Nemenhah Membership
There are two (2) types of Nemenhah memberships:
- Tiwehk/Lay Minister - (pronounced "tee-WEHK", plural Tiwehksihm) a person who has been Spiritually Adopted or is a current member in good standing of an Indigenous Traditional Bloodline or Heritage, or a Society and/or Clan that has been recognized by the Nemenhah Great Council, and who has been duly ordained a minister of the People. Tiwehksihm may become ordained Pehli within their Order, Clan, or Society, and may hold office within Nemenhah Councils. Tiwehksihm carry the secular right to vote within the General Assembly of their local Council and may be called by their Pehli Council to represent the Council before Great Council (Nemenhah Congress) or the Nehm Tiwehkthihmpt.
- Tiheht/Devotee - (pronounced "tee-HEHT", plural Tihehtsihm) a supplicant and/or student of specific Nemenhah ministry who has not been Spiritually Adopted and is not a member of an Indigenous Traditional Bloodline or Heritage, or a Society and/or Clan, that has been recognized by the Nemenhah Great Council. While various agencies within the United States consider Devotees and Supplicants of the Nemenhah Religion "members of the faith," they are not considered Citizens by the Nemenhah People and so do not enjoy any of the secular rights of the Tiwehk.
Becoming one of "The People"
BLOODED MEMBERS
A blood relative and/or spouse of a member of a recognized Indigenous Traditional Heritage or Bloodline does not require Spiritual Adoption to be registered as a Nemenhah Citizen. This person need only be formally introduced to the Pehli Council of their Local Assembly, thereby added to that Assembly's long count as one of the Nemenhah People.
SPIRITUAL ADOPTION
Spiritual Adoption is an ancient tradition and cultural cornerstone of both modern day and ancestral Nemenhah. Spiritual Adoption constitutes a Covenant Relationship between an otherwise unrelated individual of any Race, Ethnicity, Color, Gender, Heritage, Culture, Creed, Religious Belief, and so forth, and the Tiwehkthihmpt (High Priest) or "President" of a Sacred Order, Society, Clan, and/or a Traditional Heritage or Bloodline that has been recognized by the Nemenhah Great Council.
HOW TO BECOME SPIRITUALLY ADOPTED:
Spiritual Adoption is made by special request to the Pehli Mentor of a student and aspiring minister of the Sahaptan Healing Way, who will, if the applicant has completed all obligatory requisites, present the student's name before the Mentor's Pehli Council.
Attention: a Formal Request for Spiritual Adoption will not be approved without a written letter of recommendation from a duly ordained Pehli (Sahaptan Medicine Shirt) of the Nemenhah Church currently serving as a Mentor. Click HERE for more information.
Upon approval of the applicant's request, this Covenant conveys membership in the Nemenhah ITO to the new Tiwehk and provides initial eligibility to perform the Cradle to Grave Ordinances of the Nemenhah People. This Covenant also conveys initial eligibility to participate in the Governance of the Nemenhah Indigenous Traditional Organization and its Institutions, in accordance with current policy.
Core Documents:
It is very important that you read and concur with the Nemenhah Constitution and the Nemenhah Code. If you have not already done so, you may not qualifiedly give Informed Consent and you are not eligible for Spiritual Adoption. Then, it is as equally important that you read the Ayahtkuhyaht Nemenhah (the Sacred Records of the Nemenhah People) and seek Wyaykihn (spiritual guidance/revelation) regarding the appropriateness of the Nemenhah Path for you and your sacred walk and to determine whether your personal religious/spiritual beliefs harmonize with our indigenous methods and modalities and to determine whether or not a personal or professional (vocational) ministry in the Sahaptan Healing Way is prudent. Nemenhah does not restrict its members and citizens from enjoying memberships and affiliations with other religious organizations and faiths, but it must be understood that not all belief systems harmonize with our indigenous spiritual ideologies and practices.
"AM I A GOOD FIT FOR THE SAHAPTAN HEALING WAY?"
