Returning Members and Students
A MESSAGE FROM THE NEHM TIWEHKTHIHMPT
4/25/2019
To our far-flung ministers, members, and students who once studied the Sahaptan Healing Way, greeting!
Nemenhah Ministry is challenging. To create an effective ministry within the Sahaptan Healing Way requires significant study, practice, and, above all, personal spiritual commitment. Our Pehli are the committed master practitioners of the Sahaptan Healing Way and are all too aware of the obstacles that befall any person undertaking a new path. Resultantly, our Pehli reasonably expect a certain number of our novices to fall away before completing their training to become Pehli themselves.
Some novices and members leave because their interest in our work was only fleeting. Others have left because our ways were simply not “Native American” enough. Others have left because the commitment was greater than they at first realized and all they really wanted was a neat New Age/Neo-Shaman membership club. Even others left when they realized our organization would not grant them license to use illicit substances or evade taxation.
Then there are those whose personal and professional circumstances drove or dragged them away from what was originally a sincere commitment to our mission and the Sahaptan Healing Way. Whatever the reason, some of you do decide to come back, or at least inquire, and we thank you for the remembrance.
For the novitiate who has not attained Spiritual Adoption, the cost of abandoning his or her ministerial education is only in dollars and time spent, none of which is refundable. Should a drop-out novitiate wish to resume his or her education in the ministry, the novice will be interviewed by a Pehli and, if re-enrollment is approved, committed to the appropriate tuition program. Our Pehli feel this policy is straight forward.
For our Absent Tiwehk (late members), however, they need to know a few things before they ask for replacement documents or decide after years of absence to declare themselves a Nemenhah Medicine Person in Good Standing once more.
During the years prior to 2013, aspiring ministers were permitted to formally request Spiritual Adoption with a very small contribution and their personal word that they would complete the training put before them by their Tehk Tiwehkthihmpt and his Pehli. Those who followed through with their commitments became the Pehli of present day Nemenhah. After 2013, an online student portal and periodic annual workshops were provided to enhance and facilitate our members’ education in every which way possible.
Unfortunately, accepting the formal request for Spiritual Adoption based upon the promise of completion, promises taken at face value, proved detrimental to the Nemenhah as the years progressed, to the degree that some few of said ministers attempted to break the law under the alleged auspices of Nemenhah Religion.
Nemenhah stood its ground, however, and defended the sincere practice of our sacred healing ways versus the abusive appropriations of these criminals, successfully represented the legitimacy of our religion before judges and jurors, expelled the above-mentioned malfeasants (each of which received their just deserts under domestic law), and made a critical evaluation of the policies that had allowed such deplorable characters to deceive the Nemenhah People. Now, aspiring ministers must complete the requisite training before their formal request for spiritual adoption will be approved.
In the year 2018, the Tehk Tiwehkthihmpt of the Sacred Order of Lehb determined that those individuals who had
a. Refused or otherwise failed to support the Nemenhah through sacred giveaway in the form of personal contribution of service, donations, and/or in-kind in any way, and,
b. Refused or otherwise failed to complete the obligatory training programs established by the Tehk Tiwehkthihmpt and his Pehli, and,
c. Refused or otherwise failed to communicate with their Pehli in any way for a space of one year,
thereby indicated to their Pehli and the People that their original formal request for Spiritual Adoption had not been in earnest and therefore they, the late member, had consequently abrogated any right to membership in the Sacred Order of Lehb in absentia. Where said member was once known by the People as Tiwehk, a Lay Minister and Member in Good Standing, now he or she is known as Tiheht only, which is a "Supplicant" and "Parishioner" with no license to minister within the Order. Any documentation and/or certification such a person might have received previously is rendered, by the will of the individual, null and void.
It is important for returning students and members who fall under this category to understand this policy, and the impetus behind these changes, because the Pehli with whom they will interact, should they choose, have been instructed to regard them with all due respect and courtesy, but not as a member of the clergy or the People. That right was abrogated by the inactive member’s refusal or failure to keep the covenant commitments delineated in the formal request for Spiritual Adoption dating from the first iteration of these sacred covenants in 2002 to present.
With regard to reinstatement of one’s status, it is possible for a member who has allowed his or her "Good Standing" to lapse to be reinstated. An interview with an authorized Pehli is required to:
The Absent Tiwehk (late/inactive member) will also be expected to provide a detailed account of his or her reasons for reinstating his or her membership. If the Pehli finds the petition sincere, he or she will then assist the late member with matriculating in the appropriate obligatory training program and will provide assistance as needed thereafter.
