Teachings Of Respect As I Was Taught As A Child

I'm going to do the translation on the piece that I just finished you know Ghibli it's get Kunal on my wind that is teaching teaching a child is actually what we're talking about and I'm not getting in I'll be no genius that's correcting the behavior of a child or disciplining and I was thinking about this the other day about all of these teachings of respect this is so critically important it's like the core or the foundation of our community as Anishinabe a lot of just defines who we are as a people and I've noticed lately with a lot of changes that we have been going through as a people a lot of our people are no longer teaching our children these these teaching is about respect and it's very apparent to me I can tell when I travel in the realm our community for example some of our ceremonies you know I do funerals and it's really strange to see our people young kids children running around at a funeral and having no respect for the deceased the one the spirit of that individual that's about to be buried the same happens with their ceremonial dances when those drums are open you know everybody's supposed to sit around there quietly now today we have our kids running around good I know when we have our dance I'm constantly on guard chasing kids around trying to get them to sit down and that's not something that happened to us as a people the other thing I notice too is when I have a family come over maybe bringing over their tobacco to visit with me and they bring their children along and there are some of them as soon as the children come in they'll sit on the couch and they'll sit there the whole time but there are others that come in they just are running around touching everything in the house and of course I'm trying to talk with the parents and the parents don't even notice that you know they're visiting with me but here I am on guard watching and what those children do it's not the way I was raised those old people I had a whole set of teachings that they reminded me about and I sat down one day and I wrote those teachings about respect and I got up to I think I believed at number 41 or 42 of them and that is the ones I covered dies as I was talking on the Jubilee and those old people told me that you need to listen to what we are teaching you have to live by these rules and follow these teachings they always told me if we don't follow those teachings what's gonna happen to you is that you'll eventually not have respect for your fellow man the spirit in our fellow man or things out there in the wild and as I get older and I look at our communities and I see what's happening there's a lot of violence going on between Anishinabe versus Anishinabe to the point that where our people are more about kill and murder a fellow Anishinabe and that's what i see happening as a result of our people getting away from these teachings I wanna stress to people especially Anishinabe these teachings are there for a reason they have been passed on for generations generations and their reason why they have survived all this time they're critically important to us as a community and our parents our Anishinabe parents have to bring these teachings back into their homes and teach your children and don't look down on these teachings and say uh they're not important to us they are important to us as a people and so I want to stress that but I want to go through and read some of these so because there's so many and translate some of them that I have covered number one I talked about do not be mean to your dog the dog also has a spirit everything has a spirit that is here on earth and Gaddis that is so true we just did a funeral the other day and I remember you know the people tend to bring in flowers for funerals and I was told way back one of the old ladies really got really upset when someone had brought some cut flowers to this particular funeral at that time she got really upset and she says you know why did they go and kill these flowers were this meaning she recognized that there's a spirit and everything and so today especially in Mille Lacs I always remind people to bring plants rather than cut flowers so which is what they do and that was what that old lady was talking about but there's a spirit and everything the other day I was thinking about you know the peace and the quiet and how we get in touch with ourselves and we're out in and the force oten amongst the trees out in a while it's one of the places that we are taught as a people to go to and to release a lot of our emotions whatever is bothering us to let it all fly out you know let that anger fly out or maybe they grief cry as hard as you can there are money Duke out there that whatever your name will take care of you and that's true there's a there's a spirit in those trees there's even a name for that spirit is called Mattawa be hooning name it's all of the animals they all have a spirit just like our dog does all the birds I almost loved as those Birds calling him she made oak she made them I was when a bushel one of them when they dude that lived with us the people he always addressed the birds as she made oh can i I still do that so there's a lot of the a lot of spirit set out there that can help you in your life's and then I talked also about a lot of our Anishinabe names are based in around these animals and most things in a while and these are money dude that showed up in the dreams of our people who give out names in us from there that they were able to give their names number two do not interrupt adults when they are visiting visiting said