Why do Native Americans have Indian Names?
What is an
INDIAN NAME?
Those answers and more... HERE!
What is an
INDIAN NAME?
Those answers and more... HERE!
Native American people often have both an English name AND an Indian Name.
Although many refer to this as their "Indian Name," it's actually called a
"Spirit Name."
Native American Spirit Name (aka Indian Name)
I'll introduce myself to you!
My Name is Jennifer Kruse, but that's NOT my real name.
My real name is SheBahKamigoke, that is who I really am!
Jennifer is the name of my Earth Suit, the physical body I wear.
An astronaut requires a protective space suit to survive out in space.
I require a protective Earth Suit to survive here on this planet.
SheBahKamigoke is my real name because it's the name of MY SPIRIT.
When my Jennifer Suit dies, I'll just take it off like a winter coat on a nice warm day.
You see...
We are all born as little Baby Spirits, not strong enough to
survive here without our protective Earth Suits.
As we live our lives...
We should be GROWING SPIRITUALLY so that hopefully,
by the time our EARTH SUIT wears out,
we've grown strong enough to continue living without it!
Healing Power of a Spirit Name
My Native Elder once told me:
"When you NAME SOMETHING
and CLAIM IT AS YOURS...
then it BELONGS TO YOU
and it BECOMES REAL TO YOU!"
I've found that this lesson is true for many things.
It best explains what getting MY SPIRIT NAME did for me!
BEFORE MY NAMING CEREMONY:
I viewed myself, my life and the world around me as VERY PHYSICAL.
I was afraid of death, because I looked at myself as a
PHYSICAL BEING.
AFTER MY NAMING CEREMONY:
I began to view myself as a SPIRIT living within an Earth Suit.
I began viewing my entire life in a Spiritual Way!
Everything had purpose...
The good and the bad experiences in my life had ALL SERVED to assist
MY SPIRIT to grow and become stronger.
I began viewing the entire world around me as a
NEWLY AWAKENED Spirit.
I am no longer frightened by Chaos in the world.
I recognize "chaotic people" as Little Baby Spirits who are just very scared because they haven't remembered WHO THEY ARE yet.
As a SPIRITUAL BEING living in an Earth Suit here with Mother Earth...
I began to SEE MYSELF clearly for the first time in my life!
I worked through my old fear of death and know now that there is
NOTHING TO FEAR!
MY SPIRIT has grown big and strong.
You see...
I couldn't see the world through eyes of SPIRIT before.
I used to be so stuck on the physical, seeing through eyes of the BODY.
Spiritual things seemed so UNREAL to me.
Receiving MY SPIRIT NAME, did exactly what My Native Elder always said:
I NAMED My Spirit
and CLAIMED IT AS MINE..
Then it BELONGED TO ME
and it BECAME REAL TO ME!
MY SPIRIT became REAL TO ME.
Healing Power of Native American Medicine
Each Native American Nation has their own traditions, stories, ceremonies and teachings.
Although they may have some differences, they are all respected and held sacred.
My teachings come mostly from the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) ways.
Native American Medicine cannot be completely explained,
it must be Experienced.
Through my Naming Ceremony... I began to discover WHO I AM.
Naming Ceremony
A naming ceremony is a celebration.
The Native Elder leads the ceremony with prayers and gives the new name.
The newly named Spirit is then introduced to all of the directions.
The ceremony is usually followed by a feast, a meal that is shared in celebration of the newly named Spirit.
If a person has more than one Spirit Name, one does not replace another.
Additonal names further describe the beautiful Spirit within.
This is an exciting time within a Native Person's life.
Mixed-Blood Native
As a mixed-blood person, I grew up outside of the Reservation.
I had an over-all feeling of NOT quite fitting in with others, it was a feeling deep inside. I had more interests in Nature than most of my friends. While they wanted to go hang out at the shopping mall, I wanted to spend the day exploring the woods.
There were a few Native kids in my class, I wondered if I'd fit in better with them.
My skin was always darker than my white classmates. The Native kids in my class saw only that my skin and hair was lighter than theirs. They laughed and scoffed at me when I excitedly told them I was Native too!
