From Old Wisdom to New Knowledge

The first hair string is made with only four strings, representing us as a child and grandchild of the dawn, blue twilight, yellow evening twilight and folding darkness, within each of the cardinal directions. This is the four sacred mountains adorned with good strong thinking, planning, life, hope, strength, Materialistic soft goods and hard goods. As the child or grandchild matures the strings goes from six, twelve, sixteen, and to twenty four strings depending on how much knowledge of prayers and songs. The knowledge depends on the length and thickness of the hair.

The hair string is cut to the length of the arm. The hair string is wrapped around the hair always in a clockwise direction. The tie is tied in a square knot. It is said that only a deceased person's hair will be tied in an opposite direction and tied crisscross. Sometimes in a person's life if they were not addressing the physical and mental being, their health might be hindered and they become ill or sick. This is when a Wind way, Mountain Chant, or a male shooting way. is performed. The medicine man will then tie a white shell to the female's hair string and turquoise to the male's hair string. This is done so that the Holy People and Holy Winds People can recognize us. This elements must never be removed through out the person's life time. No one must borrow or wear the hair string. This is the same teaching for the moccasins. It must be worn each time the person is having a ceremony. When the person dies, the hair string is not buried with them. It is returned to one of the four sacred mountains.

Kinaalda also has a special hair string. She wears an unwounded buckskin, cut from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. The buckskin is put in half. The right side of the buckskin is put on the right side and left side of the buckskin is put on the right side of the Kinaalda. It is then wrapped four times in a clockwise direction from the right hand side. The father is one who acquires the unwounded buckskin for their daughters. The Kinaalda's hair is parted in the center where the Air people entered her body at birth. The front center is left hanging down during the ceremony so the girl may never grow old. This part represents the blessing of the male and female rain. It is the teaching, that only the Kinaalda may run into the dawn with their hair down as she is in the most delicate stage of mental and physical being. She will be blessed by the Holy Air people and Holy Mist people.

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