The Flag Ceremony and... Is something burning?

There is this tradition here at school that they do every Monday morning, and that is their flag ceremony. Now, we Americans might imagine an American Flag being hoisted up at the mentioning of a flag ceremony, but that is not what happens on the reservation. Here they are a sovereign nation and they choose to have a ceremony around their flag.

Sounds reasonable enough…

They have the whole school form a circle around the gym to represent unity. Then they call out about four young men to bang the drum and sing their flag song. I’ll have to admit (the first time I heard it) it sent chills down my spine. These young men were singing a song of their ancestors and it reminded me of exactly who I was: a wasichu (white man) peering in on a sacred tradition.

While the boys sang, a woman walked around the circle with a bowl that was smoking! My first thought was, “Can they burn things in school?” Then, I remembered where I was. As she passed me, I waved a little bit of the smoke at myself (I picked that much up from watching my students do it), but then she took her hands through the smoke and over my head.

My first reaction was to choke; which I fought back. Then I held my breath (as inconspicuously as possible) as she moved on to the other students and teachers. It didn’t work. My first breath was filled with the smell of burning sage. The smoke hung in the air around me and I was forced to breathe it.

Later, my aid explained to me that that ceremony is called “smudge”. They do it to cleanse themselves and prepare themselves for a week of learning. It is supposed to drive out negative spirits and energies. For more information on it, follow this link.

Well, as much as I’d like to ramble, I need to get to school. It’s Monday, and you know what that means! That’s right! The Monday Flag Ceremony and Smudge!

Wasichu-Witko
-Mr. X