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The Hoop Journey Begins in Billings!
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The
day in Billings began with a smudging ceremony outside
the Garfield School. Don Coyhis (with Eagle Fan) passes
the sage around (sunwise) to Moke Eaglefeathers (white
shirt) , Nona Longknife (purple dress), Vera Parker,
Mike Londe, and Marion Scofield.
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All
the people followed single file as the Hoop was carried
into the gym by Moke Eaglefeathers, Vera Parker, Mike
Londe and Marion Scofield. Nona Longknife sang during
entry of the Sacred Hoop. Her clear and powerful voice
echoed in the gym, a fitting way to begin a Journey
dedicated to the healing of women and children.
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Wellbriety
Day in Billings begins with a ceremony blessing the
Cycle of Life--Baby, Youth, Adult and Elder.
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One
of the highlights of the Wellbriety Day event in Billings
is a panel of women from all four directions. In "Women
of the Four Directions Recovering From Abuse" five panelists,
Dorie Hendrickson, Dawn Sadler, Mandy Jackson, Jonnie
Jackson, and Jaye Pickiens shared from their hearts
with the hope that sharing their recovery and Wellbriety
will inspire other women to take the step onto the path
of healing for themselves, their children, family and
community.
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The
day winds to a close as Moke Eaglefeathers presents
Don Coyhis an Eagle Feather to further honor the work
of Wellbriety, and to send off and bless the Journey
of the Sacred Hoop, 2002.
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A
participant offers tobacco during the closing Hoop Ceremony
in Billings, Montana. after this, the Hoop was carried
out, followed by all the people walking in a single,
long line. Outdoors once again, there were four eagles
circling in the sky.
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Rain
fell during the night, blessing the start of Hoop Journey,
2002 in Billings Montana. On Friday night, before the first
Wellbriety Day of the Journey, Mike Londe and Moke Eaglefeathers
from the Billings area poured the water at a sweat lodge in
order to start the Journey in a good way. On Saturday morning
the mist cleared away in time for an outdoor smudging ceremony
on the lawn of the Garfield School.
How
was Wellbriety Day in Billings? "It was traditional. Awesome,"
said Don Coyhis, of White Bison. "Everybody followed the
Hoop in early in the morning, and then followed the Hoop out
at the end of the day when we were done. When the Hoop was
put away some of the people cried."
The
Opening Prayer was given after the Hoop was set up and the
people seated. The Prayer was offered by Red Cloud, from the
Crow Tribe. His prayer was powerful and good, and he ended
it with a Pipe Ceremony shared with 4 men from the audience.
Don
Coyhis then told the Story of the Hoop and previous Journeys
in 1999 and 2000. Everyone watched the Hoop Journey Video,
Healing a Nation. Don then told the story of Brandy
Jo, the Red Silhouette of a five year old child who died in
an incident of domestic violence. Brandy Jo travels with Hoop
Journey III, just as she did on Hoop Journey II in 2000.
After
a wonderful lunch of buffalo burgers and fry bread, a panel
presentation was put on by people from the local community.
In ''Women of the Four Directions Recovering from Abuse,"
four women shared their moving stories. Some had been in recovery
for a while and some were seeking Wellbriety. They shared
from their hearts with the hope that through sharing their
secrets, their fears, and their recovery and Wellbriety, other
women would be inspired to "take that step" onto the path
of healing for themselves and their children, family, and
community.
After
the women shared,the people moved down from the bleachers
and the chairs were placed in a big circle for the Healing
Ceremony called "Take a Walk with Me," conducted by Don Coyhis.Through
this ceremony people had a chance to share with others some
of their own troubles and secrets just by walking across the
circle in response to different questions. After that, many
people said they didn't feel so alone. They felt closer as
a community because of the intimacy in that circle and the
sharing that went on there.
The
Closing Prayer was given by Leroy Comes Last of the Fort Peck
Community. He prayed that we all heal and that the women are
able to heal. He said, "My prayer and my hope is that we
heal so that we can respect the Sacred Life Givers, the women."
Nona
Longknife, who sang as the Hoop was carried in that morning,
sang again at the closing Hoop Ceremony while the people offered
their tobacco and prayers for the Journey.
Marion
Scofield, who coordinated the event with others from Billings,
was happy about what the community experienced in Billings.
"Everybody's telling me they had a great time," she
said. "They thought it was a real spiritual enlightenment.
They really enjoyed it. We had about 135 people there. They
liked the sacredness of it. Everyone was already looking forward
to seeing that Hoop and being around it. People prayed and
felt the healing within themselves."
We
want to thank Head Cook Doris and the MANY MANY volunteers
helping Doris in the kitchen to make a wonderful lunch possible.
We thank all those from the Billings area who made Wellbriety
Day possible. We are very grateful to volunteers who do all
this work behind the scenes to help the people and to support
White Bison and the Journey.
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A
Visit to the Nez Perce Nation
Hoop Journey III left Billings for the Nez Perce Nation
in eastern Idaho after bidding farewell to our new friends
in Montana. The Journey to Lapwai, Idaho on the Nez
Perce Reservation took us to the top of mile-high Lolo
Pass, at the Montana-Idaho state line.
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Left
to right, Tom Alfrey, Don Coyhis, David Scott,
and Leo Smith gaze over the land on Lolo Pass.
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Lolo Pass is the route taken
by Nez Perce hunters seeking the buffalo on the plains
of Montana in traditional times. Gaining the pass, we
met three modern Nez Perce warriors, Tom Alfrey, David
Scott and Leo Smith, who came to escort us to the Hoop
Gathering at the tribal center of Lapwai some 175 miles
distant on the reservation. They traveled with us for
several hours as we navigated the winding roads with
the breathtaking view of the swollen river rushing along
with us right beside the road. During the drive we heard
the Nez Perce creation story of the "Heart of the Monster"
as told by our escorts.
The Hoop Gathering was held in
the Lapwai elementary school where we met old friends
Horace and Andrea Axtell, and an assembly of about 85
people there to attend a salmon feast in honor of Don
and the Sacred Hoop Journey. Besides Nez Perce and other
Native people, we were greeted by a diversity of people
with backgrounds including Costa Rican, German, Scot,
Irish, and African.
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Don
Coyhis tells the Story of the Sacred Hoop to Hoop
Journey attendees in the elementary school at
Lapwai, Idaho.
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A local youth group called "Youth
Against Social Injustice" performed interpretative dances
on domestic violence and the balance between women and
men, drugs and alcohol, sexual abuse, and the longing
for world peace. Don was moved by the event and said,
"It was tearful. I got tears in my eyes because that
dance said everything. What they did was beautiful."
Don told the Story of the Hoop,
which was followed by a talking circle on the dream
of the people that went into early hours.
The White Bison Firestarters
group in Lapwai is called Coyote's Children. Their emblem
is a red hand with a coyote paw print in the middle.
Their vision is "Leading the People From the Heart of
the Monster," referring back to the Nez Perce creation
story. Their Firestarters and Wellbriety groups welcome
everyone, not just those with drug and alcohol problems.
Horace and Andrea Axtell have come out in support for
White Bison so very often that we were happy to bring
the Hoop to the Nez Perce Nation and make many new friends
there.
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