Pow Wow Season !!!!

I am a Pow Wow Dancer and i love getting out to dance. Last year i danced at Fort Erie, New Credit and Barrie Pow Wows and this year I'd like to get out to the same ones and a few others especially making it back to Munsee-Deleware which is one of my favourites. I've been singing at the Drum for 8 years and recently i've composed some songs of my own that i'm bringing out on Wednesday Nights during our practice sessions. We practice at the school if anyone is interested we are there from 6-8....very relaxed, friendly and beginners are always welcome.

I've been listening to alot of David R. Maracle's traditional flute music over the past 2 weeks. My son and i love his "Natural Resources" Cd which i received from my Dad as a gift a couple of years ago. I'm so inspired in fact that i'm actively trying to purchase a nice flute so that i can teach myself some songs.

I sat up last night after my son went to bed and i surfed www.Youtube.com looking for Pow Wow videos and Drum groups and if this is something that you're interested in then this site is a valuble resource for songs. My favourite groups were well represented and included lots of quality Anishnaabek and Cree groups..... Taabik, Young Gunz, Snake Island, Whitefish Jrs., The Boyz, Bear Creek, Little Otter, Battle River, Eyabay. Just go to the site and type any of their names in. Just before i went to bed i listened to an awesome inter tribal by Harvey Dreaver and Whitefish Jrs. that almost brought me to tears.I saw them live in Connecticut at Schmetizun Pow Wow and Festival of Green Corn in 2001 and i danced Fort Erie last year when they were the Host Drum. Check them out !!

Oh, one other great website for traditional teachings.... www.fourdirectionsteachings.com .

Big Update on lots of great community happenings

Aanii !!! I apologize for the long absense from this blog. It's Spring and i've found that my energies are focused less on sitting in front of the computer and more on being outside. My son and I enjoy lacrosse so we spend time chucking the ball around whenever we get a chance. Nonetheless, here are a couple of updates on community events.

There will be the community's 8th annual Tree (Poplar Pole) Ceremony on Monday May 18th at Sunrise at the Secord sweat lodge site over on Ojibway Road. All are welcome. I've hosted this ceremony several years ago and I have a strong belief in the healing and restorative powers of it as a mind, body and spirit exercise. In honoring this tree we are saying a heartfelt thank you to this live giving member of our Earth Family for providing us with life, sustainance and assistance throughout our earthly existence. This tree after the ceremony becomes a sacred place to offer prayers, remembering those that have passed and to offer spirit plates. Raising the tree is special and requires the nurturance and love of those participants. I'm very excited and honored to have been asked to participate.

Sunday May 17th is the gathering of pipe carriers at the Sundance site. It starts at 1pm and will be followed by a sweat. Word has spread about this and it is an open invitation. To be around those pipes will be powerful medicine and will focus the continuing efforts of this group of people to bring peace and unity to the community. The sweat will be a beautiful ceremony to honor Spring and to clense myself from some of the stress that has accumulated over the past few months. This Spirit Lodge is being erected at the Sundance site and prayers are welcome. I'm not conducting so i don't know who has been invited but those with positive messages and prayers would be encouraged to attend. Sweat Lodges are running in several places around the community and those that are interested in attending are encouraged to contact me and i will act as a liason with the various conductors.

Wednesday May 13 was a time of Feasting and sharing of songs. The attendance was low but the spirit was high as we honored Spring and offered a Spirit Plate to the Little People of the community. The Little People are those spirits that help to protect children and are of great assistance to families during planting. Food was offered a small pipe was offered. I brought out my son and I's Boston Creek Honor Song that i recently composed. The song came to me while I was hiking with my son and my sister and her family back to the Boston Creek. The Boston is a mighty and beautifully flowing creek that runs through New Credit and Six Nations and off the reserve. It was a special night and finally this song is composed and dedicated to the woman of the community that protect and pray for our water. I sing this song for all the strong women i know in the community that do strong work to protect Mother Earth. I also believe the coming of Spring and Mother's Day helped me to focus my spirit on bringing this song out.

