As a teacher, I have given lectures on the Omaha Tribal Circle and our Origins in several classes for the Nebraska Indian Community College. I have even instructed the Omaha Tribal Council at different times. What I know, I share because my belief is that all people need to have this understanding. Here is the essay I told you of, it is currently being used at Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig, which is an Anishinaabe University in Ontario. The Academic/Spiritual Advisor of Shingwauk is the Grand Chief Eddie Benton-Banai of the Three Fires Society, who is also a member of the Lac Courte Oreille Band of Ojibwe in Wisconsin. The Grand Chief read this essay and asked my permission to use it at the university.
Before Contact: Millennia of Our Own Teachings…
The Tribal Circle (in 3D)
By Renee Sans Souci
http://sacredhorsewoman.blogspot.com/2008/11/omaha-tribal-circle-in-3d.htm
For indigenous peoples of Turtle Island, our tribal circles (or spheres) have existed for thousands of years. The tribal circle was based on the balance of everything that exists in the universe, the duality of masculine and feminine forces.
To look at the symbol of the circle, you must imagine it as a sphere, with the top half of the circle representing the sky and the bottom half representing the earth. Around this sphere you also have the four cardinal directions, and the center, which represents the here and now or the human being. This ancient symbolism was reflected in all our tribal systems: governments, villages, homes, and within ourselves (the very act of breathing represents the duality of in and out).
Through our tribal educational systems, our clans, in particular, we were taught how to relate to the Sky and the Earth because as human beings we were composed of the same elements as both (spirit and matter). This relationship was one of respect, a mutual respect between all living matter. We had the understanding of what modern science terms “Relativity” and “Quantum Physics.” We understood our relationship to the microcosmic subatomic level on up to the macrocosmic universal level. We encompassed this understanding in one phrase: We Are All Related. The phrase acknowledged the spirit or energy that vibrates in all of us. The Omaha people called this energy Wakonda.
The tribal circle was the foundation of how we learned and survived. From the time we were born, we went through growth cycles. Ceremonies marked each stage of growth and we developed our teachings around the skills acquired at these benchmarks. In the Omaha system the men and women learned separately. We each had our own language, our own ceremonies, and our own societies. There was respect between the two sexes where neither was considered better than the other. We were complementary.
And, the one underlying method of teaching in our system was that no one was allowed to fail!
This did not mean that we lived in perfection, however, because there were always natural catastrophes, illness, and warfare that would disrupt our circles from time to time. Yet, we were always able to reestablish our circles through any conflict…especially now.
- Renee
