The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions

integrate the energy generated by emotion within a cosmic
framework. The artistry of the tribes is married to the essence of
language itself, for through language one can share one’s singular
being with that of the community and know within oneself the
communal knowledge of the tribe. In this art, the greater self and
all-that-is are blended into a balanced whole, and in this way the
concept of being that is the fundamental and sacred spring of life
is given voice and being for all. American Indian people do not
content themselves with simple preachments of this truth, but
through the sacred power of utterance they seek to shape and
mold, to direct and determine, the forces that surround and
govern human life and the related lives of all things.
An old Keres song says:
I add my breath to your breath
That our days may be long on the Earth
That the days of our people may be long
That we may be one person
That we may finish our roads together
May our mother bless you with life
May our Life Paths be fulfilled.
In this way one learns how to view oneself and one’s tradition
so as to approach both rightly. Breath is life, and the
intermingling of breaths is the purpose of good living. This is in
essence the great principle on which all productive living must
rest, for relationships among all the beings of the universe must
be fulfilled; in this way each individual life may also be
fulfilled.
This idea is apparent in the Plains tribes’ idea of a medicine
wheel 2 or sacred hoop. 3 The concept is one of singular unity that
is dynamic and encompassing, including all that is contained in
its most essential aspect, that of life. In his introduction to