by: Mr. Francis Hairy Chin and Father Stan
Lighting the Pipe"It is finished." "He hecetu." "Now, my friends, let us smoke together so there may be only peace and good will between us.""Now I light this Pipe, and after I have offered it to the powers that are One Power and sent forth a voiceto them, we shall smoke together."
Offering the mouthpiece first to the One Above
"So I send my voice."
A wordless, spontaneous chant. Then:
"Grandfather, Great Spirit, you have been always, and before you no one ever was. There is no other oneto pray to but you. You yourself, everything that you see, everything has been made by you. The starnations all over the universe you have finished. The four quarters of the earth you have finished. The day,and everything in that day, you have finished.
"Grandfather, Great Spirit, lean close to the earth so you may hear the weak voice that I send.
To the West
"You, towards where the sun goes down, behold me! Thunder beings, behold me!
To the North
"You, where the White Giant lives in power, behold me!
To the East
"You, where the sun shines continually, whence comes the day-star and the day, behold me!
To the South
"You, where the summers live, behold me!
To the sky
"You, in the distances of heavens, and eagle of power, behold me!
To the earth
"And you, Mother Earth, the only Mother, you have shown mercy to your children, behold me!
"Hear me, four quarters of the world -- a relative I am! Give me the strength to walk the soft earth, arelative to all that is!
"Give me the eyes to see and the strength to understand, so I may be like you. With your power only can Iface the winds."Great Spirit, Great Spirit, my Grandfather, all over the earth the faces of living things are all alike. Withtenderness have these come up out of the ground. Look upon these faces of children without number andwith other children in their arms, so they may face the winds and walk the good road to the day of quiet.
"This is my prayer, hear me!
"The voice I sent is weak, yet with earnestness I have sent it. Hear me!