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9/30/2006
Three First Nations treaties nearly finalized
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 | 7:29 PM PT
The head of the B.C. Treaty Commission says he's optimistic that as many as three First Nations treaties with the provincial and federal governments will be finalized this year.
At the release of the commission's annual report in Victoria Wednesday, Steve Point said the negotiating climate in B.C. had improved in recent years.
"It's with great expectation … that we say now that treaties are on the radar, we expect that they will be finalized this year," Point said.
The commission is an independent group that facilitates treaty negotiations between the provincial and federal governments and First Nations in B.C.
The commission's report also calls for speedy ratification of the treaties.
Commissioner and former B.C. premier Mike Harcourt said it shouldn't take any longer than six months for governments to ratify the treaties once they're approved by the bands.
Seven First Nations in B.C. are in the final stage of the treaty process.
Two of the nations, the Tsawwassen band in the Lower Mainland and the Lheidli T'Enneh from the Prince George area have completed negotiations and are ready to begin the approval process.
A third group, the Maa-nulth from the Port Alberni area, is close to an agreement.
Negotiator doesn't share optimism
However, a First Nations negotiator on Vancouver Island doesn't share the B.C. Treaty Commission's optimism.
Robert Morales of the Hul'qumi'num treaty group says he's not seeing the "give and take" needed to reach an agreement in his talks.
The Hul'qumi'num treaty group covers 6,200 in six bands around Ladysmith and Duncan. The group has been in the treaty process for 16 years and has finally reached the "agreement in principle" stage.
But Morales said government negotiators came to the table with their vision of a final treaty, and aren't prepared to make changes.
"The picture is drawn and the colours are there, and you can tinker around the edges, but you really can't change any of the very substantive differences of opinion — because those mandates that government brings to the table have already been predetermined," Morales told CBC News.
He said under the government's terms the treaty group would lose control over their land and would be unable to lift themselves out of poverty.
Morales said he is happy for the other First Nations who are working out their own treaties, but adds that the Hul'qumi'num group feels that they are looking at an agreement that was shaped long before they sat down at the table.
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Welcome to Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day...
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 30 |
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"Don't be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts." |
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--Don Talayesva, HOPI |
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Human beings function from choice. We can choose to stuff things, or we can choose to let go of things. If we choose to stuff things, then we will feel a heaviness, or sorrow, self pity or fear. Sometimes we feel the need to cry. Sometimes we are taught it is not okay to cry. The creator designed the human being to cry. Crying is a release. This release allows us to let go of thoughts that are not helping us so we can open to new thoughts that will help. Crying is natural for women and men. |
Grandfather, if I need to cry, let me realize it's a natural process and help me to let go.
9/29/2006
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Welcome to Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day...
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 29 |
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"So I prayed, but I had to pray from my heart. All of my concentration and thoughts went from my head to my heart. All of my senses - hearing, smell, taste, and feeling - were connected to my heart." |
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--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA |
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The heart is the gateway to the Unseen World, to the Spirit World. It takes real concentration to do this. To connect to our own heart is also a mental state. It starts in the head and transitions to the heart. This mental state is our inner stillness. Be still and know. This place of the heart is very joyous and peaceful. It is this place that we become one with God, our Creator. |
Great Spirit, teach me to be a heart warrior.
9/28/2006
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Welcome to Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day...
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 28 |
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"Love is something that you can leave behind you when you die. It's that powerful." |
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--John (Fire) Lame Deer, ROSEBUD LAKOTA |
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The Old Ones say, love is all anyone needs. Love doesn't go away nor can love be divided. Once you commit an act of love, you'll find it continues. Love is like setting up dominos one behind the other. Once you hit the first domino, it will touch the second one which will touch the third one and so on. Every love act or love thought has an affect on each person as well as touching the whole world. If you live a life filled with love, the results will affect your friends, relatives and other people, even after you go to the other side. So... Love. |
My Creator, let me love. Let me put into action the love dominos.
9/27/2006
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Welcome to Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day...
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 27 |
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"I got my education from my culture. My teachers were my grandmothers, and I am really thankful for that." |
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--Mary One Spot, SARCEE |
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Our often unrecognized, but most powerful teachers are our women. In order for men to learn a balanced way, we need to learn from our men Elders and our women Elders. Learning from the women Elders will teach us a whole different set of values and insights to life. When we have life problems, we need to go to the grandmothers to get their advice. |
Grandmothers, teach me the values of the Great Mystery.