Lloyd S. King Elementary's Girl's Hand Drummers and Big Drum will be recording a CD to celebrate 10 years of traditional singing at the school. If you know me you can contact me to get a copy sometime in July when its finished post-production work. I'll also try to have copies available at the Summer Pow Wow in August.This will be a youth project...singing, producing, mixing, graphic design,photography and writing. Tentative title is "Mdaaswi : Celebrating 10 year's of Anishnaabe Voices at LSK" .

Miigwetch for listening.....have a great season and may this message find you in good health.

Mother Earth Water Walk 2009

Miigwetch to my friend James who has informed me about his cousin's efforts to raise awareness of the dire situation facing the Great Lakes water. Josephine Mandamin is an elder from Thunder Bay who is originally from Manitoulin Island. She has walked 17,000 km over the past 6 years to raise Great Lakes awareness. Mandamin was moved by the spirits to speak out for the water and she felt it was natural for her to pick up her copper pail and start walking. Her message is that the water is sick and that people really need to fight for the water, to speak to the water and to love the water. Mandamin stops at every tributary and talks directly to the water, offering prayers, tobacco and thanks. She is doing it for the betterment of the next generations. To read more of her journey and the campaign of awareness including valuble water information please visit : www.motherearthwaterwalk.com . This year at our community school we plan to focus our activities on water (Nbiish) and to raise donations for Josephine.

Waawiindaasowin - Naming Ceremony

I had the pleasure of attending a Naming Ceremony in the community last week for 3 young children. The 2 boys and 1 girl were welcomed into the community with their Spirit Names with a traditional feast, pipe, 7 traditional colours,eagle whistle and little boy water drum. After smudging, each child was offered water from their father and strawberries from their mother and then they were given their names in the language. All of the ceremony participants faced the East and spoke the Spirit Name 4 times after which we turned to each of the 4 directions and repeated this process. It was beautiful and simple and was a powerful expression of Anishnaabek culture and tradition. Miigwetch to the families and to Dan for conducting the ceremony. if any families are interested in having this ceremony done please contact me and we can arrange future ones.

Nooziwinike - giizhigad : Naming Ceremony Day
Waawiindaasowin : Naming Ceremony
Manidoo - nooziwinan : Spirit Names

Stone : Poem #4

stone
hand on stone,
heart thumps,
mind on family,
words fall silent,
tears pour,
we breathe as one and this stone supports us,
we walk as one on this sacred ground,
step,
step,
step,
we climb to the next level,
the vista is a gift,
a glimpse into the heavens,
into skyworld,
we stand with wind supporting us,
breathing and standing strong,
step,
step,
step,
we make our way down,
we climb to the next level,
the decent was a gift,
this stone,
this mountain, this relation of ours,
so strong and steady,
hand on stone,
heart thumps,
tears dry,
stone

Ki : Earth : Poem #3

Ki
Earth
our mother
thump, thump, thump,
Ki
alive and flourishing,
covered in water,
rock ,
and vegetation,
thump,
a heartbeat so strong ,
that it brings us,
together,
it brings our hearts and spirits,
and hands as one as we,
reach for the sky,
feet planted to the ground,
thump,
together we join hands,
across the Earth our chain reaches,
thump,
smiles and bright eyes,
songs and kind words,
Ki,
thump,thump,thump,
our hands and arms stretch ,
our feet and legs dance,
thump
heartbeat of our nations
our mother
Earth
Ki

Shkode : Fire Journey : Poem #2

shkode
from the darkness,
a spark lept,
light,
heat and flame crept,
from the quiet,
a rumble,
rippling,
through the air,
from the east,
the light spread south,
from the south the heat blanketed the west,
we gathered in the north,
and we felt,
the joyous emotional ,
blast,
laughter,
shouts of joy,
whistles,
back to the eastern door,
we sat and watched the embers,
radiate,
rain fell,
to the ground to clense,
the fire's last resting place,
we smiled and closed our eyes,
in prayer,
what a journey this flame took us,
thank you,
fire,
shkode

Gindaaswinag : Numbers (in Anishnaabe)

aaniish mnik wi = how much is that
miinwaa = and

sample question :

