Lekhikàn · the fifth book

Nteluwensi

I am called

The Rite of Anointing

The meaning of the rite

In Moabe, the Rite of Anointing is called Nteluwensi, "I am called," for its heart is a renaming. Through it, a member of the covenant receives a sacred title and enters the service of those who are useful.

To anoint is to place something sacred upon the body so that the body itself carries the calling. In this rite, three elements of the land are placed upon three seats of the person, one at each degree:

Renaming	Title	Element	Seat	What it awakens
First	Pìlsit, the clean one	Mpi, water	The brow	A mind cleansed and clear
Second	Lapèmkwës, the useful one	Xàskwim, corn meal	The hands	Hands that serve and build
Third	Welteh, the good heart	Pëmì, oil of the land	Over the heart	A heart that guides others

The three renamings form one path: the mind is cleansed, the hands are given to service, and the heart opens to guide. A Welteh carries all three anointings within one life.

The time, the place, and those present

The time. The rite takes place at Day One, Kweti Kishku, when the sun enters Aries and the year is born. It begins at sunrise, for the day of the year's birth opens in light. When the Nuhàm Circle approves, a first renaming may also take place at the full moon of Naxa Kishku.

The place. The rite takes place on the church's sacred ground, in an open circle facing east, with a vessel of well water, a bowl of corn meal, and a small vessel of oil of the land set at the circle's center.

Those present.

Who	Their place in the rite
The First Grandmother	Receives the vow, places the anointing, and speaks the new title over the one renamed
The Nuhàm Circle	Sits in the inner circle and gives consent
The sponsor	A Welteh, or a Lapèmkwës for a first renaming, who walks beside the one renamed through preparation and stands at their side
The one renamed	Stands at the center of the circle
The gathered people	Form the outer circle and witness

The preparation

The one to be renamed prepares through the last moon before Day One, the moon of cleansing, Pìl Kishux.

Completion. The preparation set in the Facilitator Charter stands complete, confirmed by the sponsor before the Nuhàm Circle.
The dark moon of reflection. At the dark moon of Pìl Kishux, the one to be renamed sits in quiet on the land from sunset to sunset, reflecting on the calling and on the twelve ways.
The offering. The one to be renamed prepares an offering for the shared harvest: seed saved from their own planting, food from the land, or a work of their own hands.
The words. The one to be renamed learns by heart the statement of Mikumwakàn, the vow, and the words of their degree, in Moabe and in English.
The eve. On the night before Day One, the one to be renamed eats simply, rests early, and rises before the sun.

The opening of the rite

Every renaming opens the same way, as the sun rises in the east.

The greeting. The First Grandmother faces the circle and speaks: Isla, fa hu lan. "Peace, how is your spirit?" The people answer: Nulamàlsi. "I am well."
The statement. The whole circle speaks the statement of Mikumwakàn in Moabe, then in English.
The calling forward. The sponsor leads the one to be renamed to the center of the circle and speaks: This one is ready to be useful.
The asking. The First Grandmother asks: Kèku hèch kteluwensi? "What are you called?" The one to be renamed answers with their given name: Nteluwensi ___.
The consent of the Circle. The First Grandmother turns to the Nuhàm Circle and asks whether the Circle consents. Each grandmother answers in turn: Ahikta. "Yes."
The offering. The one to be renamed places their offering at the center of the circle beside the vessels of water, corn meal, and oil.

The rite then moves into the renaming of the degree being received.

The first renaming: Pìlsit

The one to be renamed kneels or stands at the center, facing east.

