By Aubrey Headrick

The air was filled with the smells of smoking sage, sprinkled cedar and burning sweet grass as the night began.

Mike Peters, leader of 4Fires Ministries, along with others representatives of 4Fires, directed worship through traditional dance and rituals on November 23. Dancing Our Prayers was a cross-cultural experience of thanksgiving and prayer.

The Corum Student Union became a center of contextual worship that opened many eyes to Native American culture and Christian Native worship. Elements used in the ceremony included herbs, instruments and regalia. Everything symbolized drawing closer to the Creator and offering worship and prayer to Him.

Peters initiated the evening by burning sage and wafting the smoke with a white eagle feather (or prayer feather) around the circle. Pieces of cedar were then sprinkled on the floor around the circle, and burning sweet grass followed the manner of the sage.

These three elements symbolize to Native Americans driving evil spirits out, keeping them out and then inviting good spirits in. To contextualize, Peters explained that as a Christian he was welcoming the Holy Spirit to be present. “When I contextualize, in a symbolic gesture, I’m visualizing God in this circle and present in our dance,” he said.

“As we start to dance and sing and praise, we are acknowledging the One God,” Peters stated He then informed the crowd that this was to be an intertribal pow-wow. Everyone was free to join in as they felt comfortable.

Before the dancing began, however, Peters played a beautiful, wooden Native flute. He played as he felt led, and then went into Amazing Grace. The instrument sounded soothing and calm yet somehow chilling. The music of this pipe seemed to be meant for a time of preparation and reflection before the dancing and prayer that would soon take place.

Another event occurred before the dancing began that took the recipient by surprise. Kelly Ellis was introducing new regalia that evening, and so Peters honored her. He blessed her regalia, offered her an eagle feather and then she led that dance. Later Ellis said, “It was very impactful.”

During the rest of the evening, the music alternated between live drumming and an IPOD mix. Peters and four others (Peters’ young grandson included) simultaneously pounded out a rhythm during the live music and chanted Creator songs. “There’s a river of life flowing from His thrown. Won’t you come on in and see this river will set you free.”

Peters made sure to clarify that the songs they played were not traditional pow-wow songs, but rather new ones that glorify the Creator God. “We keep the traditional style, but we now have a new hymnal of praise and worship pow-wow songs.”

During the dancing, the circle of people moved past a table of elements and symbols used to offer prayers up to God. Among these was a small dish of an herbal blend called Kinniknick, which the dancers either touched or blew on as they went by. This symbolized each person leaving their prayers in the dish.

Toward the end of the ceremony Peters, as Prayer Director, added his prayers to the Kinniknick, stirred all the prayers together and smoked them in a long pipe. This created the visual impression of everyone’s prayers rising up to God. Traditionally, it is believed that as the prayer-mingled smoke rises to the heavens, Creator’s blessing come down. Contextually, the participants could see the beauty of this concept.

Peters wrapped up the evening with the Friendship Dance. “You dance two by two and you follow the leader,” he explained. Everyone left in the Corum at that time chose a partner, joined the circle, and danced! Smiles were exchanged all around as Peters proclaimed a final blessing and dismissed everyone.