here quietly while they are here visiting us visiting us maybe you can go outside and play certainly when I kept those old people kept reminding me about and that is for sure to have respect for those people are they're older denying that come into the house and and for don't even think about coming in interrupting their conversations and that is when you're raised and brought up that way that's something that you always carry and practice in your life hmm this third one here is I always reminded to put tobacco in the water before I go swimming to remember that there's some money to do out there in that lake where that river and every body of water has a money do spirit within it and we have to respect that money do I wishes larger society with acknowledges and notice if you take a look at a lot of NAR non-indian people are trash our leagues you know some of them things that people do on the lakes is really scary for me something that I would not consider doing for example just writing as fast as I can with their boats and their motorboat their motors boats or skiing waterskiing on the lakes I just can't imagine myself doing that to me that is totally respect disrespectful to that when you do that spirit within that lake we're told not to raise heck or do foolish things while we're out there and also one of the teachings at least in my time I can remember those old people saying to take a look at you'll notice that a lot of our people have not drowned have not died in the waters it's because of that teaching of them to being put their tobacco and be respectful to that spirit within that Lake and that has been pretty much true we were so often all dazed over here of a drowning so when you timely go after for fishing wild ways harvest netting I was always told to be short put my tobacco recently over him elack's I had a couple young guys told me that they were out there netting with their Bowden and that is a powerful Lake I wouldn't mess around with that Lake it's powerful but they were alternating in there and their boat capsized and they talked about how they barely made it swimming to shore they were out there so far and I asked him did you put your tobacco they said no it said well it's no wonder number four the other one that we're always talk taught about isn't do not bother the nests of birds do not destroy their eggs do not hurt you not hurt those little birds in those nests you want to remember that someday you're gonna be a parent you're gonna have your own children in what you do now can have repercussions all of this can come back to you when you're a parent later on up the road number five I think I talked about this one earlier do not run around this ceremonial drums when they're open we're always told if you should fall you'll really hurt yourself I was always told when I come into a dance it's only two reasons you can get up one of them is get up to dance or to go to the bathroom otherwise sit there quietly and when those drums are open they say those money dude those spirits are right above that drum there so as a child they told me that those money dude well well like seeing you sitting there quietly and listening and also by sitting there and watching what's going on you're able to remember some of this and be able to help carry on our our dances so number six listen to your elders when they give you advice or tell you something do not even think about talking back to them even if you already know what you're being told don't even think of saying anything I have mentioned this to people you know my history I'm growing up in Anishinabe community sometimes I'd run into some of our elders or were really difficult to work with had a lot of anger and you know did a lot of things to me that I considered to be really unfair and mean but not once that I even think about talking back to them or confronting them that's because this teaching was such an important part of my life of my upbringing to not even consider talking back to themselves I think it's a necessary one it has to be there and number seven be respectful to Thunder beings and the storms we offer our tobacco to those Thunder beings asking them to go over in a good way and to remember that there are Anishinabe people living here one of the things I was told - once a storm goes by you know don't don't even mention it and say you know well the Thunder beings have gone by you know it's no longer storming they're going west or east or whatever don't don't consider saying that because they could very well come back and you can't so that's one of the things that they remind me of and I want to take a break here yeah one of those teachings is about in regard to humility being humble and not always brag about yourself remember it's the money dude those spirits that are all not knowledgeable it's not us as human beings knows money dude could get tired of you of you're always being boisterous bragging about yourself constantly so that was one of the teachings that we had we have had as the people to practice your melody but sometimes that's where I have had a problem with myself sometimes I will not give myself or acknowledge myself for all that I have been given or know how to do on a cultural level it's because of that teaching so I'm always working that whining balancer to make sure I give myself credit - for a lot of what I'd done number nine have compassion for our old people for our elders and I remember this one I appreciate this teaching now that I'm getting older do not laugh at our elders if they should ask accidentally pass gas or urinate on themselves remember that someday