Fred Wahpepah, a native American elder born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, spent the last 40+ years providing an opportunity for a growing community of people to participate in traditional ceremonies from Native American traditions. Born in rural Oklahoma in 1930, Fred is of the Kickapoo and Sac-and-Fox tribes. in 1975 he attended his first Native American spiritual gathering since his childhood; this inspired him to spend the next 16 years on the road studying with tribal elders and participating in ceremonies throughout the North American Continent. He began carrying the Sacred Pipe in 1978 and has been involved in the Sacred Sundance Ceremony every year since 1977. He dedicated his life work to the Indian ways and to the reawakening and preservation of the Earth centered spirituality of his forbears, with a special interest in sharing Native wisdom with people from all nations. By conducting traditional Sweat Lodge and Pipe Ceremonies as well as leading traditional Vision Quests, Fred galvanized a community of people interested in nurturing and supporting each other on their spiritual paths. Through classroom presentations, lectures and workshops, this respected elder educated and inspired children and adults to the present day importance of traditional spirituality and reverence for our earth. Fred served his community in the San Francisco Bay Area until March of 2018, when he returned to his home in Shawnee, Oklahoma to live out the rest of his days with family and relations.
“Fred Wahpepah is a true elder: simple, kind, funny, down-to-earth, and carrying a deep and hard-earned store of Mother Earth’s wisdom.” – Jack Kornfield, Author of “Path with Heart” and director of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Marin County, CA
“I look at him and see a thousand generations of his teachers and elders who have given him this song.” – Phra Ajahn Jumnien, Master of the Forest Monks Tiger Cave Monastery
“I highly respect the work of Fred Wahpepah. Personally I have participated in a Sweat Lodge and a Pipe Ceremony under his guidance. I found the experience purifying and I felt deeply appreciative of being allowed to participate in such a sacred ceremony” – Ram Das, Author of “Be Here Now”
“Fred Wahpepah works to keep rekindling the Native American world. He uses the breath of spirit and the sweet grass of humor to warm anyone who comes near the fire.” – Michael J. Meade Author of “Men and the Water of Life”