A little explanation of the Native American (Apache/Navajo) wedding ceremony. (Picture heavy)

[puerco-bellies]

The ceremony started very early in the day. My friend Joe Hinostro got to the sweat lodge in Palmdale CA just before dawn and started the fire to heat the rocks, loaded the sacred Chunupa (pipe) and begin the prayers and blessings. So many of our friends (like our very own California Peggy) pitched in and helped us in the true "Red Road" way. Ali me and the kids drove around a hundred miles north to Palmdale and were met by my immediate family members and went in to the sweat lodge where prayers/songs and blessings began. This was a version of the Navajo (Joe's people, and "cousins" of the Apache) "Blessing Way". No photos or detailed descriptions are permissible.

After the Blessing and Purification (the sweat) we drove back to our respective home to clean up and panic over a thousand or so unfinished details. We got to our wedding site and Joe and his family and our friends stated making the Sacred Circle, which started out with sage and tobacco being laid out aligned with the 4 directions and a circle encompassing the whole. The earth brought by my "bro" to cover the sacred mixture with prayer ties that we made at the blessing way capped the circle. Each prayer tie consisted of 16 pieces of cloth wrapping tobacco in the proper color for each direction, while the proper prayers were being said.



This is a picture of Joe praying over the circle with a eagle feather, consecrating the circle.



As Ali (My god she looked so beautiful) approached the circle-



A noted flute player Manny Saenz began playing a "prayer" on his flute. He was amazing.



Ali and I met just outside the Sacred Circle and stepped in to the circle, joining our elders in a sacred place.



As we stepped in to the Sacred Circle my friends began singing blessing songs using a ceremonial drum.



My father offered me the Sacred Chanupa 4 times and I accepted it on the forth time, and held the pipe to my naval signifying our umbilical to the spirit world. During this time prayers/songs were being sung.



We asked our friends and family to join us in the circle and share our blessing/prayer pipe. Those who don't partake of tobacco simply touched the pipe stem to each shoulder and passed it on.



We then did the cornmeal portion of the ceremony described in last night's post.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=7590791&mesg_id=7590791

Our guests returned to their seats.

Ali And I drank from the wedding vase separately then together at the same time.



Ali and I stepped out of the circle and became man and wife.

Thank you DU for attending our wedding.

Edited because I forgot about the wedding vase.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear puerco-bellies!

Thank you, sweetie, for these explanations!

I felt so helpless, not knowing the answers...

I feel very honored that my pictures were an essential part of your explanation!

:hug:

[puerco-bellies]

36. Thank you CP.

You took such beautiful pictures of Alison, and I will be eternally grateful. When the minister asked us if we needed a referral to a photographer Ali looked over to me and asked if YOU could do this for us. I was sure you would and boy-howdy did you evah!
From the bottom of our hearts Thank You.
Love,
P-b and Ali

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. Beautiful! Congratulations, and thank you for inviting us via the posts!

[puerco-bellies]

37. Thanks Peake

It's an honor to have DU with us.

[fortyfeetunder]

3. Awesome pictures!!!

Thanks for sharing your beautiful ceremony.
and Recommended Highly!

[puerco-bellies]

38. CP is the bomb with a camera

You are most welcome.

[FloridaJudy]

4. Beautiful.

Thanks for sharing with us. And...

[puerco-bellies]

39. Our pleasure FJ

You are welcome.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

5. beautiful

:woohoo:

[puerco-bellies]

40. Thank you lspyk

Beautiful is something you would know about.

[lost-in-nj]

6. WOW

Thank you for the explanation....

this might be a dumb question
but you are both wearing green....

is it because its a favorite color? or does it have something to do with the ceremony?
which ever it is you both looked wonderful....

lost

:hug: to you and your new family.....

btw

why are you posting on DU????

aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon???? LOL

[puerco-bellies]

9. Ali let me pick the color and my favorite is sage green.

We have to pack and make arrangements. We are leaving to the central mountains of Nevada to prospect for turquoise and tour turquoise mines.. Man did I pick the right woman or what!?!

[lost-in-nj]

10. yeah, you are lucky.....

:) Sounds like a great honeymoon...

and the rings are beautiful!!!!


Have Fun!!!


lost

[auntAgonist]

7. Thank you for sharing your married life's beginning with us..

May you always know love and happiness.


aA
kesha

[puerco-bellies]

41. Your welcome aA and k

I believe will always will..

[Gormy Cuss]

8. Thank you for the explanation of the ceremony.

Made me feel like I was right there with you!

[puerco-bellies]

42. Cool G C

We wanted to share our ceremony with those who have not been exposed to another wedding tradition.

[Haole Girl]

11. Thank you for the explanation

That sunset pic, of everyone around the circle, is amazing!