I felt very rejected by that and didn't reach out to connect with another "Native Person" for many years.
In my life, my Naming Ceremony marked a TIME OF ACCEPTANCE.
I had been longing for this most of my life.
My Naming Ceremony marked the moment when I was finally:
Recognized as a Native Person
AND
Accepted as Anishinaabe (one of the People)
It was a great honor to be the first in my family to restore he Naming Tradition which had been interrupted long ago. No one had been named
since my Great Great Grandmother, Shebahkamigoke, who was born in the 1850's on Red Lake Indian Reservation.
In my family, the names were passed down for Thousands of Years!
Each generation received the names of a Grandparent. Passing on the names was a way to HONOR and REMEMBER our Ancestors.
A tradition I want carried on by my descendants, no matter what color "Earth Suit" they are wearing!
My Naming Ceremony was a special moment I wanted to share with my friends and family.
Sharing the Excitement with Non-Native People
I didn't realize others didn't quite understand my excitement.
People often fear what they don't understand. When this happens, their
reactions may come across as very hurtful.
I've found that anyone who truly cared about me, listened long enough to
understand. They wanted to understand what my Spirit Name (aka Indian Name) actually represented to me and shared in my excitement.
Other people are generally curious about the Native American culture and
enjoy finding someone to answer their questions.
I've often shared the following Scripture with Christians:
Romans 8:5-6
"For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by
the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their
outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit. For the outlook of the flesh is
death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace."
It was my Native American Naming Ceremony which helped me to begin LIVING LIFE according to the Spirit.
We are all Spirits living within Earth Suits!
written by: Jennifer Kruse, LMT CRMT
Click to visit: Jen's Blog
Like this?
Jen is available to SPEAK on this topic and many others.
As a Holistic Healer, Teacher and Practitioner of many Alternative Medicine Modalities, Jen helps people connect & understand aspects of SELF in a profound healing experience.
Helping YOU Transform Your Life.
Interested in scheduling an Event or Class?
Call Jen at (701) 371-3111
www.JenniferKruse.com
www.Aspire2Heal.com
Although many refer to this as their "Indian Name," it's actually called a
"Spirit Name."
Native American Spirit Name (aka Indian Name)
I'll introduce myself to you!
My Name is Jennifer Kruse, but that's NOT my real name.
My real name is SheBahKamigoke, that is who I really am!
Jennifer is the name of my Earth Suit, the physical body I wear.
An astronaut requires a protective space suit to survive out in space.
I require a protective Earth Suit to survive here on this planet.
SheBahKamigoke is my real name because it's the name of MY SPIRIT.
When my Jennifer Suit dies, I'll just take it off like a winter coat on a nice warm day.
You see...
We are all born as little Baby Spirits, not strong enough to
survive here without our protective Earth Suits.
As we live our lives...
We should be GROWING SPIRITUALLY so that hopefully,
by the time our EARTH SUIT wears out,
we've grown strong enough to continue living without it!
Healing Power of a Spirit Name
My Native Elder once told me:
"When you NAME SOMETHING
and CLAIM IT AS YOURS...
then it BELONGS TO YOU
and it BECOMES REAL TO YOU!"
I've found that this lesson is true for many things.
It best explains what getting MY SPIRIT NAME did for me!
BEFORE MY NAMING CEREMONY:
I viewed myself, my life and the world around me as VERY PHYSICAL.
I was afraid of death, because I looked at myself as a
PHYSICAL BEING.
AFTER MY NAMING CEREMONY:
I began to view myself as a SPIRIT living within an Earth Suit.
I began viewing my entire life in a Spiritual Way!
Everything had purpose...
The good and the bad experiences in my life had ALL SERVED to assist
MY SPIRIT to grow and become stronger.
I began viewing the entire world around me as a
NEWLY AWAKENED Spirit.
I am no longer frightened by Chaos in the world.
I recognize "chaotic people" as Little Baby Spirits who are just very scared because they haven't remembered WHO THEY ARE yet.
