THE RURBAN FRINGE

Living Backwards

Posted on | January 5, 2009 | No Comments

Are you a heyoka?

The Lakota tradition of the heyoka - a contrarian or ’sacred clown’ – fits in well with the concept of community-building, as heyokas were those in the tribe charged with challenging people’s thinking and shaking up the status quo.

At a sundance, a heyoka might dance backwards around the young men, or sashay around like a woman, or splash his face with steaming hot water to cool off.

In essence, these tribal members ‘lived backwards,’ doing things contrary to the norm.

Think about it … under the guise of a ‘clown,’ typical barriers don’t exist, boundaries can be forgotten, and nothing is off-topic.  They ask the questions and say the things others may be afraid to voice.

In community-building, consensus is often the name of the game.  And so the role of a heyoka can be overlooked – even dismissed – as unnecessary or disorderly. 

But when questions and contradictions can be channeled to dig deeper into an issue or outline inconsistencies on some matter, then the heyoka has fulfilled its purpose.

So … are you a heyoka?  To make your community the best it can be, try it sometime. 

There is often wisdom in going against the grain.

Related Posts:

Category: Community Building
Tags: > > > > > > >

Comments

Leave a Reply