Anishinabe
Of The Water
The official website of the Sharbot Mishigama Anishinabe AlgonquinFirst
Nation Membership.
Sweetgrass/Hair Teaching
Sweet Hair Teaching
The Sweetgrass/Hair teaching was meant to be a teaching just
about Hair, and how important it is to think in a Sacred Way, as your
physical Hair is a manifestation of your thoughts. As I started this
writing I realized that it is impossible to separate the teachings of
Sweetgrass from the Hair teaching. The reason being, all teachings are
One teaching from the Great Spirit. All teachings are smaller circles
of the Greater Teaching Circle.
This is a spiritual writing and is meant to be read a minimum of four
times. This is only a partial teaching of the wisdom of Sweetgrass and
the teachings about Hair. There are many more teachings that would
compliment the ones written here.
Our Hair and the Hair of Our Mother, The Earth
Hair is the physical manifestation of our thoughts and an extension of
ourselves. So pure and sacred are the thoughts of Our Mother, the
Earth, that Her hair grows long and fragrant. The Sweet Grasses found
growing around the World represent the hair of Our Mother, the Earth.
These special grasses have long been collected by the Native Peoples of
Earth to use as incense(to perceive by the senses) for physical and
spiritual healing, celebrations, for sacred prayer and purification
rites. Loving All Her Children, the Earth allows us to share in Her
loving intent and Her perfect and purifying thoughts. On the Medicine
Wheel Sweetgrass sits in the North position, the place of
Water/Consciousness, the Place of the Minder of the Universe, and the
Sol of Man.
As Native People walk the Sacred Path of the Creator God, Our Hair, the
physical extension of our thoughts, allows for our direction along the
Path of Life. All Peoples of Earth have cultural tales/tails(tails
guide beings,example; without tails-Birds could not fly, Fish could not
swim and Animals would be without balance) depicting the Power of
Hair/Thought, telling of the strengths of Men and Women, using
thoughts/hair to defeat evil. Should you maintain pure and perfect
thoughts, evil sorcerers and witches cannot use your hair in their evil
ceremonies to defeat you, for they need the weaknesses in your
thoughts, to cause you harm. Believe in the Power of the Creator, not
in the magic of Man.
In many countries around the World, Holy men and Holy women are
recognized by the length and glory of their hair. The cutting of hair
by oppressors has long represented the submission and defeat of a
People, through humiliation. The Language and Sacredness of Hair is
taught by All Tribal People of Earth. The way a People comb(the
Alignment of thought), braid(the Oneness of thought), tie(the Securing
of thought) and colour(the Conviction in thought), their Hair is of
great significance. Hair styles are important for they portray and
announce participation in various events and the feelings expressed by
People; the state of merriment or mourning, at a given time, or a stage
of life; whether one is coming of age, marriageable or married, one's
age and tribal status. Hair can depict the Tribal Spirits one follows
given the geographical location of a Peoples and the Spirits flowing
through someone depending on their age as a Spirit and the spirits that
one is calling on, in a given ceremony. Different styles signify the
Tribe one belongs to and are worn to indicate times of peace or war.
Hairstyles like seasons change for public, private and ceremonial
occasions. Hair represents the pure thoughts and spiritual status of an
Individual, showing the bonds and spiritual oneness of a Family and
defines the cultural harmony and spiritual alignment of a Nation. Hair
represents the Pure and Spiritual thoughts of All Tribal People.
Everyone is given Straight or Curly hair, depending on the Creator's
discretion. Straight, flowing hair, teaches of one that can gracefully
hold or let go of life. Thoughts can extend in a uniform manner,
flowing directly from the source, like the movement of water flowing
from the mountain top to the ocean, and then the water can rise up
again to fall once more. For those with Curly hair, they will have the
potential to understand the Spiral, Curve and Energy of Life. Their
thoughts teach about the decrease and enlargement of life's movement.
The winding, circular energy of movement and growth on the Earth. All
thoughts in life tend to ebb and flow.
Native Children are taught from a young age how to groom and care for
themselves, their immediate and extended family. They are taught that
grooming one and other, unifies the bond of a family, caring for one
and other strengthens the family ties, respecting one and other
maintains family harmony and loving one and other defines a family's
pride. They are taught to correct one and others appearance and habits,
to strengthen one and other continually, causing them to be beautiful,
strengthening in them the ideal that they are an extention of the
Creator's thoughts of Love. They emanate from the thoughts of
Perfection and strive to become(to pass from one state to another and
to enhance) Perfection.
