kihci-asotamâtowin [Keeh-TSI-us-SOO-tu-MAA-toe-win] – Sacred Promises to One Another, the Treaty Sovereign’s Sacred Undertakings
“The pipe is a link between the earth and the sky,” explains White Deer of Autumn. “Nothing is more sacred. The pipe is our prayers in physical form. Smoke becomes our words; it goes out, touches everything, and becomes a part of all there is. The fire in the pipe is the same fire in the sun, which is the source of life.”
I believe that pipe ceremonies offer me the teachings of listening, speaking truthfully, and healing. The sacred ceremonies invite it’s participants to engage in a meaningful ceremony of healing, as we listen and speak truthfully to the words of the Creator and those who speak the truth of the teachings today. Pipe ceremonies are sacred traditions that remain private unless you are participating personally in the ceremony. I believe this is an important practice for many to learn, that some things are best experienced, not talked about and rumored of. The ceremony is kept pure and special by being partaken in personally, instead of in rumored discussion from those sharing their own thoughts.
Pipe ceremonies related to treaties as covenants is important to remember when analyzing what it means to partake in a pipe ceremony. Treaties as covenants is remembering the cherished promises we make and taking it upon ourselves to partake in ceremonies that respect and abide by the agreements we are making. I believe it is important to reflect upon treaties and covenants as the same thing, both are agreements that are formal and binding. The process of making it formal and binding may depend on those involved. In respect to the treaties, the pipe ceremonies were used as a process by the First Nations peoples to share in a sacred tradition with the settlers as a means of beginning to share their land and lives with them. Treaties are sacred promises and the means we use to celebrate and acknowledge those agreements are process such as pipe ceremonies.
Spirituality for me is a major part of my treaty identities miskâsowin. Although not only limited to my Christianity, I do relate it very much so to my spirituality because of how I was raised. I was raised Roman Catholic and my parents and grandparents still practice the Catholic faith in their every day lives. I myself still believe in the higher power of God and in a life every death, etc. What I struggle with is the practices and teachings of the church. By the time I graduated high school I had began to see how judgmental and limited our church was. They were not accepting of those with low socio-economic status or of homosexuals, even though they were preaching that they were accepting of all people in the Church of God. I struggled believing that God would ever encourage or support the type of judgment that occurs within the four walls of the church. Even though I struggle with my beliefs and supports of the Catholic Church, I still believe my religion is a large part of my spirituality.
In respect to my whole being in the mental, emotional, and physical senses, I think my spirituality is a big part of my treaty identity. To be a treaty person, one must acknowledge the land we inhabit, who owns the land, how we treat the land, and who we share it with. As a treaty person one must be confident in their whole being and the manners in which they present themselves to the world. Understanding our spirituality means to be prepared to support and speak up for the rights of all people. To do so we must be of sound mind, body, and spirit.