you will also be all to someone I remember quite a bit now that I'm older and sometimes I worry - don't laugh at me if I should accidentally pass gas number ten do not be a bully not hurt those who you play with remember that bullies do not live long the old man I raised me and told me this he said you know don't giggle chihwan McCain don't go around being a bully and pick on other people he said take a look at that community and he pointed out a couple young men he said look at those two they were not gonna live long I can tell you this right now because of their bullying behavior soon and sure enough both of those young guys died a violent violent death so it's a reminder and the other thing is oh that's terrible about bullying is that when you do that to a person you're giving them a negative message message you're telling them that there and Ferger they're not good enough they don't live up to par and usually you're condemning and some of these people will grow up and believe in that so needs to therapy and counts that they're able to dump a lot of this so you do a lot of damage to people by being really critical and by by hurting them by picking on them by teasing them so number 11 have compassion for those who were born differently those who where can handicapped or those who have mental issues remember those money dog intended them to live that way they were put on this earth to teach us something that's one of those teachings I was brought up with especially those are handicapped maybe they have difficulty walking they're born that way and you'll see some people come by and tease them that's terrible to do that to anybody arm gay and lesbian transits transgender community it's another example is that these are our special group of people they were put on this earth for a reason they have something to teach us they have an insight that a lot of us don't and for the longest time a lot of our people had to live in a closet and hide a lot of that stuff and you can you imagine how damaging that can be not totally embracing who you are and your spirit that spirit is gay or lesbian and you need to embrace that and find out the reason you know you were put on this earth this was that way there's something that you're to work on it really upsets me as our Nishan be people when they can discriminate say ugly things about people who are different for example our black community or Anishinabe people being derogatory about them a Margie and lesbian community if we take a look at what has happened to us as Anishinabe we have been victimized by that discrimination we have been put down because we're different our skin color was different our ceremonies were different language was different and that's what set us back and really caught did a lot of damage in our community so we as a nation are be we have gone through that why would we want to do that to another group of people a set of people it just blows my mind when I hear Anishinabe people do that we need to we need to welcome those people who were maybe different number 12 if you harm your fellow Anishinabe it's actually those money dude that watch over them that you are doing harm to our teaching as Anishinabe people is that we would not exist on this earth we have money dude that watch over us and we would not be here if they weren't there and when we go along and harming our fellow man that is those are the ones that we are actually harming I use that one when we we do do the wedding ceremonies the namesake ceremony every one of the individuals are they're selected as wins have money dude that watch over them and when I talked her for their tobacco and the food put before them I say that they would if they were able to talk in the ghibli they would offer that food in that tobacco so those money dude that watch over them and they would in turn ask those money dude to watch over there no way that little baby number 13 do not play outside during the night if you were to do that heart telling who you'd be playing with that night this is always a teaching that's been with us as the people we don't know we did a story recently about this I'm hoping we're gonna get it out in a paper about these truth young boys out playing disregarding what their grandmother had taught him in a way it turns around it turns out that they find out they have other playmates while they're out there and one of them says do you notice that one of them is humpback that we're playing and he said yes and the other young man says yes I also notice that one of them didn't have a face that's uh that probably would be a true story you know some truth to that we wanted to publish that so all right our young ones I realize you know just can't to get up can't disregard lot of these teachings there they are there all this stuff can happen the other one number 14 do not be stingy if you have something such as candy shirt with your friends and remember as to give things away someday we'll come back to you so that you are not without that's the same concept as helping people sharing what you got you know for those that are less fortunate are without you'll find out that in time a lot of this will come back to you it's what goes around comes around you're good to people in time other people return to favor to you if it's a financial thing one of the things that we do we do friend rules in our community we come in and complete the funeral and a lot of our families do not have the money to finances to to give us gas money or support and that doesn't bother me because I always know that in time all of this comes back to me and my helpers