The Tipi Connection
“The Tipi was (and still is) considered the connection to the world around us.” -Melvin War Eagle
This image of the tipi poles on Botany Bay means so much to me which is why my offerings from any purchases go towards my hearts mission at Poes for Peace. The tipi structure is on Botany Bay which has been a sacred place for me over the years. I would come to this space to sit and listen and pray all day, sunrise to sunset, filling my heart and mind with natures medicine…. as simple as sitting on the shore of the ocean, being still. The day this image was taken I brought my family to this place and found out I was going to be an auntie. For all the children, to love and lift them and to protect the sacred earth we leave to them… I believe in the good things happening and I’m here to help them spread like wildfire.
The tipi is sacred and I’ve had dreams of living in a tipi my whole life. The circle, the space, feels like a safe womb to me. The Lakota word “tipi” means ‘to dwell’ or ‘dwelling’. The three poles are used to anchor the structure and represents the past, present, and future of life. The tops of the poles have many teachings. Each one points in a different direction. We are like those poles. We all need the strength and support of our families and communities, but we accept that we all have different journeys and point in different directions.
‘The poles also teach us that no matter what version of the Great Spirit we believe in, we still go to the same Creator from those many directions and belief systems; we just have different journeys to get there. And where the poles come out together at the top, it’s like they’re creating a nest. And they also resemble a bird with its wings up when it comes to land, and that’s another teaching: the spirit coming to land, holding its wings up. ‘ -maria wind talker
7 poles are placed around these 3 main anchors in a clockwise position. Each of these poles have specific meanings; such as the Seven Brothers or the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper constellation. In other words, the 7 sites that the Lakota see as sacred; the Seven Sacred Sites. Examples of some of these sites would be: the western side of the Black Hills, Devils Tower, Bear Butte and Hells Canyon, to name a few.
Symbolically, the completed 12 poles represented the 12 months of the year, the formation of time and seasons. Once the lodge is completed, the inner part would be seen, not only as the physical protection from the weather but the connection to the spirit world. In old times it was believed that the vortex, the point at which the poles are tied, connects us to the spirit world. The ancestors live in this spirit world in the upper reaches of the tipi, therefore, our ancestors are always with us. The tipi’s shape represents the sacred circle or the never-ending cycle of life. -Melvin War Eagle
Maria Wind Talker share these teachings of the fifteen poles and the values they represent:
"Obedience.
We learn by listening to traditional stories, by listening to our parents or guardians, our fellow students and our teachers. We learn by their behavior and their reminders, so that we know what is right and what is wrong.
Happiness.
We must show some enthusiasm to encourage others at social functions. Our actions will make our ancestors happy in the next world.
Respect.
We must give honor to our elders and fellow students and the strangers that come to visit our community. We must honor other peoples’ basic rights.
Love.
If we are to live in harmony we must accept one another as we are and accept others who are not in our circle. Love means to be kind and good to one another.
Humility.
We are not above or below others in the circle of life We feel humbled when we understand our relationship with creation. We are so small compared to the majestic expanse of creation. “We are just a strand in a web of life,” and we respect and value life.
Faith.
We must learn to believe and trust others, to believe in a power greater than ourselves who we worship and who gives us
strength to be a worthy member of the human race.
Kinship.
Our family is important to us. This includes our parents, our brothers and sisters who love us and give us roots, the roots that tie us to the lifeblood of the earth. It also includes extended family: grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws and children. These are also our brothers and sisters and they give us a sense of belonging to a community.
Strength.
We must learn to be patient in times of trouble and not to complain but to endure and show understanding. We must accept difficulties and tragedies so that we may give others strength to accept their own difficulties and tragedies.
Cleanliness.
We must learn not to inflict ills on others, for we do it to ourselves. Clean thoughts come from a clean mind and this comes from Indian spirituality. Good health habits also reflect a clean mind.
Good Child Rearing.
Children are unique and blessed with the gift of life. We are responsible for their well being, spiritually, emotionally and physically, and for their intellectual development. They represent the continuity of our circle of life which we perceive to be the Creator’s will.
Thankfulness.
We learn to give thanks for all the kind things others do for us, and for the Creator’s bounty that we are privileged to share with others in the spirit of love.
Hope.
We must hope for better things to make life easier for us, our families and the community, both materially and spiritually.
Sharing.
We learn to be part of the family by helping in providing food or other basic needs. This is sharing responsibilities in order to enjoy them.
Ultimate Protection.
The ultimate responsibility to achieve is “health for a balanced caring for the body, mind, emotions and the spirit of the individual, the family, the community and the nation.”
Control Flaps.
“We are all connected by relationships and we depend on each other.
CONCLUSION – POLES
For every time that a pole is added, a rope goes around to bind that pole into place. That rope is a sacred bond, binding all the teachings together until they are all connected. “ _Maria Wind Talker
Walk lightly and gratefully on the earth
In love, peace and gratitude for all the good things
Sarah
Poes for Peace
