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The Inipi and Black Hills

Author


Vivian and Nathalie

07th of July, 2019

Category


Pine Ridge '19

The Inipi: we took part in a traditional Lakota ceremony called inipi, which means “to live”, and is shaped like the mother’s womb, representing rebirth. The inipi is a dark canvassed tent that is heated with many hot stones from a fire. Inside, we sit by decreasing age in a circle, and participate in prayers in Lakota and our native tongue. The purpose of this ceremony is to connect with ourselves and our ancestors to give thanks to the higher powers and pray for our family and friends. Once out of the inipi, we are given sage leaves to rub over our bodies to cleanse ourselves, then threw them in the fire to burn.
Black Hills (Ȟe Sápa): we took a long drive to the beautiful Black Hills, the most sacred place of the Lakota. While we were there we visited the birth place of the Lakota, the Wind Cave. We also gathered sage leaves for the children’s healing camp. Before we pick the leaves, we make an offering by spreading tobacco on the ground and saying a prayer. We cut the sage as the buffalo would eat it, just above the root, leaving it intact so it can continue to grow. We had enough leaves for the ceremonies at the children’s healing camp. It was a great bonding experience to connect with the other members of the group and our Lakota brothers and sisters while learning about the importance of the sage leaves and Black Hills for the Lakota.

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