We, the Pehli Council, who are the bearers of the ancient rites and traditions from which the Modern Nemenhah was born, take our covenants very seriously; such things are part and parcel of the practice of our religion and to disrespect such things is to disrespect Nemenhah as a whole. One does not become Nemenhah simply because one has a neat little piece of paper on the wall or in one’s wallet. We are Nemenhah because we choose each and every day to speak and act in the manner expected of us by our Ancestors and the Ayohhihm (the Creators).
It must be understood that the Nemenhah Pehli is not a “practitioner” of this or that who just happens to be a Nemenhah Medicine Man or Medicine Woman. Rather the reverse; we Pehli are Nemenhah first and foremost, front and center, bearers and custodians of an ancient tradition into which we have enfolded our distinct spiritual practices, healing modalities and individual competencies. If one cannot stand firm, tall, and proud upon the foundation of sacred customs restored to us through the tireless work of our Pehli, then one ought not claim to be one of the People.
To do so is to lie not only to the world at large but to oneself.
I ask, dear Tiheht who once called yourselves Nemenhah, that you prayerfully seek Wyaykihn from those divine forces you call upon in times of need, beseeching Haymehnay (Spirit) for confirmation of the rightness of the path upon which you’ve decided to set your feet. Nemenhah Ministry is challenging and takes not only great fortitude and commitment, but monumental courage. The modern world does not understand our ways (how can it?) nor does it comprehend the peculiar drive within us to restore these ancient ways to bring peace and healing to a suffering planet.
If you feel this call from our ancestral brothers and sisters, our People, to take up your Medicine Bundle and begin building a better world as a messenger and practitioner of the Sacred Sahaptan Healing Way, please don’t hesitate to contact us regarding reinstatement of your membership status.
If what I have written here offends you in any way, peace be with you and your people for we are all relations and it is good for us to be here.
We walk in a sacred manner, we talk in a sacred manner, and I make an end of speaking.
Jonathan M. “Wellamotkin” Landis
(Tuhyahlahktsah Wayaylahktkihn-ahkehkt)
4/25/2019
To our far-flung ministers, members, and students who once studied the Sahaptan Healing Way, greeting!
Nemenhah Ministry is challenging. To create an effective ministry within the Sahaptan Healing Way requires significant study, practice, and, above all, personal spiritual commitment. Our Pehli are the committed master practitioners of the Sahaptan Healing Way and are all too aware of the obstacles that befall any person undertaking a new path. Resultantly, our Pehli reasonably expect a certain number of our novices to fall away before completing their training to become Pehli themselves.
Some novices and members leave because their interest in our work was only fleeting. Others have left because our ways were simply not “Native American” enough. Others have left because the commitment was greater than they at first realized and all they really wanted was a neat New Age/Neo-Shaman membership club. Even others left when they realized our organization would not grant them license to use illicit substances or evade taxation.
Then there are those whose personal and professional circumstances drove or dragged them away from what was originally a sincere commitment to our mission and the Sahaptan Healing Way. Whatever the reason, some of you do decide to come back, or at least inquire, and we thank you for the remembrance.
For the novitiate who has not attained Spiritual Adoption, the cost of abandoning his or her ministerial education is only in dollars and time spent, none of which is refundable. Should a drop-out novitiate wish to resume his or her education in the ministry, the novice will be interviewed by a Pehli and, if re-enrollment is approved, committed to the appropriate tuition program. Our Pehli feel this policy is straight forward.
For our Absent Tiwehk (late members), however, they need to know a few things before they ask for replacement documents or decide after years of absence to declare themselves a Nemenhah Medicine Person in Good Standing once more.
During the years prior to 2013, aspiring ministers were permitted to formally request Spiritual Adoption with a very small contribution and their personal word that they would complete the training put before them by their Tehk Tiwehkthihmpt and his Pehli. Those who followed through with their commitments became the Pehli of present day Nemenhah. After 2013, an online student portal and periodic annual workshops were provided to enhance and facilitate our members’ education in every which way possible.
Unfortunately, accepting the formal request for Spiritual Adoption based upon the promise of completion, promises taken at face value, proved detrimental to the Nemenhah as the years progressed, to the degree that some few of said ministers attempted to break the law under the alleged auspices of Nemenhah Religion.
Nemenhah stood its ground, however, and defended the sincere practice of our sacred healing ways versus the abusive appropriations of these criminals, successfully represented the legitimacy of our religion before judges and jurors, expelled the above-mentioned malfeasants (each of which received their just deserts under domestic law), and made a critical evaluation of the policies that had allowed such deplorable characters to deceive the Nemenhah People. Now, aspiring ministers must complete the requisite training before their formal request for spiritual adoption will be approved.
