Our first Pipe Carriers' Dance took place in Pennsylvania in the late 1990s. It was held during a Medicine Wheel Gathering and we had about 60 dancers. The dance occurred during daytime and at the end of the weekend, we created an archway of pipes where pipe carriers and their pipes faced each other and, starting with people on the far end, each person walked through the archway and was blessed by the pipes, joining the near end of the line until the last person had had a chance to go through. While it wasn't the first time we'd done the archway, it was a perfect end to that weekend.
One of my fondest memories of that event was that Grandma Terry -- the grandmother of the Bear Tribe under my leadership and the daughter of Grandma Eve, the grandmother of the Bear Tribe under Sun Bear's leadership and who also gifted us with the pipe ceremony we use when we gather -- came up to me at the end of the weekend with a message. She said her mother was so thrilled with everything I was doing to further the teachings and the energies around the Pipe. It was so nice to know that the work had received both Grandma Terry's and Grandma Eve's blessings. Interestingly, the dance has evolved from being one aspect of a larger weekend Medicine Wheel Gathering to being the centerpiece of a weekend dedicated to honoring the medicine of the Pipe.
Another change is that over time we've moved from holding the Pipe Carriers' Dance during daytime to holding it at night. Now the dance begins as dusk is falling and it ends in the darkness. Afterward, both pipe carriers and their supporters find private spots around the dance area to smoke their pipes. It's so beautiful to look around the circle and see little flickers of light in the darkness as lighters are struck, candles are lit, sage is burned, and pipes are smoked. It's also lovely to hear each group conclude their ceremony by softly singing the closing song. It's a perfect way to end the evening, with people departing in silence to keep their experiences close to their hearts and take them into dreamtime. It also allows the energy of the dance to continue and to feed Mother Earth. Last year's dance in Michigan happened to coincide with a full harvest moon, which made it even more magical.
Another aspect of the dance that has evolved over time is the music. I was not given specific songs to sing in the series of visions Spirit gave me about the dance. In the very beginning, we all sang songs from Sun Bear's medicine wheel. However, it proved challenging for people to sing while dancing forward and backwards, with or without a pipe, as light was fading. Another thing we tried is playing songs from my Medicine Wheel CD, but the equipment didn't project sound very well and we didn't try that again.
Of the 20 or so Pipe Carriers' Dances we've held in the last 26 years, probably the majority have been held in Michigan. At some point during that time, dancers who also are part of a drum team that plays and sings Lakota songs as part of the Sweet Medicine tradition brought their drum and played for the dancers. It's so wonderful having the uplifting songs and the strong beat of the drum to keeps dancers steady throughout the dance.
Because the Michigan/Ontario communities are still very active, last year I gifted the Pipe Carriers' Dance ceremony to them and gave them permission to hold the dance even if I wasn't able to be there. This year, I've decided to open up the dance to anyone who is interested in holding it in their own area -- either on September 21st when the Michigan dance is held or at any time of the year. You can dance whether you carry a pipe or just honor the medicine and regardless of whether you carry a pipe in our tradition or that of another. In fact, this year's Michigan Pipe Carriers' Dance is featuring a Gathering of Pipes from many traditions so we can honor the unity of the Pipe among the diversity of traditions that work with it. I would so love to see people all over the world dancing to heal Mother Earth and to honor the Sacred Pipe.
Learn more about this year's Pipe Carriers' Dance in Michigan HERE.
Register to attend the dance HERE.
Comments