Learning About Teepee Poles
Several of us from Manotick United Church attended Jenny Sutherland's talk on Saturday, July 27, where she explained the meaning of each of the teepee poles. A quick "recap" for anyone who may not know the background ... we had originally donated money to Misiwe Lodge to have an Indigenous artisan carve a bench for the Healing Forest, but the artist is so busy, that Jenny (who is the Lodge’s visionary and caretaker) reached out to Joan Heard, our Chair of Outreach & Social Action, and asked if the funds could be used to resource new teepee poles.
Jenny is a passionate speaker and the idea for the Lodge came from this place of offering, love, prayer and intention to support healing and wellbeing, and when you enter the Lodge you immediately feel the intention of this sacred space. Jenny shared that there are 15 poles needed for the teepee and she shared what each pole represents - here just a one word summary of each pole: Obedience, Respect, Humility, Happiness,. Love, Faith, Kinship, Cleanliness, Thankfulness, Sharing, Strength, Good Child Rearing, Hope, Ultimate Protection and the final pole is used to controls the flaps from wind. It was a very interesting talk - the picture shows a few of the "attendees" looking at the teepee poles that are currently standing. We hope that we can arrange a visit when the new poles arrive and actually see how the teepee is constructed. A special thank you to Joan Heard for organizing another Indigenous educational opportunity.
