Making a Relative

A Lakota Prayer

O holy Great Mystery, thank you for this day. Thank you for the Universe, which is our tabernacle. I thank you for the Star People, who watch over our water and all that lives, and give us direction and a place in life.

Thank you for our sacred Grandmother, the Earth, mother of all living beings, who are our relatives.

Thank you for the East Wind, which brings us the Morning Star to open the dawn, permitting us to begin each new day without repeating our mistakes of yesterday. The East Wind brings a sense of renewal into our hearts, our minds, our bodies and our spirits, as it renews the spirits of our sacred Grandmother, the Earth and of all our relatives, her children.

And thank you for the Black Tail Deer People, who live in the East and watch over us.

Thank you for the South Wind, which bears warmth and generosity to our hearts, our minds, our bodies and our spirits, as well as to our sacred Grandmother, the Earth, and to all our relatives, her children.

And thank you for the Owl People, who live in the South and watch over us.

Thank you for the West Wind, which brings the lightning and thunder spirits to cleanse and refresh our sacred Grandmother, the Earth, and all our relatives, her children, with rain, and which bears cleanliness and refreshment to our hearts, our minds, our bodies and our spirits.

And thank you for the Buffalo People, who live in the West and watch over us.

Thank you for the North Wind, which brings the strong and enduring winds that give our sacred Grandmother, the Earth, and all her children, our relatives, strength and endurance, and bears strength and endurance to our hearts, our minds, our bodies and our spirits.

And thank you for the Elk People, who live in the North, and watch over us.

I thank you for all the winged things of the air, everything that flies, for their teachings, their generosity and their sacrifice. Thank you especially for the eagle, who flies the highest, sees the furthest, and is faithful to its mate.

Thank you for the four-leggeds, who give us so much and teach us so much, for their sacrifices and sharing. Thank you especially for the buffalo, because as the buffalo goes, so go our people.

Thank you for all our relatives who crawl and swim and live within the earth, for their sacrifices and sharing and their generosity. Thank you for all their teachings and for everything that they give us.

Thank you also for everything that grows, all the green things of the Earth. They teach us so much and give us so much. Thank you for their sacrifices and for their sharing.

I thank you especially for the tree with the whispering leaves, for its strength and independence, for its teachings. And thank you for the sacred Tree of Life, which we must nourish and care for, in order to ensure that it blossoms once again and so allows our people to live.

Thank you for the salmon and the other fishes, who teach that it is our birthright to return to our home.

And thank you for the spider, who teaches us the foibles of life in the guise of Iktomi, the Trickster.

I thank you for each of the sacred ceremonies brought us by the holy White Buffalo Calf Woman.

Thank you for our purification lodge, which enlightens us with understanding of purification and cleanliness.

Thank you for the sundance, which allows men an opportunity to comprehend and appreciate the miracle of new life by sharing, in a small way, the experience of childbirth.

Thank you for the Crying for a Vision Ceremony, which permits us to recognize a good road to follow throughout life, a road that is positive and independent.

Thank you for the Making of Relatives Ceremony, which allows us to bring new citizens into our nation, into our family, into our clan.

Thank you for the Keeping of the Spirit Ceremony, which allows us the privilege of showing respect for our ancestors, and brings the community together to share and celebrate the deeds of the departed.

Thank you for the Throwing of the Ball Ceremony, which brings the community together as one heart, one mind, one spirit, one body.

Thank you for the Making of the Woman Ceremony, for it allows our girls and young women to aspire to be worthy of the universe.

And thank you for our healing ceremonies, which care for the infirm and the crippled and the sick, and for the sweet medicines produced by our relatives who grow.

Thank you for the dirt, for the clouds, for the white blanket that comes to cover our Grandmother, the Earth, in the time of cold.

Thank you for the water.

Thank you for all the sacred colors, together representing everything that is worthy in life, and individually teaching us so much.

And thank you for the wind that travels in a circle, for it teaches us respect and wonder and awe.

