ALUNA TEMPLE MAGAZINE Edition No3 'INITIATIONS' | Page 35

CHEROKEE RITE OF PASSAGE
FOR BOYS
with James Tree-Gilmore
? Author
? Caretaker of the U. N. Turtle Pipe
? Spiritual Adviser
www.jimtree.com

In Cherokee traditions there is a rite of passage for boys called a “vision quest.”
It is when a boy goes into nature alone. For three days he will fast and pray within a
sacred circle he creates, usually on a high point on the land. The boy asks the Universe
to send him a vision so to answer the questions, “Who am I, what am I to accomplish
with my life?” Gifts are also revealed that will assist him in becoming a balanced adult as
he serves his life’s calling.
There is a saying, “The people perish for lack of vision.”
Today we live in a material based society that pushes us toward jobs, not purposeful aspirations.
But what if one is not created to be what our economic system wants us to become? For example,
you may innately be an artist yet parents and teachers push you to be a football player. You may
become a great player, but you likely will never feel fulfilled.
One of the most important responsibilities of parenthood is to empower and nurture our
children so they realize who they truly are. It is advisable never to force children into something
they were not created to be. So many people suffer throughout life because they never

discover their essence. What a sad situation!
Imagine our world if everyone was living the life they were created to express.
The lone quest allows the boy to have strong self-worth.
The rate for suicide attempts among native teens on some reservations is over 50%. These
beautiful teens have no hope, no vision of their purpose. Most are impoverished, seeing no way
out. To give them hope and purpose, I and others are encouraging the re-institution of rites of
passage on and off the reservation.
In the Cherokee tradition, a boy of 11 or 12 begins his rite by fasting the morning he starts his
quest.

Before the first day starts, he purifies himself by “going to
water”. He finds a moving body of water and submerges himself
waist deep.

Facing upstream he dips himself into the flowing water
seven times for the seven directions (east, south, west,
north, his mother earth, the Creator and finally, himself).
ART © Howard Turpining
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