Raymond TeKorako Ruka is a Son of Waitaha, and we are blessed to have him as a Board Member here at MedicineSinging. He recently gave a sharing to a group conference on the west coast, and we are pleased to present portions of it here on MedicineSinging. May his words bless you, link you to the far beyond, to others around the world, and to the spiritual life that always dances around us.
Stephen W Emerick, PhD: Raymond, my brother, welcome. Would you please share how your tribe and people deal with loss and separation?
Raymond: Brother Stephen, We deal with loss in a way that one’s process of healing may be honored: never alone, feeling separated, but surrounded by her/his beloved, be they family, friends or even strangers who have been touched by the circumstances.
Not by invite, or stiffness of protocol. Whomever will be called, stranger, friend or kin, presence is all that matters. Presence makes it very personal. It is the height of rudeness to question one’s presence.
To the degree we value anything, speaks directly to the measure of our loss when and if, we become separated from it.
If any of our people should stray from these protocols of our Ancestors then they soon find that the healing nectar of the Honey Bee over time loses its healing potency, to the sting of a foreign wasp.
Stay tuned for the next portion of Raymond Tekorako Ruka’s sharing of Offering the Sacred Balm of Presence: In this next portion, Raymond shares the role of the Meeting House, or Marae, as sacred Houses used as communal, recreational, and funeral houses. One House fills many roles, and is often named after Ancestors of renown.