Where we walk,
others will follow after we are no longer here.
What we live today we will leave to those who will continue our Ojibwe
ways.
Mino-bimaadiziwin
involves standards of behavior that include modesty, respect, thankfulness,
generosity, and an awareness of one's ability and obligation to contribute to
the well-being of others.
The passing of
knowledge from one generation to another is the means by which we have survived
as a people. Teaching is, at its heart,
an act of generosity.
The minds, hearts,
and spirits of children, newer to Earth than ours, have been created with a
purity that is the strength of childhood and the foundation of human existence.
Onishishin or
"That's pretty" can apply to an attractive sight, a way of behaving,
or something that is right or good, something that is nice.
I observed and
listened, thought things over, and then tried things out for myself. These are the first three steps of the Ojibwe
tradition, which is the foundation of teaching and learning in cultures all
over the world: intake of information, reflection, experience. The fourth step is when the learner, with
practice and ability, becomes the teacher.
Those floral designs
of flowers, vines, and leaves… are more than just decoration: they have been
put there to remind us of the living plants, flowers, and foliage that we walk
on as we make our way through life on Earth.
Underfoot, those flowers and plants give of themselves to support us on
our journey; the beadwork on our moccasins makes us aware of that, and
appreciative.
Before reservations,
Ojibwe extended families lived off a land base that was large enough to support
a lifestyle based on seasonal sustenance.
In Ojibwe language
that is no word for good-bye. We say in
English, "See ya," or "See you soon". The lovely word that is used in parting, gii
gawaabimin, translates literally in English to "You will be seen again by
me," but when we say it there is also a deeper, spiritual meaning. We are taking leave of one another, but we
will see each other again; and if we should not, then we will see each other
some other time, perhaps in the next life.
Powwows carry on
traditions that sustain us Anishnaabe people.
They are part of the community of Mino-bimaadiziwin, the living of a
good life.
Manoomin, the good
seed that is a gift of sustenance from the Creator, is a sacred food, its
spiritual origin and purpose at least as precious as gold. Mewinzhaa, the Great Migration guided by the
Creator, the Great Spirit who sent the vision of a miraculous food that would
grow right out of the water, brought us to this place.
Mino-bimaadiziwin,
the living of a good life, is at the foundation of traditional Anishinaabe
teaching and learning. A lifelong
process, this requires commitment to learning through attentiveness, honest
reflection, and hard work.
Each person is
created with the ability as well as the obligation to contribute something to
the wellbeing of the group.
Like every American
Indian person I know, I have been asked, "How much Indian are you?"
many times.
During World War I,
the U.S. Census recorded a Native population of less than 300,000 in the entire
country, yet more than 12,000 served in the armed forces. During World War II, the Native population
according to the federal census was approximately 350,000; of those, more than
44,000 served. More than 42,000 American
Indians served during the Vietnam War; of these, 90 percent were volunteers.
A nice Ojibwemowin
translation for Thanksgiving Day might be Migwechiwendam-Egiizhigad, the day of
thinking thankfully.
In the way of
Bimaadiziiwin, the living of a good life, a good Ojibwe is thankful.
The four basic
Ojibwe values are gratitude, modesty, generosity, and respect.
In Ojibwe, adding a
vowel and -ns to the end of a noun lets us know that it is small and precious.