that you do good you'll be on the receiving end of what is good do not whistle that night somebody might answer your whistle and scare you over sixteen value the food you're being fed and treated respectfully I sure those foods we have been given to eat do not waste those old people are just we're really got on my case whenever I would be wasteful I can remember times going to the restaurant going out to eat made loved to go out to eat and I always can remember we're being served and a lot of times maybe you'll have crackers that are wrapped up in plastic along with maybe you're having soup and the old man that raised might get really upset if I wouldn't eat those crackers he'd say you know you're being fed that don't waste that but that's the way they were I remember one time at the old man also he was not an alcoholic but you would have a beer occasionally so when I was older we went out to a bar and I knew how he liked sweet stuff so at that time I was drinking I had my ordered my beer and I decided to order him as we drink and if there's a whiskey sour or whiskey coke they brought it over to him and was all on ice and he sat there drinking i sat there drinking my beer and after it finished my beer and I sat there for a while and he didn't make any moves to leave and I saw that he already um you know drank up to the liquor contents a liquid contents of his so of his drink when I asked him you know dad you know why aren't we leaving why don't we leave and that old man said I'm waiting for my ice to melt it was number with you the wisdom wasted ice you just kind of like you know you're giving that your you need to not waste it when it comes to the foods that we have been given the money dude the spears gave us the animals to eat like the deer in the rabbits the wild rice the fish and all of that grows in a while and that is the food that above all we shouldn't waste it so it's what those spirit owes money to gave us as a people so we need treated respectfully and don't waste it since it's what we were given 17 do not laugh at those who eat a lot or those who love to eat and those who have big appetites that old lady that raised me she always reminded me of that she said don't make fun of them up there the part is they love to eat a lot she said you would feel terrible if they weren't able to eat that was one of our teachings you also remind us the Frigg to forgive those who do us wrong and those who hurt us you regardless of whatever that person may do to us we still have to have compassion for them that's what we're taught as Anishinabe even if a person was the kill one of our close relatives we still have to forgive them and have compassion for them and that's a teaching that I've shared and some of our funerals when the deceased was you know victimized and killed by somebody I'd always remind of families that you need to forgive those people one of the things that it's worse worse as a people is to be consumed by that anger you know anger directed toward people that have did harm to their relatives but that anger does it really does a number on us or never be at peace if we're not able to vent or get rid of that anger it also can affect our physical health there's a connection between the mind the body in the spirit you had that anger there it's going to affect those that the areas your life also so the teachings that I'll share with people when they're real angry I tell them to water woods holler your head off get with a dead anger and vent talk to somebody to get rid of that anger cuz it's gonna destroy you and after you're able to do that put your tobacco down for that person are those people at you if you're done you're wrong because you're not gonna be happy in your life if you carry all of that with you so that's one of the teachings that we have I think about our young men a lot of them who are in in the prisons today are and this should not be young men it's this probably an example of some of the anger that's out there you know a lot of our young men have rage and angry about living in this society you know what not able are not able to secure a good education because it just never felt comfortable in the educational system and being put down and really never being soft fulfilled not finding something that pleases them you know a good job or you know each one of us have been put on this earth through a reason or something were to do while we're here it's a lot of them don't and so as a result they carry a lot of rage and a lot of anger and then you mix that with alcohol or drugs and they're out about out and about and somebody makes a move does something wrong with them and all of that anger comes out and usually they end up killing that person and that's why a lot of our young men are in prison today because of them they had anger so so critical in the import and then we get we get rid of that this one here I was always reminded he always reminded me about this teaching when you're being disciplined or not we are not doing around to you we are being good to you and giving you what will help you near future and that's so true too many times a lot of our parents are 2lakhs with their children really upsets me when I'm around these particularly these homes were and kids are running running while and then I realized you know how I was brought up but just very hard for me they're adjusted it okay as I continue on talking about these teachings I just want to stress again the importance of these teachings which I do in this number 20 here is that those teachings have to be brought back into our community otherwise we're gonna have a lot of