What a wonderful event! Since the beginning of the year, I have been writing to various tribes and their representatives to ask for support for our project on June 25, 2022. Calvin Standing Bear (Lakota) contacted me. A few emails went back and forth until we finally arranged and held a Zoom meeting on April 2nd.

Calvin Standing Bear is a fullblood Oglala/Sicangu Lakota from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. He is a talented flutist of traditional Lakota music and composer of contemporary Lakota flute songs based on the concept of spirituality. He sings both traditional and spiritual Lakota songs. Among his many talents is his mastery of the acoustic guitar. He comes from a line of very impressive ancestors, including a line of chiefs. One of his grandfathers is the author of many books about indigenous life.

It was my first own Zoom meeting and my excitement was accordingly. I introduced myself to this very friendly looking man and his wife and explained our project. As time went by, which seemed to happen very quickly, we got a little closer and I'm sure a kind of trust developed. His way of speaking is calm and touching. When more than an hour had passed, he asked his wife to get something for him - she brought a big feather. And then the unexpected and amazing began: Calvin Standing Bear said that he would now sing a prayer song in Lakota. He did so with deep earnestness, for minutes of great spirituality. He then prayed in English for all of us, for me, for each of you involved in the project, offering words of support to Mother Earth and All That Is.

I felt a profound joy and immense gratitude.

Afterwards he gave us the advice to get dried sage bundles for the ceremony, to strip the leaves from the stems on the day of the ceremony, to form small bunches from them and to burn them in a bowl or e.g. shell and to wave the smoke over oneself and other participants.

White sage is an Indian power plant and energetically strong cleansing. With the smoke of the Indian incense bundle ritual places and also people are purified. The aromatic smoke envelops and removes the negative energies. I will propose this to you for our ceremony.

When saying goodbye, he said that in his language there is no actual goodbye word and that is why we now remain connected. What a beautiful and unexpected success, what wonderful support, what an important beginning and perhaps also a new start. I have included the video with the prayer below for you, it's just under 15 wonderful minutes.

Calvin Standing Bear is a great Native American artist. He sings very traditional Lakota songs but, together with his musical partner, has also set these songs to music in a more western contemporary style.

• This Link HERE leads to an ancient sacred song in defense of of our sacred Mother Earth. Calvin Standing Bear says, "It is a prayer song given to our Lakota people in memory of her. We pray and dance to this sacred song and send our voice for healing during our Sundance ceremonies. We sing this song by sending our voice to the Great Spirit. The sun and moon are connected to it because they are part of the Sundance ceremony. We thank the Great Spirit, Tunkasil (Creator), and the White Buffalo Calf Woman that our people can pray for the world (Unci Maka) Mother Earth."
• This link HERE leads you to his traditional songs in pure Lakota style, where among other things you can hear the above prayer without instruments. These songs are moving and, I think, deeply touch you. Calvin Standing Bear also sent me the link to the songbook of these traditional songs. The lyrics are written in English and Lakota and may downloaded as PDF here. You might become inspired to join in singing. These songs are all sacred for the Lakota people.