Pipe Ceremony Protocol

First Nations people follow various traditional and cultural teachings. Some teachings may be different from nation to nation, but we acknowledge and respect those differences.

Pipe Ceremony

Pipe ceremonies again differ from tribe to tribe even from one person to the next within their own tribe. Pipes and ceremony are given as gifts to certain people.

Upon coming into the pipe ceremony, the men will come to the left side of the tipi and women to the right side.

Prior to the start of the ceremony, the Elders Helper will go around and offer you to smudge yourself; this symbolizes the purification of your mind, body, and spirit.

The Elder will share a few words of welcome and will then use his language to offer prayer.

At FNUniv, generally, all the men will join the pipe carrier in the inner circle where the pipe will be smoked and passed around in a clockwise direction. The tobacco that is used is free from today’s chemicals and toxins and is a mixture of natural tobacco and plants.

The women and children will sit in the outer circle and will also help the Elder with his prayers. The old people say that when we pray as a collective, our prayers are much stronger.

The Woman’s Presence

The woman it is said own half of every lodge and is respected for her ability to bring life into this world; it is important that we show honor and respect to her at all times.

To show respect to the ceremony, a woman will wear a long skirt or dress that goes past the knees or cover with a blanket and will not sit with her legs crossed during the pipe ceremony.

The Old people say that women are very strong because of their ability to undergo a natural purification (menstrual cycle) and that they should refrain from participating in ceremony or touching sacred objects during their menstrual cycles.