"This Performance"

· Who is honored? It is a way for us to honor the person from the society who has died while simultaneously drawing attention to the coming of the spring and growing season. The heart of the ceremony though is based on the concept that the deceased is not actually dead, she is simply transforming into an alternate form of energy.

· Who are the players? Women of all ages.

· How are they dressed? To be determined (?) … gold/earth tone outfits with gold/metallic/mirror accessories. Each woman wears a headdress made of mirrors with the length and amount of mirrors corresponding to the woman’s age

· What is the intent of this performance? to honor the deceased member of the society and show her becoming one again with the elements. It also provides an opportunity for the younger members of the culture to learn how to make the seed bombs that are used in the ceremony. In the eyes of the society, the woman being honored has not died; she is simply going through a process of transformation. Her spirit is going from being contained within her human form, to growing with the plants, and eventually it becomes a light source. The community does not view the death of one of their members as a loss, or even really as a death. They view it as a total rebirthing; the spirit of the woman transforming from its humanly form, into a more earthly form, before finally becoming its most natural state (light).