The Invitation
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Creating the invitation was not an easy task. We could have done as most people do and gone with something pre-fab, but we decided to choose something symbolic and create an invitation that said something about the event. We started with a Georgia O'Keefe painting and modified it to be more representative of our ceremony. The skull of the buffalo is a reminder of our mortality and of time past. But even within it, the flowers have flourished, symbolizing the beauty of life and the promise of the future. Eight years prior to our ceremony, we entered our relationship as individuals, but our lives as two individuals has ended and the knowledge and experiences we have gained both indivudally and together makes us stronger and guides us in our lives together.
The buffalo is a sacred animal to the Lakota because of its importance in sustaining life. Every part of the buffalow is used; for food, clothing, shelter, eve the very spirit of the buffalo is central to Lakota spirituality. An ancient belief tells of Buffalo Woman, who brought the sacred pipe to the lakota and taught them to worship, then turned herself into a white buffalo calf.
In addition to selecting the right imagery, we also had to put the invitations together. Each invitation was pieced together from several parts. And the process of putting all of the pieces together made us really stop to think about each person we invited. |
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