Distinctly Montana Magazine

T he buffalo hide tipi door lifts. You enter. The fire, sacredly centered, illuminates the walls. Shad- ows dance as the fire's radiance flickers, highlight- ing the painted par fleche (for pemmican and other dried meat), the buffalo robes, and beadwork. The essence of sage and sweet grass engage your senses, as you are seated on a willow backrest and welcomed into the circle of the natural universe. This is the first evening of your adventure with the Moc- casin Tracks Tipi Retreat. The week-long getaway into the culture of the Northern Plains people began three years ago, but it has been a life long passion for founders Cathy Smith and Jerry Fahrenthold. "With Moccasin Tracks Tipi retreats, we want to share respect for the earth and our natural world, the idea that all things animate and inanimate have a spirit and that it is the responsibility of each of us to walk upon the earth in a sacred manner," says Smith. The cultural immersion begins as you enter the authentic 1870s-style tipi nestled along the banks of Rock Creek in the Beartooth Mountains of southern Montana. "The week will be a mixture of personal inner exploration within the context of traditional ritual and outer adventure, illuminated by the majesty of the Rocky Mountain wilderness," says Smith. Each evening, while you feast on traditional Native organic foods, you access a world through the stories of the People. Each story is "a reason why", the answer to a question. These stories will catapult you into the time and space of the Native American universe in tra- ditional oral custom. As a guest, you'll learn the sacred way of setting up a tipi, and the impor- tance of how it is placed in harmony with the earth and the four directions. "This will center you and your experience," says Smith. Midweek, you'll travel across the inspiring Chief Joseph highway into Cody, Wyoming, and over the Beartooth Pass. In Cody you'll visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. There you'll receive a personal guided tour of the culture of the Plains Indians. "We will explain all the regalia and its meaning, how it reveals the values and life view of the Plains peoples," details Smith, "And you'll be inspired to make a medicine bag of your own." Later in the week, you will have a treasure hunt atop the spectacular Beartooth Pass. Guided by Smith and Fahren- thold, you'll hike and gather objects representative of your retreat. Your hosts will guide you to make and integrate these mementos into your personal medicine bag, made with authentic bison-tanned leather and beadwork. This will be a talisman and reminder of the journey you have taken. Tracks Tipi retreats, we want to share respect for the earth and our natural world, the idea that all things animate and inanimate have a spirit and that it is the responsibility of each of us to walk upon the earth in a sacred manner." Moccasin "With The week ends with a feast and ceremony of Thanksgiving. Each medicine bag is completed and blessed. "Our hope is that each individual will come away with a renewed personal relationship with the universe, a sense of awe for life, and a better understanding of the traditional Native way of walking upon the earth." Cathy Smith is an artist, historian and scholar of Plains Indian culture and the American West. You'll find her authentic Emmy award-winning Native costumes in films, such as Dances with Wolves, Geronimo, and Son of the Morning Star, for which she won the Emmy for Excellence in Costume De- sign. Most recently she, assisted by Jerry, is making Native costumes for Disney's The Lone Ranger. "Having worked in the motion picture industry, at galler- ies, and at my www.distinctlymontana.com 47

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