Preparing for the Lakota Vision Quest – Part 2

Passerines sang and greeted the day. Doves cooed and a woodpecker rat-a-tat-tatted somewhere nearby. We woke with the dawn, but lingered in our warm sleeping bags till around 0700. Insects of all sizes, shadowy shapes and varieties, mostly grasshoppers, perched on the outside walls of the tent probably wondering who had invaded their field and why.

I tromped through the knee high, dew wet grass in my long skirt to collect our Coleman stove and supplies from the car to make morning tea and breakfast. We would later use a couple pair of hand scissors to clip grass and clear the paths to our tents and some shady working areas.

We were keen to determine what 'support' for Brad and Catrina entailed. We wanted to get this right. We knew it wasn't financial... Brad had made that clear. It was just being here. We recalled his words once again “Eat when I cannot eat. Drink when I cannot drink.” We learned more each day that we were with them. They shared oatmeal and tea for breakfast with us that first morning and then they began more preparations for their quest.

Now I must caution you that I write what I observe. We are neophytes when it comes to Lakota ways and culture and don't pretend to know much. We asked lots of questions and many times received conflicting or at least differing answers. That said, read on and let us share with you our impressions and perceptions of the Lakota vision quest ceremony in which we participated.

Collecting sage must be done in a thoughtful, respectful way.

Freshly collected sprigs of sage would later be burned for smudging or used to wrap ceremonial objects for the quests.

Sage grows wild in the surrounding fields and we helped them collect it. Prairie sage is an important medicinal and ceremonial plant of the Lakota culture. When burned, it is used for purification purposes such as smudging. The kids provided careful instruction on the collection process. It must be cut, not yanked by the roots from the ground (sustainability is important) and it was best to harvest one or two from a thickly settled area rather than collect it all in one spot. We should sprinkle water or tobacco wherever we cut to thank nature and the plant itself. Everything must be gathered in a way that honors the earth. The kids would eventually wrap many of their ceremonial materials in this dusty gray-green herb.

Brad’s quest blanket

Both Catrina and Brad had purchased new, beautiful woolen blankets for use during the quest. They hung them on a makeshift clothesline Brad had strung for that very purpose. Beside the blankets, Catrina had hung a simple dress that she would wear to her quest. Surprisingly, when the ceremony was complete, they would give these blankets away along with most other things they had purchased specifically for the quest. Gratitude and generosity are two important tenets of Lakota beliefs.

Catrina’s colorful vision quest blanket

Throughout the day, we would gather together in a shady area... they would be working assiduously and we'd be looking on, asking questions and observing their activities. As they painstakingly completed their tasks, they patiently answered our many queries. Other members of 'family' would stop by, sometimes just to chat and introduce themselves, other times to answer questions or provide guidance. We wondered and asked when the actual ceremony would take place and Brad answered 'when it's time'. Not our kind of answer, but an appropriate one.

A friend had crafted a special wooden box for Catrina in which she kept quest objects, herbs and other valued items.

Prior to most of the tasks associated with their quest, they would 'smudge' whereby they rolled bits of sage into a ball and placed them in an abalone shell and burned them. The smoke would be then be waved around them in a proscribed fashion as a cleansing and purification ritual with the intention of ridding themselves of unwanted influences... physically and mentally. We endeavored to understand and take it all in. When offered opportunities to help or participate, we gladly did.

We learned about the purification benefits of smudging. Above, sage is smoldering in an abalone shell as David passes the smoke all around his body.

Another item that was necessary for them to purchase new and take with them was a knife. Brad had purchased a carved quartz blade a few years ago, but it lacked a hilt. This year, he had found a suitable piece of aspen branch from his grandmother's mountain cabin property and fashioned it into a hilt, carefully and laboriously lashing it to the blade.

Brad fashioned a small aspen branch into a hilt, then carefully and laboriously lashed it to the carved quartz blade.

Other items each had collected or purchased for their quests were a metal bucket and ladle, abalone buttons, measures of red, white, yellow and black cotton cloth and red felt material. A few items would later be borrowed or given to them by other members of the tribe: an eagle feather, chokecherry sticks and a ceremonial pipe (a chanunpa).

Catrina was constantly busy with her quest preparations.

They'd already made 400 prayer ties each which had been strung with white twine... 100 each of red, white, black and yellow... and rolled into balls. Colors play a significant role in the Lakota culture. According to an article, “Ivan Star: Sharing Lakota perspectives and meanings of colors”, (and I paraphrase) Black is representative of honor, respect and adulthood and acknowledges the wind, water, thunder and lightning that reside in the West. Red is a color of the North and denotes perseverance, endurance, pureness, and wisdom of the Elders (aka the 'white hairs'). Yellow signifies the source of light that usually comes from the East. It also represents the beginning of understanding, a symbol of light and a time of rebirth. White represents the south and denotes the source of life and is a symbolic representation of intellect. Four seems to be a significant number for the Lakota as it is for many cultures... four directions, four seasons, four elements... all of which must be acknowledged.

Catrina carefully and laboriously wrapped sprigs of sage around the knives, the bucket and ladle handles and other items that would accompany her on her quest and then secured them with long strips of red cotton fabric. Brad did the same.

We watched as they carefully and laboriously wrapped branches of sage around the knives, the bucket and ladle handles and other items that would accompany them on their quest and secured them with long strips of red cotton fabric. With large pieces of red felt material, they fashioned what Brad called 'prayer robes', a sort of flag which would mark the four corners of the their quest 'altar', symbolic of the four directions.

There are so many traditions and so much symbolism to be considered. Many of the procedures were familiar to us in an indirect sort of way. Homage to the directions and elements and the symbolism of color play a role in many cultures that we’ve experienced. The never-ending circle of life, clan memories and traditions, oral legends and myths are pervasive worldwide.

We determined that part of the support we were providing to them was just being there and spending time with them. The more practical side of the support was preparing small meals for them while they prepared for their quests. When we left to go sailing 20+ years ago, we left our family behind. The kids were out of the house and out of college by then, but still we were gone without them. During that time, we missed out on their daily lives. Many of the conversations we had dealt with issues relating to our absence. For the first time in a long time, we had long, meaningful substantive discussions that gave us all a clearer understanding of each other.

Each day provided new insights into our duties, the kids' goals and the vision quest process. Join us next time as we are informed that the holy man says ‘it’s time.'