As I played with 14 month old Marisa today, I had to smile. I thought about the love, and the power it wielded to my heart on that faithful day... the day I gazed into the eyes of my first granddaughter. Who could have dreamed two large liquid pools of black could make a human being weak in the knees?
I am Quero Apache. I was born of a tradition where children are valued as the wealth of a community. I am a member of a growing community of heart - an extended family, if you will. So many among us, we are blessed.
This year as the number of families with children has grown, the Elders have celebrated and smiled. The Vision of Growing Peace is alive. And I am blessed with the ability to play with Five Generations in any given moment.
As I ponder this phenomenon in my life, I see the babies and those like my oldest granddaughter, Marianna, the children transitioning into young adulthood.
The pride that swells inside me, to know our family, and community will support them through traditional ways, humbles this simple storyteller. The number of young ones that will participate in the rites of passage seems to grow daily. This brings back memories.
I had my own Na ii ees when I was twelve. This ritual dates back to the beginning of time and is part of our family’s oral teaching.
Na ii ees brings an elevated state of holiness, or ecstatic bliss, to this moment of life transition. An energy of understanding, and the power of centuries of similar ceremonies, unified.
I am passionate about ritual, but when it comes to the Na ii ees I know the impact it had in my life. Think back, if you will. Do you remember when you first speculated on why the older kids were considered different than you? Then the next day, you knew?
Do you have a good memory? I pray more answers are yes than no, but so far that’s not been my experience. One of the ways my grandpa taught me that we can heal the world and guarantee peace for future generations is to replace memories with vision.
I'd like to take a minute to share Naa ii ees with you:
The ritual itself is born of a legend about a little boy and a little girl who were lost in the forest and cared for by the Gaan, Mountain Spirits. These Grandfathers of the Directions healed the children and gave them messages to bring back to the people. The Mountain Spirits told them, “This is how the life flows!” This is Naa ii ees - the Coming Out.
To celebrate the life transition of puberty, and to bless novice adults, the community honors, instructs, and dances them into adulthood. Changing Mother Earth and Spirit’s power are transferred to the children through four stages of initiation. During the Naa ii ees they reenact the journey of these first children. In turn, their life’s passage is acted out to prepare them for their future.
Stage One: Instruction & Preparation
During the first few days preparation of shamanic tools and instruction in the ceremonial basics are handled. Wilderness skills and animal knowledge really come in handy, and are fun to learn. This helped us feel one with the earth, and the gathered community, safe and secure. We also sat in talking circles where adults shared their stories of puberty and we got to ask questions about the feelings that were new to our bodies and minds.
The best part was that we had fun. The transition had begun, but we were fully enjoying the last moments of our childhood.
Stage Two: Purification & Vision Quest
The second stage was life changing. We rose at sunrise and together, as equals with the adults, we sat in the Sweat Lodge and purified. We opened ourselves and filled ourselves with courage and love.
When the Sweat Lodge was complete we began our first Vision Quest. We carried our water and blankets out into the forest. We created our circles of stone. Each of the four of us spaced out far enough apart that we were oblivious to each other. Fasting, with only water, we sat in that circle. We sat through the Sun, the Moon, the Sun, the Moon, the Sun. The silence came and devoured us until we could hear the earth’s heart, while the adults prayed for us in base camp.
Stage Three: Coming Out
When Vision Quest was complete we came into camp feeling, well… blissful is the best word I can come up with. The adults were there with hot chocolate and something light for us to eat.
Staying in Silence we rested and were taken care of. After one night’s rest we rose at sunrise and the dancing began. At times we danced alone, at other times the adults joined in. Intermixed with the strenuous dancing were periods during which our calves and feet were massaged, ritualistic races were held, and, of course, many prayers of gratitude were said.
The adults gave prayers of gratitude for the messages of hope that we carried in our transitioning, while we silently gave thanks for two things - a family that believed in these ways and a moment not to move. The trance dance is systematically designed to keep you from straying out of body too far. The reasoning behind this lies in the balancing of achieved spirit vision and grounded ability to actually manifest that vision; an experience I truly have found invaluable throughout my adult years.
Stage Four: Moments of Holiness
By the time we were done with Vision Quest and trance dancing, we truly were intoxicated on the energy. At this point, the adults let us talk, and they listened.
We told of our experiences over the last few days as best we could remember them. We were assured that it was okay if we didn’t remember them. The memories would return when they were needed. We were also assured that the adults would be there for us, should we ever need to talk more.
And they were serious! The adults that were present at my Naa ii ees who are still living are still my counselors – and remember, I am now a grandmother several times over. A community raised this child.
We also had time to re-acclimate. The three days that followed were an easing of us back into daily life. The energies balanced and we were blessed with a memory of ourselves, and the adults in our lives that made us who we are today.
I, for one, think we all came to this place as exceptional human beings. And I am honored to share this memory with you. I am honored to facilitate this ritual, for the young people of tomorrow memory becomes vision.
Daaiina, and so it is.
Maria Yraceburu is the founder of EarthWisdom, a non profit 501 (c) 3 spiritual community, and its link prosperity community partner, FollowingAncestors. She is the author of Prayers and Meditations of the Quero Apache (Bear & Co., 2004), and Legends and Prophecies of the Quero Apache (Bear & Co., 2004).
Described by Joe Montana in Mystic Pop magazine as “One of Native America's newest evolutionists and storytellers, a woman with a passionate drive always searching for ways to help humanity heal”, Maria is a 13th-generation Quero Apache diiyin – Holy One – who has spent more than 40 years as a teacher, healer, priest, sacred sites guide, speaker and consultant.
Maria follows in the steps of her grandfather, great grandmother, and those before in assisting individuals in their search for sacred purpose, teaching an earth tradition that provides empowerment, encouragement, and remembrance. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her community work. During her spiritual initiations, she spent a lifetime following her grandfather Ten Bears around the White Mountains of Arizona, joined Matthew King of the Lakota in the way of White Buffalo Calf Woman, and worked extensively with Rolling Thunder and other indigenous teachers. Her work is supported by a multitude of world renowned teachers and healers, a list of which can be found on her website, www.followingancestors.net along with details of many upcoming events.
HeartFire: Young Adult Coming Out, July 13-25, 2005 - for more information visit www.followingancestors.net/heartfire.pdf. Space is limited, so register now!