crazy behaviors violence and everything coming back you know when a child is young and you raise them teaching them all these concepts about respect how to respect this and that and to remind them they grow up that way and as they get older it becomes a part of their life partner it's a way they carry themselves if you don't teach them what they will do eventually they will not respect anything here on this earth and even their fellow man and eventually you end up killing somebody it's just that that terribly terribly important number 21 if you run into anybody that's having a difficult time maybe their width out you need to have compassion help them out we are good to our fellow man and give what we can all of that is going to come back to us sometime but you also not go overboard either also under some respect for yourself you need to give what you can to help others soon to always have balance there number 22 do not waste your life by using alcohol or drugs our teaching is that every one of us have been put on this earth for a reason there is something we are to do while we are here on this earth it's our purpose in life and that is what we have to pursue go after while we're here on earth and I was imagining with our young people if they're taught this and they realize there is something that they are to do water on his earth and they do it it's gonna give them a focus in their lives pursuing all of that right now some lot of our young people because they have moved away from our teachings as a people I see them sitting up there like they're in limbo they are not connecting with their Anishinabe community or traditional community and also not connecting with their or at the white world so basically what they're doing is they're just hanging up there and limbo you know but these teachings coming back and after practicing them they will always feel like they're a part of the community you know also I've always when I do free rolls I talk about you know what happens to us as the people our physical body gets up in some form or fashion and it is our spirit that travels on there is another existence for us beyond this world and when I talk about our purpose our reason for existing well is remind those relatives know you have lost this relative they have gone on to that land over there in the West where people go you will see them in time when it is time for you to make that journey and I tell them in the mean time you have things to do you need to find out what it is those money Duke those fierce wanted you to do while you're on you're on earth and I always say once you've found that find out what your reason for existing is and you do it and you accomplish it I always tell them there must be a wonderful feeling when it's time for you to change worlds and you go down that path and you recognize and realized you accomplished what those money dude those spirits wanted you to do while you're here on earth to me that it's Anishinabe success so that's one of them important things that we need to take a look as a people to find out what it is we're supposed to do and do it 23 work hard at pursuing your education listen carefully what you're being taught you do well in school they're gonna be able to support yourself you know be in a much better position to get those degrees and go on high school grad college grad you know able to take care of yourself these old people that raised me they were when I was in high school they had to be in their sixties and seventies at that time and that old man would always tell me he said you know don't worry about your chores I was take care of you know getting in the wood in the house we had we we heated by wood then and getting the water all in the water he said what I want you to do is concentrate on your studies and that's what they would do they really encouraged me to get my education they realized the importance of that so they did everything possible they could to encourage me and as a result I was a good student okay number 24 it's important for us to live by these teachings you know Dana Basha dr. Nguyen minigun II mean on what that means is these teachings that will carry us over those hurdles in life and help us and living our lives it's important to us to listen carefully and be able to pass these teachings on to our children so that they're always here a lot of times some of us will say you know I wish I would have listened more carefully when I was being taught all of these teachings simple listen carefully to one of those old people are teaching you anything number 25 this is this teaching here I always believe it's the reason that my lacks has a lot of its ceremonies language left in their communities there was a teaching that I was brought up more than other people were brought up with and it was we're always told do not take two white man's weight did not take his religion and they said if you're to take the white man's way of life and when you pass on you are not going to go to that place in the West where people go you may pass on that boost always scared me I'm one of the goal where my close relatives they've done so there was a strong push on Mille Lacs to do that and as a result a lot of our ceremonies survived our language survived a lot of our other communities didn't a lot of them went on to assimilate adopted Christianity adopted a way of life that was not theirs and that's the worst thing that could have happened to us as a people it's only when we begin to embrace our identity our language and our teachings that we find peace within within us there is a spirit and that spirit is Anishinabe