"niizh (2) miinwaa niiwin (4) aaniish mnik wi ?" translates to "2 and 4 how much is that ?"..... the answer would be ngodwaaswi (6)

0=gaa gegoo
1= bezhig
2=niizh
3=nswi
4=niiwin
5=naanan
6=ngodwaaswi
7=niizhwaaswi
8=nshwaaswi
9=zhaangswi
10=mdaaswi

20=niizhtana
30=nsimdana
40=niimdana
50=naanmidna
60=ngodwaasmidna
70=niizhwaasmidna
80=nshwaasmidna
90=zhaangsimdana

100=ngodwaak
200=niizhwaak
300=nswaak
400=niiwaak
500=naanwaak

1000=mdaaswaak

For numbers in between each of the multiples of ten you can build the Anishnaabe number by using the word "shi" in between each number. Some examples....

15 = 10+5=mdaaswi-shi-naanan
77 = 70+7=niizhwaasmidna-shi-niizhwaaswi
123 = 100+20+3=ngodwaak-shi-niizhtana-shi-nswi
1234= 1000+200+30+4=mdaaswak-shi-niizhwaak-shi-nsimdana-shi-niiwin

Nbiish : Water Poem #1

they gathered at the edge of the banks,
water that was once a trusted source had disappeared,
caked dirt,
mud but too dry to stick,
they knelt and prayed and cried and wept,
their tears flowed mightily,
tears of pain and loss for the lifeblood of our nations,
our nations shuddered and wept and,
slowly,
surely,
quietly,
the waves of anguish flowed and flushed and the waters rose,
quickly,
swiftly,
powerfully,
dried mud turned to dark pools but over a short time the emotion infused water,
turned clear and,
the water turned calm,
and those that had gathered backed away from the banks
we, us, united,
we did it,
they sang ,
and the skies opened and clensed them and thanked them for their deed.
our need to help heal our Mother and her lifeblood
water

The Drum : Heartbeat of the Nation

The Drum is much more than a musical instrument to Native People. It is sacred. It is a very special tie to the traditional way of life. The Drum sets the rhythm of the dances and the tempo of the song. The Drum should be cared for in a prescribed manner. All singers must know the protocol while seated at the Drum.The Drum is used in ceremony and for social gatherings. The Drum used at Pow Wows is the Plains or grandfather Drum around which a number of drummers and singers gather. The hand drum and the water drum are two other types of drums. The Anishnabe refer to their ceremonial water drum as "The Little Boy". The Drum is not made as a craft nor a play toy. We call our singing groups "drums".The sound of the universe.

Songs were many and varied, fun and festive, war and conquest, honor and family, religious and songs of joy and mourning. Many songs are still sung in native tongue and are either newly composed or revivals of old songs. These songs are reminders to the Native People of their old ways and rich heritage. The person in charge - drum keeper, head singer or drum chief - is an honored position and one with huge responsibility. He must keep and protect the Drum, get his singers together, provide drum sticks, know and lead songs for dances and set an example for younger singers.

An Elder once said, "A song to a Native is like a prayer. A singer raises his voice so high so that the Great Spirit may hear his call and ride his voice down to Earth."

Every man, woman and child who dances as a symbol of his/her culture realizes that today's singers are performing the old songs that have been passed on. One sings for the spirits around them. The music puts people in touch with the natural world.

Anishnaabe Months of the Year - Giisook

Spirit Moon - January - Mnidoo Giizis
Bear Moon - February - Mkwa Giizis
Snowcrust Moon - March - Naabdin Giizis
Broken Snowshoe Moon - April - Boopoogame Giizis
Sucker Moon - May - Nmebine Giizis
Blooming Moon - June - Waabgonii Giizis
Berry Moon - July - Miin Giizis
Grain Moon - August - Mnoomni Giizis
Autumn Moon - September - Waabbagaa Giizis
Falling Leaves Moon - October - Bnaakwii Giizis
Freezing Moon - November - Baashkaakodin Giizis
Little Spirit Moon - December - Mnidoo Giisoonhs

Medicine Wheel : North - Giiwednong

The North is the place of Winter, of white snows that remind us of the white hairs of our elders. It is the place of true wisdom. The white polar bear teaches us strength and survival. We pray for the strength that will keep us well and keep us from sickness. Survival sometimes means physical survival, that there is enough food and wood to keep us warm. We also need to pray that we survive emotionally and mentally against lonliness and that spirit and heart are strong.

