first of all, thanks to all for a lot of very insightful comments. it's posts like these that made me want to be part of the forum!
second of all, i'm new to the forum, so forgive me if i am out of line here, but it seems to me we owe one another the utmost respect when it comes to our different beliefs. it does not matter what those beliefs are. men and women of good character often can disagree, and yet still do so with honour and respect...to act with honour honours the warrior spirit within, right? (just my .02.)
so...Honoured Horse and other Forumites:
i'm native american, specifically three mountains band, british columbia. carrying a blade is part of my tradition--more specifically, since i'm a woman, tradition dictates that i carry a blade in certain circumstances. now, since i was taken away from my culture at such a young age, i regret to say that i don't know all the details, like which circumstances in particular, or what tradition says the men ought to do. but i do remember my grandmother polishing her knife, and speaking to my very young self quite solemnly about the responsibilities of an adult woman--one of which was, in essence, to Be Prepared. a knife was the symbol of that, altho the knife a woman carried was expected to be a real tool, not a blunt symbol.
Being Prepared, in my tribal context, does not necessarily mean only being prepared to defend one's self, although that is definitely part of it. amongst my people, the women were the carriers of sacred things, both tangible and intangible. thus, it was our job to be sure we could defend those sacred things. women of my people were not expected to wait for the man to step forward! we are warriors, too, after all, in all the senses of that word.
but Being Prepared also meant being ready to perform whatever task might be at hand. we were an agricultural folk, and we also gathered many of the plants and such around our homes for various purposes (our village was about a day and a half's drive from the
nearest town, no electricity, ok). you never knew when you might come upon something useful...so you were expected to Be Prepared.
a knife is part of a woman's traditional powwow garb, for many tribes besides just mine. the knife is often worn as a belt knife, at the woman's back. i haven't found the right knife for my garb yet, but when i do, it has often occured to me that i might have a small problem...i often drive a couple of hours away to go to a powwow. i wear my regalia in the car. sometimes i stop for food or gas...what if i were to be stopped by a cop and he found me wearing a powwow knife?
Horse, as a point of reference, besides the example of the Sikhs...keep in mind that natives on this continent have been fighting for a long time to be allowed to use peyote in religious ceremonies. in many places, indians practicing rites predating the white man have been arrested for same. don't expect the cop on the road to be up on constitutional nuances. be respectful enough of yourself to be prepared for anything--even if that means having a printed copy of pertinent laws in your wallet should you decide to carry a blade and should there be a question.
i've rambled on long enough. hopefully y'all might find something useful in those ramblings...
silverwing
