Living Our Language_ Ojibwe Tales & Oral Histories - Anton Treuer [97]
[2] And regarding the medicine dance, you can’t let every person know about it. It is secret. You can’t tell people, different people, the things you’ve heard there until you are recognized as knowledgeable about what has been put in the medicine dance.
[3] And the Sioux gave me a drum. And I was given a pipe too. I was given that pipe. And I carry one of the Little Boy Water Drums. It is eight summers now that I have been carrying that Little Boy. And I’ve been carrying this pipe for fourteen winters. This one Sioux guy, my fellow elder, he gave me that pipe. My fellow elder believed that a pipe shouldn’t just be given to someone to use if he simply wanted to be handed one to use. That’s what that old man said. I didn’t buy that pipe. That pipe was given to me by my fellow elder.
[4] That old man came to visit me to give me a pipe bag. When I opened that bag up, I saw the pipe sitting right there. Right there that old man said, “You will use this pipe all the time to make [important] decisions, that’s why it’s given to you.” That’s what those two Sioux guys were told by their colleagues. The one who gave me the pipe passed away. The one that gave me the pipe was named Amos Owen. And Amos Crooks gave me the pipe I carry, the one I always use myself. I pray for the Indian people and deliberate on things. My pipe is strong. My pipe is powerful. Sometimes at the hospitals I am spoken to, and I talk to the Indian people who are sick or very ill. I revive the sick Indian. He goes home. He doesn’t have to be in the hospital any more.
[5] That’s how strong my pipe is when I’m asked to talk for my fellow Indian. In three or maybe four days, then the Indian that was so sick can go home.
[6] That’s why I hold my pipe in such high regard. I can’t be anywhere without my pipe, wherever I happen to be. So I carry my pipe with me all the time. I don’t know when I might be asked to talk to my fellow Indian, wherever he’s from. This is how I help the Indian people all the time.
[7] Well now, as I get called upon, working myself to help my fellow Indian in things, I do Indian doctoring. I don’t use medicine myself. I only use my pipe and talk for [the people].
[8] When my fellow Indian is sick, bad off, I talk to the spirit to help my fellow Indian to give him strength to clean his thoughts, and his life too. Today I work for the Indian people, working to help him in whatever he commissions me, to go there to assist him, to help him. That’s how the Indians help me in what I do as well, maybe when they have a sweat lodge ceremony, maybe when they want to help with the Little Boy Water Drum. When I tie down the Little Boy Water Drum myself, I help my fellow Indian, wherever he’s from.
[9] The Indians leading the good life are numerous; we’re from all different places, Sioux, and maybe Assiniboin, and maybe mide Indians, and maybe the Menomini Indians too. All the time I help all those who might ask me to help them, and for them to help me, learning through observation, as I really do travel around to help my fellow Indian. I don’t even know where I might be doing things.
[10] I do everything elders do. Sometimes I perform marriage ceremonies for people. And I give them Indian names. I put them through [the] sweat lodge ceremony to acquire humility. I also send off Indians, the ones who’ve passed on. I help the Indian when he asks me this way, for his departing relative to leave in a good way after he dies. I tell his soul the way to follow this road and what will happen when his life is finished here on earth.
I’m Called Porky
[1] Yes, my namesake, who was called Old Man Porcupine, was a real old-timer; that old man was a Civil War veteran. He was always going to town. When he went to town, my namesake told me, “Come keep me company.” I was a little boy at this time.
[2] And the Indians stared. My namesake,