony. Black Elk, the famous medicine man (the
subject of Neihardt's book Black Elk Speaks) is said to have been a Wapiye
(Healer) famous for making "love medicine" in the Yuwipi ceremonial. (As
in the behavior of Limerence, this deep infatuation or beyond infatuation is
stemming from childhood trauma and this sexual element is called ‘love medicine.’
Understanding the energy we hold and we walk with this energy, is our
individual responsibility. It’s a difficult path to be honest about one’s
feelings for another human being; however, this ‘love medicine’ is in every
culture, in every human being. It’s up to each of us to acknowledge this energy
and in doing so we are honoring those who came before us. So many times I didn’t
understand why my late mother found A-alon’s 12 step-program so helpful. As in
these modern times, there are now 12 step programs in Limerence, or sex
addiction. And, I don’t mean everyone goes around looking for a sexual partner
to have intercourse. It means everyone goes around when they are triggered.
They are triggered into seeking acceptance and validation. The more one practicing
illuminating this self-defeating behavior the quickly one recovers from it.
They say 10,000 hours of practice make one a master of any discipline. I can
say I’ve done my 10,000 hour and more.)
According
to Walking Bull, not all Yuwipi men unbind themselves in the darkness. Some
have a committee which does this afterwards. This seems to indicate that the
prowess of the Wapiye (Healer) in divesting himself of his bonds is merely a
secondary feature of the Dakota rite, the calling of the spirits being the
prime feature. Sometimes this calling of the spirits is not successful. (As in NCH, all of his ‘calling of the spirits’ was successful only
because in my opinion, it held to do with money. The more he appeared to
communicate with the spirits the more pleased his clients appeared. In my
opinion, He never once admitted he ever failed to call the spirits.)
Sometimes
children may be allowed to attend the ceremony. No person with a contagious
disease is permitted inside. No dogs are allowed. (I saw how NCH despised dogs. In traditional times, as a healer he
would be required to eat dog and so would his followers. Now, I ask you to
think about it.) Persons who are skeptical are not
welcomed. A Wapiye (Healer) is said to know exactly who is sincere and who is
not. Once a Wapiye (Healer) knew that a certain man had to urinate and told him
that he should not have come in. In another case a Wapiye (Healer), bound
within a darkened tipi, informed a youth who was peeping under the edge of the
tipi covering that he was aware of the youth's presence and that he must leave.
At Kyle, South Dakota, during a ceremony, Little Warrior freed himself of his
bonds and while the room was still darkened, threw the blanket upon a skeptical visitor.
This person later stated that this had nearly frightened him to death.
At
another rite held near Pine Ridge, South Dakota, the Wapiye (Healer) halted the
ceremony and stated that they would have to close it for a devil was coming. In
a few minutes a car-load of drunken Indians arrived, confirming the shaman's
prediction. (Again, not once did I every see NCH expel a witness, observer or a
client from his ceremonies. I do know used threats of control over those he
wanted to manipulate into thinking they were skeptics they didn’t obey him.)
Leonard
Eagle, a youth of Mandan-Hidatsa and White descent, described attending a
ceremony with a group of young men who were quite skeptical. When the gourds
began flying about the room one paused, rattling loudly, before one of Eagle's
companions. The companion asked him, "Should I hit it?" whereupon
he struck the gourd with his fist. The gourd flew to the other side of the
room, only to return and strike the youth several times around the face.
"It really raised hell with him!" commented Eagle. (a Lakota friend,
was brought into a Yuwipi ceremony by his grandmother. He said a rattle head him
in the head. He said he reach above his head and grabbed the hand that held
that rattle. He said he felt a ring on that hand and held onto to it so tight
it came off. It was after the ceremony that his grandmother asks him for her ring
back. She said that was suppose to grab at her. I know she probably was trying
to teach him a lesson that he was safe, secure and protected in this ceremony
with her, but for a child he didn’t understand.)
According
to the older custom a man received instructions for becoming a Yuwipi leader in
a vision. Thomas Goodall, an Arikara, stated that Black Thunder, a famous
Dakota Wapiye (Healer), had received his power and the directions for running a
Yuwipi ceremony only after a long period of fasting in the hills. (NCH said he fasted for four days and for four nights and then
was brought down from Bear Butt to preform the Yuwipi as a teenager. Again, he didn’t
go for a long period like this older person. In my opinion, I think his parents
pushed him into this position for the sake of making money as NCH had already
appeared in, “Dances with Wolves.”)
