The Allowance Ceremony: 

    When a wolf chooses to join the Na''emmai but for some reason or another are unable to find their Song, they must go through the Allowance Ceremony in order to become accepted. This Ceremony differs from others in that it is focused less on the Song and moreso on the reaction of the Ancestors and Spirits toward the wolf that wishes to join the Na''emmai. All of the Medicine Wolves as well as the Council and Coven gather in the Place of Life with the wolf who wishes to remain in the pack as a member without posessing a Song. The wolves encircle the tested wolf and the Medicine Wolves enter a trance through the use of hallucinogens in order to reach the Ancestors. Each wolf's meeting with the Ancestors are individualized as they ask the Ancestor(s) they meet in their trance about the wolf's Song and if they will be accepted in the Afterlife without one. Once each wolf comes out of the trance, they discuss out loud their experiences and whether the Ancestor(s) they met agree that the Allowed wolf can join. Depending on the votes of the Ancestors, the ceremony moves onto the next part.

    The Council now move in to ask the prospective wolf a series of questions similar to the types of questions that are asked of the prospective Coven. These questions are designed around making sure that the wolf would be a good addition to the pack and that they are willing and able to put the pack above their own self-interest. Once this is determined the Council will now sound off their approval, moving the ceremony onto the last section of the process.
    This last part of the ceremony falls onto the shoulders of the Coven who circles the wolf starting the Song that one sings when joining the Council but with a change at the end: "In one as one we serve Na''emmai. In one as one I serve my Na''emmai. In one as one I serve my Na''emmai to the fullest in humblest of terms. In this I promise to Na''emmai. In this I promise humility." After, the wolf joining starts up the Song second in the round followed by the Council and finally the Medicine Wolves. At the end of the Singing, the new wolf is brought to the Place of Spirits and asked to find a rare herb in the area and return with it to the Coven. Once this final step is completed can the wolf without a Song become a full member of the Na''emmai though they may be referred to as the Allowed on occasion. From that point on, the wolf is a full member though they have special ceremonies of their own in correspondence to other ceremonies that are normally performed with the use of a wolf's Song.

Exorcisms:

    While the wolves of Na''emmai do not believe that ghosts can be driven out permanently, they do believe that exorcism can cause the Ghosts to "retreat" or "subdue" in the presence of the wolf or wolves that perform the exorcism. Medicine Wolves gather up salts collected from the Seething Earth as well as sharp-smelling herbs that cause hallucinations and gastric distress before embarking on this quest. The mildly poisonous plants are ingested before starting the ritual; once the wolf is able to "see" the Ghosts, they toss the salt at the earth-bound souls and Sing the prayer to the Ancestors: "As every Song has a beginning, so too it shall have an end. But the Song of Life continues when we return to our Ancestors as the Song of the Afterlife begins to be sung again and again." However, they continue with this appeasement to the Ghost who is forever trapped unable to reach the afterlife: "You, dear friend, be appeased by my gift. Your spirit alone I cannot lift - let me pass for it is not I who trap you here but those who let you depart unprepared." These lyrics are sung over and over again until the Ghost(s) disperse.

    Usually by this time the hallucinogenic properties of the herb wears off and the wolf will continue with whatever task they need done or bring in the Na''emmai who were looking for safe passage. It is believed that an exorcism can last up to five days though sometimes the Ghosts are believed to have returned in less than one sunrise.

Cleansing:

    Certain omens of ill-will or ill-luck can be cleansed of the bad luck put on them by seeing the sign. They can also be cleansed if they have had a stroke of ill-luck that seems to have no end. The wolf wishing to be cleansed must seek out a Medicine Wolf in order to have the ritual performed. The Medicine wolf then gives the wolf with bad luck a herb that heightens the senses and lowers their hunger while also sprinkling the wolf with the salt that is obtained by Seething Earth. Then the Medicine Wolf then sings the Song of Cleansing: "Ancestors we Sing your praise and ask you to speak with the Spirits on behalf of our kin. Let the balance return and fix the damage that burns this soul."The wolf with ill-luck is then indicated to drink from the water in the Place of the Spirits before returning to the den site. By then, it is believed the wolf should be cleansed of the ill-will or ill-luck pressed upon it.

