Black Elk's Pipe Ceremony

Black Elk's Pipe Ceremony

This is the prayer of the great holy man:

Hehaka Sapa (Black Elk)

"Now I light the pipe,
and after I have offered it
to the powers that are one Power,
and sent forth a voice to them,
we shall smoke together.

Offering the mouthpiece,
first of all to the One above,
...so...

I send a voice:

Hey hey! hey hey! hey hey! hey hey!

Grandfather, Great Spirit,
you have been always,
and before you no one has been.
There is no other one to pray to but you.
You yourself, everything that you see,
everything has been made by you.

The star nations all over the universe
you have finished.
The four quarters of the earth
you have finished.
The day, and in that day, everything,
you have finished.

Grandfather, Great Spirit,
lean close to the earth
that you may hear the voice I send.

You towards where the sun goes down,
behold me;
Thunder beings, behold me!

You where the White Giant lives in power,
behold me!

You where the sun shines continually,
whence come the day-break star and the day,
behold me!

You where the summer lives,
behold me!

You in the depths of the heavens,
an eagle of power, behold!

And you, Mother Earth, the only Mother,
you who have shown mercy to your children!

Hear me, four quarters of the world,
a relative I am!

Give me the strengh to walk the soft earth,
a relative to all that is!

Give me the eyes to see
and the strength to understand,
that I may be like you.

With your power only
can I face the winds.

Great Spirit, Great Spirit, my Grandfather,
all over the earth the faces of living things are all alike.

With tenderness have these come up out of the ground.

Look upon these faces of children
without number and with children in their arms,
that they may face the winds and walk the good road to the day of quiet.

This is my prayer; hear me!

The voice I have sent is weak,
yet with earnestness I have sent it.
Hear me!

It is finished. Hetchetu aloh!

Now, my friend, let us smoke together
so that there may only be good between us.