Invocation By A Shaman

INVOCATION BY A SHAMAN.

The invocation and its explanation were given in Lakota by Sword and interpreted by Thomas Mills.

Before a Shaman can perform a ceremony in which mysterious beings or things have a part, he should fill and light a pipe and say:--

p. 157

"Friend of Wakinyan, I pass the pipe to you first. Circling I pass to you who dwell with the Father. Circling pass to beginning day. Circling pass to the beautiful one. Circling I complete the four quarters and the time. I pass the pipe to the Father with the Sky. I smoke with the Great Spirit. Let us have a blue day."

The pipe is used because the smoke from the pipe smoked in communion has the potency of the feminine god who mediates between godkind and mankind, and propitiates the godkind. When a Shaman offers the pipe to a god, the god smokes it and is propitiated. In this invocation, when the Shaman has filled and lighted the pipe he should point the mouthpiece toward the west and say, "Friend of Wakinyan, I pass the pipe to you first." Thus, he offers the pipe to the West Wind, for the West Wind dwells in the lodge of Wakinyan and is his friend. The pipe should he offered to the West Wind first, because the birthright of precedence of the oldest was taken from the first born, the North Wind, and given to the second born, the West Wind, and the gods are very jealous of the order of their precedence.

When he has made this offering the Shaman should move the pipe toward his right hand, the mouthpiece pointing toward the horizon, until it points toward the north. Then he should say, "Circling, I pass to you who dwells with the grandfather." Thus, he offers the pipe to the North Wind, for because of an offence against the feminine god, the Great Spirit condemned the North Wind to dwell forever with his grandfather, who is Wazi, the wizard. Then the Shaman should move the pipe in the same manner, until the mouthpiece points toward the east and should say, "Circling pass to beginning day." This is an offering to the East Wind, for his lodge is where the day begins and he may be addressed as the "beginning day." Then the Shaman should move the pipe in the same manner until the mouthpiece points toward the south, and say, "Circling, pass to the beautiful one." This is an offering to the South Wind, for the "beautiful one" is the feminine god who is the companion of the South Wind and dwells in his lodge, which is under the sun at midday. It pleases the South Wind to be addressed through his companion rather than directly.

The Four Winds are the akicita or messengers of the gods and in all ceremonies they have precedence over all other gods and for this reason should be the first addressed.

When the offering has been made to the South Wind the Shaman should move the pipe in the same manner until the mouthpiece again points toward the west, and say, "Circling I complete the four quarters and the time." He should do this because the Four Winds are the four quarters of the circle and mankind knows not where they may be or whence they may come and the pipe should be offered directly toward them. The four quarters embrace all that are on the world and all that are in the sky. Therefore, by circling the pipe, the offering is made to all the gods. The circle is the symbol of time, for the daytime, the night time, and the moon time are circles above the world, and the year time is a circle around the border of the world. Therefore, the lighted pipe moved in a complete circle is an offering to all the times.

When the Shaman has completed the four quarters and the time he should point the mouthpiece of the pipe toward the sky and say, "I pass the pipe to the father with the sky." This is an offering to the Wind, for when the Four Winds left the lodge of their father, the Wind, he went from it. and dwells with the sky. He controls the seasons and the weather, and he should he propitiated when good weather is desired,

Then the Shaman should smoke the pipe and while doing so, should say, "I smoke with the Great Spirit. Let us have a blue day."

p. 158

To smoke with the Great Spirit means that the one smoking is in communion with the Great Spirit. Then he may make a prayer. The prayer here is for a blue day. Ordinarily, a blue day means a cloudless or successful day. When a Shaman formally prays for a blue day, it means an enjoyable day and an effective performance of a ceremony.