Vision Quest is usually held in the Spring during the change of seasons; from Winter to Spring. Vision Quest involves time spent out in the wilderness in a hochoka (sacred space) for any time from one day to four days, and sometimes longer.
In order to Vision Quest with us, there are requirements. One requirement is to support at least one vision quest prior to questing yourself, and attendance at the lodge from beginning to end (this means until the fire is extinguished) at least 3 times prior to actually supporting the Vision Quest. There will be additional purification lodges prior to one's time spent "on the hill." The purpose of this ceremony is to help you to ask the Creator what your true purpose in this life is, to "cry for a vision." The time spent on the blanket, or "out on the hill" involves fasting from food and water. If you are on medication please talk with us directly.
You will need to offer tobacco to one of the facilitators (Kris or Dana) in order to talk with them about going out on a Vision Quest or supporting a Vision Quest. Preparing for a Vision Quest is intense and involves time. If you are interested in going out on the hill you may write to choctawwind@yahoo.com and you will be informed on how to approach the facilitator and what is necessary to give to the facilitator in order to quest, including the tobacco and what is necessary and involved in supporting.
Most Vision Quests in this day and age are 4 year commitments, involving a year of Questing for each cardinal direction, West, North, East and South.
To start with, this is what you will need:
2 yards each of 100% cotton material in the colors of red, yellow, white, black, blue, green, and purple.
2 yards of red felt material
Cotton string (thick) found at Wal Mart in a large spool in the sewing area.
Lots of loose tobacco
A feather (not owl)
An abalone shell with a hole in it like a big button
A medicine wheel
4 sacred herbs
tobacco, sage, cedar and sweet grass
4 sticks with a point on the bottom, the sticks need to have a Y on the top
preferably these sticks can be of willow, cedar or a fruit tree of some kind.
A sleeping bag
A warm blanket
Thermal underwear
Raincoat, rainboots
A nice 6" x 10' tarp
A couple of bungy cords - to roll up your stuff in
A tent for before the quest and after
Lantern
Camping gear like a cot and a trunk to store items in
To supply at a minimum two entire meals for the entire camp (can be up to 30 people). Does not have to be expensive, but for dinners and lunches we do need a reliable source of protein. A ham, a brisket, chickens, so on and so forth for a meal will work.
2 supporters. One that can help in the kitchen and one on the fire or vice versa.
1 cord of wood.
New lava rocks for your purification lodges, going out and coming in lodges (we can get your rocks but you will be responsible for paying for 1 tank of gas for to get to the rocks and haul them back, this runs $80 per person)
Small gifts for your supporters.
Customary and highly recommended traditional facilitator gifting. There is absolutely no charge for attending or participating in ceremony; however, there are expenses We do have altar requirements that each Questor must meet which will be spoken of at the time of the calling to Quest.
So if you are interested in questing, please attend a lodge or two and pray about the commitment required.
NOTE: If a questor and their supporters cannot stay until the ENTIRE camp is cleaned up and put up then it is not your time to quest. Thank you.