Shaming Oneself/Shaming Pride:

    One of the more peculiar practices of Na''emmai is the practice of "shaming" a caught prey or completed task. When a wolf performs a task or hunt and returns to the pack, they are expected to be humble and not boastful - showing their humility by shaming themselves in their own words. This can be anywhere from claiming their catch was a pittance to that their completed task was poorly executed in some way. This humility does not mean that they have not done well - in fact, the wolves of Na''emmai will bemore critical if they do an excellent job than when they had done poorly. Wolves that return boastful or prideful are ostracized and shunned until they display proper humility for their work, which is the opposite of what most packs may do in a similar situation.

    Wolves are also not praised or rewarded for humility with words to increase their pride, but rather words that encourage that tomorrow will be a better day or criticizing the environment may be given. This practice has a positive end however; it squashes one's ability to develop self pride and individual purpose against those in the pack. Depending on the level of boasting, the Council or Coven may bring it upon themselves to criticize the boasting wolf and send them away from the pack as a mark of shame for their sense of pride but this almost never happens except in particularly difficult cases. The Coven however is the most criticized should they ever boast in order for them to never forget that the pack comes before their own life and happiness.

Alone we fail, together we succeed:

    Another peculiar practice of native-born Na''emmai is their utter lack of understanding of competition and self-success. They are taught from a young age to work together and in conjunction with "shaming" they develop a great need to make sure no one is left without, working together to solve problems and protect one another at all costs. Most hunting and tasks are performed in at the very least pairs though larger hunting groups or task groups is not uncommon either. Young are greatly encouraged to meet one another and play games involving teamwork for success rather than to compete against one another. Individuals who act alone are greatly ostracized and even shunned by the rest of the pack for being too individualized. Though while individuality is not particularly discouraged, it is not encouraged by any extent. Despite this, wolves who have a strong sense of self and purpose can still attain a greater purpose within the pack.

The Stripping of the Coven:

    Once the Coven is selected and the wolf agrees, they go on a long journey to the Place of Life alone in order to contemplate their place within the pack and to cast off their worldly chains in order to fully invest themselves into the lives of those in the pack. Many Covens will self-mutilate in order to take away the things they desire most in order to better serve the pack so that there is no going back on the promises they made to those they will now serve though this is not always the case. In another culture, this would look more like a demotion or hazing as they strip themselves of sight or hearing and even mutilate themselves so they can never reproduce again. But the worse a Coven treats themselves during this process, the more it is seen they will look out for the better of the pack - for no worldly beasts will take them away from those whose lives should be considered most important. Should a Coven wish to blind/deafen themselves a Council member will accompany them in order to help teach them how to deal without that sense. Covens are expected to be the most humble and self-insulting when hunting/working for the pack but this is a burden they carry with pride and most never look back on what they lost.

The True Sign

    When the sun and moon are both in the sky without interfering with one another by making eclipses or partial eclipses, this is seen as a sign of good fortune and bounty to come. Great thanks to the Spirits are made and prey is hunted and left just outside the territory to keep the Dread Spirit appeased. Many wolves welcome this time by throwing their voices to the sky and Singing their own Songs as loud as they can to ask the Ancestors for good energy and fortune in their lives. If there are tasks or trades to happen that day, the Na''emmai will feel more confident of these being fruitful for the pack. Should there be nothing planned, the Coven will often hold a feast after the offering to the Dread Spirit is made. Oftentimes marriages are made during these days or pups conceived for with such good fortune, the start of a life is welcomed. This is also the sign the wolves use when choosing the new Path.

Black Day-Night:

    The coming of the Black Day-Night is thought to be a terrible sign of things to come. When the moon covers the sun in a solar eclipse, be it partial or full, the wolves believe it is the Ghosts threatening to take over their homeland and take their vengeance on the living. It is the sign that most often drives the nomads to abandon their current Path and try to find a new one in order to flee from the approaching doom of the Ghosts. They will travel for many days and many nights until the day comes that both the sun and the moon can be seen together in the sky again without being followed by the Black Day-Night. Once they find this new place, they then seek out the Path they will take to their seasonal locations before deciding on their territory. It can take up to a year or more before their entire territory is selected and marked.

Blood Water

    It is said that when the water turns red along with the sky it is a sign that the Ghosts on the earth are angry. The wolf who sees the omen is expected to go to the Medicine Wolf of the Council and attempt to cleanse themselves so that the Ghosts do not come after them. This is primarily why the pack does not have their main campsite with unshadowed water.

