John Fire Lame Deer
by John Fire Lame Deer
"Vision quest” is a term used to describe practices found in Native American Cultures. This quest is designed to
transform the “boy’ into a “man”. To accomplish this the boy is sent out into the wilderness where
he spends four days to fend for himself and also prays for a vision that might reveal him to his future life. If the boy receives
this vision, he reports it to his elders who interpret the meaning.
John Fire Lame Deer, a Lakota Sioux, was one who went through this vision quest. To go through this quest, he
was brought by the medicine man to a hilltop. He was left without food or water of 4 days, until the medicine man returned.
This was the first time he had been left alone in his life. The nearest human being was many miles away and he was scared.
When this event was all over, though, he would be a man and would be given a man’s name.
One thing worried him, though. He wanted to become a medicine man, a yuwipi, a healer carrying on the ancient ways of the
Sioux nation. One can learn certain things about performing ceremonies, where things are to be placed, and meanings of words.
These alone mean nothing, though. Without vision and power this learning would do nothing and would not make him a medicine
man.
Toward the end of his time spent on the hill, he was very hungry and dehydrated. He began to see and also began to hear
voices. He was first afraid because he was unsure of what was going one. Soon, though, he realized the voices were good. He
saw a figure, then, of what was identified as his great-grandfather. He knew he would become a medicine man. He lost track
of time and didn’t know how long he had been on the hill. The next thing he knew someone was gently shaking him. The
man had come back for him and he was to tell him everything so the man could interpret his visions. This man told John Fire
that he was no longer a man, but a Lame Deer.
In this story, John Fire Lame Deer was just a boy in both his physicalities and his thinking before going up
to the mountain. Prior to his hanblechia (four day, four night mission on the mountain), John was constantly surrounded
by people:
With this constant interaction with people, John had no real time to think for himself. His family and other members of his
clan were all he had to rely on for authority and the "norm" for his socialistic thought. Basically, he had no time to think
and develop ideals for himself. All he knew was what his family taught him. This, some may see, can be a metaphore for an
individual trapped in a society's views. One who relies to heavily on what others tell him as truth has no ability to reason
for himself. Society and, likewise, peer presure, is one of the most influential outlets of an authority to supposed knowlege.
It is human nature to strive to "go with the crowd." Yes, this may be good for some instances, but in order to develop independently,
sometimes one must stray away and rid themselves of the outside presures of the authoratitive voices. This is what John did
on his trip.
John, in his four day, four night solitary trip in the mountains, extracted himself from the influential society in which
he was a part of his whole life until that point. His self accualization that took place while alone signifies the discovery
of knowege in humans; sometimes one must rely soley on their own experience and reason to figure out the truth. We have to
discard all the outside factors in order to focus on our own experience that is sometimes hidered by the authority of others.
When, finally, that is achieved, the truth can come be discovered. In this case, John did discover he was meant to be a medicine
man and "grew up" to the knowlege in the mean time.