I thank you for everything that is holy and sacred and good.

We are all related.

The Singing Creek Camp had been growing in numbers as of late. Each of the newcomers were taken in and welcomed by all. After they had been there sufficient time, each one of them was made a part of the family through a special ceremony. All, that is, except one. On the other side of the creek, a man who was just as much a part of their lives sat apart, watching quietly from the sidelines.

Trapper had a piece of wood he was pretending to whittle, while he watched the goings on, especially of a certain young lady. He couldn't help thinking about what Duncan had been saying about talking to her. He wished he could, but that was out of the question. He sighed and dug harder at the wood.

The buzz of another immortal made him look up. It wasn't his cousin though. "Hello, Trapper," Coltec said pleasantly.

He looked up, smiling. "Coltec. To what do I owe this honor? Getting bored over there? I've got another piece of wood here, if you want to join me." His eyes sparkled.

Coltec laughed. "Actually, I came to invite you tonight to the camp. We are going to have a special celebration, and all of us would like you to be a part of it. There will be good food, dancing, and other things."

Connor grinned. "Good food? I'd like that. I get tired of eating my own cooking." He was especially pleased at the prospect of getting to see Nightwind closer. That was even more tempting.

"Come to the camp then after the sun sets," Coltec chuckled. "You might want to get some rest till then. Our parties tend to last well into the night."

Connor grinned. "Sounds good. I'll be there. Thank you for inviting me. But I don't know how much rest I can get before then."

He watched Coltec walk away, and then Trapper went inside his cabin to see if he had some clean clothes to wear. Living by himself, he wasn't too fussy about his appearance. The afternoon passed quickly, and after the sunset, Trapper stepped off his porch and headed to the flickering lights of the camp.

If he didn't think anyone would notice, he would have whistled, but he didn't want to look too eager. Duncan was already being too much of a pest as it was. It wouldn't do to encourage him.

The smell of food greeted him, and his stomach rumbled. All the men were gathered around the fire, and Coltec motioned for him to join them.

Trapper smiled and went to join them. "The food smells great tonight. Do you always eat that well over here?" he chuckled.

Joseph rubbed his stomach and grinned. "I have no complaints!" he chuckled. The women appeared, bringing laden platters of food for each one of the men, and to Connor's surprise, Nightwind was the one that placed his dinner in his hands!

He looked up and smiled at her. She was smiling back! There should have been something to say, but nothing would come. Finally he managed to get out a "Thank you."

She giggled, and then walked away. It was then Connor noticed that her long black hair, which was usually braided, was hanging loose down her back, and when she walked, it swayed softly across her back. "Eat!" Wolf called out. His adopted son, Kahani, was sitting with him, feeling proud to be able to sit with the men for this occasion!

Connor smiled and didn't need to be told twice to eat when the food was this good. But he thought he might not be able to concentrate to eat, if Nightwind was sitting with him. He wouldn't see anything but her.

After the meal, Kahani was hugged by all, and taken off to bed by his mother. While Connor's attention was diverted by Nightwind walking nearby, looking lovely in her beaded buckskin dress, a pipe was lit by Coltec, and after he took a puff from it, it was started around the circle of men.

Connor smiled when the pipe passed to him. This didn't quite taste like the usual plain tobacco. No wonder this party was likely to last so late. He didn't notice the others exchanging smiles while his attention was on Nightwind.

After the second or third time the pipe went around, he was beyond caring. "We will dance now," Coltec announced. "But there is one of us that is not dressed appropriately." The next thing Connor knew, he was surrounded by a bevy of giggling women who immediately started to strip him completely naked!

"Hey! What are you doing?" He made a weak attempt at hanging on to his pants, but the women's giggling got him started, too, and suddenly it seemed to require all his concentration not to fall down. "What was in that pipe?" he laughed.

"Who knows?" Wolf chucked from behind the women. "Who cares?" He was feeling a little good himself.

