Cedar Woman
Page 9
“I called my ex at work, and told him that I thought that the trailer had been hit, and I had no idea of how to handle it. I then realized that my hands hurt like they had been burned, and my arms felt as if they
were on fire. He asked if we were okay. I was so dazed that I told him
that I thought that we were all right, but I wasn't sure. He asked if I
65 Hey-oh-Ka – Laughs on the outside and cries in the inside. Chosen not self-appointed, they are considered holy people.
66 Wee-chah-sha wah-kahn – Holy men
67 Tdah-nee-kah-ween – Old Woman Hill or Old Woman Ridge
wanted him to come home, or if I needed to go to the hospital, and again
I told him no.
“The next day, the neighbor came over and asked me if I knew anything about the weird lights that had surrounded the back door, outdoor power outlet, porch light and dryer vent the night before. I told
her no, that I didn't know anything about it, but that I thought that the
trailer had been hit by lightning, so we walked around back to see if there was any damage. There were what resembled scorch marks around the light fixture, outlet, door and dryer vent. I realized that there had been something like St. Elmo's fire or a ball lightning. I called my insurance agent, and he came right over to see for himself what happened.
“He told me that I had to go to the doctor to have my burns treated, and he would deal with the trailer. I refused to go, and insisted on
treating my burns myself, although none of us had ever seen anything
like them before. They resembled something like a fern pattern, and traced up both my forearms. After suffering with the burns and migraine for almost a week, I finally broke down and called the doctor. She insisted that I come in to be seen, so my ex got a neighbor to stay with the kids while I was at the clinic.
“It turns out that no one in the clinic had ever treated a lightning strike victim, and had no idea as to how to treat me, so they basically
‘band-aided’ my wounds and sent me to a neurologist. He had never treated a lightning victim either, but he was willing to listen to me and
take my symptoms seriously.
“I had a whole battery of tests and blood work. Other than the burns and a few other minor things, I looked fine on paper, but his instincts told him that something was wrong, so he ordered a CT, MRI and EEG test done on me. They found minor burns in my brain, and I had some digestive problems, but nothing too serious there. Then they realized that I had burned off the myelin sheaths for my nerves in both forearms and the palms of my hands.
“I'll spare you the rest of the gory details, but I was given some antidepressants, a migraine medication, and something to help me sleep,
since I could not sleep, no matter how tired I was.
“We later realized that the lightning had missed the metal siding on the trailer and the oak tree, and had entered the trailer through the metal roof, traveled down the wiring and plumbing for the washer and dryer, and somehow I completed the circuit, which caused me to get hit by lightning.
“About a year later in early October, we had bought a house, and I was sleeping in our water bed. A storm came up, and a bolt of lightning came in through the window of the bedroom and flashed over the water
bed mattress, getting me in the process. I woke up, realized what was
happening, and could only lie there, waiting for it to be over. I then rolled
over and went back to sleep after taking stock of my body, realizing that I
was not burned and would be ok.
“I called my sisters Sharon and Bekki, who were living in Des Moines at the time. They told me that I needed to go to Lodge and pray about it, so I made arrangements to go stay with them so that I could go
to Lodge.
“Our Lodge Keeper lived in the Ames, Iowa area, so we had to leave almost as soon as I dropped off my clothes at Sharon's, since it was roughly an hour to get there. It turns out that I had several cousins there, and two of them were Sun Dancers.
“My cousin Paul had invited another cousin, Lester, to pour water for us, so I made my offering of tobacco to both of them, asking them if I could sweat. They both accepted, and very soon, my sisters and I were tying our prayer ties68 in preparation for the ceremony to come.
“While we were getting ready to sweat, a storm moved in, and I knew I was in deep poo, as I was terrified of lightning. I was told that if I prayed and offered my pipe as I made my way from the house to the Lodge, I would be ok. It took a bit to convince me to walk out there, but I finally gave in. And ya know, I will never forget the sky that night. All around us, in each of the four directions, were sheets of lightning, but right above the Lodge the sky was clear!
“I was joking around with my friends about how I was NOT going to get the 'hot seat', you know,” Julie said, nodding to Reva, “the seat directly across the pit, and cracking all kinds of bad jokes, then suddenly it was time to go into the Lodge. We were stacked in, two deep, and of course I was in the ‘hot seat’," Julie said wryly, grimacing at the irony.
"As I settled into my seat, I realized that there was a prayer staff in front of me and on it was an owl feather.69 I groaned and asked if anyone would be willing to trade places with me, with no takers, cha!" she chuckled. "Anyway, the ceremony started, and as we reached the Third Door,70 our Water Pourer suddenly announced:
'There are two people here who have a connection to the storm outside of this Lodge. One of them claims to be Heyoka but they are not, while the other refuses to acknowledge the path before them.'
