Making moccasins, a gift of love

 

 

 

RAPID CITY – Ancient Lakota winyan (women) took pride in how well their family was adorned which was an expression of love that brought honor to her family.

The art of learning how to fashion a pair of moccasins was a skill Lakota winyan learned as a rite of passage into womanhood during what is known as the Ishnati Awica Lowanpi or the coming-of-age ceremony.

On Sept. 17, the Community Organizing for Unified Power (COUP), whose offices are located at 103 New York Street, in Rapid City, organized a women’s moccasin making workshop. About 40 people showed up to learn this ancient art.

Guest speaker for the event was Tanya Stands, (Oglala Lakota) who grew up in the community of Oglala on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

“My background with womanhood and Ishnati was that mom and my grandma’s still practiced the Ishnati ceremony in Oglala. As a little girl they taught me how to do these things and took me to sacred sites,” Stands said.

The ceremonies for womanhood have been passed down for centuries and women have now mastered the protocol, “I am just repeating what they taught me and didn’t change anything.”

Part of the Ishnati teachings is the making of moccasins she said and that making ribbon skirts has also become very popular.

“You put your magic into your work and that’s why everything is done by hand. The symbols are very empowering and they represent your family, sacred places or beings,” she said and that working on moccasins helps one balance their thoughts, feelings and even traumas they may be going through.

She said some have a natural gift for creating the geometric designs for the beadwork that decorates the moccasins, “Sometimes when you close your eyes you can just see the design. Some people call it a craft or an art, but it really has a meaning to it. You’re doing a good thing when you’re keeping these traditions alive.”

Moccasins are thought to be the oldest shoe and date to 12000 BC but are probably older. Lakota moccasins were originally decorated with quillwork but when beads were brought by the Wasicu, Lakota began to use beads as a replacement for quills.

Precious Trujillo, (Sicangu Lakota) a resident of Rapid City and member of COUP was the instructor for the moccasin making workshop. She handed out pieces of cardboard to all participants who then traced their bare feet. After cutting out the foot pattern, attendees were told to fold them in half. Then they traced a fingers length around the pattern to make a template for the tops of the moccasin. Then participants were given a piece of elk hide to cut out their tops.

Ramona Herrington, Gloria Eastman and other members of COUP then treated participants to a meal of homemade wahunpi (soup), wojapi and frybread with watermelon.

After the meal, Stands gave a presentation about the sacred ceremonies brought to the Oceti Sakowin by Pte San Win the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman.

COUP is an organization that began as One Rapid City with the purpose of directly addressing racism in the Rapid City community. They evolved into a West River Tenants United under the umbrella of Community Organizing for Unified Power (COUP), whose objectives now include: 1) supporting efforts by West River Tenants United to advocate for fair housing and improve community control over housing, 2) continuing to build our program to advocate against and document discrimination in our community, and 3) establish regular community and youth circles.

Leadership of COUP currently includes Community Organizer LaVonne Roach who is working to establish an Indigenous Housing Cooperative, and a volunteer administrator Karissa Loewen. Current board members include Ramona Herrington, Tusweca Mendoza, Gloria Eastman, Jean Roach, and Sharon No Heart.

 

The post Making moccasins, a gift of love first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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