9/26/2006
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Welcome to Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great day...
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 26 |
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"No one likes to be criticized, but criticism can be something like the desert wind that, in whipping the tender stalks, forces them to strike their roots down deeper for security." |
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--Polingaysi Qoyawayma, HOPI |
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You move toward and become that which you think about. Creating a vision is what guides our lives. If we get off track with our vision, then we experience conflict. Conflict is nature's way of telling us we are not in harmony. Criticism can be a way for one human being to help another. Often our Elders will give us criticism. This feedback is intended to be helpful. Criticism from our Elders helps us grow strong. |
Great Spirit, today, if I need it, please provide me positive criticism.
9/25/2006
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Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great Day...
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 25 |
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"Even the trees have spirits - everything has a spirit." |
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--Mary Hayes, CLAYOQUOT |
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The trees are great teachers. The trees are great listeners. That is why we should meditate in their presence. The Great spirit is in every rock, every animal, every human being and in every tree. The Great Spirit has been in some trees for hundreds of years. Therefore, the trees have witnessed and heard much. The trees are the Elders of the Elders. Their spirits are strong and very healing. |
Great Spirit, teach me respect for all spiritual things.
9/24/2006
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Elijah Harper
Elijah Harper was born at Red Sucker Lake in northern Manitoba. Elijah was the second of thirteen children, and was brought up by his grandparents. He completed high school in Winnipeg, and later earned a degree in anthropology at the University of Manitoba. In his early thirties, he was elected chief of Red Sucker Lake, and served in this capacity for three years. After this term of office, he was nominated by the New Democratic Party, and elected to the Manitoba Legislature.
As a representative of the New Democrats with the Manitoba Legislature, Elijah had the reputation of being very quiet. He came to be known publicly as a representative of the Native people when he firmly, yet calmly, declared his stand against the Meech Lake accord. Since that time, Elijah Harper has become a leading figure in the plight of Native people across Canada, demanding equal justice, and better lives. The feather often seen in his hand is a symbol of the exalted human spirit, which Elijah works every day to keep alive among his people.
"Elijah Harper has made me extra proud of my Native heritage and shown me how to hold onto and never give up what belonged to the First Nations people of Canada. The sacredness of our beliefs and customs should never be changed because those are given to us by our Creator. The young generation of today will remember the great move made by Elijah Harper in generations to come."
- Alvine Wolfleg
Back to Circle of Honour
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Welcome to Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great day...
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 24 |
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"Touch not the poisonous firewater that makes wise men turn to fools and robs the spirit of its vision." |
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--Tecumseh, SHAWNEE |
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It's not an accident that firewater is also called spirits. Firewater affects our judgments. The Great Spirit created a set of laws and principles by which we are to live our lives. When we have problems we should pray and ask for the wisdom of these laws. If instead we turn to liquor, our judgement will be affected. It is the decision and choice made under the influence of booze that causes us to be fools. We need to learn to lean on prayer and not on the spirits of alcohol. |
Great Spirit, teach me to pray. Let not one drop of liquor touch my lips today.
9/23/2006
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Welcome to Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great day.
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 23 |
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"When that spirit comes, we don't ever ask questions. If I don't understand, I just hold onto it. Then later down the road, maybe in a couple of years, I understand what that spirit meant." |
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--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA |
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At certain spiritual events or happenings, it is possible for the spirits to come. Sometimes these spirits look like sparklers of light, sometimes you can feel them, sometimes they will look like live human beings. The spirits always come for a reason. When we deal with the spirit world, we need to be patient. The Great Spirit will tell us the meaning of these happenings when He is ready. |
Great Spirit, let me be aware of Your presence.
9/22/2006
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Welcome to Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a great day, see you.
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 22 |
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"I think the spiritual values come first and everything else follows." |
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--Leonard George, Chief Councilor |
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To properly develop, the human being needs to learn the guiding principles. It is from these principles that we make our decisions. Spiritual values are the guiding principles given to us by the Great Spirit. He says if we live by these spiritual values, the results we experience will be good. These spiritual values will develop and guide the human being by helping us to think right. Right thinking will improve our choices and decisions. Doing this will bring good consequences. |
Great Spirit, teach me values first.
9/21/2006
Your questions raise many modern issues within our present day Aboriginal communities. The whole notion of the ‘2-Spirit’ philosophy is something entirely different in my opinion, which I will respond to later.
