Water Spirit Missamashoe which is found on the Goulais Bay reservation. (by Craig McKay)

When my husband and I met, one of the things that we talked about was that although neither of us were of the “first peoples” or Native Americans, that we had a tremendous respect for Native Americans and their cultures and ways of seeing the world.

That respect, and admiration, was one of the reasons why this website came into being.

I noticed in the log that people had come here looking for the “seven teachings” which of course, until now, they did not find.

Gaani Aki Inini (Dave Courchene Jr.) is an Ojibway (Anishabe) Elder who shared the following seven teachings with the world on the webpage of the turtle lodge.

Follow me on the flip and you’ll see that this timeless wisdom still offers us a great deal to strive toward today.  The Seven Teachings were as follows:

The Eagle: Love.

First Nations Peoples were to love themselves the way the creator made them, and were to carry out their actions in love. Children, too, were to be loved, as “children were gifts from the Creator.”

The Bear: Courage

First Nations Peoples were to have the courage of the bear–the mental and moral strength to listen to the heart. Did you catch that? I’ll say it again. It takes COURAGE to listen to one’s heart; the courage of the bear.

The Beaver: Wisdom

The creator gave us all special skills and talents. Showing wisdom is using your gifts to build a peaceful and happy community.

The Turtle: Truth

First Nations Peoples were taught to seek truth, to speak truth, to find the truth. And that truth, they said, lies (lives) in spirit.  “Living the truth is living the seven sacred teachings, living from the heart.”

The Buffalo: Respect

Ojibway people were taught to always respect all forms of life on Mother Earth. “To show real respect,” wrote Gaani Aki Inini, is to “share and give of yourself for the benefit of all life.”

The Sabe  (Sasquatch): Honesty

To be honest with yourself is to live in harmony with how you were created. Never lie or gossip. The more honest you are, the bigger you are as a person.

The Wolf: Humility

First Nation Peoples were taught to think of their families, their fellow human beings, and their communities before thinking of themselves. (Hmm… basically the opposite of modern culture, no?) To truly know humility is to know that one is not more or less important than anyone else, but the same. That is a lesson that I think is so sorely needed these days…as in truth, are all seven.

I would encourage you to read this in the original at The turtle lodge and if you can, consider supporting their efforts.

The artwork on this posting came from Craig McKay’s Native Ojibwe Art

No infringement ever intended.

May we all embody these principles more and more and more with each breath.

Sharing Circle

It is my understanding that in first nation traditions, (Native American and other indigenous peoples) that one of the things they would do is to come together in a sharing circle. A sharing circle is an opportunity to come together and talk about what is on your mind and heart, what you want the community to know, and things of that nature. These sharing circles doubtless brought and kept their communities closer together. In modern mainstream America, one of the things that are said again and again in surveys is that people feel isolated and they feel no sense of community. That is what this website, I think, is about…to give people a chance and space to share their feelings, thoughts, and their knowledge.

But a “sharing circle” was not the only kind of circle that some first nation peoples held.

They also had gatherings that were called something like “teaching circles,” where the younger people in the community could come together and ask questions of the elders and receive their teachings. I believe that too is one of the reasons that this website exists. I hope that people of any age will feel free to ask questions here and to speak their minds, and that the community will give them thoughtful responses, just they would have received in a Native American circle.

We are all in this life together and to my mind there is a great deal that we can learn from the teachings, philosophies, and traditions of first nation people.

There is a website called the “Ojibwe sharing circle”  located here.

All are welcome here at this sharing circle, I am sure. Young, old, and any nation of origin. Share whatever you like…that’s the whole point!