Once Connor’s clothing had been removed, gentle but firm hands wrapped a loincloth around him. Relieved that he was covered by that much at least, Connor was then led back to the circle of men, where after he sat down again, Nightwind knelt before him, with a bowl of red paint in her hands.

He looked down at the paint, then around at all the people surrounding him. "What's this for?" He was trying desperately, with his last bit of self-control, not to make a total idiot of himself in front of Nightwind. He was beginning to think that might be a lost cause.

Her long slender fingers dipped in the paint and she started to color his face with it. "This is your *Making a Relative*, or adoption ceremony,” Wolf explained. “We want you to be part of us."

He was struck speechless. There were so many smiling faces around him... If not for the paint, his face would still be red. He could feel it. "Me?"

"You," Coltec said with a smile as blue circles were added around Connor's eyes. Once Nightwind was finished, she moved aside, and Coltec took her place. He blew more of the smoke from the pipe towards Connor, droning something in language so old that none of the others understood it. He was then told his camp name was now *He Who Stands Watch*.

Part of him was intensely pleased, while another part was tempted to laugh out loud. He knew what the name referred to. "What happens now?" It took everything he had not to giggle. That was some strong stuff in that pipe.

"We dance!" someone said, and for the next several hours, they did exactly that. Coltec had disappeared for a while, but when he returned, the dancing stopped.

"It is now time for the purification ceremony," he told Connor. "Come. The sweat lodge is ready." He led the new camp member to the lodge, which was set in the woods near the creek. At the entrance, they all stripped off their clothing, and one by one, they went inside.

Connor only hesitated a moment, going in with the rest of the men. He wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen, but he was so please that they had asked him to join them, he wasn't going to worry about it.

The sweat turned out to be just as much of a social gathering for the men as a purification process for the body and soul. In between chants and prayers offered up by the various participants, the men talked quietly to each other, making jokes about each other. After the first round, the flap of the sweat lodge was raised again, so that cool air could come in. A few minutes later, the second round began. It was followed by a third, and then a fourth, in which the men sat silent. When Coltec determined they had had enough, he announced, "All my relatives!" and then led the way out into the crisp night air.

Connor followed and one of the women wrapped him in a blanket as the men all settled around the fire. He saw someone getting a pipe out again and grinned. "Is this why people stay up so late over here, Coltec?"

The ancient Indian chuckled. "This was a special occasion, He Who Stands Watch," he told him. "Usually we are all in our lodges sound asleep by this time. We know that you have your own home, but we would be honored if you would spend the rest of the night in a place that we have prepared for you."

Connor smiled and bowed slightly. "I would be honored." He couldn't help thinking that he would have a hard time getting home after the pipe again, anyway.

After taking several more puffs, Connor felt stranger than he ever had before in his whole life. All his senses seemed to be working at their full potential. The night around him seemed to be alive! Everything was so clear and fresh. Wolf saw the way he was looking, and nodded in understanding. He always felt that way after a good sweat ceremony himself, and the tobacco substitute that Coltec had found only intensified the sensations.

Connor was vaguely aware of the women gathered together in one of the lodges, talking and giggling. Somehow he could hear Nightwind's soft voice over all the others.

After the pipe had been passed, some of the women appeared again, and Connor found himself being escorted by them to a teepee and encouraged to go inside. "Sleep tight!" Duncan called out, his arm wrapped around Little Deer, a big grin on his face.

Connor chuckled. "You too!" He was no longer entirely aware of who exactly was leading him any more, but she had lovely black hair and he couldn't resist giving her a kiss.

She giggled, then reminded him to duck down to enter the teepee. To his surprise, she came in after him. A bed of soft rushes topped with warm blankets and furs was ready for him, and a small fire in the middle gave off a soft glow. "Sit," she told him, guiding him to the bed.

He was too surprised and his brain too fogged not to do as she said. Whatever was in that pipe still had his senses heightened and the scent and sound of her so close was making him feel as warm as he had in the sweat lodge.