Densmore records a shaman of the Yuwipi
type receiving power after falling from his horse head first into a pile of
stones. The man was unconscious for nearly an entire day. Upon recovering he
announced that all rocks and stones were “people turned to stone." (Many spiritual people go through some profound change in their
life that takes them off the path they previous set out for themselves, never
ever dreaming of becoming a spiritual person with gifts to help others.)
Apparently,
a vision is not necessary at the present time. Black Elk, a Pine Ridge
informant, claims that several of the present-day shamans have dispensed with
these preliminaries. Walking Bull also stated that at present anyone who
desired to practice the Yuwipi rite might do so. Although the position of the Wapiye
(Healer) was not hereditary, apparently there is a tendency for a member of the
same family to supplant a shaman at his death. After Little Warrior died at
Kyle about a year ago, his son-in-law, White Wing, went on a vision quest and
then took his place as the local Wapiye (Healer). (As in my later mother’s case, she was to inherit her grandmother’s
rite, but was taken away to be raised in an Indian Residential School until she
was sixteen years old. My mother was only five years old when she was taken.
She would come home during summer breaks.)
Apparently,
requests were sometimes made of the sacred stones, as Densmore notes that
Sitting Bull, the Hunkpapa leader, offered a bison robe to the stones and asked
to be made famous.
According
to George Metcalf, the Dakota believe that the use of the Yuwipi rite is
dangerous to the Wapiye (Healer). He states that the feeling is "Every
time the power is used, the less the defense of the Wapiye (Healer) against
this power." Bill Ginais, a mixed-blood Teton, gave up the practice
because he considered it too dangerous. (In my opinion, some people call this karma. Whatever the behavior
an individual is having difficulties manging, it manifests itself. It like the
aging brain. The filters within the brain become thin and everything is
exposed.)
Most
of the Yuwipi men now practicing come from either the Pine Ridge or Rosebud
reservations in South Dakota. These are the two most conservative of all the
Dakota reservations. Well-known leaders are often called to distant
reservations to conduct the ceremony. There are several Wapiye (Healer) still
practicing, with a concentration around Kyle, South Dakota. Since some of the
practitioners are young and middle-aged men, the institution seems destined to
survive for some time. Furthermore, some of the younger Dakota still have the
ceremony performed for sickness and the recovery of lost articles. A young
Dakota girl had the ceremony performed for her sick mother near Pine Ridge in
1940. A Dakota college student stated that he believes the institution will
survive for quite a while because it is a profitable business for the practitioners,
and he has heard of several Dakota who are planning to become Wapiye (Healer)
for mercenary reasons. Another Dakota college student stated that if the Whites
have the Christian Science religion, why be surprised when some of the Dakota
have their Yuwipi, especially when cures are affected. (I know in this article is calls these practitioners mercenaries.
And, in some ways they are, do remember. The majority of Native Americans lived
to be in their mid-forties because of the lack of health care and proper nutrition.
When NCH was in the movie, the average income was $3,000.00 per year. From
reports, his parents were living in poverty. They were teen parents too. I
could see why they would manipulate their son. Just as women gave up their teen
daughter to NCH, in my opinion, NCH’s parents did the same thing. I see lateral
violence.)
There
is apparently no conflict in the mind of the Wapiye (Healer) himself, or his
audience, between the practice of the ceremony and the following of the
Christian religion. Three examples of men being Yuwipi leaders while at the
same time maintaining membership in the Roman Catholic church are reported. Two
of the men were ordered to stop on the penalty of excommunication, while the
other was whipped with a quirt for practicing the rite. (For decades, my late mother and myself supported my brother. We
supported in the sweat and Sundance’s he attended. We did this encouraging to
live a sober clean life. When I tell my cousins about what happened 17 years
ago, they say ‘oh you turned Indian!’ This is I reply. With addictions being so
high today as it was back in the 70’s, we would do anything to support a sober lifestyle
for anyone who asked. Understand, prior to the 70’s indigenous people in Canda
were not allowed to drink alcohol or buy alcohol over vote. Only after when the
government knew what was happening in those Indian Residential School did they
pass legislation hoping they could pass the ‘white paper’ without us knowing
what it meant. From here on in, the prison system has risen with indigenous people.
So tell me again, who determines who lives and who dies?)
