Sacred Bundles
North American Native people who follow their Traditional Teachings will have sacred items to help and guide them through life. These sacred items form part of their Sacred Bundle.
A Sacred Bundle can consist of one or many items, it can be the little tobacco or medicine pouch that someone wears around their neck, or it can be the items that the Spirits have given to a person to carry for the people. There are two types of bundles: Personal Bundle and Bundle for the People.
Personal Bundle
Is a sacred bundle with items you have acquired that have special meaning for you and that you take care of. This bundle is sacred to you, it contains items which are personal and help you in your development, items that have given you a teaching or that you use in ceremonies, it can be something given to you by your parents, grandparents, teacher, Elder, which helped you; all the contents of your bundle reminds you of the beauty of Creation and is yours personally.
Bundle for the People
This sacred bundle is used for healing ceremonies. It is said that these bundles contains things that the 4 Nations of the world need to survive, the healers who carry these medicine bundles say they do not own these bundles, they say that our Traditional Teaching tells us that we own nothing, not even our physical body, which is returned to the earth upon our departure, they carry these items as gifts for the people. The Healers who take care of these Sacred Bundles usually have been chosen by the Spirits to carry on the teachings, the work and the responsibilities which come with these bundles.
Respecting and Honoring your Medicine Bundle
Some people display their sacred items on an altar in a special place in a main room of their home, others keep them in a bundle until they are ready to be used. Some leave their feathers or other objects out as they help calm the energy and ground people and/or the home. People feast their sacred items at least 4 times a year which follows the seasons, some feast their bundle every time they do a ceremony.