What an incredible ceremony! Everything seemed to come together perfectly...
and Ali's dress was very pretty, btw. :-)

[puerco-bellies]

43. Your quite welcome KC2

We coordinated the combination of the two ceremonies. I did not mention that even though we started the ceremony by entering the Circle after we had the first songs/blessings Joe turned the ceremony over to our minister/officiating person for the normal western/European "do you take this.." and exchange of rings. The minister (Leslie Bockian http://www.ajoyfulwedding.com/ ) then turned the ceremony back over to Joe H. for the pipe, cornmeal, wedding vase Native American part. After that we stepped out of the circle and Joe turned it back to Leslie and she pronounce us Man and Wife then presented us to our guest for the first time and Mr. and Miss P-b

THIS WAS ALL COORDINATED MOMENTS BEFORE THE CEREMONY STARTED. Sorry for shouting, but that was amazing. Both officials worked seamless and selflessly with each other and our wishes. It was nothing less then a miracle.

[DarkTirade]

12. Does anybody have a tissue?

I... um... got something in my eye. :)

[puerco-bellies]

44. From the moment the ceremony started so did I.

I tried to suck it up but I cried like a baby through the whole thing.

[harmonicon]

13. Congratulations! It looks like it was a great wedding

Out of curiosity, where was the ceremony? ....doesn't look like Palmdale to me.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. It wasn't in Palmdale...

But out on the coast, in Palos Verdes...

At the Interpretive Center...

It was a truly impressive venue!

[puerco-bellies]

16. The Blessing way was held in Palmdale, and no the wedding was not there.

The wedding ceremony was held at Point Fermin, the western most tip of Palos Verde Peninsula of the Los Angeles area. We live just north of P.V. The sweat lodge I normally go to is next door to P.V. but it is a woman's lodge. There are sweats there that are open to all, but only medicine women are allow to "pour" there, or another words lead the sweat. The medicine woman who runs that lodge could not do the Wedding Vase Ceremony, and my Medicine man could not pour at that lodge so we had to make a 200 mile loop to do this right.

[harmonicon]

20. well, it sure seems like it was worth it

A few years ago I lived in the Antelope Valley, just off the 14 on the way to Palmdale - I know the LA are pretty well, but had no idea where those pictures were taken. It sure looks like it was just right :)

[MorningGlow]

14. How beautiful!

Even just looking at the photos and reading your explanations got me choked up.

Fascinating--Native American wedding ceremonies and pagan/wicca ceremonies have many similar elements. Your ceremony reminded me of Mr. MG's and my handfasting 10 years ago.

All the best to you both! :toast:

[puerco-bellies]

17. I have wiccan friends and have heard the term handfasting..

Could you give me a short description?

[MorningGlow]

18. Oh sure

We also consecrate a circle with the four directions, smudge ourselves (sage or incense) before entering, and drink from a cup together. We bind our left hands together with a special cord and some couples choose to step over a broom as they exit the circle. It's quite a nice ceremony; some use it as the actual marriage ceremony, others use it in the traditional Celtic way--couples were handfasted and lived as husband and wife for a year and a day. After the "trial" time period, the couple decided whether to confirm their vows or go their separate ways. If they chose to stay together, they had another ceremony, this time for life; if they decided not to stay married, they parted with no animosity and kept whatever they brought with them to the union.

Hope that helps!

[BarenakedLady]

19. Thank you for sharing with us.

And congratulations again.

:hug:

[puerco-bellies]

45. It is our pleasure to share our joy with you.

Thank you BL.

[hippywife]

21. Thanx so much

for the explanation and the pics. Everything looks like it was just so beautiful. I'm really happy for you both and wish you many happy years as man and wife. :hi:

Thanx to Peg for all the pics, too. How wonderful that she could come and be a part of the ceremony.

[puerco-bellies]

46. Everything was so beautiful.

Thank you for your wishes, and it was great to have CP there.

[av8rdave]

22. What a wonderful ceremony

Thanks for the description and the pictures!

[puerco-bellies]

47. Your welcome a8d

We are sorry we missed your visit to L.A.

[av8rdave]

67. One of these days it will work out

[Redstone]

23. Very, VERY nice, PB. I'm damn happy for both of you.

Redstone

[puerco-bellies]

48. You are welcome Brother.

P-b & Ali

[fizzgig]

24. another beautiful post

again, i thank you for sharing this

[puerco-bellies]

49. Thank you for joining in our joy

We are honored by our friends presence, thank you k.

[GreenPartyVoter]

25. What a beautiful ceremony! Thanks for all the pics and explanations!

[puerco-bellies]

50. I'm glad we could share our choice on our union.

Your welcome GPV.

[Bake]

26. Beautiful. Just beautiful!

Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I am speechless.

Bake

[puerco-bellies]

51. Thank you bake

Your silence is wonderful praise, and appreciated.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

27. Congratulations!! Tutto bene!!

How fabulous. What a wonderful ceremony. You're a gorgeous couple and the green is very becoming!

:bounce: :bounce:

I didn't see any pictures of the rings. Did I miss something?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

28. My dear Perragrande!

Those pics are in this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x7591241

[Manifestor_of_Light]

34. Very nice rings.

I see the turquoise. It sort of looks like opal.

