Today I presided at a wedding ... nothing out of the ordinary: it's August, and we're in the Northern Hemisphere ... but this was a different kind of wedding. We followed the liturgy of the Church, but integrated some First Nations customs as well.
You see, the bride and groom today were both Ojibway, and they're both employees at the local Native Friendship Centre. As such, they value their heritage and are happy to share it with the rest of us.
DJ and Teresa asked that we include the singing of a special song (sung by the members of the hand-drumming troupe that performs on a regular basis with DJ) and a smudge of the newly-married couple, which was done by me. This is a very highly unusual occurance, and a very high honour which they have afforded me.
Up to the last minute, I was asking questions about the medicines that were present, and their significances, about which ones I should mix and which ones I should leave aside, about which direction I should move in as I circled the couple, and about how I should hold the smudging bowl as they each smudged themselves. They answered all my querries with infinite patience and were very patient with me.
For all this, and more, I say migwetch.
It is a true gift to be able to appreciate another culture, but the greater gift is being given the opportunity to take part in those cultural traditions.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you for the honour and especially for being open to the invitation to deepen your understanding.