He then turned to our friend Mark and said:
68 Small squares of cloth, about 1" square, usually made as a group: pinches of tobacco are placed in them while praying. Different colors have different meanings, and the color used depends on what is being prayed for. Participants also tie in the Altar colors of the Water Pourer. The number that you tie depends on what the Water Pourer tells you to tie.
69 The owl is the messenger often used by hayokas.
70 The third of the four doors or rounds of a sweat lodge ceremony
'Mark, you have a fascination with the Wakinyan, but you are not a Heyoka. That is not the path that you are meant to follow. Spot, YOU are the one who the Wangi are speaking of when they say that there is one here who is refusing the path before them. You need to stop and look at your actions today, in this sacred place, and tell me that you are not a Contrary.’
“Well, you can imagine my reaction to THAT!
“However, it was made clear to me that this was my path, and that I had no choice but to follow it, however unorthodox it may have been. Normally to become one of us, you must dream of the Wakinyan while on your Vision Quest, but I was never given that option.
“After the sweat, it was decided that there would be a naming ceremony, and three people would receive names. The first two were
called out, and an Eagle plume was tied in their hair as they were given
their new names, then my name was called. Lester told me that I was going to be given a Heyoka name that night.
“As my new name, Two Strikes, was announced, I realized that there would be no Eagle plume to tie into my hair. None was offered, and then I understood what it truly meant to be Heyoka. We are the ones
who laugh while crying, the sacred fools who are both above and below
the rules.”
"Do you still have problems with injuries from the strike?" questioned Nickie.
"Ohan, yes, I do!" replied Julie. "I still can't sleep, and my memory is really bad! I also go through light bulbs, computer parts, TVs, and
anything else electronic because of the strike!
“I still have pain issues, but have learned to compensate for my memory and pain over the years. I stopped taking all the meds, and now just take B vitamins for pain management and an over-the-counter pain reliever with a sleep aid to help me sleep at night. Oh, and I have post-it notes and notepads everyw
here at home so that I can remember important things more easily!
“It's funny though," she continued, "my symptoms seem to change over time, new ones can appear, old ones disappear and some never quite seem to go away. My neurologist says that I am doing remarkably well, and he is astounded at how well I have learned to adapt to my limitations. I am one of the lucky ones, I had two indirect strikes, and I have relatively minor problems compared to some of my friends that belong to the Lightning Strike support group I belong to! Every day I thank Tunkasila for the new day, and I try to own my symptoms, rather than them owning me." she concluded with a sigh.71
71 End dialog by Julie Spotted Eagle Horse Martineau
Lena realized that she had been sitting with her mouth open. Closing it abruptly, she attempted to digest all that she had seen and heard. Unci, giggling like a young girl, and then voicing appreciation of handsome, young men, the description of her lightning strikes and the easy manner which she had slipped into with Julie.
Lena was also in awe of what both women had endured. She had never thought about her unci’s lightning strikes before. They were a part of everyday life, nothing unusual, just there, like the color of her hair and
the remarkable color of her eyes. Her reverie was interrupted at the
sound of her unci’s voice.
“I too carry with me the marks of the Wakinyan Zitka,” Reva continued.
“My left ear no longer receives the sounds of Creator’s birds and my right ear rings like the old test pattern they used to have. You know,
with the old Indian head on the TV screen,” Reva chuffed. “My left arm often has spasms and my left hand is weak.” Reva contemplated her left
thumb, bereft of its last digit.
“There are nights when sleep evades me, and there is often a weakness on my left side,” Reva continued, almost to herself. Lena was astounded. Never had she heard her unci voice these symptoms, and her admiration for the matriarch increased tremendously.
“But enough of that,”Reva announced. Leaning forward, she playfully tapped Julie’s knee with a bony finger.
“I wonder if we are related. What Oyate are you from?"
"Pesla, from over around Brotherhood. I'm one of the Young Bear cousins." Julie replied.
"Hey, some of your Tiyospiye are from Rosebud ya? Most of mine are too, and I have some family over on Pine Ridge, although we try to over look that, ennit! Not all of us can be Sicangus,"72 Reva grinned as Julie rolled her eyes.
"My mother passed on the name of Wambli Gleska73 to my son," she continued. "He was named in honor of his great grandfather,
Nathaniel Spotted Eagle. Are you one of his Oyate?”
Julie nodded and smiled. “Yes Unci, he is my great-Uncle.”