it was put on this earth as Anishinabe and then this lifetime you do everything to nurture that spirit learning the language going to ceremonies so practicing all of these teachings of respect and what that'll do is bring peace to your life you will never be at peace if you adopt a different way of life where life does not belong to you as in the Shema beam and I'm glad I'm happy we had we had these teachings oh it would have been a total loss because the missionaries were really out to convert us even in my upbringing I can remember them coming trying to get us to go to their church and evening telling us outright to not practice our ways that that was evil yes they did everything they could possibly to manipulate us - to convert to Christianity and this is the teaching that I was told about no was we really strong in my upbringing so as a result I always continued and carried on their traditional ways the next reaching number 26 do not commit suicide one of our teachings most all people told me if we were to take your own life and commit suicide you would not go to where our people go in the West you would not complete that journey you would get stuck along that path evening ruts and never really go where people go over there in the West and that used to really scare me even when I was using I'd get suicidal but his teaching wasn't so strong and so ingrained in me I would not even consider it now I have done some funerals for or Anishinabe committed suicide but in most cases in most of those cases he had been on medication depression medication to me depression is like a illness and usually the suicide was a result of that illness so well all of them those criminals I did the families reported later that they had dreams of their relative reaching that place in the West that they did make it I I would ask you know those spirit ain't forgive these people it did not do this intentionally because of that illness so they were able to make it okay number 27 on these teachings about respect relates to our winter legends those stories that we are told during the wintertime these are no way similar to like the fairy tales or their story the other stories that are out there today the old lady that I raised me I was told me and make sure you don't fall asleep when I'm telling you these stories try to stay awake because these characters these the ones that I'm speaking about and talking about and these stories are money dual guard they are spirits you listen carefully they could gift you with something that will help you later on in your life this this is just another example that that shows you how much respect Anishinabe people had even for their stories in them and the characters and their stories it just was so much a part of our lives I had also mentioned too that the old lady soon as the first snow came down that approached her with their tobacco to start telling me the stories and she pretty much tell them every night and right around the first of January she would say you know I'm gonna retell these stories and send these spirits back to where they came from so here again she mentioned so all we are respectful to those stories and and I think my children here Annette examples of respect they can't help but practice that in our lives number 28 do not play a nice at night you could meet up with oh people come away and the fireman they called him he was though it was a being or spirit maybe that just wasn't compass with fire and you couldn't meet him out there and ice and number 29 do not steal from people you will not get ahead by stealing you will eventually lose more than what you would have gained or you think you have gained from stealing so that's not the way to go about living your life is to go about ripping off people you know I'm sure you know but with the drug use and now a lot of our communities we hear about a lot of their break-ins people breaking into their fellow Anishinabe homes and running off with you know TVs electronic Lippman's whatever they have in the house and sell laws for drugs you know there's not gonna be a payoff for these people you know their drug use is gonna get even worse and they're gonna get in the worst predict mental number 30 do not be jealous or envious of your fellow Anishinabe should be happy for our Anishinabe whenever they received something maybe they get a pay raise a good job or maybe they're able to buy a new car or a newer car just try to be be happy for them be grateful that it's not very able to get ahead in their lives you know they talk about that crabs in a basket syndrome where a lot of oppressed communities that seems to happen a lot you know we have these these crabs in the basket and they get up to the top and I'm almost able to make it over and they have one to come come along and pull them pull them back down a lot of times we have a tendency to want to do that in our community just be happy and be happy for people who are get ahead 31 do not harm the rocks these rocks I have a spirit with them within them you're known as their grandfathers there call me shumsa nonagon those rocks have a spirit within them for example the concept of a sweat lodge is that the rocks that are brought in are heated up they're called ma shumou suck they're brought in place in the center of that sweat lodge and then they also have a pail of water that's about in what they do during the course of that it's what led ceremony someone pours the water over those rocks in that steam that comes off of there is the spiritual power it's called life be mod there's a win and that's that steam goes into your spirit into your