Dances with Wolves

Shumanitu tanka ob waci

The Wolf

Each of us are born with 9 animals who bring teachings and messages for greater understanding and insights for our benefit throughout our lifetime. Two of those animals are permanent and never leave us, they are called our primary totems, sometimes called power animals.

The wolf has been regarded as teachers or pathfinders, of loyalty-only one pack for life,traditionally someone with wolf medicine has a strong sense of self and communicates well through subtle changes in voice inflection and body movements. The wolf is a seeker of information for it always roams and wonders in search of new food, dens, etc and then it brings the information back to the rest of the pack (teacher). It is a predator, which means it truly sees what it looks at (predator eyes), and its a meat-eater (great anger and fighting spirit if challenged).

Wolf energy needs time alone, this is when the wolf does its own learning and searching, time alone is also used to re-charge their spirit or they get drained dry.

People can learn many lessons about love, healing, relationships, fidelity, forgiveness, generosity and compatibility from the wolf.

The Wolf Ceremony As Told by Chief Dan George

I wanted to give something of my past to my grandson. So I took him into the woods, to a quiet spot.

Seated at my feet he listened as I told him of the powers that were given to each creature.

He moved not a muscle as I explained how the woods had always provided us with food, homes, comfort, and religion. He was awed when I related to him how the wolf became our guardian, and when I told him that I would sing the sacred wolf song over him, he was overjoyed.

In my song, I appealed to the wolf to come and preside over us while I would perform the wolf ceremony so that the bondage between my grandson and the wolf would be lifelong.

I sang.

In my voice was the hope that clings to every heartbeat. I sang. In my words were the powers I inherited from my forefathers.

I sang.

In my cupped hands lay a spruce seed-- the link to creation.

I sang.

In my eyes sparkled love.

I sang.

And the song floated on the sun's rays from tree to tree. When I had ended, it was if the whole world listened with us to hear the wolf's reply. We waited a long time but none came.

Again I sang, humbly but as invitingly as I could, until my throat ached and my voice gave out. All of a sudden I realized why no wolves had heard my sacred song. There were none left!

My heart filled with tears. I could no longer give my grandson faith in the past, our past.

At last I could whisper to him: "It is finished!"

"Can I go home now?" He asked, checking his watch to see if he would still be in time to catch his favorite program on TV.

I watched him disappear and wept in silence.

All is finished!

by Chief Dan George