Windigokan Warriors = Discordian saints?

[Cramulus]

I'm probably going to take it, pending I manage to squeeze some money out of a former boss who owes me a lot of it.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I'm probably going to take it, pending I manage to squeeze some money out of a former boss who owes me a lot of it.

Well that gives us a potential three... if I had more I could probably twist the Admins arm a bit for a bigger break on cost. Maybe.

[Jasper]

Ah, I'm afraid to say my school this semester is spoken for as of today.

The good news is that I'm taking a class on public speaking.

[Bharlion]

I flub my roll and take 20.

I love those old native american tribes, they had such cool traditions. If you want some really mindblowing stuff look up sacrificial rites of the Mayan and Aztec empires. Anasazi were cool two their name meant "ancient ancestors" or "ancient allies" depending on the source.

[Jasper]

Because I love this shit.

[Telarus]

Thanks.

[East Coast Hustle]

Trickster class?  Link?

http://www.maybelogic.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=208&Itemid=1

I'd be interested in that, but the idea of even one penny of my fortune going to those assclowns makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Trickster class?  Link?

http://www.maybelogic.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=208&Itemid=1

I'd be interested in that, but the idea of even one penny of my fortune going to those assclowns makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

The culture jamming class I took was retarded, and unfortunately I ended up thinking that R.U. Sirius is an aging douche.

[Alethias]

If I were to take a class to teach me to be a trickster, I'd assume that the point would be to trick me into believing that I was getting something of value when I shelled out the money for it.  Thus, the trick would be on me;  and if I truly got the zen of it, I'd suddenly have the revelation of the value of the class.

Or i can just construct the thought-chain in my head and imagine i got tricked, and get the value without ever shelling out a penny.

[Triple Zero]

If I were to take a class to teach me to be a trickster, I'd assume that the point would be to trick me into believing that I was getting something of value when I shelled out the money for it.  Thus, the trick would be on me;  and if I truly got the zen of it, I'd suddenly have the revelation of the value of the class.

Or i can just construct the thought-chain in my head and imagine i got tricked, and get the value without ever shelling out a penny.

That's just what we wanted you to find out! Congratulations, you are now a fully qualified level 2 Trickster !

That'll be $74.99 please to transfer to Suu's PayPal account.

[Number_6]

This is incredibly awesome.

[DeadLucky]

I looked this up some on Google and didn't get many hits at all. I did, however, find a passage in a book online that mentioned them:

   In the old days the Plains Ojibway were mighty warriors, waging fierce battles with the Sioux, whom they hated with an implacable enmity. The old men can still tell many exciting tales of their exploits.
   One of the most interesting of Plains Ojibway institutions is that of the Cannibal Dancers, or "Windigokan," as they are called. Certain men had the right to make for themselves ridiculous costumes of rags and masks of the same material. When the band was gathered in the great camp circle, one of these persons would dress and search for comrades. Armed with a staff he would go from tent to tent until he found some one whom he wished to associate with himself. At this time he would point his stick, whereupon it was the duty of the chosen party to make himself a costume and accompany his captor, willy nilly. If, however, he saw the "Windigokan" approaching and escaped before the fateful wand was leveled at him, it was well.
   When a sufficient number of recruits had been gathered, a tent was erected to house them, and there they dwelt, issuing forth from time to time to capture food, or to exorcise the demons of disease from some sick person. Their method of procuring food was extremely amusing. The entire party, headed by the leader, would make the rounds of the camp, singing and frolicking. When they came upon buffalo meat hung out to dry, they would immediately proceed to stalk it most elaborately, until finally, one of the party, who was armed with a bow and arrow, would shoot at it. If he missed his aim, the party proceeded, never even picking up the arrow. If the meat was struck, they would flee in pantomime of terror, falling over backwards and performing many ludicrous antics, returning, however, to carry off the food in triumph. When they reached the door of their tepee they never thought of carrying the meat in ; instead they would attempt to throw it in through the smoke hole. If, however, the meat missed the hole and fell outside, the "Windigokan" would never touch it and it became the prey of the bystanders, who thronged to see the fun.
   Another peculiarity of the cannibals was that they used "inverted speech." That is to say, they expressed themselves by opposites. If one wished to drink, he would announce that he was not thirsty, and if a bystander wanted him to dance, he commanded the clown not to do so.
by Alanson Skinner, from the article The Plains Ojibway, within the anthology The Southern Workman, Vol. 43, Issues 1-10.

I also screenshotted an image included in the passage, which shows some Windigokan outfits:

I agree. Very Discordian. I love this stuff.

- DeadLucky

[DeadLucky]

I looked around a little while longer this morning, whilst my pizza was cooking for breakfast, and the internet served up some nice new warm results.

The heavily fringed costume and the mask with its long crooked nose is the typical outfit of a Windigokan, aka Cannibal, Clown, or Fools dancer. The Windigokanek was a society of masked dancers who represented cannibalistic ice giants, believed to live in the far north, and prominent in Plains Ojibwa folklore. The leaders of this cult were people who had dreamed of these giants or of thunderbirds, the latter referred to by the large crooked nose of their masks. By means of their dance this cult group was believed to exorcise the demons of disease, who used to invade the Indian camps in wintertime. The Windigokan also used their herbal medicines in curing sick people. The many small moccasins attached to this particular costume may refer to success in curing children. This costume, made of tanned and smoked hide, may pre-date the late nineteenth century, since when Windigokan costumes were commonly made of old pieces of canvas. Part of this group of objects is an additional long-nosed mask made of canvas, the drum with its cloth cover, the bulbous rattles, and perhaps some of the herbal medicines. The second group of artifacts consists of some beadwork decorated charms or scapulars, the weasel skins, pipes, a pouch filled with sticks, a roll of birchbark, the flat circular rattle, and perhaps the roots. These objects were associated with the Metawin (Midewiwin) or Grand Medicine Lodge, the most important religious institution of the Ojibwa, with branches or "lodges" from Wisconsin westwards as far as Saskatchewan. This organization instructed its members in herbal and shamanistic knowledge, used in the securing of a healthy life. The Plains Ojibwa ascribed the origin of theMetawin to Nanapus a legendary culture hero who interceded between human beings and the spirits. The organization consisted of four degrees, each with increasing levels of esoteric knowledge transmitted to its members. The beadworked black cloth panels in this collection have small pockets at the back, each containing a small cowrie shell, and each shell referring to magical power transferred to the owner during the rituals of this society. These scapulars were worn on the breast by the initiated members. On one of these scapulars a human figure is pictured with its elbows and knees indicated. This is the scapular of a Metawin member of the second degree, on account of having had magic shells placed on his joints, thereby giving him clairvoyance in hunting. The beadwork on the large scapular pictures the spirits of bear and underwater monster, two of the most important manitos in the Metawin rituals. The two thunderbirds pictured on the strap most probably indicate that the owner of this scapular in his dreams had been adopted by a married couple of thunderbirds.

from: http://fineart.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=681&Lot_No=77356

The whole cannibalistic ice giants thing makes it make sense, to an extent. It is still odd, however.

Another thing I came across is that, apparently, there are still some "Windigokan Warriors" around now, or people who claim to be the modern equivalent, in at least one Ojibwa tribe somewhere. They led some sort of pro-Native American protest against their local government.

-DeadLucky,
Wishing he could dress up like a beaked ice giant and hunt beef jerky.

[Nast]

This is all as interesting as the outfits are frightening!

:O