physical body what it does it pushes out anything that's negative or whatever may be bothering you that's what sweat lodge is about and usually you'll have people tell you that when they go into a sweat lodge it seems like they have a lot of things that bother them but when they're done and come out of that sweat lodge it just seems like you know that none of those things are bothering them is it's no longer issue anymore that's why they call it the womb of the mother earth you've come out fresh as a baby and that's the power of Lois rocks that they're able to do that with the help of the water the other thing I see happen a lot is whenever you're along a lake shore you'll see people come along and what he'll do is they'll throw rocks into that body of water that lake and skip them let's give them along that's something that should not be done that's disrespectful to the spirit within those rocks number 32 do not be lazy or worthless our people were really hard workers I don't know what happened and the generations in between but those old people that raised me and a lot of my uncles and aunts and during that time there were people that would not sit still they were always doing something working on something for example she did beadwork she would do these bandolier banks which is a lot of beadwork so blankets she would be always hunting cuttin wood stacking up wood for the winter he didn't like to sit still and these were the one these are people that were really admired by Anishinabe one sector were hard workers seen it I was talking about when you were raised in that community and they talked about what would be a good mate for you or someone that would be good to marry they always talked about those that were good workers for example the woman that was really a good cook was really good at sewing blankets was good at tanning hides was good at harvesting wild rice the one that brought in the most rice all of those that were admired human women knows these and that a lot of the young men were encouraged to look toward those women and women as an ideal mate and they never talked about their physical appearance you know but you know if should find a woman who was beautiful pretty they never talked about that the physical beauty is so if the woman Howard the guy was uglier than heck but could really do some good work and know how to work that was the one time to pick as your maid mate someone to live with so poppy you could end up with her to beggar want someone so ugly here to put a couple bags on them over their head but that's what they are died my point of my story is saying all this is that that's what they really respected is so someone who worked really hard this seems like I've um I may have covered this earlier but I'll I'll talk about a couple other things about that showed you how that shows how what a strong word work ethic our people had the old people the old lady that raised me always talked about at one point in our life she used to smoke cigarettes imagine she rolled them or whatever and she said I didn't liked it you know taking time off from my work I had a sit down and smoke and interrupt my work and then she said you know I found out my phone snuff if I chewed I don't have to take a break I could just work straight through what I was doing and she said that's why it took up snuff join so that shows you how how hard they wanted to work there were few other stories so I know one of them they used to laugh about if we knew the language you'd appreciate this one more but they talked about how it seemed like when they got really busy that's when they had to go to the bathroom they didn't like that I thought oh ambitious you know what hard workers were they were them no number 34 I just covered number 33 number 34 they always encouraged me to learn how to cook I learned how to do my cooking I wouldn't have to rely on anybody to cook for me in the future and being single I sure appreciate that teaching huh I don't really have to rubato rely on anybody to cook for me 35 you have trouble making a fire or just don't know how to make a fire you're gonna grow up having a lazy wife that's probably been true 36 you put your shoes on wrong you're gonna run into your do damn boy you're the animal from your clan as he good on that road I haven't tried that one out yet but probably true if you button your shirt up wrong they used to say it's because you have someone on your mind someone yeah someone you're having mind that you want to eat or you want to be involved with and that's what's occupying your mind and that's why if you don't button your shirt right 38d always warned me don't go far away from the house in the wintertime stay close to the house a storm or wind can come along at any time and you would not be able to see your way back and you'd be lost out there it's one of the teachings they gave me 39 do not touch her handle those things that not that do not belong to you especially when you're out visiting especially sacred items you know when I travel out and about 10 don't you know I'll have my pipe sitting on the on the floor next to me I'm gonna be a fan or always told oh I would always make sure to keep kids away from them make sure they don't handle awesome especially women I'm sure I'll be covering this at some point as I talk about these ceremonies women at some certain points in our lives are really in particular powerful especially when a young girl is turning into a woman if she come back to him by your sacred item she couldn't nullify them that's how powerful a woman is at that time so anytime we have ceremonies always make