A group of boys stand in a circle
around a campfire, awaiting the unknown. Older men stand around the boys,
speaking of ancestors and future generations. The boys shift uncomfortably,
thinking of all the other young men that have gone through the ritual they are about
to embark on. They think of every piece of advice anyone has ever told them
about this rite of passage, and how useless it all seems on the eve of the
event itself. All the boys know they have to rely on each other for support because they
know they won’t be able to get through
this alone. Even though each boy’s experience, without a doubt, will be
individual and unique, they are united together by following the footsteps of
thousands of boys before them making the journey from childhood to adulthood.
There were seven of us who were woken early
that morning from our sleeping bags, the quiche that Daniel’s parents had
cooked for dinner the night before hadn’t exactly settled that well in my
stomach, so I was looking forward to a better breakfast. I knew the challenge
we were about to undertake would require a twenty-four hour fast, so I was
uncomfortable being hungry this early in the game. The boys and I circled
around the fire with the adults, one final time, to go over for what seemed
like the hundredth time what we were about to embark on. I was a little preoccupied
while Charles was giving us this final talk, going over in my head all the
possible ways I could fail; I could make a fool of or hurt myself preforming
the ceremony we were about to start. After Charles had finished speaking we set
an intention of safety for ourselves and each other by dropping a pinch of
tobacco in the fire and then we parted, an adult each leading us individually
into a different part of the forest to begin. A sacred fire, I had heard of this rite of
passage from a very young age. Being involved in wilderness camps from
childhood, we had learned about many Native American cultures, including this
ceremony. Also all the teen counselors
at the camp, were going through their rites of passage. I remember thinking, “
Wow, that sounds cool.” The basic principle of a sacred fire is that it is a time to be introspective, to get
a better sense of who you are. Physically it entails spending twenty four hours
alone in the woods fasting and tending a fire, which you can not let die. From
an outsider’s point of view this may seem like a simple task, but
once you are physically there, doing it, it is much more complex, and
difficult, than it originally seems. For
me this was the first time in my life I had been alone for twenty-four hours.
The thought was a little scary. When I
arrived at my designated area I looked around briefly at what would be my
home away from for the next day and I immediately started gathering firewood.
We had been instructed that we would need at least enough firewood to make it
through the night without having to get more. As I gathered sticks my stomach
started to rumble uncomfortably, due to the absence of food, yet I kept
working. As night approached Charles and several other men brought an ember to
each of us with which we were able to light our fires. They also brought a tarp
because it was supposed to rain that night. As the evening progressed a light
drizzle began to fall. I made many tobacco offerings to the fire and also lit a
bundle of sage to purify my site. Through the night I had many visitors. Many
of the men who were sitting awake around the base camp fire came up
periodically to check on how we were doing and see what we were feeling through
the night. I can’t describe how grateful I felt at that time that someone was
there looking out for me. The night seemed to last an eternity, but when the
sun rose finally, and the first rays of light broke through the canopy; the
image was unforgettable. When we were
finally brought back to main camp in the
afternoon we were greeted by our smiling parents and a much welcome
meal. I remember that first bite of food being incredible. Later on I had time
to reflect on my experience in the woods. Without a doubt the twenty-four hours
I spent by my fire had taught me a great deal about myself . It gave me an
enormous sense of self confidence and pride that I had survived a day and night
alone in the woods without food. It also gave me the feeling that I had
completed something meaningful, a milestone in my life. My night in the woods left me a lasting
gratitude for such basic things as food, water, shelter and warm clothing, (and
many other) things that we often take for granted in today’s society. Overall my
sacred fire shaped the way I view the
world in almost every way, most of all, not ever taking even the smallest things for granted. Tending Fires
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