Heyoka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Heyoka may also refer to a character from Larry Marder's independent comic book, Tales of the Beanworld as well as the Inner Heyoka Alternatively, it may refer to a character from the electric manga, Kagerou, by Luka Delaney.
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Heyoka, approximately translated from Lakota, means ‘contrarian’ or ‘sacred clown’. Heyoka are thought of as being backwards-forwards, upside-down, or contrarian in nature. This spirit is often manifest by doing things backwards or unconventionally--riding a horse backwards, wearing clothes inside-out, or speaking in a backwards language. For example, if food were scarce, a Heyoka would sit around and complain about how full he was; during a baking hot heat wave a Heyoka will shiver with cold and put on gloves and cover himself with a thick blanket. Similarly, when it is 40 degrees below freezing he will wander around naked for hours complaining that it is too hot. A unique example is the famous Heyoka sacred clown called "the Straighten-Outer": he tried to flatten round and curvy things (soup bowls, eggs, wagon wheels, etc.), thus making them straight.
During the Sun Dance, a Heyoka sacred clown may appear to tempt the dancers with water and food and to dance backwards around the circle in a show of respect. If a dancer looks into the mirrored eyes of the Heyoka, his or her dance is finished.
[edit] Heyoka tradition
The Heyoka symbolize and portray many aspects of the sacred, the Wakan, in a rather unique way. Their satire presents important questions by fooling around. They ask difficult questions, and say things others are too afraid to say. By reading between the lines, the audience is able to think about things not usually thought about, or to look at things in a different way.
Principally, the Heyoka functions both as a mirror and a teacher, using extreme behaviors to mirror others, thereby forcing them to examine their own doubts, fears, hatreds, and weaknesses. Heyokas also have the power to heal emotional pain; such power comes from the experience of shame--they sing of shameful events in their lives, beg for food, and live as clowns. They provoke laughter in distressing situations of despair and provoke fear and chaos when people feel complacent and overly secure, to keep them from taking themselves too seriously or believing they are more powerful than they are.
In addition, sacred clowns also serve an important role in shaping tribal codes. Heyokas don’t seem to care about taboos, rules, regulations, social norms, or boundaries. Paradoxically, however, it is by violating these norms and taboos that they help to define the accepted boundaries, rules, and societal guidelines for ethical and moral behavior. This is because they are the only ones who can ask "Why?" about sensitive topics and employ satire to question the specialists and carriers of sacred knowledge or those in positions of power and authority. In doing so, they demonstrate concretely the theories of balance and imbalance. Their role is to penetrate deception, turn over rocks, and create a deeper awareness.
| “ | For people who are as poor as us, who have lost everything, who had to endure so much death and sadness, laughter is a precious gift. When we were dying like flies from white man's disease, when we were driven into reservations, when the government rations did not arrive and we were starving, watching the pranks and capers of heyoka were a blessing . | ” |
- John (Fire) Lame Deer, Lakota Wicasa Wakan.
Wicasa Wakan means Holy man, not "Medicine man" or "shaman" (a term of Siberian origin). This is an important distinction. A Lakota medicine man is called pejuta wacasa.
[edit] Thunder dreamer
It was believed among the Lakota that if you had a dream or vision of birds you were destined to be a medicine man, but if you had a vision of the Wakinyan Thunderbird, it was your destiny to become a heyoka, or sacred clown. Like the Thunderbird, the heyoka are both feared and held in reverence.
"When a vision comes from the thunder beings of the West, it comes with terror like a thunder storm; but when the storm of vision has passed, the world is greener and happier; for wherever the truth of vision comes upon the world, it is like a rain. The world, you see, is happier after the terror of the storm... you have noticed that truth comes into this world with two faces. One is sad with suffering, and the other laughs; but it is the same face, laughing or weeping...... as lightning illuminates the dark, for it is the power of lightning that heyokas have." (Black Elk, quoted in Neihardt 1959: 160)
The Heyoka are healers and have many functions, for example healing through laughter and awakening people to deeper meaning and concealed truth and to prepare the people for oncoming disaster with laughter.
[edit] Heyoka in popular culture
Inner Heyoka is a term popularized by the controversial figure known as Red Elk. He states that it "...refers to the Spiritual (soul) works. They are considered to be the "Essenes" of the North American Natives." His opinions and sources have not been confirmed or acknowledged by any known Native American Nation, and should be considered with some suspicion as to their authenticity.
Heyoka was also the name of a punk band from Besançon in France, named for the notion of a sacred clown as epitomized in Lakota Native American tribal culture. It formed in 1991 and split in 1997. They took part in Maloka, an anarcho-punk collective from Dijon. Their albums include El Pueblo Unido (1994) and Demain sera (1996).
A recurring theme in Neil Gaiman's American Gods is the appearance of the Thunderbird (mythology) in dreams to the principal character Shadow, signifying his role as a Heyoka who helps usher in a drastic change in the order of the gods of the Old World and the New World.
Heyokamagazine.com is a web site dealing with art, literature, music and culture.
[edit] References
- Heyoka, Red Elk Speaks Red Elk has no known ties to any recognized Native American Nation, and is considered by many to be a fraud. His opinions may contain some accuracies, but should also be taken with some suspicion.
- John (Fire) Lame Deer
- Black Elk Speaks
- Red Elk, Inner Heyoka See note concerning Red Elk, above.
- Twisted Hairs Society The Twisted Hairs Society has not been verified or acknowledged by any existing Native American Nation, and is largely considered to be a fabrication of the mind of Red Elk.
- Thunderbird and Trickster
[edit] External links
- Lyrics and Interviews with the band (in French)
- Lyrics for the song Un Heil in French
- heyokamagazine.com
