Cedar Woman (4 page)

Beneath
the corn
co
bs
w
a
s
a
s
im
p
le carving.
Engr
a
v
ed
upon
a
cedar p
l
a
n
k,
a
n
d
pa
i
n
t
ed
i
n
t
h
e
s
am
e
deep
b
l
ue
of
t
h
e
a
w
n
in
g s
t
r
i
pe
a
n
d
s
t
ar, were
t
h
e
wor
d
s
Mita
ku
y
e
Oyasi
n
,
²
which
translated
from
the
Lakota Si
o
u
x
lan
gu
a
ge
s
i
m
p
ly
mea
n
t,
“
W
e
Are
A
l
l
Relate
d
.”
I
cannot
believe what
she
h
a
s
acc
om
p
lish
e
d,
he
reflect
e
d
,
stepp
i
ng
d
ow
n
f
r
om
t
h
e
curb a
n
d cr
o
ss
i
n
g the still sile
n
t street.

So
nn
y recalled t
h
at Le
n
a chose t
h
e b
u
il
d
ing, w
h
ich
was later to bear h
e
r Native
A
m
erican
n
a
m
e,
pa
r
tly
b
e
ca
u
se
o
f t
h
e
l
o
cati
o
n
of
t
h
e doors.
T
h
e
main
entr
a
n
ce
f
a
ced
west
w
h
ere
li
v
ed
t
h
e
Th
u
n
d
e
r
Bei
n
gs. Fr
o
m
h
ere came rain and n
o
uris
h
m
e
n
t so
all
may li
v
e.

The
se
con
d
d
o
or
fac
e
d
t
h
e
n
o
rth where
the
Great
Wh
it
e
Gia
n
t
li
v
es.
From
here
came the cle
a
nsing white
snows a
n
d t
h
e
p
ow
e
r of
h
eali
n
g.

So
nn
y
to
o
k
a
d
eep
b
rea
t
h
.
He
co
u
ld
still
s
m
e
ll
sa
g
e.
Th
e
n
ig
h
t be
f
o
re
t
h
e gr
a
nd op
e
ni
n
g
,
L
ena
pe
rf
o
r
m
ed
a
s
m
udgi
n
g
cere
m
ony to cleanse
herse
l
f and
the
n
e
w
r
e
staur
a
nt.

Carrying
a
s
m
o
l
d
e
ring
b
o
wl filled
with
sacred
grasses,
Le
n
a
wal
k
ed to
t
h
e ce
n
ter of t
h
e
first f
l
o
o
r
o
f t
h
e
b
u
il
d
in
g
.

T
h
e
w
h
ite
cer
a
m
ic
bo
wl,
w
h
ich
s
h
e
h
a
d t
h
r
o
wn
h
e
rself,
its
r
i
m pai
n
ted with
r
ed
o
c
hre
t
o
s
ym
bolize
t
h
e
b
l
o
o
d
o
f
T
h
e
P
e
ople,
c
ontain
e
d cedar
ne
e
d
les,
to
cleanse
the
area,
its
sweet
s
m
e
ll
attr
a
cti
n
g
t
h
e
go
o
d

s
p
irits.
In
additi
on
,
t
h
ere
was
wild
s
a
ge,
fo
r
pu
r
i
f
yi
ng
t
h
e
s
o
ul
a
n
d
t
h
e

air,
en
h
a
n
cing
b
ala
n
ce wit
h
in
on
e
’s
se
l
f
and
t
h
e
s
p
i
rit
wor
l
d
.
Wild
sweet gras
s
,
t
o
c
l
e
a
nse
t
h
e
m
i
nd
a
n
d b
o
dy
an
d
t
o
a
tt
ract
g
o
o
d
sp
i
r
it
s
an
d energies
with its
fragr
a
n
ce, along
w
ith
tobacco,
to
carry
her
prayers
to Creator was
also
i
n
cluded.

Lena
“ba
t
hed”
herself
w
i
th
t
h
e
fr
ag
rant
fum
es.
C
upp
i
ng
her
h
an
d
, and
c
a
pt
u
ri
n
g
t
h
e
floati
n
g
rib
bo
n
s
of
s
m
oke,
s
h
e
pass
e
d
t
h
em over
h
e
r head,
sh
ou
l
ders, torso,
an
d
under each foot.

Facing
t
h
e
w
es
t
,
she
ext
en
d
ed
t
h
e
s
m
ok
i
ng
b
o
wl
an
d
i
n
to
ned:

“
Gran
d
fat
h
er of
t
h
e
W
e
st,
t
h
i
s
is
Cedar
W
om
an,
I
a
s
k
t
h
at
y
ou
keep
m
y feet true
a
nd
o
n
t
h
e G
oo
d
Re
d
R
o
a
d
.
³
I
ask
t
h
at
y
ou
g
u
i
d
e
m
e on
t
h
is
da
y
,
a
n
d
al
l
d
a
ys
,
s
o
tha
t
I
m
ay
con
tin
u
e
o
n
t
h
i
s
p
a
t
h
.
I
as
k
tha
t
y
o
u
h
e
l
p
i
n my
d
aily
life.
Mita
ku
y
e
o
y
asi
n
, we
are
all
relate
d
.
S
h
e
n
e
x
t
tur
n
ed
t
o
t
h
e n
o
rth
and o
ff
ered
t
h
e
sa
m
e
p
r
ayer
to Gr
an
dfath
e
r
o
f
t
h
e
N
o
r
t
h, Gr
an
dfath
e
r
of
t
h
e
East
a
nd
t
h
en
o
f
t
h
e
S
o
uth.
Lifti
n
g
t
h
e
b
o
wl
to
t
h
e heav
e
n
s
,
s
h
e
r
e
peated h
e
r
p
r
ayer to Fat
h
er S
k
y.