Nemenhah Culture espouses a strict code of conduct and very distinct indigenous spiritual beliefs that do not always harmonize with those arising from outside sources. Therefore, our Pehli Councils recommend interested parties and seekers of the Sahaptan Healing Way complete the following assignment to determine for themselves if the Sahaptan Healing Way may or may not be a good fit for them:
A simple personal test: upon reading the Ayahtkuhyaht Nemenhah (all or in part), take a moment to prayerfully discern, in private, whether or not you feel a sense of kinship with the hero-prophets in the records, or, if you sense no familial connection, determine whether or not you desire such kinship. The rites of Spiritual Adoption add your name to the Nemenhah Long Count, making you part of the greater Nemenhah Family. Upon taking the Sahaptan Healing Way unto yourself, the heroes and prophets in our Sacred Records then join the ranks of your Ancestors, upon whom we Nemenhah call frequently for guidance in this modern day of economic, cultural, spiritual, and ecological turmoil. We do not take these rites and ceremonies lightly, and neither should anyone seeking the Path of the Pehli. If you do not discern a sense of kinship with the people written about in our Ayahtkuhyaht Nemenhah, or do not desire said kinship, our Nemenhah ministries, culture, and life-way (the Sahaptan Healing Way) is not for you.
The Nemenhah Constitution restricts citizenship in the Nemenhah State to those who have been duly adopted through the Ordinance and Ceremony of "Making Relations." The Ceremony includes a Solemn Covenant which is expressed in the Declarations of Intention which you will be asked to make.
Declarations:
Covenant obligations are not to be trifled with. They are serious, and they are sacred. They are the foundation of the Pattern Language of the Nemenhah and all else hangs or falls depending upon your faithfulness to the Covenants you make. If you are not willing to make the Declarations of Intention listed above, and to labor diligently with your heart, might, mind and strength, please do not submit a Request for Spiritual Adoption to your Pehli Mentor.
Five-Fold Mission of the Nemenhah:
The Nemenhah Mission is Five-Fold. Any person may request Spiritual Adoption. To be approved, however, one must be a Healer who will dedicate themselves to one or a combination of the Five Elements of the Nemenhah Mission.
If you will dedicate yourself to this Mission, and if you can honestly and courageously make the Covenant Declarations of Intention above, complete your cultural orientation through the UCNM, then your request for Spiritual Adoption may be approved by your Tiwehkthihmpt.
A blood relative and/or spouse of a member of a recognized Indigenous Traditional Heritage or Bloodline does not require Spiritual Adoption to be registered as a Nemenhah Citizen. This person need only be formally introduced to the Pehli Council of their Local Assembly, thereby added to that Assembly's long count as one of the Nemenhah People.
SPIRITUAL ADOPTION
Spiritual Adoption is an ancient tradition and cultural cornerstone of both modern day and ancestral Nemenhah. Spiritual Adoption constitutes a Covenant Relationship between an otherwise unrelated individual of any Race, Ethnicity, Color, Gender, Heritage, Culture, Creed, Religious Belief, and so forth, and the Tiwehkthihmpt (High Priest) or "President" of a Sacred Order, Society, Clan, and/or a Traditional Heritage or Bloodline that has been recognized by the Nemenhah Great Council.
HOW TO BECOME SPIRITUALLY ADOPTED:
Spiritual Adoption is made by special request to the Pehli Mentor of a student and aspiring minister of the Sahaptan Healing Way, who will, if the applicant has completed all obligatory requisites, present the student's name before the Mentor's Pehli Council.
Attention: a Formal Request for Spiritual Adoption will not be approved without a written letter of recommendation from a duly ordained Pehli (Sahaptan Medicine Shirt) of the Nemenhah Church currently serving as a Mentor. Click HERE for more information.
Upon approval of the applicant's request, this Covenant conveys membership in the Nemenhah ITO to the new Tiwehk and provides initial eligibility to perform the Cradle to Grave Ordinances of the Nemenhah People. This Covenant also conveys initial eligibility to participate in the Governance of the Nemenhah Indigenous Traditional Organization and its Institutions, in accordance with current policy.
Core Documents:
It is very important that you read and concur with the Nemenhah Constitution and the Nemenhah Code. If you have not already done so, you may not qualifiedly give Informed Consent and you are not eligible for Spiritual Adoption. Then, it is as equally important that you read the Ayahtkuhyaht Nemenhah (the Sacred Records of the Nemenhah People) and seek Wyaykihn (spiritual guidance/revelation) regarding the appropriateness of the Nemenhah Path for you and your sacred walk and to determine whether your personal religious/spiritual beliefs harmonize with our indigenous methods and modalities and to determine whether or not a personal or professional (vocational) ministry in the Sahaptan Healing Way is prudent. Nemenhah does not restrict its members and citizens from enjoying memberships and affiliations with other religious organizations and faiths, but it must be understood that not all belief systems harmonize with our indigenous spiritual ideologies and practices.