First, let me say that your concerns in regard to appropriate ceremonial dress are well validated. Many women who identify as 2-Spirited, lesbian or queer, including many of my friends, have expressed similar circumstances in which they have automatically been presumed to embrace a particular gender role therefore becoming subject to Traditional roles that have been historically female. ie; wearing a long skirt to a ceremony
Unfortunately, there are no right or wrong answers.
My question to my Elders was always “Who makes up these rules?”
I know a young, and, in my opinion, very modern Traditional Teacher who responded to me that unless the Elder or ceremony conductor can express to you where such a protocol originated from and the purpose behind it, there should be no need to be excluded from the circle for not agreeing to follow it.
There is so much exclusion of our own people from trying to learn and practice our Traditional ways. In modern times, with such Western influences surrounding us, we should refocus our energies on the reasoning behind having a ceremony as opposed to focusing on the right or wrong way to do it. Another Elder has always taught me that if someone is humble enough to come into our circle or ceremony, that person should be embraced and welcomed regardless. This idea further promotes the philosophy that we are all equal amongst each other and creation.
This is why when I conduct ceremonies, I gladly welcome anyone who is willing to participate. If I smoke my pipe in a group setting, I never challenge who is sober or who is not. Who should be smoking the pipe or who shouldn’t be is not my role to judge. What if this was meant to be their last smudge or ceremony? I wouldn’t want to take that away from anyone.
I ultimately ignore the 4 day sobriety rule as it does not make sense to me. I also believe that our medicines are ultimately more powerful than any outside influence and that we are protected by them. I also believe that it is during these times, when we are affected by outside or negative influences that sometimes need to utilize our medicines the most. Utilizing our medicines when we need them and knowingly or purposefully disrespecting them are two different things.
If we begin to view substance use, misuse or abuse, as a symptom of what’s been done to us as a people and as a race, would we knowingly interfere with those trying to come back to the circle? We also need to remember that it was not the Red Nation who brought such damaging influences to Turtle Island. This is a sickness that was unfortunately brought here and has, in some cases, consumed and devastated entire communities and groups of people. This should not be held against us.
With respect to the definition, more appropriately, the philosophy of “2-Spirted” I believe we should return to a more Traditional sense of gay or lesbian identity.
In pre-contact times, there were men who had relationships with other men and women who had relationships with other women. They existed across Aboriginal communities and each tribe or nation had their own words or terms for these unique people. In the Ojibwa language, these people were known as Agokwa (male bodied) or Okitcitakwe (female bodied). There were also men who lived as women and women who lived as men who were sometimes referred to as ‘the changing ones’. These warriors often assumed the roles of the opposite gender, yet gender roles were not as defined or specific as in contemporary culture.
These third and fourth gendered individuals were not exclusionary or seen as different and were accepted within Traditional society. They were often revered as healers, medicine people, visionaries and leaders. Some of the greatest warriors and tribal leaders were Agokwa/Okitcitakwe people and they were permitted to practice their own ceremonies and their medicine. They were not held above the rest of the community members, but rather respected and honored for the significant roles they could play within their community. They were regarded as warriors already.
We must remember that there was no homophobia as there was no Western-based definition of homosexuality yet.
After contact and the onset of assimilation and Christianity with its negative views on homosexuality, Agokwa/Okitcitakwe people were banished and eventually forced underground. Many were killed or murdered as it was discovered that this was essential to the breakdown of Aboriginal communities as a whole. Many Aboriginal people continued to adopt homophobic views upon converting to Christianity and the Traditional role of these people was lost.
My understanding of the term “2-Spirit” is that it originated in Winnipeg, Canada in 1990 at the 3rd annual intertribal First Nations gay and lesbians conference. It came from the Ojibwa words niizh manidoowag (two spirits). It was chosen to self-identify and distance Aboriginal and First Nations people from non-Aboriginals as well as the terms gay and lesbian, though the title bears no cultural or Traditional significance. With the onset of STD’s and HIV/AIDS, the term has sometimes become misguided and stigmatizing to some Agokwa/Okitcitakwe people.
Though we have always existed, we continue to heal and relearn our culture, language and history. As modern-day gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans-gendered or transsexual Aboriginal people, many of us are beginning to heal and understand the ruins of systemic oppression, and are therefore relearning our Traditional roles and gender identities.