As Children are raised up, so too is the spiritual level of teaching
raised, to elevate their Spirits. In youth and
innocence(in-knowing-sense=freedom from guilt, sin or pain), Mankind is
blessed with a bounty of beautiful hair. The more pure and sacred your
thoughts, the longer, healthier, and vibrant, your hair. As Humans age
and loose their innocence, falling off the Path of Light, harboring
dark thoughts, losing the light of pure thought, Humans loose their
hair and the shine(aureole) it once had.
Caring for hair is very important, for like the Sweet Grasses of our
Mother, the Earth, our hair holds the purity of our intent. For our
thought can purify the thoughts of others. Native Children are taught
to wash and rinse hair, and are taught the proper use of the gifts of
the Plant People; learning which bulbs, roots and herbs, will bring
luster and light to ones hair. Maintaining the health of ones hair is
important, as is maintaining all physical and spiritual health and
wholeness.
They are also taught combing rites. Special combs were and in some
places still are used for the Sweetgrass Rites and ornate combs were
and still are made for Human hair. Careful consideration is given to
the types of woods, bones, metals, jewels, and brush materials, as well
as the symbols and (spirit)designs, for the best physical and spiritual
purpose, of the task of combing Ones hair. The Porcupine shared itself
by giving Native Women a Sacred Comb, which was made from the bone
found on the underside of the Porcupine's tail. After taking the skin
off, drying it and making a wooden handle, it was ready to use.
Combing is the act of separating and adjusting the hair so that it will
lay or move in the best or most beautiful way. Native families, knowing
that our hair is the physical manifestation of our thoughts, also
understand that our thoughts need to be corrected and adjusted by the
Creator, so that we will move gracefully along the Beauty Way, the
Sacred Path of Life.
When combing our hair each day, we are re-minded to keep our thoughts
pure. The hair that falls out and gathers in our brushes and combs, is
gathered up and kept in a special place or pouch, for the 28 days of
the Moon/month. This hair is a recollection, a record of our past
thoughts and deeds. At the time of the Full Moon, the time of
illumination and completeness, the Hearts of the Families, the Women,
gather in ceremony and offer the thoughts of their families, their
bundled Hair, to the Spirits of Fire, Earth and Air. When our offerings
of Hair are placed in fire, our thoughts are uplifted, sent through the
smoke, moved by the power of the Moon, and prayerfully given to our
Father, the Creator God or if buried, returned to Our Mother, the Earth
and She relays our intent to through the Moon, to Our Father. In this
way the Creator reads your families thoughts and sends His
Spirits/Angels to guide you on the Sacred Path, correcting your Mind,
Heart and Soul, strengthening the Body of Oneness, till the next Full
Moon. Holding Sacred thoughts, choosing to walk a path of light, One
that is pleasing to the Creator God, stengthens the individual Family,
and the Greater Family of Universal Oneness, that every One is a part
of.
Your hair teaches you that your thoughts are to flow in all directions
but are to be uniformaly directed. Yellow, Red, Black and White the
four colours of hair symbolizing the major directions of Earth, and the
direction of those constant in the flow of thought/Spirit. Also, the
four directions in between, Gold, Orange, Brown, Blue/Grey, Hair
indicating those continual in thought/Spirit, flowing throughout the
Universe. Your hair is just one way of indicating to others another
conviction you carry throughout your lifetime. When the colour of your
hair changes, naturally, that means you have been Elevated, by God. You
have more responsibility in and for Life.
You were given a sacred colour of hair to wear and you were never to
bleach(whiten) or dye your hair. Even the word dye/die when used for
colouring states the death or diviation of a God-given thought and
purpose. Dying(destined for death) ones hair places your desires before
the thoughts of God. Bleaching ones hair to change spiritual status,
does not make one an Elder or Pre-dating Spirit, for you are born who
you are, choosen, and elevated by God, not by Mankind. In Native
ceremony when ochers and hennas were used on hair it was understood
that it was for a Sacred purpose and Spirit(God) inspired, and the
natural colour would naturally return.
The act of cutting your hair is the cutting off of the flow of thought.
You actually sever away past thoughts from future deeds. Cutting your
hair usually occurs when one chooses to make a major change in ones
life, putting past misdeeds behind them, and beginning a new/knew life.
In Native teachings many tribes cut their hair during the mourning
process, which symbolizes the deep wound to ones sensibilities caused
by the piercing hurt of a loved ones passing.