Very distinctive and unusual. Nice!

[puerco-bellies]

52. That is very kind of you to say Pgd

I did not do justice to Ali with these rings. I had a few "bench" issues, and I need more experience using the lost wax casting method. The material saved me. The turquoise is the fabulous Lander Blue from Lander County Nevada (Ali and I are heading to the No 8 mine in Lander County tomorrow morning) and 18k Gold. It is impossible to go wrong with that as a medium.

Our rings came from the far left stone.





On edit I pointed out the source stone.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

73. Ooh, Lander Blue is just lovely!

I took a couple of GIA courses and have certificates in diamond grading and colored stone grading. But we didn't learn anything about non-crystalline gems like jade and turq. I also have done enameling and lost wax casting which is a blast --"slingin' metal" as we called it!

So that's why your turq looks like it's sparkling! The matrix it's in......beautiful & unique rings.

That is so cool that you made your rings!! I love it when I can make something beautiful with my hands -- blessings to you for your love and your craftsmanship.

:bounce: :bounce:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

29. That's beautiful.

Many wonderful blessings on your marriage and I wish you many happy years together.

Duckie

[puerco-bellies]

53. Thank you YRD

We hope for your wishes with all our hearts.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

30. Thank you.

Best wishes to you and Ali.

[puerco-bellies]

54. Your welcome T A

Best wishes to you and yours.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

31. Beautiful

Thank you for sharing the pics puerco-bellies!

Ali looks lovely :)

[puerco-bellies]

55. Your welcome SCE

She has always looked beautiful, but she was absolutely stunning. The moment I laid eyes on her I knew I was the most undeserving and luckiest man on the planet.

[AwakeAtLast]

32. Congratulations to the happy couple!

That is quite possibly the most beautiful wedding I have seen! The sunset was gorgeous!

[puerco-bellies]

56. We both have been to a number of weddings in our lives

We wholeheartedly agree with you. The back drop could not be bought for any price and was a gift from our creator.

[Pushed To The Left]

33. Congratulations to you and Ali!!

:bounce: You two seem very happy together.

[puerco-bellies]

57. Thank you P T T L

We are.

[tigereye]

35. incredible! thanks for sharing your beautiful ceremony with us!

what lovely and powerful traditions, and an amazing sunset.

Best to both of you!

:toast:

[puerco-bellies]

58. Thank you te

And thanks for our elders, and creator. It really was their ceremony.

[YankeyMCC]

59. Very nice

thank you for showing us and congratulations.

[puerco-bellies]

63. Thank you

I wanted to share my culture with my DU friends.

[Guava Jelly]

60. Congrats and thank you for sharing this inportant and beautiful moment with us

:)
:toast: A toast for many decades of happiness

[puerco-bellies]

64. We are glad you enjoyed the pictures

:toast:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

61. I often cry at weddings...

Now I sit here crying over your lovely ceremony. May you have many wonderful years together! :hug::hug::hug:

[puerco-bellies]

65. I cried through the whole thing.

Ali sucked it up and only cried a little.
:grouphug:

[Callalily]

62. Congrats again to you and Ali!

And thank you so much for explaining the ceremony. I had chills just reading about it. Your guests must have been so full of emotion.

The symbolism truly celebrates the marriage union. So much more meaningful than any "traditional" wedding.

Hugs to you both! :hug: :hug:

And happy honeymoon!

[puerco-bellies]

66. It was traditional.

Just a different one. While we are happy with ours even a civil wedding in a court house is meaningful and beautiful if it is done in a loving heart.

[YDogg]

68. Greetings puerco-bellies.

My congratulations to you both. Seeing your photos made my day, and I am grateful that you shared them. Your rings are absolutely stunning!

Peace and blessings,

YDogg

[ThomCat]

69. Thank you very much for that explanation.

That is wonderful. :)

[Flaxbee]

70. beautiful ceremony, puerco-bellies, and thank you so much

for sharing your and Ali's special day with us. I wish you both all the happiness in the world.

And gorgeous, gorgeous rings! Have a wonderful time prospecting for turquoise!

All my best to you and your new family!

[Shine]

71. Many blessings to you!

I feel a great affinity for Native American traditions. I have been fortunate enough to have attended many Navajo-inspired Blessing Way Ceremonies for these sorts of important life transitions, such as weddings and impending births.

My moon circle of 12 women gifted me with two separate Blessing Way ceremonies before the births of both of my children, too.

They were very powerful and meaningful. I will cherish the memories of those ceremonies forever.

:hi: :toast: Congratulations to the Happy Couple!

[Justpat]

72. Thank you for sharing this.

I am speechless, almost, with awe and tears in my eyes at the beauty of it.

[applegrove]

74. Cool. You both look great in green.

[ceile]

75. Absolutely beautiful!

Congrats PB and Ali!!!!