Culture & Philosophy
Lakotah culture and Philosophy is just a grass roots way of life which teaches about the Medicine wheel of life and incorporates the seven sacred directions, North, South, East, West, Above, Below and Within, we are taught to balance these directions in order to have the chance to achieve balance and harmony in our lives.
We are also taught to have respect for all living things on our Mother Earth and to respect the Wakan Tanka, which is not a God or the Creator, it simply means The Great Mystery and is made up of about sixteen different things, ie: the Sun, The Stars, The Clouds, The Sky, ect,
We see everything as Wakan, (has the power).
The sound of the drum reverberates from deep under the ground from the womb of Mother Earth, the Lakota oyate,( Lakotah people) tune into the heartbeat of the nation, The rhythm and balance of traditions, culture and sacredness is unlike no other, even the Lakotah language carries a spiritual ambience that commands the ears of the ancestors to listen, for this is the language that was used by our relatives and still used today during ceremonies like Sundance and Wacipi (they dance) more commonly know as powwows and during Inipi (Sweat Lodge), as we enter Inipi we say Mitakuye Oyasin because we want good health and happiness for our relatives and wish them a good life and good things for them, we give thanks (Wopila) to the four directions and for our life and the gift of the new day and we say thank you to our Mother Earth for her sustainance every day!
Alot of people say they meditate in the Inipi, i call it a time to talk with my relatives.
Mitakuye Oyasin ( for all my relations)
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