CH:
gaetswape
I am I am I am I am, I am I am I am I am;
I am I am I am I am, I am I am I am I am;
I am the keeper of a sacred bundle;
I am the keeper of a sacred bundle…
a sacred bundle
This sacred bundle passed down to me
Holds special items— a powerful legacy
Through Blackfoot ceremony I learned
A sense of the mortals whose tools I earned
In a four-day fast, deprived of food, of drink
The importance of life is what I must think
A rite of passage filled with suffering
Up all night, I must remain standing
I bear witness to ancestors’ cautions
Vow and undertake their path and passions
With a vision of the past, I live in the present
To give love and guidance to all I’ve met.
I vow to observe our native customs
Honour in my life all of the sacred items
The bundle holds many secrets I cannot share
In the sacred space, I do not dare.
Carrying my bundle, I fall into a trance
As I honour my creator I both walk and dance
Do not look at me, do not break my stride
Caring for sacredness requires sole, humbled pride.
The sap of the mighty oak runs through my veins
With leaves trembling like aspen as I traverse the plains
My cheeks feel the wind from an eagle’s feather dropped
Remind me to soar higher in a sacred journey I cannot stop
gaetswape!