The Dread Spirit

    The Dread Spirit is the Spirit of Death and Life and it exists in the form of turkey vultures. Normally seen as a good sign, especially when they are feeding on a leftover or dead carcass, it is seen as a sign of death to come should they be spotted flying and no body or carcass is found where they are circling. Medicine Wolves who see this sign do their best to chase the Spirit away or appease it by giving the vultures fresh prey to feed upon. Should the vultures not take the given meat, it is thought that great famine or disease will come to the pack and they prepare for the great trial that is to come.

Abandoning the Unknown:

    Unfortunately their grand fear of Ghosts leads to a lesser compassionate side of their culture. Should they find a stranger sick and or dying to which they cannot help them recover from, they will carry the wolf out of the pack's claimed territory and leave them to die. They will also take pups whose Song is unable to be discovered to neighboring packs that they feel will take the pups in and howl a trade greeting before disappearing. They will return to see if the pup was taken in - if not they will try again until all options are exhausted before abandoning the pup in a loner's den. While it is seen as not compassionate, it also serves to protect the pack from diseases that spread like wildfire from other wolves.

The Choosing of the Path

    When the Na''em leave their previous traveling paths for new ones they usually do so for various reasons - the Black Day-Night, herds moving on, unusually harsh winters/summers, changing water sources, etc. If one of these variables presents a hazard to their livelihood, the Coven and Council will meet and discuss the needs of the pack as well as attempt to figure out which is the best direction to travel to find a new homeland. Sometimes the Council Medicine Wolf will go to the Place of Life and attempt to speak to the Ancestors through hallucinogenic-induced dreaming before returning with what they had discovered. Very rarely will they return with a request to stay for another Pilgrimage but often return saying that the Na''emmai should leave. Once their direction is chosen and set, the Coven and Council reconvene and vote on whether or not they should leave or attempt to hold out longer in their current homeland. In the case where the Coven and Council are at even odds for staying or leaving, the assume they should leave and move to propose the new Choosing to the pack.

    Once the decision is made, the Coven and Council propose the move to the current Na''emmai for their opinions as well. No one is forced to join the new Choosing of the Path though those that remain are only Na''emmai in name only - the Coven and Council leave them behind. Just like in the Pilgrimage, the wolves going are then assembled in the line that will take them to their new home. They will then walk for many days and many nights until the True Sign lets them know that they are where they belong (the moon and sun occupying the sky simultaneously). After that point, the search for the new Places of Life begin and the new territories are mapped out. This may take a year or longer. But once established, they return to their old ways - migrating with the seasons and practicing their beliefs without harassment.

The Tasking:

    When a pup reaches Juvenile age, then the pups is allowed to choose the Task they would like to hold for the the remainder of their tenure in the pack. However, they may change their task at any time should they find that they cannot serve the pack best in the Task they had chosen. To mark the Tasking, the Council bring the young Juveniles to the Place of Life with the rest of the pack and have them stand in the center. They ask the pups in order from first borne to last borne to sing their Song. When the wolf finishes their first Singing, silence rings around the clearing as the wolf is given the chance to Choose their Task. To Choose, they walk up to the Council Member (or Coven if no ranking task member exists) and announces to the pack their choice by starting the Song with these words: "I implore to you Ancestors that (task) is my place of Na''emmai. Take me in and teach me well..." Then they are expected to start to sing their Song. The rest of the wolves strike up the wolves Song, first their siblings, then their parents, then the rest of the pack before finally the Coven joins in to confirm. This process is repeated until all Juveniles are assigned in this way.

    For adults who were never Tasked or are changing Tasks, they partake in the same ceremony but without others awaiting to be assigned along with them.

The Coming of Age:

    This Ceremony happens whether or not a wolf in the pack is able to be Tasked or not. Once a wolf stops growing and is ready for their first season as a young adult, they are given this ceremony along with the rest of their siblings or other young wolves aging at a similar time. Like the Tasking Ceremony, the young adult wolves coming of age are brought to the Place of Life and encircled by the rest of the pack. This one is different from the Tasking Ceremony for the wolves as there is no Choosing but the Coven begins singing the Song of the Eldest and the rest of the pack picks up the Song in a round. Once that wolf's song is brought back to the Coven the next wolf's Song is started and the round continues in this way until all wolves' Songs have been sung. Upon reaching the last round the voices carry to bring in the Song of the Na''emmai: "And here we stand, again and again, the roamers of the earth. And here we go, again and again, in unity as Na''emmai." At the last, the wolves rush forward with the newly anointed "adults" leading a pack hunt to bring back a buffalo for the pack to prove their unity with the rest of the Na''emmai.