In the year 2018, the Tehk Tiwehkthihmpt of the Sacred Order of Lehb determined that those individuals who had
a. Refused or otherwise failed to support the Nemenhah through sacred giveaway in the form of personal contribution of service, donations, and/or in-kind in any way, and,
b. Refused or otherwise failed to complete the obligatory training programs established by the Tehk Tiwehkthihmpt and his Pehli, and,
c. Refused or otherwise failed to communicate with their Pehli in any way for a space of one year,
thereby indicated to their Pehli and the People that their original formal request for Spiritual Adoption had not been in earnest and therefore they, the late member, had consequently abrogated any right to membership in the Sacred Order of Lehb in absentia. Where said member was once known by the People as Tiwehk, a Lay Minister and Member in Good Standing, now he or she is known as Tiheht only, which is a "Supplicant" and "Parishioner" with no license to minister within the Order. Any documentation and/or certification such a person might have received previously is rendered, by the will of the individual, null and void.
It is important for returning students and members who fall under this category to understand this policy, and the impetus behind these changes, because the Pehli with whom they will interact, should they choose, have been instructed to regard them with all due respect and courtesy, but not as a member of the clergy or the People. That right was abrogated by the inactive member’s refusal or failure to keep the covenant commitments delineated in the formal request for Spiritual Adoption dating from the first iteration of these sacred covenants in 2002 to present.
With regard to reinstatement of one’s status, it is possible for a member who has allowed his or her "Good Standing" to lapse to be reinstated. An interview with an authorized Pehli is required to:
- Inform the late member what about his or her status has changed and what brought it about, and
- To inquire as to why the late member abandoned the Sahaptan Healing Way and failed to keep his or her original covenants in the first place,
- To establish a plan moving forward whereby the member may obtain due competence and reinstate their status in Good Standing.
The Absent Tiwehk (late/inactive member) will also be expected to provide a detailed account of his or her reasons for reinstating his or her membership. If the Pehli finds the petition sincere, he or she will then assist the late member with matriculating in the appropriate obligatory training program and will provide assistance as needed thereafter.
We, the Pehli Council, who are the bearers of the ancient rites and traditions from which the Modern Nemenhah was born, take our covenants very seriously; such things are part and parcel of the practice of our religion and to disrespect such things is to disrespect Nemenhah as a whole. One does not become Nemenhah simply because one has a neat little piece of paper on the wall or in one’s wallet. We are Nemenhah because we choose each and every day to speak and act in the manner expected of us by our Ancestors and the Ayohhihm (the Creators).
It must be understood that the Nemenhah Pehli is not a “practitioner” of this or that who just happens to be a Nemenhah Medicine Man or Medicine Woman. Rather the reverse; we Pehli are Nemenhah first and foremost, front and center, bearers and custodians of an ancient tradition into which we have enfolded our distinct spiritual practices, healing modalities and individual competencies. If one cannot stand firm, tall, and proud upon the foundation of sacred customs restored to us through the tireless work of our Pehli, then one ought not claim to be one of the People.
To do so is to lie not only to the world at large but to oneself.
I ask, dear Tiheht who once called yourselves Nemenhah, that you prayerfully seek Wyaykihn from those divine forces you call upon in times of need, beseeching Haymehnay (Spirit) for confirmation of the rightness of the path upon which you’ve decided to set your feet. Nemenhah Ministry is challenging and takes not only great fortitude and commitment, but monumental courage. The modern world does not understand our ways (how can it?) nor does it comprehend the peculiar drive within us to restore these ancient ways to bring peace and healing to a suffering planet.
If you feel this call from our ancestral brothers and sisters, our People, to take up your Medicine Bundle and begin building a better world as a messenger and practitioner of the Sacred Sahaptan Healing Way, please don’t hesitate to contact us regarding reinstatement of your membership status.
If what I have written here offends you in any way, peace be with you and your people for we are all relations and it is good for us to be here.
We walk in a sacred manner, we talk in a sacred manner, and I make an end of speaking.
Jonathan M. “Wellamotkin” Landis
(Tuhyahlahktsah Wayaylahktkihn-ahkehkt)
- Nehm Tiwehkthihmpt (Governor) – Nemenhah State FRM
- Yuhwihkihn-Pehli (Way Walker) and Tiwehkthihmpt of the Sacred Order of Lehb
- Fellow Custodian and Editor-in-Chief of the Ayahtkuhyaht Nemenhah (Sacred Records of the Ancient Nemenhah)
- Doctor of Divinity: General Sahaptan Physiopathy (Nemenhah Naturopathy)
- Pehli-Custodian of Ehlahts Kohwaht Healing Ministry
