“We have the opportunity to build a Rainbow bridge into the Golden Age. But to do this, we must do it together with all the colors of the Rainbow, with all the peoples, all the beings of the world. We who are alive on Earth today are the Rainbow Warriors who face the challenge of building this bridge,"
~Brooke Medicine Eagle, Daughter of the Rainbow, Crow and Lakota ~
(510) 761-4448; Email: kmtribe@aol.com
Most Native American tribes have traditions about health and illness. they come from the tribe’s beliefs about how individuals fit in the web of life. These are commonplace in Ceremony and ritual both as tradition as well as an "As Needed" basis.
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Native American traditional healing is a holistic approach to health which combines both physical healing as well as spiritual well-being. Each tribe have their own healing traditions, and we as Kautantowit's Mecautea honor them All.
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It is important to note that "Traditional" healers do not follow a standard procedure, nor are they bound by any sort of limitation restriction. Instead, they apply their own personal skills and wisdom to each person individually and strive to go above and beyond in effort of providing the best coarse of action necessary for each individual in which they treat. KM healers are no different, yet each are and prove to be uniquely different at the same time because of it.
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KM NAC believes that supernatural powers reside in all living things and in many non-animate objects found in nature as well, including for example stones, minerals, feathers and so forth. Such power is readily available in such sacred gifts bestowed to us such as in the sun, moon, stars, wind, seasons and so on.
All persons are free as well as encouraged to establish a relationship with objects of power. Kautantowit Mecautea teaches us that ALL are related and are one with Mother Earth and all upon and from her, but too, that only doctors, healers and or "shamans", aka medicine persons possess enough of such wisdom to aid in true healing.
Some of the Ceremonies that we practition include but are not limited to:
The Midwinter Ceremony is held in either January or February. When the dipper constellation appears in the sky directly overhead, you then wait for the new moon to be seen. This is when the spiritual year begins. You then wait 5 days after the new moon to begin the ceremony. The winter ceremony season is when they acknowledge and reaffirm their connection with the supernatural world.
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The Stick Dance is named after the spruce pole, which is the central symbol in this ceremony. The purpose of this ceremony is to help mourn the male members of the tribe who have died; and, give comfort and support to the grieving family members.
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Navijo Mountain Chant - This observance marks the seasonal transition. It happens at the end of the thunderstorms but before the spring winds come. The Navajo believe that if this ceremony was held at any other time, it would result in death from lightning or snake bite.
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Yaqui Easter Ceremony - The ceremony ends on Easter Sunday. The name of this festival comes from the Yaqui Indians, now living in the Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona area that are descendants of the original tribe that lived near the Yaqui River
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Ute Bear Ceremony - The purpose of this dance is for mating and courtship. The second purpose is to celebrate the arrival of spring, as well as an opportunity to get together and celebrate. This is celebrated in May.
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Katchina Ceremony - In July, The origin of this ceremony goes back to the Katchinas, who are their ancestral spirits. The Hopis believe that these spirits leave their home in the mountains and for six months visit the tribe, bringing health to the Hopi and rain to their crops.
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The Apache Girls' Sunrise Ceremony - This ceremony is celebrated for 4 days in July in Arizona and New Mexico to celebrate the coming-of-age of young women.
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The Miwok Ceremony celebrates the acorn harvest each year at a tribal gathering called the Big Time. Families from widely scattered Miwok villages came together for this harvest activity and share the fruits, chat and exchange information, supplies, and news. They would also perform ceremonial dances.
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This is the most sacred of all Navajo ceremonies. It is also the most technically difficult and demanding to learn. This is because it involves memorizing literally hundreds of songs, dozens of prayers and several very complicated and intricate sand paintings. In spite of this, the demand for Night Chants remains great. And, as many as 50 ceremonies might be held during one season, which lasts 18-20 weeks.
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The Wuwuchim ceremony is to mark the beginning of the new ceremonial year in the Hopi calendar. In other words, this is like the Hopi New Year celebration.
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Hopi Soyaluna Ceremony - is a ceremony related to the sun as it relates to the winter solstice. It is one of the Hopi's most sacred ceremonies and is also called the "Prayer-Offering Ceremony" because it is a time for saying prayers for the New Year and for wishing each other prosperity and health.
