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Native Americans commune with the Great Spirit by smoking the scared
pipe and by feathering themselves with sweetgrass, allowing the smoke to convey
their prayers throughout the Sacred Hoop to Great Spirit.
During private and group
ceremonies, prayers are transmitted through the smoke of the sacred pipe.
The pipe bowl is symbolic of the
female and the wooden pipe stem symbolizes the male. The joining of the two
represents the connection between Mother Earth and all the creatures that
inhabit Earth.
The pipe bowl may be made of
soapstone or wood and often resembles an Animal Totem. The bowl may be
inlaid with silver, decorated with beads and leather and painted with symbolic
colors.
There are sacred pipes used
only by men or only by women. A sacred pipe belongs to the community so the
holder of a scared pipe must spiritually earn the right to be its custodian,
usually through cleansing or fasting.
The sacred pipe was used by the
great chiefs to seal the peace treaties with the white man because it bore the
same special ceremonial significance to them as taking an oath on the Holy Bible
did to the white man.
This Pipe Ceremony is a
ceremony which an Elder oversees. Elders are men and women, regardless of age,
who have been infused with Wisdom and other spiritual gifts from the Great
Spirit.
After the participants gather
together in a circle, the Elder lights a braid of sweetgrass to symbolize the
unity of the many minds and hearts present and smudges each person in the
circle... Continue on
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Native American Sacred Hoop Visionquest 