As a SPIRITUAL BEING living in an Earth Suit here with Mother Earth...
I began to SEE MYSELF clearly for the first time in my life!
I worked through my old fear of death and know now that there is
NOTHING TO FEAR!
MY SPIRIT has grown big and strong.
You see...
I couldn't see the world through eyes of SPIRIT before.
I used to be so stuck on the physical, seeing through eyes of the BODY.
Spiritual things seemed so UNREAL to me.
Receiving MY SPIRIT NAME, did exactly what My Native Elder always said:
I NAMED My Spirit
and CLAIMED IT AS MINE..
Then it BELONGED TO ME
and it BECAME REAL TO ME!
MY SPIRIT became REAL TO ME.
Healing Power of Native American Medicine
Each Native American Nation has their own traditions, stories, ceremonies and teachings.
Although they may have some differences, they are all respected and held sacred.
My teachings come mostly from the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) ways.
Native American Medicine cannot be completely explained,
it must be Experienced.
Through my Naming Ceremony... I began to discover WHO I AM.
Naming Ceremony
A naming ceremony is a celebration.
The Native Elder leads the ceremony with prayers and gives the new name.
The newly named Spirit is then introduced to all of the directions.
The ceremony is usually followed by a feast, a meal that is shared in celebration of the newly named Spirit.
If a person has more than one Spirit Name, one does not replace another.
Additonal names further describe the beautiful Spirit within.
This is an exciting time within a Native Person's life.
Mixed-Blood Native
As a mixed-blood person, I grew up outside of the Reservation.
I had an over-all feeling of NOT quite fitting in with others, it was a feeling deep inside. I had more interests in Nature than most of my friends. While they wanted to go hang out at the shopping mall, I wanted to spend the day exploring the woods.
There were a few Native kids in my class, I wondered if I'd fit in better with them.
My skin was always darker than my white classmates. The Native kids in my class saw only that my skin and hair was lighter than theirs. They laughed and scoffed at me when I excitedly told them I was Native too!
I felt very rejected by that and didn't reach out to connect with another "Native Person" for many years.
In my life, my Naming Ceremony marked a TIME OF ACCEPTANCE.
I had been longing for this most of my life.
My Naming Ceremony marked the moment when I was finally:
Recognized as a Native Person
AND
Accepted as Anishinaabe (one of the People)
It was a great honor to be the first in my family to restore he Naming Tradition which had been interrupted long ago. No one had been named
since my Great Great Grandmother, Shebahkamigoke, who was born in the 1850's on Red Lake Indian Reservation.
In my family, the names were passed down for Thousands of Years!
Each generation received the names of a Grandparent. Passing on the names was a way to HONOR and REMEMBER our Ancestors.
A tradition I want carried on by my descendants, no matter what color "Earth Suit" they are wearing!
My Naming Ceremony was a special moment I wanted to share with my friends and family.
Sharing the Excitement with Non-Native People
I didn't realize others didn't quite understand my excitement.
People often fear what they don't understand. When this happens, their
reactions may come across as very hurtful.
I've found that anyone who truly cared about me, listened long enough to
understand. They wanted to understand what my Spirit Name (aka Indian Name) actually represented to me and shared in my excitement.
Other people are generally curious about the Native American culture and
enjoy finding someone to answer their questions.
I've often shared the following Scripture with Christians:
Romans 8:5-6
"For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by
the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their
outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit. For the outlook of the flesh is
death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace."
It was my Native American Naming Ceremony which helped me to begin LIVING LIFE according to the Spirit.
We are all Spirits living within Earth Suits!
written by: Jennifer Kruse, LMT CRMT
Click to visit: Jen's Blog
Like this?
Jen is available to SPEAK on this topic and many others.
As a Holistic Healer, Teacher and Practitioner of many Alternative Medicine Modalities, Jen helps people connect & understand aspects of SELF in a profound healing experience.
Helping YOU Transform Your Life.
Interested in scheduling an Event or Class?
Call Jen at (701) 371-3111
www.JenniferKruse.com
www.Aspire2Heal.com
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