"AM I A GOOD FIT FOR THE SAHAPTAN HEALING WAY?"
Nemenhah Culture espouses a strict code of conduct and very distinct indigenous spiritual beliefs that do not always harmonize with those arising from outside sources. Therefore, our Pehli Councils recommend interested parties and seekers of the Sahaptan Healing Way complete the following assignment to determine for themselves if the Sahaptan Healing Way may or may not be a good fit for them:
A simple personal test: upon reading the Ayahtkuhyaht Nemenhah (all or in part), take a moment to prayerfully discern, in private, whether or not you feel a sense of kinship with the hero-prophets in the records, or, if you sense no familial connection, determine whether or not you desire such kinship. The rites of Spiritual Adoption add your name to the Nemenhah Long Count, making you part of the greater Nemenhah Family. Upon taking the Sahaptan Healing Way unto yourself, the heroes and prophets in our Sacred Records then join the ranks of your Ancestors, upon whom we Nemenhah call frequently for guidance in this modern day of economic, cultural, spiritual, and ecological turmoil. We do not take these rites and ceremonies lightly, and neither should anyone seeking the Path of the Pehli. If you do not discern a sense of kinship with the people written about in our Ayahtkuhyaht Nemenhah, or do not desire said kinship, our Nemenhah ministries, culture, and life-way (the Sahaptan Healing Way) is not for you.
The Nemenhah Constitution restricts citizenship in the Nemenhah State to those who have been duly adopted through the Ordinance and Ceremony of "Making Relations." The Ceremony includes a Solemn Covenant which is expressed in the Declarations of Intention which you will be asked to make.
Declarations:
- I will adhere to the discipline "First Do No Harm," and I will, to the best of my ability, make this the guiding principle in my Healing Ministry.
- Natural Medicine, as included in my sacred Medicine Wheel Ceremony, constitutes part of the establishment and free exercise of my Nemenhah Religion.
- I will work diligently to complete the course of study prescribed by the Pehli Council of my Order and/or Assembly for my development as a Citizen of the People. (If you are not willing to obtain competence in Nemenhah Ceremony and Culture, please do not proceed any further.)
- I will faithfully donate from my surplus to the Church so that the Nemenhah Life Way may go forward and become fully developed in the world.
- I will labor to establish a Nemenhah community (Local Assembly) in my area, if no such community already exists here, and/or I will dedicate time, talent and resources to developing and forwarding the work of my Local Unit.
Covenant obligations are not to be trifled with. They are serious, and they are sacred. They are the foundation of the Pattern Language of the Nemenhah and all else hangs or falls depending upon your faithfulness to the Covenants you make. If you are not willing to make the Declarations of Intention listed above, and to labor diligently with your heart, might, mind and strength, please do not submit a Request for Spiritual Adoption to your Pehli Mentor.
Five-Fold Mission of the Nemenhah:
The Nemenhah Mission is Five-Fold. Any person may request Spiritual Adoption. To be approved, however, one must be a Healer who will dedicate themselves to one or a combination of the Five Elements of the Nemenhah Mission.
- As a Healer of Individuals (human beings or animals). These are Medicine Men and Women of the Nemenhah whose focus is in relieving the suffering of people or animals.
- As a Healer of family. These are Medicine Men and Women of the Nemenhah who focus their ceremonial healing in family issues and in healing the values of family life and education.
- As a Healer of community. These are Medicine Men and Women of the Nemenhah whose focus is more toward building up the Chapters, Communities, Societies, and so forth, of the Nemenhah.
- As a Healer of Society. These are Medicine Men and Women of the Nemenhah whose focus is more toward social situations and systems.
- As a Healer of the Planet. These are Medicine Men and Women of the Nemenhah whose focus is on restoring men and women to sustainable care of the Earth Mother and to responsible use of her resources and abundance.
If you will dedicate yourself to this Mission, and if you can honestly and courageously make the Covenant Declarations of Intention above, complete your cultural orientation through the UCNM, then your request for Spiritual Adoption may be approved by your Tiwehkthihmpt.