“Ohan! Lila Waste!” exclaimed Reva, clasping her hands together. "I knew we were related" she crowed. "You have a strong resemblance to that family!"
"Ya, I know" Julie replied, shaking her head and making a wry face. "I get that a lot!"
72 Shee-kahn-gjoo – the name of the dominant group or "camp" that inhabits
Rosebud. One of the Seven Camps of the Sioux Nation.
73 Wahmblee Glay-shkah – Spotted Eagle
Once skinship was established, Julie felt comfortable with looking
Reva directly in the eye, and felt free to offer her home for the Hunkapi. “Unci,” she offered, “I live about an hour north of here, and I have
an inipi74 set up at home. You are welcome to use both the Lodge and my home for the ceremonies.”
Reva gazed at Julie with gratitude. She had planned to ask Joe Red
Bear for the use of his lodge, but he was called away suddenly to help a relative in South Dakota. This would solve her problem nicely and allow her to get to know this fascinating young kinswoman better.
“Ohan,” Reva nodded. “I will be grateful and honored.”
The air was ripe with moisture and sat heavy upon the sweat lodge, located in the middle of the long backyard behind the small house of Julie Spotted Eagle Horse. Her husband, Matthew, whom she jokingly referred to as her “token cowboy,” was acting as the Door Keeper for the Lodge, and was getting ready to transfer the large stones, which had been heating all day, into the central pit of the sweat lodge. As it was a woman's lodge, no men would be entering it with them, but they were permitted to act as Door Keepers and Helpers.
Julie was overseeing the feast that would follow, and greeting the guests who were arriving for this most solemn occasion.
As relatives, Julie and Reva held mutual status, and Julie was therefore free to invite various relatives and friends for the occasion.
Lena was in awe as she was introduced to one relative after another. Julie, ever gracious, tried not to overwhelm the girl, but felt that she
needed as much exposure to her culture as possible.
Earlier that afternoon, Julie invited Lena to her bedroom.
“Cha!” she exclaimed, “I have some things I would like for you to see,” Julie said, as she started toward the back of the four-room house.
Smiling, Lena acquiesced and followed Julie to her small, but neat, sleeping chamber.
As they entered, Lena touched Julie’s shoulder and offered, “I guess you’re interested in my unusual eye color.”
“Ohan, yes.” Julie affirmed. “Your eyes are quite beautiful and
remarkable.”
Lena explained to Julie the condition, called sectoral heterochromia iridis.
“I remember the first time my mother noticed,” she remembered, “She actually gasped!” Lena laughed.
“I can only imagine that your mother was quite surprised.” Julie
responded.
74 Inipi – Ee-nee-pee - Sweat lodge
Lena nodded and offered,
“So, you wanted to show me something?” ending the conversation graciously. Smiling, Julie linked her arm in Lena’s, and drew her to a chest of drawers which stood near a window. The subject was finished, but Julie’s thoughts continued her contemplation of the amazing gift Creator had bestowed upon the lovely girl.
Mentally shrugging, Julie pulled out a jewel box, and began to show Lena different belts and purses executed in exquisite beadwork. There were knife sheaths and chokers, roaches and earrings, all done with the same superb artistry.
Lena examined each article with awe, exclaiming over their design, colors, and the mastery of workmanship.
"Most of what you see has either been handed down over the generations through my family, or has been made by myself or
Matthew," Julie explained.
Lena nodded, a look of admiration in her exquisite eyes.
Julie watched Lena carefully, and clearing her throat, posed the question,
“Lena, how much about The People do you know?”
Lena gazed into Julie’s eyes for a few seconds before answering: “There aren't many of us in Ohio, so I don't know as much as I'd
like to. My mother has taught me many things, but she left the reservation so young: she was only sixteen. My father works, or used to
work, sixteen-hour days until his accident. Still,” Lena continued, “my parents have made sure that I understand the ways of The People, our
prayers and beliefs, and how to walk the Good Red Road. They have
taught me to walk with the earth and not just upon it. But I want to learn more, you know? I've enjoyed being here and filling my soul with these experiences.”
Julie smiled. She had guessed as much, and was pleased with
Lena’s honest answer.
“Watch tonight, wincincila,75 and you will learn much. Now, to the kitchen! Where are Vicki and Nickie? We are gonna need help! This is a
Lakota house, and no one must go unfed!”
It was late afternoon. Julie prepared to smudge herself and the surroundings, in order to prepare for the ceremonies about to take place. Carrying a smoldering bowl filled with sacred grasses, Julie walked to the center of the enclosure where the
Naming Ceremony, Sweat Lodge Ceremony and Hunkapi were to be held.