There are many Gifts from the North : Elders, thinking, understanding, organizing, problem solving, freedom from hate and knowledge, insight, to see and take the middle way, wisdom, imagining, detachment, freedom from fear and love, seeing how all things fit together, moderation and justice.

Teachings from Giiwednong of the Medicine Wheel : the colour white, North Wind, Winter,midnight; Caucasian Peoples; Elder; spirit; grandfather and grandmother; wild animals; polar bear; air; sweetgrass; nuts, strength.

white - waabshkaa
Northwind - Giiwedin
Winter - Bboon
Midnight - aaptaad bikat
Caucasian - waabshkeye
Elder - Chi Anishnaabe
spirit - jiibaam
grandfather - mishomis
grandmother - nookomis
wild animals - wesiinhik
Polar Bear - Waabshki Mkwaa
air - nodin
sweetgrass - wiingaashk
nuts - bagaanak

Native American Code of Ethics

I am the collector of many pieces of information and an accumulation of knowledge. Somewhere along the line i received this list of ethics and they all make sense to me and support the Medicine Wheel Teachings and Seven Grandfather Teachings from previous posts. Read them and take from them what you can. They are not written in stone nor are they from a specific tribe or Nation but instead represent values and Teachings across Turtle Island.

1. Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone, pray often.
2.Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.
3.Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not let others make your path for you. It is your road...others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.
4. Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, treat them with respect and honor.
5. Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture.
6. Respect all things that are placed upon this Earth - whether it be people, plant, animal.
7. Honour other people's thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another nor mock them. Allow each person the right to personal expression.
8. Never speak of others in a bad way.
9.All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven.
10. Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind, body and spirit. Practice optimism.
11.Nature is not for us ...it is part of us.
12. Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with life lessons and wisdom. When they grow, give them space.
13. Avoid hurting the hearts of others. The poison of your pain will return to you.
14. Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the test of ones will within this universe.
15. Keep yourself balanced. Your mind, emotion and physical self all need to be strong and healthy.

Seven Grandfathers - Truth

Truth is to know all of the Seven Grandfathers. Some of the other Teachings from this Grandfather include : to have a genuine interest in learning; to be loyal in our human relationships; the state or character of being true in relation to being, knowledge or speech; know and understand our children/ student's growth and development as it pertains to all of the Seven Teachings of the Seven Grandfathers.

Truth - Debwewin
Grandfather - Mishoomis

Seven Grandfathers - Honesty

Honesty in facing a situation is to be brave. To have personal qualities in truthfulness, sincerity and fairness; to know how to manage confidential information; respect the inner workings and difficulties of a school setting; know how to apply an evaluation strategy; know how to communicate results of feedback.

Honesty - Gwekwaadziwin

Seven Grandfathers - Bravery

Bravery is to face the foe with integrity. Some of the Teachings from this Grandfather include : to have courage and face difficult situations; to acknowledge the ability to go deeper into self awareness; to be strong and achieve completeness in our personal and professional development; to have self-assurance; to identify professional development needs and undertake to meet them; demonstrate ability to take initiative; maintain self-awareness- manage personal needs, feelings and values; demonstrate awareness and understanding of own attitudes and values in the learning process.

Bravery - Aakde'win

Seven Grandfathers - Humility

Humility means understanding that every person and every living thing is a small part of a larger creation. Some of the Teachings connected to Humility include : to be modest in our actions; to have sensitivity towards others; to be respectful of our students' preferred ways of doing things; to recognize yourself as a sacred and equal part of the Creation; develop self-awareness on personal strengths and limitations; know you have the capacity for growth and change; develop listening and observation skills.

Humility - Dbadendizwin

Seven Grandfathers - Love

Love is a powerful feeling involving respect, trust, caring, humility, wisdom and courage - family is a good place for love to start. Some of the Teachings from this grandfather include : To know love is to know peace. To know how to get along with others and work with people; to have the capacity for caring; to show kindness and cooperation; to apply values of acceptance and empowerment; demonstrate capacity to offer hope and effective support; a desire for harmony and well being in interpersonal relations.

