An Excerpt from Walking With Grandfather: The Wisdom of Lakota Elders by Joseph M. Marshall III
Joseph M. Marshall III shares many insights into life from the Lakota wisdom tradition. Here is an excerpt on shadow.
"Among several Plains tribes, such as the Lakota, there was a cleansing and healing ceremony for fighting men. Those who had participated in battle, or battles, were placed outside the circle of the community; a dance arbor represented that circle as the people stood within it. Songs were sung to honor the fighting men, and prayers were offered for their souls so that they be cleansed of the terrible things they had to do to defend the people. Then the men walked quietly back into the circle, back into the community, because the people allowed them to return so that they could be healed. Not only were the men, in a sense, forgiven for being warriors, but they were also reminded that the nagi wica was to be put back in its state of dormancy each time it fulfilled its purpose. It was a reality check to remind them, in no uncertain terms, that though there was honor and status to be won as fighting men, that was only part of their responsibility to the community.
"As the community reminded the men that their overall responsibility was broader than their obligation as protectors, it — the community made up of wives, mothers, fathers, children, and grandparents — was also healing emotional, as well as physical, wounds suffered in defense of the people. Any society, any culture, any community that — as a whole — unconditionally heals and nurtures its warriors is ensuring its own survival. Any society, culture, or community that does so understands that being a warrior is much more than a job or a career. It is a calling, a sacred duty that is carried out when necessary. Such a society knows and understands the shadow being.
"The shadow being does live within each of us, waiting for that necessary moment to emerge. We can see it emerge when a mother fiercely or steadfastly defends her children from any kind of harm. At such moments, the shadow being becomes the one who 'goes to battle,' or zuya ye, and in a real sense becomes the 'warrior.'
"Sadly, war will not cease to be, at least not in the foreseeable future. Neither will conflicts within our everyday lives. Consequently, war and warriors will continue to be a fabric of the lore of many cultures the world over, no matter the cause. Therefore, the shadow being will continue to be part of us, individually and collectively.
"Perhaps a way to eradicate war and to understand the shadow being is to forgive the warriors so they can forgive themselves and heal, especially from the wounds that are hardest to see — the wounds to the soul. Then perhaps we can all understand what my grandfather said to me: The real warrior is the one who fights to defeat war itself.
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