"Nightwind?" he sputtered, reaching out to touch her face, as if to assure himself that he was not dreaming.

"Yes, He Who Stands Watch," the woman said as she slipped the blanket off his shoulders. "Coltec has told me that I have mourned long enough, and that I should start to live again. Perhaps the same is true of yourself?"

He blinked. "Coltec said that?" It wasn't easy to try and gather his thoughts. "Coltec is very wise. He is probably right. Everyone has been telling me the same thing." He looked deep into her eyes. "I didn't want to ask. I was afraid."

She nodded. "So was I," she admitted. "But, when I look at you, my heart sings. My husband...," she paused. "He was a strong warrior, and a good hunter. I was given to him by my father when I was young."

"Given to him?" He studied her face and considered the implications of what she had just said. "I would never do such a thing." Then a smile spread over his face. "I make your heart sing?"

He very gently kissed her forehead. "Very much. But only if it's what you want. I would never want to hurt you.”

"It is what I want," she said softly, pulling back the blankets on the bed and guiding Connor's legs up onto it. Standing up beside him, she slipped her doeskin dress off, pulling it over her head in one smooth motion.

He sighed happily and drew her close against him. "You are so beautiful." His hands gently stroked her back as he kissed her.

Her long hair tumbled over her shoulders, forming a silken curtain around his head. Nightwind smelled of wood smoke and wildflowers. As she slipped under the blankets with him, her high, firm breasts brushed his chest, sending a pleasurable sensation throughout his entire body.

His body was reacting to her already. Tentatively, he took her into his arms, ready to stop if she made the slightest protest. He was almost afraid to breathe. This was the closest to happiness he had been in a long time, he didn't want to spoil anything.

Her long, lean body was warm against his as her mouth found his again, and her hand gently caressed him. "Your hair is all tangled," she chided. "When we rise in the morning, I will tend it for you."

"I hope in the morning, I still make your heart sing." He moved against her, gently letting her feel his arousal before he went farther.

She laughed at him. "If I did not think that would be so, I would not be here," she said honestly, wondering why he was hesitating. When her husband had wanted her, he had just taken her, without all this kissing and touching.

He began to gently explore her body with his hands and mouth. She seemed hesitant, but wasn't stopping him. "No one ever did this for you?" He smiled into her eyes. "Relax and let me please you."

"Is it not I who should be pleasing you?" she asked, enjoying the feel of his hands on her body. She had never felt this way before!

"Isn't it so much nicer to please each other?" he smiled, then lowered his mouth to kiss his way slowly, down to her nipple. Her gasp of pleasure made him smile.

Her breasts were feeling extra sensitive because of her pregnancy, and Nightwind moaned softy as he sucked first one, then the other. "That is nice," she said, her hand drifting down to his chest, causing a tingling sensation to flow through Connor's body.

His hands gently caressed down her body, being careful not to tickle. Eventually, he was stroking her center and then sliding one finger inside of her.

She moaned softly, arching her hips up to meet his questing fingers. The soft light of the fire pit in the middle of the teepee flickered softly over her brown skin, and Connor could not remember seeing a sight so beautiful in a long, long time.

She was so precious to him. He wanted to take care of her and protect her. His fingers stroked and caressed expertly, until she found release.

Then, and only then, did he allow himself to enter her. It was an experience like none other. Everything seemed to be more pleasant, more intense than his other encounters with women as of late. Their lovemaking seemed like it could go on forever, but of course, it did not. When release did come, it came with an intensity that seemed so completely overpowering, it was like dying, and then coming to life again.

Afterwards, as he cradled her in his arms, still not able to speak, he sighed happily, never wanting to move from that spot. When he could move again, he kissed her again and cuddled against her, feeling her heart beating against his chest

She sighed happily. "My whole body and soul are singing now," she whispered as the light of the fire gradually dimmed and they fell asleep in each other’s arms, content and happy as neither had been for some time.