Love - Zaagidwin

Seven Grandfathers - Respect

Respect means having special consideration for all things and all people- including yourself. To honor all of Creation is to have Respect. Some of the Teachings from this Grandfather include : respect for others; to accept cross cultural difference; to have a strong sense of what is right; to maintain high standards of conduct; respecting the integrity of oneself and others; form a meaningful relationship with staff, students, and others.

Respect - Mnaadendiwin

Seven Grandfathers : Wisdom

Wisdom means learning from the experience of others as well as your own experiences in life. To cherish knowledge is to know Wisdom. Some of the other Teachings from this Grandfather include : to take time to reflect on everything we experience; to acknowledge the opportunity of every lesson learned; consistently seek to extend knowledge and improve skills; striving for accomplishment of our vision and our goals; to seek guidance from our Elders.

Wisdom - Gwekwaadziwin

Medicine Wheel : West - Epingishmok

The greatest teaching of the West is to accept ourselves as we really are as both physical and spiritual beings and to never cut ourselves off from the spiritual part of our nature.

Gifts from the West are numerous : darkness, going within, deep inner thoughts, daily prayer, fasting, contemplation, being alone with one's self, sacrafice, love for the Creator, ceremony, vision, commitment to universal life values, dreams, spiritual insight, meditation, reflection, silence, respect for elders, respect for the spiritual struggles of others, commitment to personal development, clear self-knowledge.

Teachings from the Medicine Wheel and the West : the colour black, West Wind; Autumn; night time; African Peoples; Adulthood; emotions; rocks/ mountains; deer; water; sage; roots ; sharing.

west - epingishmok
black - mkadewaa
West Wind - epingisnaanmad
Fall - dgwaagi
night time - naakshi
African Peoples - mkadenini
adulthood - ntaawgi
emotions - enmaanjwaang
mountain - zhiw
deer - waawaashkesh
water -nbiish
sage - mshkodewashk
roots - jiibkenyik

2009 Partnerships in Success Conference : Bruce Stonefish/ IEC

Bruce Stonefish is a Lunaape from the Delaware Nation and he is the Executive Director of the Indigenous Education Coalition. His workshop at the Niagara Falls Partnerships in Success Conference focused on cultural and community-based curriculum and he began his talk by outlining the 1972 Indian Control of Indian Education document from the BC Union of Indian Chiefs that made it a mandate for First Nations to provide : 1. culturally appropriate curriculum 2. culturally appropriate teaching practices and 3. language inclusion. Language is the culture and we name our relationship to the natural world by building words using description.

The purpose of curriculum is four fold.1. Ontario Ministry of Education wants each student to be a successful, contributing member of society. Unfortunately, this document has no First Nations priority to it. 2. Cultural awareness and sensitivity dealing with stereotypes, racism, native rights, residential schools. 3. Identity Development : What is your community's expectations and your school's vision. "Walk your understanding back to Creation."4. Self Governance : our community should be developing the skill sets of the clan system : teachers, leaders, protectors, providers and healers to become a self - determining community. Our curriculum needs to be wholistic....focusing on self, family, community and Nation by knowing, doing and being. Kids learn better when they see themselves in the curriculum.

2009 Partnerships in Success Conference

This year's conference was held in Niagara Falls from Feb. 18-20, 2009. The theme was "Leading the circle of change: where do we go from here ?" The keynote address was presented by Kathleen Manderville who is a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and is currently the principal of Quinte Mohawk School. The cultural content was very high in many of the workshops including : Teachings of the Seven Grandfathers, Community based Curriculum, Teaching strategies for native learners, Inspiring our youth to become winners, Motivating ourselves to motivate others, Promoting student leadership using the Clan System, Ojibway Creation claymation, Building your digital spirit bundle and Ojibway Design.