If
the Yuwipi ceremony, as now practiced by the Dakota, is compared with the
tent-shaking complex of the northern Algonquin tribes as described by Ray,
Cooper, Flannery, and others, it is noted that the Dakota lack a fundamental
trait, the shaking of the tent when the spirits enter. Several other western
tribes also lack this element in their conjuring ceremonies, for example the
Colville of Washington and the Mandan of North Dakota. Yet Pond mentions the
tent-shaking trait in a Yuwipi type ceremony of the Eastern Dakota. As the Yuwipi
ceremony is now often held in a house rather than a tent, it is possible that
we have here the reason for the absence of this trait. Ray has mentioned this
possibility in explaining the lack of tent-shaking among the Colville. Since
the Mandan usually lived in substantial earth lodges except when on the hunt,
their type of architecture could well explain the absence of the same trait.
The
binding of the shaman, another basic and widespread element of the tent-shaking
complex is found among the Dakota. This trait is found among a large number of
Plains, Plateau, and Woodland tribes, such as the Cheyenne, Blackfoot,
Assiniboin, Plains Cree, Atsina, Kutenai, Cree, Ojibwa, Montagnais, and
Naskapi. It is also found among the Central Eskimo. Cooper has outlined the
traits of two contrasting tent-shaking complexes. In the western division the
Dakota share with the Atsina, the Blackfoot, and the Assiniboin, the
"Houdini" trick (loosening of
bonds) and the dog-feast. The Dakota shares with the eastern division including
the Cree, Ojibwa, and Montagnais--the "calling of spirits" rather
than the invoking of human ghosts. Collier has noted that the Kiowa also invoke
the dead rather than supernatural or animal spirits.
The
Dakota shares the following traits with both of the tent-shaking complexes
described by Cooper: ‘no trance or ecstasy by the performer, and performers not
of psychopathic personality as such; spirits summoned primarily to obtain knowledge
through them, chiefly knowledge on practical problems; absence of direct
participation of Supreme Being in rite; rite as such concerned with personal
beings, not with impersonal forces, and thus a religious, not a magical rite.’
Some
of the other features of the Yuwipi are shared by one or more tribes. Thus,
conjuring is practiced for curing among the Ojibwa of Minnesota, the Mandan,
the Atsina, and the Ojibwa of Parry Island. The Assiniboin and the Atsina, as
did the Dakota, wrapped the shaman in a blanket. The obtaining of power by
vision is found among the Parry Island Ojibwa and the Mandan.
Although
a detailed tribe by tribe distribution study of the traits connected with the
tent-shaking complex has not been made, the Yuwipi rite of the Dakota appears
to be close to an intermediate position between the Plains tribes such as the
Atsina, Blackfoot, and Cheyenne, and the northern Woodland peoples such as the
Cree, Ojibwa, and Montagnais. Such a conclusion should be no cause for surprise
considering the intermediate geographic position of the Dakota.
In
summary, it is observed that the present-day Yuwipi ceremony of the Dakota is
an example of a widespread conjuring complex of the Plains, Woodland, and
Plateau areas, commonly referred to as the "shaking-tent rite." As
practiced in recent years it differs from the classic complex in the lack of
the tent-shaking trait. Among the Dakota the conjuring ritual is performed for
curing illness and the finding of lost and stolen articles. If a comparison is
made of the traits in the Dakota rite and those of the Plains and northern
Algonquin complexes described by Cooper, it is noted that the Dakota Yuwipi
ceremony occupies an intermediate position. The Yuwipi ceremony has continued
to the present among the Teton Dakota. Since participants in the ritual still
include younger and middle-aged Indians it seems likely to continue for some
time.
Several
reasons may explain its survival. Many Dakota are still not convinced that our
medical practitioners are capable of curing all types of disease, while to
others physicians are not readily available. In certain instances, cures are
reported by Yuwipi leaders. This may be particularly true in the case of
psychosomatic illnesses. Although not confirmed by the majority of native
informants, certain of the Wapiye (Healer) apparently continue their practice
purely for mercenary reasons. (As in the case of NCH, his primary reason was to have money and
control over others with his money and influence. I hope you all understand that
this article was written 71 years ago. Understand that my grandfather knew
these practices were not good anymore because of these so-called mercenary
reasons. Our people went through genocide. We helped each other heal for
centuries. This conversion to a Christian element really destroyed our cultural
practices. It’s only now after many indigenous people become educated and are
sharing our understanding of honoring those that came before means knowing
Creator’s will is being done constantly.)
