A Ritual and a Rant
Last week, I had the privilege of attending a Shawnee Sunset Ceremony. The Sunset Ceremony is a way to give thanks to the Creator for having been able to see another day. Mr. Hunt, the man performing the ceremony is half Shawnee on his father’s side. He knows a great deal about his heritage and can even speak the language. The information below is based on my best recollection of the event. I hope I get everything right!
Mr. Hunt wore buckskin leggings and breechclout with a yellow [presumably cotton] shirt. The woven garters for his leggings and his belt were matching in color - yellow, black, and red - and pattern. He also had some sort of decorative accessory on the back of his head though I’m unsure what it was made of… Not feathers, it looked more like some sort of plant fiber with the pieces fanned out so that they radiated out in a circle - like the reenactor in this picture. A thick stripe of skin centered at his eyes was covered in black face paint from one side of the face to the other and below the black was a thin strip of red.
The first part of the ceremony was purification. For this, sage was burned and the smoke fanned onto those in attendance. Those that were active participants got a more thorough cleansing than those who were merely watching, such as myself.
The Shawnee believe they were given 4 items for spiritual usage, those being sage, sweetgrass, tobacco, and cedar. They also believe that the Creator does not speak or understand any verbal language, only the language of the heart. Even if you are to say words of peace and thanks, if you do not believe them, the words are meaningless. The four items are able to absorb the thoughts in our heart and when they are burnt, the message is carried to the Creator.
A mixture of the items was held in a turtle shell and set to the side of a small fire for use during the ceremony. Mr. Hunt took a hand full of the mixture then starting in the south, spoke words, presumably of thankfulness (I can’t tell you exactly what he was saying since it was in Shawnee) before adding a pinch of the mixture to the fire. He then moved to the east, north and west, in that order and repeated the procedure. There were 2 remaining directions - down and up. For down, the mixture didn’t go in the fire but on the ground and for up, the mixture was sprinkled through the air.
The word Shawnee means “people of the south’’ or maybe just “of the south” I don’t properly recall. This is why he started in the south. Most other tribes would have started in the east.
The other participants in the ceremony then had the opportunity to go up to the fire and say a few words or give a silent prayer and added in a pinch of the mixture from the turtle shell. One man burned a clipping from a newspaper saying the words, “To you, this is just a piece of paper - to me, it is the ashes of a friend.” As you might be able to guess, it was an obituary. Mr. Hunt gave his own prayer which included gratefulness to the people who attended for allowing him to share his culture, he added another pinch of the mixture, then invited anyone else who might like to do the same to come up and do so.
I would have liked to, I know I wouldn’t have had to say anything but I was a bit nervous and even though there was an honest invitation to do so, I felt as though it wasn’t really my place. And that was it. People started to get up and leave and pretty much all the children there - maybe 8 or so kids - rushed over to the turtle shell and started tossing the mixture into the fire. This leads to my rant.
These kids weren’t praying, they were playing. If I were their parents, they would have been in big trouble. This is a spiritual ceremony and even if it’s not your religion, you need to treat it with respect. I think it’s pretty safe to say that a Christian parent would not allow their children to play with the wine/juice and bread left on the alter after communion in a church. This isn’t any different. I understand that kids are kids and may not grasp the significance of this kind of thing. That is what parents for. My plea to parents and guardians everywhere: please teach the children in your care to have respect for the beliefs and traditions of cultures other than your own. Ugh, things like this really grate on my nerves. I could go on and on, but I’ll spare you.
Mr. Hunt wore buckskin leggings and breechclout with a yellow [presumably cotton] shirt. The woven garters for his leggings and his belt were matching in color - yellow, black, and red - and pattern. He also had some sort of decorative accessory on the back of his head though I’m unsure what it was made of… Not feathers, it looked more like some sort of plant fiber with the pieces fanned out so that they radiated out in a circle - like the reenactor in this picture. A thick stripe of skin centered at his eyes was covered in black face paint from one side of the face to the other and below the black was a thin strip of red.
The first part of the ceremony was purification. For this, sage was burned and the smoke fanned onto those in attendance. Those that were active participants got a more thorough cleansing than those who were merely watching, such as myself.
The Shawnee believe they were given 4 items for spiritual usage, those being sage, sweetgrass, tobacco, and cedar. They also believe that the Creator does not speak or understand any verbal language, only the language of the heart. Even if you are to say words of peace and thanks, if you do not believe them, the words are meaningless. The four items are able to absorb the thoughts in our heart and when they are burnt, the message is carried to the Creator.
A mixture of the items was held in a turtle shell and set to the side of a small fire for use during the ceremony. Mr. Hunt took a hand full of the mixture then starting in the south, spoke words, presumably of thankfulness (I can’t tell you exactly what he was saying since it was in Shawnee) before adding a pinch of the mixture to the fire. He then moved to the east, north and west, in that order and repeated the procedure. There were 2 remaining directions - down and up. For down, the mixture didn’t go in the fire but on the ground and for up, the mixture was sprinkled through the air.
The word Shawnee means “people of the south’’ or maybe just “of the south” I don’t properly recall. This is why he started in the south. Most other tribes would have started in the east.
The other participants in the ceremony then had the opportunity to go up to the fire and say a few words or give a silent prayer and added in a pinch of the mixture from the turtle shell. One man burned a clipping from a newspaper saying the words, “To you, this is just a piece of paper - to me, it is the ashes of a friend.” As you might be able to guess, it was an obituary. Mr. Hunt gave his own prayer which included gratefulness to the people who attended for allowing him to share his culture, he added another pinch of the mixture, then invited anyone else who might like to do the same to come up and do so.
I would have liked to, I know I wouldn’t have had to say anything but I was a bit nervous and even though there was an honest invitation to do so, I felt as though it wasn’t really my place. And that was it. People started to get up and leave and pretty much all the children there - maybe 8 or so kids - rushed over to the turtle shell and started tossing the mixture into the fire. This leads to my rant.
These kids weren’t praying, they were playing. If I were their parents, they would have been in big trouble. This is a spiritual ceremony and even if it’s not your religion, you need to treat it with respect. I think it’s pretty safe to say that a Christian parent would not allow their children to play with the wine/juice and bread left on the alter after communion in a church. This isn’t any different. I understand that kids are kids and may not grasp the significance of this kind of thing. That is what parents for. My plea to parents and guardians everywhere: please teach the children in your care to have respect for the beliefs and traditions of cultures other than your own. Ugh, things like this really grate on my nerves. I could go on and on, but I’ll spare you.