I further believe that culture and ceremony are things already inherent to us as Aboriginal people. It is instinctual. It is therefore up to us to bring it out from within ourselves. I also believe that we are uniquely gifted as Agokwa/Okitcitakwe people and that we don’t necessarily need to be ‘taught’ certain things. Therefore if we feel something is right or instinctual to us, it is best to roll with it and follow what we believe to be true. It sometimes takes years for us to recognize or acknowledge our gifts especially given the type of society and world we are now forced to live in.
Once we believe this for ourselves, it becomes easier for us to embrace our gifts and practice our medicines. We must acknowledge ourselves as warriors and continue to network with each other to aid in the healing of our nations and generations to come.
Chi-Miigwetch!
In the Spirit of Peace and Unity,
Rod Michano
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Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 21 |
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"everything is laid out for you. Your path is straight ahead of you. Sometimes it's invisible but it's there. You may not know where it's going, but still you have to follow that path. It's the path to the Creator. That's the only path there is." |
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--Leon Shenandoah, ONONDAGA |
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Everything on the earth has a purpose and a reason for its existence. Every human being is a warrior and every warrior has a song written in his/her heart and that song must be sung or the soul forever remains restless. This song is always about serving the Great Spirit and helping the people. This song is always sung for the people. Many times I need to learn much about the difficulties of life. I need to know this, so I must experience it. Then I can be of use to the people. Because I am experiencing difficulty does not mean I have left the path or that I have done something wrong. It means I'm doing the will of the Great Spirit during these times of testing. I need to pray constantly to keep a good attitude. |
Great Spirit, this I know - You will never leave me, only my doubting makes it seem like You do. This I know - Your love is always dependable, only my doubting makes it seem like You do. Today remove the doubts from my belief system and allow me to stand straight and see You with straight eyes.
9/20/2006
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Welcome to Agokwa in Ojibwa
Have yourself a Great day...
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 20 |
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"You will only get back what you give out." |
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--Joe Coyhis, STOCKBRIDGE-MUNSEE |
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The Great Spirit created a system of balance and justice. This law says, if you treat others with respect, you will be treated with respect. If you gossip about no one, no one will gossip about you. If you are fair in all of your dealings, you can expect the same. If you share with others, others, will share with you. If you judge others, others will judge you. You will always get back what you give out. The original teaching talks about being a giving person. A giving person will constantly be on the receiving end. |
My Creator, help me to be a giving person today.
9/19/2006
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Welcome to Agokwa in Ojibwa
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 19 |
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"I am building myself. There are many roots. I plant, I pick, I prune. I consume." |
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--Wendy Rose, HOPI/MIWOK |
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The most sacred thing on this Mother Earth is life. My life on this earth is governed by God's laws, principles and spiritual values. These things are my roots. Let me see Your gifts of growing and becoming a spiritual warrior. Make my strength based on values - spiritual values; on principles and laws, the laws of God that really run the universe. We need to realize the seeds we plant in the spring will be what shows up in our summer season of growth and will be the fruits that we will harvest in our fall season. We really have a lot to do with what shows up in our lives. |
Great Spirit, let my seed that I plant today be based on values that will make You pleased with my selection.
9/18/2006
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Welcome to Agokwa in Ojibwa
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 18 |
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"I walk in and out of many worlds." |
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--Joy Harjo, CREEK/CHEROKEE |
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In my mind are many dwellings. Each of the dwellings we create ourselves - the house of anger, the house of despair, the house of self pity, the house of indifference, the house of negative, the house of positive, the house of hope, the house of joy, the house of peace, the house of enthusiasm, the house of cooperation, the house of giving. Each of these houses we visit each day. We can stay in any house for as long as we want. We can leave these mental houses any time we wish. We create the dwelling, we stay in the dwelling, we leave the dwelling whenever we wish. We can create new rooms, new houses. Whenever we enter these dwellings, this becomes our world until we leave for another. What world will we live in today? |
Creator, no one can determine which dwelling I choose to enter. No one has the power to do so, only me. Let me choose wisely today.