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The strawberry ceremony was thanksgiving for all berries and new life birth.
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Maple Festival,
Thunder Dance,
Medicine & Seed Festival
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Harvest Festival
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End of Season Feast
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Great Feather Dance
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Men’s Personal Thanksgiving
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Drum Dance
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Bowl Game.
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Symbolic healing rituals and ceremonies were often held to bring participants into harmony with themselves, their tribe, and their environment. Ceremonies were used to help groups of people return to harmony; but, large ceremonies were generally not used for individual healing. Varying widely from tribe to tribe, some tribes, such as the Sioux and Navajo used a medicine wheel, a sacred hoop, and would sing and dance in ceremonies that might last for days.
Historic Indian traditions also used many plants and herbs as remedies or in spiritual celebrations, creating a connection with spirits and the after life. Some of these plants and herbs used in spiritual rituals included Sage, Bear Berry, Red Cedar, Sweet Grass, Tobacco, and many others.
The healing process in Native American Medicine is much different than how most of us see it today.Native American healing includes beliefs and practices that combine religion, spirituality, herbal medicine, and rituals, that are used for both medical and emotional conditions. From the Native American perspective, medicine is more about healing the person than curing a disease. Traditional healers worked to make the individual “whole,” believing that most illnesses stem from spiritual problems.
In addition to herbal remedies, purifying and cleansing the body is also important and many tribes used sweat lodges for this purpose. In these darkened and heated enclosures, a sick individual might be given an herbal remedy, smoke or rub themselves with sacred plants, and a healer might use healing practices to drive away angry spirits and invoke the healing powers of others.
Sometimes healing rituals might involve whole communities, where participants would sing, dance, paint their bodies, sometimes use mind-altering substances to persuade the spirits to heal the sick person.
Cherokee Moons Ah-ni-yv-wi-ya Sv-no-yi-hi
Cold Moon....January U-no-lv-ta-ni - This time of the season is a time for personal and ritual observance, fasting and personal purification. During this season, families prepare for the coming of the new seasons, starting in Windy Moon Anuyi or March. Personal items and tools for planting are repaired, and new ones made. Stories about ancestors and the family are imparted to the younger ones by the elders. A mid-Winter or "Cold Moon Dance" is usually held in the community as well, marking the passing or ending of one cycle of seasons and welcoming the beginning of the new cycle. Hearth fires are put out and new ones made. The putting out of Fires and lighting of new ones anciently is the duty of certain "priest" of certain clans, and coincides with the first new-arrival of the morning star (Sun's daughter, now called Venus) in the east.
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Bone Moon...February Ka-ga-li - Traditional time of personal-family feast for the ones who had departed this world. A family meal is prepared with place(s) set for the departed. This is also a time of fasting and ritual observance. A community dance officiated by a "doctor" Didanawiskawi commonly referred to as a Medicine-person. Connected to this moon is the "Medicine Dance".
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Windy Moon...March Ah-nv-yi - "First New Moon" of the new seasons. Traditional start of the new cycle of planting seasons or Moons. New town council fires are made. The figure used to portray this moon is the historic figure of Kanati, one of the many beings created by the "Apportioner" Unethlana. These "helpers" were variously charged with the control of the life elements of the earth: air/earth/fire/water. Their domains are the sky, earth, stars and the Seven Levels of the universe.
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Flower Moon...April Ka-wo-ni - First plants of the season come out at this time. New births are customary within this time frame. The first new medicine and herb plants that taught mankind how to defend against sickness and injury come out now. Streams and rivers controlled by the spirit being, "Long Man," renew their lives. Ritual observances are made to "Long Man" at this time. A dance customary at this season was the "Knee Deep Dance" of the Spring or Water Frog.
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Planting Moon...May Ah-ni-Sgu-ti - Families traditionally prepare the fields and sow them with the stored seeds from last season. Corn, beans, squashes, tomatoes, potatoes, yams and sunflowers are some food planted at this time. A dance traditionally done at this time is the "Corn Dance".