sure to tell women they're older skirts and their dresses and clothes to them whenever they get near any of our sacred items that's that's the power of them basically we were also told not to handle anything especially when they would go to visit somewhere one of the things that those old people reminded me is that when they thought that I might might violate that or I'd violate that teaching me Oh tell me know what's gonna happen well what happened to you as if somebody had their genitals private parts over there on the table you would go over there and pull at them and try to figure out what that is I always reminded me about that keep your hand off keep your hands to yourself and particularly number 40 do not bother touch sacred items that belong to someone else number 41 do not ask questions during the course of the ceremony in time you'll know what the Anishinabe is doing as he puts tobacco yet something white man would do come along with a lot of questions I had mentioned that today talked about sometimes when I'm doing a friend know I'll see a non-indian my Chum oh come on approaching and I can just tell by their eyes or they're about ready to come hit me with ten million questions and what that time I'll say all you need to know is it works and that'll shut them off could usually it's while I'm in the middle of the ceremony too that they want to ask all these different things not to time to do it um number 42 the last one do not talk too much or be mouthy I always remember growing up and in those shacks those homes we lived in those days you could hear through the walls really good and I always remembered those old people they would have people that stopped by to visit them and I know I knew that they had high regard for these people their visitors had a lot of respect for them and when these people would come in initially there would be conversation it would be talking but after a while it would go it would be quiet there would be no talking when they had the room after these people would leave I'd ask him you know why didn't you talk to these people more I know I know you're excited about seeing them they're only calm but what so you don't have to it's at Anishinabe it's not a lot of our old mission lobby were comfortable at silence but it's in this white world it a lot of people are not comfortable with the silence to go to a restaurant where there are white people jammu come on my goodness they sound like a whole bunch of blackbirds all chattering at once and if you go anywhere where there should not be seating he would have sidle and so you wouldn't hear all of that this Edler society we're taught to get into dinner conversation sometimes a lot of those non-indians will greet each other and say lot of meaningless things just to have something to say cuz they're awkward with that silencer that's something that we as a mission robbery were taught not to do and sometimes when I see some of art people do that I find them really strange it's not the way we were raised and you can tell that probably they were raised out there and those other communities rather than Anishinabe community so that covers our teachings of respect but only can add on these is that these are terribly important it's important we bring those back to our community it's important a lot of these will tell you what we are like as Anishinabe for example if you're gonna work in the Indian community Anishinabe community and your non-indian your chook white man white person try to tone it down for your gabi person comment to an Indian household it's knobby I also remember that's not the way we live our lives so you can alienate some of our people we ought to be careful of your approach it's it's not something they do and then the other thing I always talk about is if why people white people people want to work in our community I always tell them when you come in to our community come in with the idea of learning from our people not coming in to teach us and flood us with all kinds of stuff that's what we've gone to our lifetime there's having stuff shoved down our throats that's not necessarily our so so come on with come in with the idea of learning from a community we have a lot of beautiful ceremony beautiful teachings that have been passed down to us and for you to just acknowledge them and respect those so and not either I'm not encouraging people to you know convert or Anishinabe ways we don't do that as a German as Italian as a French whatever nationality your your spirit is French or German whatever nationality you are you have a set of teachings you were given those are the ones your practice if you try to get away from being German I tell and all that has the brilliant idea that you're gonna be in the Shema be it's not gonna work you're abandoned abandoned Inger your identity that's what happened to us as the people we as a society that came in and told I told us to abandon our teaching sin and a lot of our people fell for it and that's why we have the chaos mm the craziness out there in our communities once our people come back to our original teachings in our wave that's when they'll find peace and bring peace to our community so I just hope people won't downplay the importance of these teachings I tell you we need them they need to be brought back into our communities thank you for listening to this part

Channel: Lee Obizaan Staples

Views: 7,518

Rating: 4.9656653 out of 5

Keywords: obizaan, ojibwe, anishinaabe, ojibwe language, mille lacs, aazhoomog

Id: waRPJ7RnK24

Length: 79min 58sec (4798 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 21 2017