Other tribes, remembering that they are Spirits that live forever, cut
their hair after a year of mourning. Symbolic of the severing of their
ties, freeing the spirit of their loved ones, allowing them to enter
the morning of the next world. Ready to start a new life, knowing they
must respect and honour their loved one, they feast and urge their
loved Ones' spirit on. Demonstrating their love for all life, they
signal they too are ready to start a new day, a new morning. For in
wisdom, they except the greater cycle of life. They know the Body of
their past Love, was given back to the Earth and the Spirit of their
Loved One, needs to return to the Sol/Star their Spirits emanate from,
to be re-aligned in the Body of Oneness, being reborn as their future
and the re/newed Children of Earth.
Even the time of cutting your hair is important, for all things need to
be in harmony with the natural rythym and flow of the Universe. Cutting
old thoughts, harvesting full grown ideas, cutting all ties, is best on
the Full Moon. For fresh starts, like the planting time, for new seeds
of thought, or for the trimming, pruning and monthly maintainance, we
cut our hair by the light of the New Moon, so it will grow thick and
quick.
Young men are often seen with braids of sweetgrass for personal
purification rites. In some Tribes, men weave Sweetgrass into their
braids to unify their thoughts with their Mother, the Earth,
strengthening their thoughts of Oneness. This demonstrates the way in
which hair is used to extend and bind your thoughts with others. By
attaching a lock of a loved ones hair, in your hair, or by carrying
their hair on your person, One is able to carry the thoughts of their
loved ones with them on their travels. It is so important to have your
families spiritual support and protective thoughts(prayers) in life
generally, that the hair of ones family and the hair of their
protective spirits, was braided into a warriors battle dress for added
strength and stamina. It is generally understood that you do not touch
a person's hair without permission.
Sweetgrass headbands(the things that keep your brains in)(joke) are
worn for concentration, to purify thought. The aroma of Sweetgrass
clears the mind. Sweetgrass necklaces or collars refer to the Spirit
that is born head-first, and is used to call-in/coll-ar the Spirit of
Wisdom you are descended from. Sweetgrass braids,like the braids on
your head symbolize the serpents of wisdom, that keep you on the Sacred
Path of Light. It is the double-headed serpent that warns you with a
shake of its tail, should you step off the path of light, to get back
on the sacred path or suffer the venomous bites of despair, depression
or death, depending how far you wander.
Braids symbolize Oneness and Unity. The flowing strands of hair,
individually weak but when joined together in Oneness, physically
demonstrate the Strength of Oneness; "One Mind, One Heart and One
Soul", the Song of the Uni-verse, and the Sacred thoughts you are to
hold. There are times to wear the hair braided and times to let it flow
free, different times to demonstrate your harmony with the flow of life
and to demonstrate your thoughts of Oneness to others.
There are different teachings about the way to braid ones hair, and
different teachings about the ways and rites of braiding Sweetgrass.
One way is to gather 28 whole strands of Sweetgrass, one strand
symbolizing each sacred day in one moon(month). Divide them in three
equal piles, 9 strands each, each pile symbolizing the wandering
spirits of the 3 tiers of Heaven (upper world, middle world, lower
world), and with the one strand that is left, the strand that
Symbolizes the Great Spirit, the Creator God(Father Sun), you tie all
the loose strands together. Remembering as you braid the Sweetgrass, to
keep your thoughts and intent pure and healthy, placing the prayers of
love for life into your braid. It is the intent placed in the medicine
that makes all healing possible. To end the braid, tie a knot with the
grass. A Knot is symbolic of Union and a Bond. The Tie that binds. The
knot in the Sweetgrass braid also binds all the "thoughts" of our
Mother together, to teach us, once again of the strength of Unity or
Oneness.
Know it is only the Creator's power that holds the Universe together
and the wandering spirits are His Great Spirits that flow and protect
Life all the way to the outer edges of the Universe and the 3 tiers of
Heaven are the lower, middle and upper worlds or the Sea, Earth and
Sky(Universe) where all the Great Spirits dwell. Keeping thoughts of
Love and Respect for All Life in your Mind and Heart, allows one to
share the Sacred Sweetgrass with others in a good way.
When working with the Sacred Medicines, our intent should be as pure as
the intent of our selfless Mother, the Earth. She wants only the best
for Her Children. So hold Sacred thoughts; thoughts of Oneness and
Healing thoughts; thoughts of Empowerment and Love, when braiding and
using Sweetgrass. Soon All Nations will be strong again.
Medicine Teachings
