Ceremony?

When we say "ceremony" it is the same as someone of a different spiritual orientation saying "church" or" temple" or "services". In short it means "worship". Its what we do to get in touch with Tunkasila (creator,God). We seek communion with the higher power the same as anyone else who is so inclined. This generally takes place in the sweatlodge or "INIPI". There are other ceremonies that are larger in scale and scope and require a great deal of preperation....but even these all start with the sweatlodge. This is because in the inipi we become purified, clean both inside and out and therefore fit to seek the council of the spirits and Wakan Tanka(Great Mystery) another word similar to Creator or God.
In general a n inipi ceremony consists of four rounds or "doors" during each door several stones which have been heated in a ceremonial fire, to the point of glowing red hot are brought into the lodge and placed into the stone pit. This is a hole in the center of the lodge floor about 2 feet across and about 1 foot deep. We would generally start with 7 stones. One for Tunkasila....one for Ina Maka (mother earth)....one for each of the cardinal directions (W, N, E, and S) and the seventh for those in the lodge itself. As the stones are brought in, each one is blessed with cedar and prayed over. After all the stones are in place the one leading the ceremony calls for the door keeper to lower the door covering and it all begins. Usually a short welcome is made to everyone and then we sing a spirit calling song. All the while the leader is dipping water onto the stones creating a huge ammount of steam while we ask the spirits to come and attend the ceremony. After this is completed we may sing another song or listen while the leader tells a story or gives us some insight on something that is relevant to the occasion. When all is said and done....this completes the first door and the leader calls to the doorkeeper to raise the flap....letting out all the steam and giving us all a short respite and a cool breath.
The second round is the prayer round. It will start like the first....with more stones being brought in. The door will go back down, more water poured on the stones and we will sing a prayer song. After this we are all given a chance to say prayers and ask for guidance or assistance from those in the spirit world or Tunkasila or the spirits who live in the great directions. We can do this out loud or silently. Sometimes we all pray outloud and all at the same time. All the while more water is being poured over the stones. Again when we are finished we will call for the door to go up to release the steam and the prayers that were made.
The third round sees more stones comming in and this is the pipe round. This is where we remember the sacredCanunpa or sacred pipe. Before the lodge began, the leader loaded a canunpa and placed it on the alter outside. Again more water is poured and we sing pipe songs and the leader will retell some story regarding the origins of the first sacred pipe.( I'll tell you about the Calf Pipe Woman later). Here is where some folks are a little divergent. Some will have the pipe brought in and smoke it at the end of the third door and others will wait until the lodge is over and smoke it outside. I preferr to smoke the pipe at the end of the third door. I have done it both ways but it just seems more fitting to do it in the former. So ends the third round.
The fourth and final door also sees more stones come in. All in all there are generally twenty eight stones used in an inipi ceremony. This is the spirit releasing round or Wopila (thankyou) round. There are releasing songs and thankyou songs sung here while the water is being poured and everything starts to wind down. Its been about an hour and a half in the lodge with all that steam and heat but it is a good feeling overall. You are refreshed and alert and very open....spiritually. You seem to be operating on a higher level than normal. This is from the contact with the spirits....they bring you that energy, that awareness, that inner spiritual cleanness.
Now we all come outside and if there is a stream nearby we can take a dip to cool off and if not we just towel off and have a nice cold (non alcoholic) drink. Generally water or iced tea and sometimes sodas do the trick. Every now and hen someone will think to bring some food too. Anything from donuts and chips to a regular feast can be enjoyed while we all sit around and talk. Thats what it is all about too....making relations....enjoying all your relations.
Mitakuye Oya'sin