Big Sky Tipi living...

[Star Wolf Medicine Woman]

I am off at the weekend to spend time at the above venue.. It is a Lakota Tipi village surrounded by woodland and wild life. All of the tipis are painted with spirit animals.. This is not in the US of A this is in Hailsham, West Sussex in the UK.. I am having this 4 day/3 night stay prior to going to the Bison Farm Pow wow next move...
Each tipi has a firepit outside... Health & Safety they said..

I will be taking my Lakota Regalia and carrying out a Smudge ceremony blessing for all the 18 pole Tipi's.. I'm not sure just how many there are.. No doubt I will conduct a morning cereony and a small pipe ceremony too..

Internally it is not authentic Lakota and the buffalo robes covering the floor are fake sadly.. But I know the cost of covering the floor or the sleeping areas of the genuine artiles... This will be good as my friend Buffalo Woman did this last year and said it was amazing..

In November I will be back to the USA on another study visit and will be spending time on the Rez in Wodville area of East Texas... Tipis and log cabins there too... My Cherokee sister has booked the cabins as she said she was not into primative camping at her age.. So this uk tipi stay in my idea...

[WhiteWarrior]

Sounds pretty good. Will there be photos from the event?

[Star Wolf Medicine Woman]

I have no idea.. There are alway photos of the Bison Farms Pow wows on line... They are always on Facebook.. But I am not on Fb.. If you want a look at the Ti[i village this coming weekend try www.bigskytipiholidays.co.uk

I know my Cherokee buddy was able to view it yesterday..She said it looked pretty cool..

That is a great place for camping and hollyday ...

[Star Wolf Medicine Woman]

Hopefully yes, I am so pleased to be going as my friend went last year and said it was really good..

[Star Wolf Medicine Woman]

I just got back to day from 3 nights in the tipis.. it should have been magical, but it was freezing... Try doing a smudge when the wind is blowing the sage from the abalone shell!!!
It was a great tipi camp but it is too cold right now... The fire pits are not inside the tipis as stupid people try to burn half a tree...
It was beautifully painted inside and out and lots of skins inside some fake some real.... The fire pits are outside and very small.. Its hard to cook outside in a north easterly and its freezing..
I sat and played my native american flute too, Thunderbow if you read this....

There was an old golden palamino in the top meadow, who I used to give an apple each day.. Today I had to leave him, I came to say goodbye and brought him a carrot... He seems old and tired so as he put his head over the fence, I did the horde whisperer bit and blew into his nostrils.. Then I gave him reiki, cradling his head in my hands. He stayed there enjoying the energy until I finished and then I gave him a pat and a kiss on the nose and he gave me a soppy look with his big brown eyes almost to say thank you...

I was told after the owner put him out to pasture and he was 24 yrs old and riddled with arthritis. I hope the Reiki helped him, he did seem to enjoy it.... I have Reikied hundrends of people and a good few animals, but he was my first horse...

[Star Wolf Medicine Woman]

I forgot to mention the Tipis were Lakota and the site owners went to Oregon to buy them and arrange shipping.. The english weather is giving them a bit of a beating now after 5 seasons.. The totem animal painting on the outside are a little faded now but the inside and the hand painted linning cloths are pristine and the rugs and blankets are NAI too.. But sleeping on a Futon is not a comfortable thing to do..Certainly not very NAI.....

But we made the best of it.. I dressed for the part in a buckskin dress and mocasins and atempted to do a sage smudge, but the wind kept blowing the sage from my abalone shell....
The inside of the tipi had a rain chute so that you didn't have to close the flaps like you'd expect...The poles at the top had to have a cap over them of the inside would have been soaked, these were held in position by 4 guy ropes and because of the wind, needed to be tightened daily..
There was not enough sun to charge the solar lantern so one went to sleep at nightfall and rose with the dawn... It made me appreciate how the women made and erected the tipi without any help from the men...

It is indeed an art setting one up and I did have a chance to take part in erecting and dismantling an 18 pole tipi last year... I starts with a tripod of the 3 main lodge poles and the remaining poles are inserted and speced evenly around to give the classic shape and strength.. The Canvas or skin covering goes next and the base is staked doen and the fastening pegs hold the tipi together.. the doorway hangs down and is tucked outside to enable the rainwater to drain outside.. inside the lining cloth is tied back in position to stop the draught.. It works...

But I wouldn't like to have to move one every few days to follow the buffalo ....

I hope the weather is warm for the Bison Farm Powwow in 2 weeks time..I am so looking forward to that..

[Thunder Bow]

My Lodge in the Hualapi Mountains AZ, with my shield on it, and an Elk laying near by to the (scroll) right. As you can see, animals like to hang out around me.

[Star Wolf Medicine Woman]

Your lodge looks a lot newer than my one did... I hope you continue to connect with the Dineh...

[Thunder Bow]

I am Dine'. Right Here in Northern AZ. This is all very familar to me. I just bumming around visiting friends and relations as usual. I do this every summer. I also deal with Horses as well. That is why I not online every day in the summer.