The cleansing. The First Grandmother pours well water over the hands of the one to be renamed. They speak: Npìlsi. "I am clean."
The vow. The one to be renamed speaks: Gata lapèmkwësi. "I want to be useful." Then: I enter the service of those who are useful. I keep the bounds of the Facilitator Charter. I serve the people under the guidance of the Nuhàm Circle, with a mind made clean.
The anointing. The First Grandmother dips her fingers in the water and touches the brow of the one renamed, speaking: May your mind remain clean and clear, a still water that reflects the sky.
The renaming. The First Grandmother speaks over the one renamed: Kilùna. You are called Pìlsit, the clean one. The one renamed answers: Nteluwensi Pìlsit. "I am called Pìlsit."
The gift. The sponsor places in the hands of the new Pìlsit a vessel of well water from the sacred ground, the sign of the water rite they now carry.
The welcome. The gathered people speak together: Wanishi, Pìlsit.

The second renaming: Lapèmkwës

The Pìlsit stands at the center, facing east, with hands open and raised.

The remembering of the first vow. The Pìlsit speaks: Nteluwensi Pìlsit. Npìlsi. "I am called Pìlsit. I am clean."
The vow fully lived. The Pìlsit speaks: Gata lapèmkwësi. "I want to be useful." Then: I give my hands to the people. I lead the gatherings of the moon. I guide each member through the peaks of peace, power, and prosperity, and I walk beside each Pìlsit.
The anointing. The First Grandmother takes corn meal from the bowl and places it in both open palms, speaking: May your hands plant what nourishes, build what endures, and serve all who come to the circle.
The renaming. The First Grandmother speaks: Kilùna. You are called Lapèmkwës, the useful one. The one renamed answers: Nteluwensi Lapèmkwës. "I am called Lapèmkwës."
The planting. The new Lapèmkwës carries the corn meal from their palms to the sacred ground and returns it to the soil, so the first act of the renewed hands is giving back to the land.
The gift. The sponsor places in the hands of the new Lapèmkwës a pouch of seed corn, xàskwim, the sign of the harvest they now tend.
The welcome. The gathered people speak together: Wanishi, Lapèmkwës.

The third renaming: Welteh

The Lapèmkwës stands at the center, facing east, with one hand placed over the heart.

The remembering of the path. The Lapèmkwës speaks: Nteluwensi Pìlsit. Nteluwensi Lapèmkwës. "I am called the clean one. I am called the useful one."
The vow of the heart. The Lapèmkwës speaks: Gata lapèmkwësi. "I want to be useful." Then: I open my heart to guide others. I prepare those who are called. I keep the rites of passage and the stations of the sun. I sit as counsel to the grandmothers, and I carry Këkhitaholtëwakàn, love without measure, to every soul.
The anointing. The First Grandmother touches oil of the land over the heart of the Lapèmkwës, speaking: May your heart be good, steady as the earth and open as the sky, guiding others home.
The renaming. The First Grandmother speaks: Kilùna. You are called Welteh, the good heart. The one renamed answers: Nteluwensi Welteh. "I am called Welteh."
The gift. Each grandmother of the Nuhàm Circle touches a single feather, mikwën, before it is placed in the hands of the new Welteh. The feather is animate in the ancestral tongue, a living thing: the sign of the guidance they now carry for others.
The first act of guidance. The new Welteh turns to the gathered people and speaks the twelve ways aloud, and the people speak each one back.
The welcome. The gathered people speak together: Wanishi, Welteh.

The closing of the rite

The circle of welcome. The one renamed walks the inner circle, and each grandmother greets them by their new title. They then walk the outer circle, and each member greets them the same way.
The shared meal. The offering placed at the center is shared among the people, with food from the land, so the first meal of the new title is eaten in community.
The closing words. The First Grandmother speaks òngùndëwakàn, the empowering intention spoken over the people, and the circle answers: Wanishi.

The Record. After the rite, the First Grandmother enters into the Record of Facilitators:

Entry	Recorded
Given name	The name spoken at the asking
Title and degree	Pìlsit, Lapèmkwës, or Welteh
The day	The Day One or Naxa Kishku of the renaming, in the Kishux reckoning
The sponsor	The facilitator who walks beside them
The witnesses	The grandmothers of the Nuhàm Circle present

Renewal. At every Day One after the renaming, the facilitator renews the vow before the Circle: Gata lapèmkwësi. The title is not renewed, for a name once received is carried for life.