The Wolf Awakens

 

"Beware of Sleeping Wolf" with dancing stick

On Wednsday night we had a guest speaker named Marty, but his Blackfoot name is "Beware of Sleeping Wolf." When Marty arrived, I was already outside and therefore had the privilege of helping him move his vast collection of Native American artifacts into the bunkhouse. During dinner, Marty discussed his past experiences in Catholic schooling, his childhood in Seatle, and his time in the Army Airborne. 


Beaded gauntlets

 After dinner "Beware of Sleeping Wolf" started to show us his collection of artifacts with the warning that if we dropped an eagle feather, he would have to perform a ceremony to protect us against bad luck.  He had many interesting artifacts each with their own unique story. He had three war bonnets, the feathered hats that chieftains wore, as well as many beaded articles of clothing. He explained to us how an Indian earned feathers for their war bonnet and the difference between a blackfoot war bonnet, whose feathers stand straight up, and a Sioux war bonnet, whose feathers slope back. He even let us wear one of the war bonnets which was in the best condition. As time progressed he took out many artifacts including; yarn dolls, beaded gauntlets and belts, eagle wings, his dance outfit, rattlers, pipes, mocassins, and so much more.


Jacob wears the wolf headdress

 After discussing all of these artifacts he took out his most interseting piece, a wolf skin headdress. He let us wear it and then explained how ancient Native Americans would use the disguise to approach a buffalo herd without scaring the animals. Overall the presentation was very interesting and enlightening to both the hardships the Indians of past times experienced and their rich cultural heritage. I enjoyed it greatly and feel fortunate that we were able to hear his stories and narratives.

J. Ploschnitznig '13