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.