9/17/2006
On Tue, September 12, 2006 8:00 am, candace cooper wrote:
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> Hi Harvey, Did you know a white buffalo was born in Winnipeg Manitoba
> Canada this past summer and it is being kept in the Assiniboine Zoo they
> called it Spirit!thanks Candace
Thanks for the info, Candace. Creator is telling us something with each
new white buffalo calf--but an unholy world refuses to listen. I see a
connection between 'Second Chance' and Arvol and Leonard. Creator sent
this new 'trinity'--the sacred Calf, the sacred Pipe, the sacred
Sacrifice-- to inspire and motivate us, literally to 'save' us (from
ourselves). Are we listening? Must Leonard be a whole-bvurn offering to
appease the criminals who put him and keep him in prison for a crime the
whole world knows he never committed? Yes, the Calf, the Pipe, the
Sacrifice--our Third 'Millennium Trinity.' We can't bless them; it's they
who bless us.
I've been sending out this little message:
I see a connection between the new White Buffalo Calf 'Second Chance' and
Leonard--a direct spiritual connection. White Buffalo Pipekeeper Arvol
Looking Horse visited Leonard at Leavenworth, and wrote the opening prayer
to Leonard's book: PRISON WRITINGS: MY LIFE IS MY SUN DANCE. There's a
direct bond between both men and 'Second Chance.' Even as ominous dark
clouds lower above us, Creator sends a white-hot flash of spiritual
lightning through the storm clouds to announce His demand for Leonard's
freedom--and true freedom for all of us. Leonard's freedom is EVERYONE'S
freedom! We will not be free 'til he is! We must CREATE that reality. We
must BE that reality!
Candace, those of us alive in this day--this dark and sacred time--are the
only ones who can do ANYTHING about what's happening in our world.
/Harvey
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On Mon 09/11 harvey@harveysplace.net wrote:
FW: Miracle's Second Chance: New White Buffalo Calf in Wisconsin
Miracle's Second Chance:New White Buffalo Calf Born in Janesville, WI By
Stephanie M. Schwartz, Freelance WriterMember, Native American Journalists
Association (NAJA)
September 10, 2006 Brighton, Colorado Stephanie M. Schwartz
[To see pictures, visit www.whitebuffalomiracle2.homestead.com]
Miracle, the female Sacred White Buffalo Calf, was born on the small
family farm of Dave, Valerie, and Corey Heider near Janesville, Wisconsin
during the morning of August 20, 1994. Not an albino, she was considered
to be the first white buffalo calf born since 1933. An incredibly rare
event.See Miracle's Website: www.whitebuffalomiracle.homestead.com
Furthermore, she was perceived as an extremely sacred traditional symbol
tomany American Indian and Canadian First Nations tribes across the
continent.The Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Nations (known collectively as
the Sioux)were considered Miracle's primary spiritual guardians and she
played a pivotal role in the fulfillment of their most revered prophecies.
Tragically, and unexpectedly, Miracle died of natural causes September19,
2004. However, on August 25, 2006, another extraordinary miracle occurred
on theHeider family farm. During or shortly after a severe lightning
storm,another white buffalo calf, this time a male, was born in the early
morninghours to the Heider herd. Like Miracle, he is not an albino.Named
by Valerie Heider, "Miracle's Second Chance" is a lively,
captivating,confident calf who seems fully aware of its special role."
Mrs. Heidersays she picked this name because the calf exhibits so many of
the same behaviors that the original Miracle did as a calf and also
because, "Helooks a lot like her, too." Even further, the herd clearly is
aware of the calf's unique similarity.The Heiders relate that the herd
treats Miracle's Second Chance exactly like it did Miracle by keeping him
in the center of the herd, the most protected position. Additionally, the
other mother buffalos step in and keep their own calves from being too
rough with
him. Amazingly, Miracle's Second Chance is not from any genetic line
connected to the original Miracle. He was born to a Grand Champion buffalo
mother purchased in Missouri by the Heiders not long ago to strengthen
and diversify their herd. The sire, an unruly and dangerous 10 month old
bull,was sent to slaughter before the calf was born. There are two other
buffalo on the Heider farm which are currently pregnant by this bull. The
original Miracle turned four colors by the time she was six months
old(white, black, yellow, red) before finally settling into a red and
browncoloration as an adult. She had begun to lighten again but her
deathinterrupted any further color changes. No one will ever know if she
would have gone back to her original white. Will Miracle's Second Chance
turn colors or stay white? No one knows. Only time will
tell. Surprisingly, since Miracle's birth in 1994, a number of white
buffalo calves have been born across the country. Some were albino (not
considered a true 'white buffalo' per the traditional stories)
and many of these did not survive. Others were not pure buffalo,
reportedly a crossed-mix of buffalo and Charolais cattle or yak or other
bovine. There still remain a few legitimate white buffalo calves alive
today and now this new calf can be added to that list. Although not American
Indian, the Heider family came to view Miracle as aspecial gift which
belonged to the hearts of all people. Furthermore, theland on which
their farm sits has always been considered highly sacred by the region's
Native American Nations, a fact respected by the Heider family.
