HOLMES
the last two days there was a traditional healer at the health center , he worked with his wife and he was one year older then me.
in fact for me when I looked at him it was a mirror of how I could of been if i followed my traditions and shamanism i think.
so yesterday I went to talk to him and we talked about the various things in the limited time we had.
1. sweat lodge he does it in the day time.
there was a option for him to do a sweat lodge in the evening as that is how we do it around here I guess. I said to him " that must be yours guys beliefs then eh ? " when he said they do it in the day time,, and he said " no it isn't our beliefs but we dont know what comes in the night".
the reason why I asked about is , I was outside listening to some discussion about the secreteary and one of the workers if they wanted a lodge tonight,, and the worker said no as there wasn't a comfirmation.
2. shaking tent in the day time as well.
so i quickly asked I guess you guys would prefer to do the shaking tent in the day as well and they agreed.
ohh so when i introduced myself yesterday I asked what is it that they do,, as previously the other traditional healers did healing,,for one in kenora i stood on a white while she prayed and gave me some herbs for example.
he said they work with the spirits to take out things.. after i asked if it was like shamanism where you use a rattle to go on journeys and take out spirit attachements.
so once he started talking about that, i listened to any jewels..
it was their first trip to eagle and their first trip out of his home reserve which I think is manitoba .
I watched as he packed up the stuff (they spend some time after clients to close down the energy, spirits etc, in the room ) , and there was a big plastic continer with some dirty water and i think matches, (not sure ) that they put the bad medicine/energy.
as i talked a bit about what I do,, the wife said "sounds like a medium " to which I said i did some research on it,, but havent' really worked on it,, as next time they come i would to work on any blockages to that.
so as he got ready he said "once he was trying to do too much in the lodge and the bear got mad and growled which was heard inside and outside of the lodge.. " to which i compared it to the bible story of the moses and how he struck the rock to make the water come out and that is why he didnt' go into the promised land. (least what i remember from the picture bible ).
and we smiled and he said "one thing that isnt' talked in there is to love your mate." , and i i said it was probaly the old male mind set of "honor and obey "..
i mentioned we have a massage table over there packed up and he looked behind him and said "really "? and they actually used it today ,, and he said yesterday that in their tradition they work on people on a bed.
as we walked outside i talked briefly to his wife and how she didn't want to use herbs in a story for you dont' know if the woman was on her time when she picked the herbs or if the person was drunk.
she then mention she and her husband hasn't dranked in 17 years.. as she walked out..
then her husand and i walked out and he talked about how people are scared to get worked on,, and i said "it is due to lack of education about it " and shared how i get called witch doctor once or twice long ago,.
that came about for i made a voodo joke and he said,, "it is amazing how many people say it is voodoo",, and i said really "?
when I was waiting to talk to him i reads in a magazine outside that talked about the residential schools were like..
in particular was a story about a boy who wasn't allowed to talk to his sister even if they were in the same room, and how often they had to say the rosary which was quite a bit.
so with that fresh in my mind what we talked about rang true.
the major thing for me is that it isnt' old peeps doing it but a man who is relatively young ,, 38 and the possiblity of him coming to give workshops to eduate people on that.
in closing he was busy yesterday and today going from 9 to 6ish when he came out of the room and so due to the long drive he had to make to go home,, all we really did was shake hands and acknowledged each other.
(though i made sure the worker knew about the sweat lodge and shaking tents during the day so it could be possibly be set up for the next time ).
in fact for me when I looked at him it was a mirror of how I could of been if i followed my traditions and shamanism i think.
so yesterday I went to talk to him and we talked about the various things in the limited time we had.
1. sweat lodge he does it in the day time.
there was a option for him to do a sweat lodge in the evening as that is how we do it around here I guess. I said to him " that must be yours guys beliefs then eh ? " when he said they do it in the day time,, and he said " no it isn't our beliefs but we dont know what comes in the night".
the reason why I asked about is , I was outside listening to some discussion about the secreteary and one of the workers if they wanted a lodge tonight,, and the worker said no as there wasn't a comfirmation.
2. shaking tent in the day time as well.
so i quickly asked I guess you guys would prefer to do the shaking tent in the day as well and they agreed.
ohh so when i introduced myself yesterday I asked what is it that they do,, as previously the other traditional healers did healing,,for one in kenora i stood on a white while she prayed and gave me some herbs for example.
he said they work with the spirits to take out things.. after i asked if it was like shamanism where you use a rattle to go on journeys and take out spirit attachements.
so once he started talking about that, i listened to any jewels..
it was their first trip to eagle and their first trip out of his home reserve which I think is manitoba .
I watched as he packed up the stuff (they spend some time after clients to close down the energy, spirits etc, in the room ) , and there was a big plastic continer with some dirty water and i think matches, (not sure ) that they put the bad medicine/energy.
as i talked a bit about what I do,, the wife said "sounds like a medium " to which I said i did some research on it,, but havent' really worked on it,, as next time they come i would to work on any blockages to that.
so as he got ready he said "once he was trying to do too much in the lodge and the bear got mad and growled which was heard inside and outside of the lodge.. " to which i compared it to the bible story of the moses and how he struck the rock to make the water come out and that is why he didnt' go into the promised land. (least what i remember from the picture bible ).
and we smiled and he said "one thing that isnt' talked in there is to love your mate." , and i i said it was probaly the old male mind set of "honor and obey "..
i mentioned we have a massage table over there packed up and he looked behind him and said "really "? and they actually used it today ,, and he said yesterday that in their tradition they work on people on a bed.
as we walked outside i talked briefly to his wife and how she didn't want to use herbs in a story for you dont' know if the woman was on her time when she picked the herbs or if the person was drunk.
she then mention she and her husband hasn't dranked in 17 years.. as she walked out..
then her husand and i walked out and he talked about how people are scared to get worked on,, and i said "it is due to lack of education about it " and shared how i get called witch doctor once or twice long ago,.
that came about for i made a voodo joke and he said,, "it is amazing how many people say it is voodoo",, and i said really "?
when I was waiting to talk to him i reads in a magazine outside that talked about the residential schools were like..
in particular was a story about a boy who wasn't allowed to talk to his sister even if they were in the same room, and how often they had to say the rosary which was quite a bit.
so with that fresh in my mind what we talked about rang true.
the major thing for me is that it isnt' old peeps doing it but a man who is relatively young ,, 38 and the possiblity of him coming to give workshops to eduate people on that.
in closing he was busy yesterday and today going from 9 to 6ish when he came out of the room and so due to the long drive he had to make to go home,, all we really did was shake hands and acknowledged each other.
(though i made sure the worker knew about the sweat lodge and shaking tents during the day so it could be possibly be set up for the next time ).