Traditional Family Parenting - Reclaiming Our Indigenous Ways

Long ago, in a time when the stars still walked the earth and rivers still carried stories, the People were losing their way. Not just in the physical sense — but in spirit, too. They had forgotten how to speak with the ones who came before. Forgotten how to send prayers to the sky, to the water, to the fire.

It was during this time that a young woman, carrying the weight of her people’s silence, went to the river to weep. She cried not just for herself, but for her nation — for the missing songs, the quiet lodges, the broken connections. Her tears fed the current, and the river — wise and listening — called upon the Sky Beings.

From the stars came a gentle spirit. It floated down on the breath of the wind, carrying a bundle of leaves wrapped in red cloth.

“This,” said the spirit, “is semâ — sacred to***co. It is a gift, a doorway between you and the spirit world. When burned with reverence, its smoke will carry your prayers, your grief, your gratitude — into the realms beyond. You may place it on the fire, hold it to the sky, or draw it into your lungs as medicine. But always — always — with intention, humility, and respect.”

The young woman accepted the bundle. She brought it back to the lodge. The Elders gathered. They sang again. They prayed. Some offered to***co to the fire. Others smoked it from the pipe — some gently exhaled through the nose or mouth, while others drew the spirit of that plant deep into their lungs, believing that breath and prayer must travel together. It was not about addiction. It was not done out of habit. It was sacred. Every draw of smoke was a connection — a bridge between body and spirit.

From that day forward, to***co was recognized not as a vice, but as a teacher. A plant that opened pathways between worlds, between people and Creator, between breath and truth.

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But children — listen closely.

Not all to***co is sacred.

Today, there is a kind of to***co that has been twisted. Changed. Mixed with chemicals. Made for profit, not prayer. That’s the to***co you find in ci******es — the kind that feeds addiction and illness. It was never meant to be that way.

Ceremonial to***co is different. It doesn’t come from factories — it comes from the earth. It is grown with prayers, offered with purpose, and used in ways that honor the spirit. Whether we place it in water, sprinkle it on the land, or draw it into ourselves in ceremony — it is done with balance, not dependency.

Remember: it’s not about never inhaling. Our ancestors did — when it was part of the ceremony, part of the medicine. But they didn’t chase the smoke — they followed the spirit.

So when you hold semâ in your hands, know this:
It is not just a leaf. It is a covenant.
It is not just a plant. It is a prayer.

Use it wisely. Use it only when your heart is ready to speak.

And always — treat it as the gift it was meant to be.

Ekosi. That is the teaching.
That is the remembering.

—Kanipawit Maskwa
John Gonzalez
Standing Bear Network

Please contact The Turtle Lodge or email: [email protected] for more information.

Vision Quest Rites of Passage Fast for Young Men

May 14-18, 2026 at Manitou Api Sacred Site (Whiteshell Park, MB)

We ask those who want to participate to email [email protected] for important information about the Ceremony 😊