Twisted Hair Tradition

According to the Indian Oral Tradition, in the middle of the 12th century there was a summit held in Oregon, attended by representatives of the South American tribes of the Aztecs and Mayas, representatives of the North American tribes of the Lakota and the Navajo, as well as the European Vikings and descendants of the Celts. They knew there was a period of suppression of the original traditions coming, and therefore they wanted to connect their wisdom and create knowledge that would last. They called the new teaching Twisted Hair. If one hair breaks off, it falls and is irretrievably lost. But if we plait the hair, the others keep it in place. The Twisted Hair tradition is still alive today and passed on by tribes in North and Central America.

The space of safe listening and passing on is what inspires us about this story. Let’s sit in one circle, learn from stories told by elders of native cultures, as well as from new directions, and create a new plait of mutual understanding.