Practices today VS Long ago
© By Richard Moves Camp
Early days
People live by spiritual laws
Spiritual laws/Wakan Wo-ope
 Wocekiye – Prayer
 Wolakota- Harmony and peace
 Wacante-ognake-Generosity
 Woksape-Wisdom
 Wowacintanka-Fortitude
 Wawuonihan- Honor
 Wo-kagi- Respect
Wakan wecohan/Seven
Ceremonies
 Inipi -Sweat Lodge
 Humblecayepi -Vision Quest
 Nagi Gluhapi - Keeping of the Spirit
 Tapa Wakayeyapi -Throwing of the ball
 Isnati alowampi- Womanhood Ceremony
 Hunkapi- making of relative
 Wiwangwacipi –Sun Dance
History of Wakan wawicakupi/
Three sacred gifts to the oyate
 Early days of the first Ceremony;
 Inipi /Oinikage was gifted to the lakota wicasa around
the BC era.
 The second Ceremony was the Ceremonial gift called
Pte heya pa- Fire Bundle, the story of the changing
woman.
 Third gift is the Pte hincala Canunpa-Sacred Calf Pipe.
Wocekiye - Prayer
 Long ago the first gift the Lakota is the Inipi
 History of the Oinikage is passed on from
generations.
 This Inipi ritual was gifted to the Oyate as a result of a
great flood and all the oyate perished.
 The Wambli saved a Lakota wiyan (Woman). For 28
days the Wambli took care of this wiyan.
 After 28 days Wakan tanka instructed the Wambli to
be wicasa and restore the Oyate.
INIPI / Sweat Lodge
 The significance of the INIPI is about the creation.
 The fire
 The water
 The oniya/Breath of life
 The rock
 The earth /Unci Maka
INIPI / Sweat Lodge
 The Willow that are form into a dome shape represents
the whom of Mother hood.
 The INIPI represent the sacredness of the family/
Tiwahe Wakan
 Many types of Sweat Ceremonies.
What is a INIPI / Sweat lodge
 The word INIPI is short for Oinikage.
 Oinikage; meanings, people setting in a circle with one
knee up and one knee down in prayer.
 Long ago no more than twelve people can set in a INIPI
Ceremony.
How many types of INIPI
Ceremonies
 There are several types of INIPI Ceremonies conducted
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long ago.
Men's Lodge/Wica sa echela wacekiyapi.
Women's Lodge /Wina ta oinikage.
Wakan el yapi kte /Preparation for ceremony lodge.
Akicita ta oinipi.
Heyoka ta oinipi.
Wiwang wacipi ta oinikage.
Wanaseyapi ta oinikage/preparation for hunt.
INIPI / Sweat Lodges today
 Many sweats are co-ed and prayer are one.
 Many more instruction should be made.
 Protection of our lodges should stronger.
 Many people of all nations own or sponsor INIPI in the
homes.
INIPI / Sweat Lodge Today
 Protection of our ceremonies
 Many Native American Sweat Lodge are used across
the country and internationally today.
 Exercise our rites to our ceremonies and oversee our
cultural practices.
Humbleceya –Questing for vision
 Fasting
 Prayer for vision
 Training to become healer
 Becoming of a man
 Becoming of a Medicine man / healer
Nagi Gluhapi/ Keeping of spirit
 Sometimes call keeping of soul
 This ceremony has many parts and levels.
 Wokigna- comfort ceremony; for loss and grieving.
 Mini wicakupi –Wiping of tears
 Nagi gluhapi-Keeping of Spirit.
 Wal-iyacinpi-Remembrance ceremony of honoring
relative.
Tapa wakayeyapi – throwing of the
ball
 This ceremony is honoring the young woman’s power.
 Wiyan ta wo-wasake – power of the female will be life.
 Beaded or decorated ball by the family.
 This ball signified the beauty of life.
 The woman will throw this ball to the people, whom
ever catches the ball receives all the gifts from the
family.
Isnati Aloawmpi –Womanhood
ceremony.
 Rite of passage.
 Four day ceremony when the girl reaches the age of
young woman.
 The day of celebration.
 This ceremony is conducted by elder woman and
mothers, aunts.
 All woman come to participate in this ceremony.
Hunkapi – making of relative
 Wotakuye kagapi
 Hunkaglapapi / honoring the person marking with
paint.
 Warrior do this ceremony a lot.
 Families honor their members by paint and pierce ear.
 Strengthening the family circle.
Wiwang wacipi – Sun Dance
 Started by a man whom had vision.
 Four day ceremony to renew life.
 Great ceremony of all people.
 Today this ceremony is still strong.
Traditional Lakota healers
 Long ago Healers are very protected by the people.
 Many types of healers – Doctors.
 They are not all called medicine men or women as we do
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today.
They are given titles of the kind of training and teaching
they received.
The are trained for number of years, as many years (7-10
years).
They must speak to fourth and fifth language of lakota.
When they master /Doctorate the teaching they speak the
sixth level language.
Medicine/Healers
 Yuwipi wapiya wicasa.
 Tatanka Wapiya.
 Mato wapiya.
 Ikto mi wapiya.
 Sunk manitu wapiya.
 Watunwan wicasa*
 He’haca wapiya.
 Wanagi Wapiya.
 Pejuta Wicasa na winyan.
Today healers of lakota
 All healer called by western ways as Medicine people.
 Self proclaimed healers.
 Misinterpretation of spirit
Spirit -Wakan
 Lakota people have different meaning of Spirit than
western view.
 Wakan oyate-Sacred being
 Being of different world- Akantu sni.
Wakan Tanka - God
 Lakota oyate call god –Tasina wakan, Eyotan Wakan,in
the Modern days Wakan Tanka.
 Spirits – Wakan oyate.
Phrase each other daily in family
 Ina-Mother
 Ina; means the great honorable one
 Ate – Father
 Ate; means the great protector.
Wakan wechoun ki le we cho
tawacin ki eyelo.
 The sacred way of life is about healthy mind and spirit.
 The Mind is sacred.
 Tawacin apiyapi- Healing the mind ceremony
Cultural practices today
 Renew relative making- Hunkapi
 Receive a Lakota name
 Peace making society
 Reconstruct community
 Integration cultural practices in community
government and schools.
Follow the traditional ways
 The only purpose of the Cannupa was to maintain
peace among the lakota.
 All of the ceremonies are gifted separately and remain
as sacred.
Mitakuye Oyasin
 Pila mayayelo