Observations placeholder
Lame Deer - Native American Indians - The Elk Dreamer
Identifier
000291
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Native American Indians are not people of 'free love' and numerous lovers, but they marry and are expected to remain faithful to their wives. This said, before Christian missionaries got involved, a man could have more than one wife. There were also a number of Native Americans that one might classify as 'troubadors'. The men who were troubadors and capable of provoking spiritual experience via love making were known as 'elk dreamers'.
What is perhaps of great interest is that sex as a whole was treated not as something to be condemned or made smutty jokes about or even to be used as a source of curses, it was treated as it should be – a natural act that could provide pleasure, children and a spiritual experience.
Lame Deer Seeker of Visions – John Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes
You see, that's one of our troubles. We can't curse. We have no four letter words. Sure, we have a word for intercourse; it means just that – a man and a woman making love. That's hard to understand for us – using a word that really means bodies coming together in joy – using that for a curse
A description of the experience
Lame Deer Seeker of Visions – John Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes
An elk dreamer was almost as strong as a bear man. The elk stands for many good things – strength, youth, love. An elk is brave; he defends his herd. Elk dreamers, therefore, look out for the womenfolk, for the weak and helpless children. They take pity on the poor.
They have a way with the girls, but they are not women chasers. They treat women with respect and gentleness, but they have the love power. The women know it. When an elk medicine man is near, even before they see him, they feel him. They fidget around, scratch themselves, hitch up their skirts, get restless. Nobody has to tell them. All this comes from the elks. Just watch such an animal, how he protects his harem, always putting himself between his does and the danger.
The elk is an athlete [staying power]. In spite of his big antlers he can run through a dense forest no matter how close the trees are standing together . You don't quite know how he does it. He lives with the trees, is himself formed like a tree; his antlers are like branches.
An elk master gets his power from this animal. This power turns your eyes inward and penetrates into your mind, filling your whole body with wakan.
An elk man will have a good voice, be a good musician, a flute player. This flute, the siyotanka, it charms, it plays the love songs with which a boy calls his girl. The sound travels far, even the animals in the woods love it. A good spirit comes with it.
An elk medicine man grows to be like his animal. He can leave the footprints of an elk behind him to show his power. The elk spirit comes with a foot click on the ground, like a hoof striking iron. I have experienced this. The elk dreamers used to wear masks when doctoring people; they always wore a special small, quilled hoop in their hair because the circle is one of the elk's symbols.
An elk man is good at treating sick women. He can make powerful hunting charms and the love charms too. He performs the hehaka lowanpi ceremony. He knows the elk songs. He works with the elk medicine – hehaka tapejuta – the elk medicine used in many ways cures many sicknesses.