Keynote Address : Kathleen Manderville - One way to look at schools is to take a reading of their cultural profieciency. We need to see if the culture is embedded in all aspects of school life. One way to study this cultural proficiency is to use a scale. At the bottom of the scale is destructiveness, incapacity and blindness. These are schools that have not acknowledged their culture and in some cases are contributing to the destruction of their culture. The next stage of the scale sees pre-competence, competence and proficiency. Pre-competence schools have isolated events, cultural days etc. while competence schools have day to day culture and curriculum activities. At the top of the scale is a school that is culturally proficient. In this type of school every culture is honored. Students and staff embrace who they are so strongly that they can see the other cultures around them as sacred.

Graduating Class of 2022 : The graduating class of 2022 will not be vessels of static information. According to research, the students of the future must be trained in the following areas : critical thinking and problem solving,leadership, ability to work as a team, global citizens who think about world wide environmental issues, tecnologically literate, ethical decision making and skills in dealing with human rights. Our education system needs to provide choices for each child and the ability to customize and create their own path. Collaboration, fun, innovation will become the norms. According to Charles Darwin ; the most responsive to change survives...not the strongest or most intelligent. Does education make us responsive to change ? we need to unhinge our thinking and be responsive to school change. Cultural learning should be experiential, reflective, socially mitigated and multi-modal. We are all different so we as schools need to start where the student is and be responsive to the diverse learners.

Medicine Wheel : South - Zhaawnong

South - Zhaawnong is the direction of the sun at its highest point. It is also the place of summer (niibing), of fullness, of youth, and of physical strength. It is also a time when people work to prepare for the Fall (Dgwaaging) and Winter (Bboon). Symbolically, it is the time of preparing for the future and of getting ready for the days ahead. From the perspective of education, this is a time when we prepare for the future by doing well in school and getting ready to meet the challenges of the next level. Zhaawnong is also the place of the heart, of generosity, of sensitivity to the feelings of others, of loyalty and of love. The most difficult and valuble gift to be sought in the South is the capacity to express feelings openly and freely in ways that do not hurt others.

Gifts from the South - Zhaawnong : youth, summer, noble passions, balanced development of the physical body, goal setting, musical development, the heart, love, control of appetites, determination, appreciation of the arts, idealism, compassion, fullness, anger at injustice, controlled feelings, kindness, repulsion by senseless violence, survival.

There are several teachings from the Medicine Wheel in the South : the colour red;South Wind; Summer; noon; Native Peoples; youth; body; berries and trees; turtle;earth; cedar; plants; honesty.

South Wind - zhaawnanmad
Summer - niibing
red - mskwaa
noon - naakwe
Native Peoples - anishnaabe
youth - shki niigi
body - wiiwying
berries - maanwang
trees - mtigook
turtle - mswaadehshi
earth - aki
cedar- giizhik
plants - wesaakiik
honesty - gwekwaadziwin

Medicine Wheel : East - Waabnong

These teachings were developed by Ernestine Buswa of the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation in West Bay, Ontario in her Grade 7/8 Curriculum Book "Medicine Wheel Teachings". The goal of her booklet was to introduce students to the beliefs and values of the Medicine Wheel using the cultural concept that the Anishnaabe way of life is based on the Medicine Wheel

East -Waabnong is the direction of birth and rebirth. It is the direction from which light comes into the world and is the direction of illumination, guidance and leadership. There are several gifts of the East : innocence, joy, beautiful speech, spontaneity, the capacity to believe in the unseen, ability to see clearly through complex situations, warmth of spirit, trust, courage, birth, hope for the people, ability to focus attention, love that doesn't question others and doesn't know itself, truthfulness, seeing situations in perspective, trust in your own vision and devotion and service to others.

In the East, on the Medicine Wheel, we have several Teachings : colour yellow; east wind;spring; morning - coming of light ; Asiatic Peoples; newborn and childhood; mind; fire; eagle; tobacco; teas; harmony; peace; kindness; forgiveness.

Anishnaabe - Ojibwe translations
East - Waabnong
East Wind - Waabnaanmad
morning - kizhep
Asiatic Peoples - Niibiishaaboke
child - binoojiihn
Spring - mnookmi
fire - shkode
yellow - zaawaa
tobacco - semaa
mind - nendmowin
Eagle - migizi
teas - niibiishaaboon