Commercialization of Miracle was never allowed. At large financial
and personal cost to themselves, the Heiders opened their Wisconsin farm
to thousands of visitors, free of charge, seven days a week so that
people could visit Miracle at the pasture fence. To a vast number of
people of all races around the world, she came to symbolize hope and
renewal for humanitya and for harmony between all cultures. And while the
number of visitors to the Heider farm had slowed drastically since her
death, people still came topay their respects at Miracle's grave, to honor
her life and message.Now, many will come to the Heider Farm again, to see
this new white buffalocalf, Miracle's Second Chance. Even though being
male means he doesn't literally fulfill the Lakota prophecies, his sex does
not diminish his sacredness to the indigenous Nations. From all
cultures, some people will come in reverence and prayer; others will come
to do traditional ceremony while still others will come simply out of
respectful curiosity. But whatever the motivation, it is quite certain
they will come. Visitors bring logistical difficulties for the Heider
family. Since Miracle's death, they have plowed the parking area and
turned it into a cornfield. Additionally, with the passing of Mrs.
Heider's parents and some of their volunteers moving away, no one may be
available to open the little museum/farm product shop or to accompany
visitors to the pasture. Valerie spends most days at the local farmers'
market selling their farm products and buffalo meat while her husband works
for the Rock County Highway Department. All in all, this means the farm is
no longer open all the time,at least right now. Furthermore, after
dedicating 10 years to Miracle and her visitors, the Heiders had hoped to
resume some kind of normalcy to their lives and family. The shock of
this birth has brought them understandably mixed emotions ranging from
envisioning their lives evaporating again to a solid awe and respect at the
incredible miracle and responsibility of it all. As the difficulties sort
themselves out, as they most certainly will with time, little Miracle's
Second Chance remains a strong, healthy, obviously happy and rambunctious
calf who delights in cavorting around the pasture and trying to play with
the older calves. Oblivious to the issues surrounding him, he simply lives
in the moment and brings smiles and memories to everyone who sees him. And
awe. Miracle's Second Chance. To see pictures of Miracle's Second Chance
on the internet, visitwww.whitebuffalomiracle2.homestead.comTo visit
Miracle's Second Chance in Janesville Wisconsin, call Valerie andDavid
Heider at (608) 752-2224Stephanie M. Schwartz, Freelance Writer, may be
reached at SilvrDrach@gmail.com
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Welcome to Agokwa in Ojibwa
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 17 |
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"The old people must start talking and the young people must start listening." |
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--Thomas Banyacya, HOPI |
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We are at a critical time in transferring cultural knowledge, spiritual ways. During the last few years the young people have not been interested in learning the old ways. The only place this knowledge is found is among the Elders. We must encourage the young to visit with the Elders. The adults need to think also about learning the culture. The Elders are getting old and soon will go to the other side. Each of us must pause and think about our individual responsibility to learn the culture and teach this to our young. |
Great Spirit, help us to learn and remember the old ways.
9/16/2006
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Welcome to Agokwa in Ojibwa
Elder's Meditation of the Day - September 16 |
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"To me, the wisdom the Elders have to manifest is in teaching people how to live in harmony and balance with each other and the Earth." |
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--Sun Bear, CHIPPEWA |
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You cannot give away what you don't have. You need to give away what you have in order to keep it. Our Elders have lived their lives with a lot of trial and error. They have experienced how to do things good and they have experienced what didn't work for them as they grew old. They know things about living that we don't know. So, through the years the Elders have gained wisdom. They usually have a whole different point of view because of all their experiences. There are two ways to learn. Someone tells us what they did and we do the same thing or someone tells us what they did and we choose not to do it. Both of these paths will help us to live. |
My Creator, teach me about choices and decisions and consequences. Put an Elder in my life to guide me.
| The Crow---Oh Meg-Watch Grand Father's & Grand Mother's of the Land. |
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Hello!
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From my collection. I like especially the musical tune and Photograph with it! (^_^) -Okera-
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Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com |
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