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| Wellbriety
Day in Oneida. (L to R), Marilyn King, Glenn Funmaker,
Pat Twocrow, and Don Coyhis with the small Gift
Hoop, and the Hoop of 100 Feathers. |
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A Sacred Fire had been burning since before
the Sun rose in the East this day. This Fire would be kept
for all of the days of the Oneida Sobriety Conference—May
23-25 2003. We were here today for the Wellbriety Day event,
which would be the "kick-off" for the main Conference. There
were 45 people gathered on the lawn outside the Oneida Parish
Hall awaiting arrival of the Sacred Hoop of 100 Eagle Feathers.
There were several people already there long before any
of the rest of us arrived—probably long before most
of us had awakened this beautiful morning. They had been
tending to the Sacred Fire for many hours. The Fire had
four painted rocks placed around it. As you moved around
the Sacred Fire in a counter-clockwise direction you passed
each rock, beginning with the Yellow in the East, Red in
the South, Black in the West, and finally a White rock in
the Northern direction. We were told that the four colors
of rock represented the Four Directions and the Four Races
of Man. It was a good way to begin our day. Thank you to
those who rose early to have this Sacred Fire for us.
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