The Osage word for moccasin is hom-pey. From the time our children are infants, we put tiny moccasins on their feet. Here is a picture of Julie's moccasins from when she was a baby. They are an exact minature of an adult size pair of Osage moccasins.
Here is a photo of an all beaded pair of baby moccasins that were her fathers, Rusty Gilliland. Perhaps you have a pair that were your father's, mothers, or your grandparents. Often times we keep these small moccasins in our trunks or perhaps on display in our homes. These tiny treasures connect us to who we are.
As we grow, we receive moccasins to dance in at our Osage ceremonial dances called the In-lon-Schka. Here is a pair of all beaded red moccasins for a first son called an elompah. These were commissioned especially for him by his mother. These moccasins took many months to make, because the artist wanted them made perfect for this special son. The hide they are constructed from is smoked brain tan.
As we move throughout our lives, there comes a time to prepare for the next transition. I recall when my grandmother told me "Danette it is time to get my bundle ready for when I go home." We gathered her blanket and her moccasins, and tied them in a bundle. The bundle was prepared and set aside, ready for the next transition from her life on this Earth on to her next journey.
We begin our life journey on this earth with minature moccasins on our feet. We mature and grow into our lives... dancing our ceremonies in our moccasins. At the end of our lives here on Earth, our moccasins carry us-physically, spiritually, and metaphorically. So truly moccasins are the memory markers and memory makers of our lives.