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Green Corn Moon...June Ti-ha-lu-hi-yi - First signs of the "corn in tassel", and the emerging of the various plants of the fields. People traditionally begin preparations for the upcoming festivals of the ensuing growing season. People of the AniGadugi Society begin repairs needed on town houses, family homes and generally provide for the needy. The AniGadugi Society is a volunteer help group who see to the needs of the less fortunate, the elderly and the infirm of the villages.
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Ripe Corn Moon...July Gu-ye-gwo-ni - First foods or the new planting and the roasting ears of corn are ready. Towns begin the cycle festivals. Dances and celebrations of thanks to the Earth Mother and the "Apportioner" Unethlana are given. In the old times this was the traditional time of the "Green Corn Dance" or festival. A common reference of this moon is the "first roasting of ears" (of corn)...sweet corn-moon. This is the customary time for commencement of the Stick Ball games traditionally called AniStusti, "Little War". Today known as "LaCrosse". Stick Ball dances and festivals are commonly held at this time.
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Fruit Moon...August Ga-lo-ni - Foods of the trees and bushes are gathered at this time. The various "Paint Clans" begin to gather many of the herbs and medicines for which they were historically know. Green Corn festivals are commonly held at this time in the present day. The "Wild Potato" Clans AniNudawegi, begin harvesting various foods growing along the streams, marshes, lakes and ponds.
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Nut Moon...September Du-li-i-s-di - The corn harvest referred to as "Ripe Corn Festival" was customarily held in the early part of this moon to acknowledge Selu the spirit of the corn. Selu is thought of as First Woman. The festival respects Mother Earth as well for providing all foods during the growing season. The "Brush Feast Festival" also customarily takes place in this season. All the fruits and nuts of the bushes and trees of the forest were gathered as this time. A wide variety of nuts from the trees went into the nut breads for the various festivals throughout the seasons. Hunting traditionally began in earnest at this time.
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Harvest Moon...October Du-ni-nu-di - Time of traditional "Harvest Festival" Nowatequa when the people give thanks to all the living things of the fields and earth that helped them live, and to the "Apportioner" Unethlana. Cheno i-equa or "Great Moon" Festival is customarily held at this time.
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Trading Moon...November Nu-da-de-qua - Traditionally a time of trading and barter among different towns and tribes for manufactured goods, produce and goods from hunting. The people traded with other nearby tribes as well as distant tribes, including those of Canada, Middle America and South America. Also the customary time of the "Friendship Festival" Adohuna = "new friends made". This was a time when all transgressions were forgiven, except for murder which traditionally was taken care of according to the law of blood by a clans person of a murdered person. The festival recalls a time before "world selfishness and greed". This was a time also when the needy among the towns were given whatever they needed to help them through the impending lean winter season.
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Snow Moon...December Us-gi-yi - The spirit being, "Snow Man", brings the cold and snow for the earth to cover the high places while the earth rests until the rebirth of the seasons in the Windy Moon Anuyi. Families traditionally were busy putting up and storing goods for the next cycle of seasons. Elders enjoyed teaching and retelling ancient stories of the people to the young.
To truly undersand and in turn, spiritually gain from ceremony, and in order to attain that level of understanding, you should first understand the sacred importance of them, what they Mean, what goes into ceremony, physically as well as spiritually, and too, why we Must do all we can to preserve as well as learn. They are Our inheritance too afterall.
Therefore we ask and encourage you to watch, to hear, and to See and absorb the wisdom to be had in the video immediately below, and proceed from there.
Traditional Sacred Ceremonial ways are offered to help guide you on your personal life walk. In a respectful way old spirit medicine ways are brought together as we address issues that may be preventing you from experiencing your personal fullness of well-being. These healing ways can leave you with a renewed sense of self, bring clarity to your life visions, resolve and release inner conflict, resentments, anger and restore emotional and physical well-being.
The "Warm House Dance" predicts occurrences similar to those predicted bt the Ghost Dance. It is also known as the Earth Lodge Religion.
The Feather Religion, also known as the Spinning Religion
The Ghost Dance
The Prophet Dance
The Sun Dance