Elders teachings

Time Eras

2012-03-05T16:58:00.002-05:00

The first time era is: Fire. Fire was first introduced to human use many milleniums ago. First, they observed fire, then they experienced its fearful power, then they began to use it to help their lives. Eventually humans used fire to heat minerals to make metal. Metal was used for tools and weapons in the early days. Once people learned how to control and use fire it became an early survival tool in deep history.
Learning about fire lead into the early era of language development. Humans gathered around their fire for cooking, warmth, protection and everything. Language developed to further their survival abilities, and their relationships. Before language, humans used symbolic images and other ways to communicate. We still use art. Language development helped lead to the next time era which was agricultural development.
Agriculture on Turtle Island has been here for milleniums alongside the hunter-gatherer peoples. The first known agriculturalists in the northern parts of the continent were the Iroquoian peoples. They introduced the modern vegetables that we know today such as corn, beans and squash. We're just talking about the northern part here. There was a commerce developed by the Cree, the Ojibway, and the Huron with the Iroquoian speaking peoples. This trade consisted of agricultural products from the south, and raw materials from the north such as copper, canoes and other technologies such as snow shoes, etc.
It should be stated emphatically that shifting from one era to another often resulted in resistance to change thereby causing conflict within relationships with each other.
The next time era is industrialization. The roots of industrialization came from early developments of metals, and fire used to work with these metals. Agricultural communities made it possible for stable communities with less reliance on hunting and gathering to provide a base for minobimaadziwin. This was in the early beginnings of industrialization. However, as industrialization progressed it was based on control (private property) and the capitalist system. This system is based on exploitation of natural resources as well as people and communities. Under this system the good life began to disappear.
Now we are entering into the fifth time era. This is a time of developing the Green Economy. Under the Greening humans will start to give back to the earth, and the earth will begin to heal itself. So things will start to come full circle. All the time eras take a long time for the transition to be completed and the Greening is no exception. People are comfortable with the known rather than the unknown. Resisting the change as in previous time era shifts will generate conflict. Humans have to learn how to deal with the conflict in a respectful way. This time shift may not be completed for a long time, and the only question that remains is: do we have the luxury of time to complete the shift? The earth may complete the time shift for us, e.g., the melting of the ice at the poles, the climate change, etc. And finally, will humans survive this time era shift?
The Elders, my teachers, told me very bluntly that the Creator will not allow the Creation to be destroyed by a handful of fools. The essential teaching in this dialogue is learning how to live in harmony with the earth and with each other. The Earth herself has her own deep wisdom so we can learn from her how to do this Greening.

Bringing the People Together into One Space for the Good Life

2012-01-24T19:40:00.002-05:00

The Medicine Wheel has the four colors outlined through the four directions. As you know, there is only one human being - and the bodies are the four colors of that human. Red, yellow, black, and white - we are all the same but we are all different, too.
Sometimes through that idea of being different, conflict emerges between the colors. As you know, the Elders always pray for peace between and among the four colors. They seek a journey of peace by lighting the Sacred Fire within.
Reflecting on these thoughts carefully can bring one to a better understanding of the Good Life -
Minobimaadiziwin.
Peace, brothers and sisters
(Little Loon) Maungese

2012-01-04T22:02:00.003-05:00

I am of Oji-Cree descent, and obviously the sweats, pipe, and fasting are influenced by all aspects of my heritage.The teaching with the cedar at the sweat is wholly endosed by myself, and is something I've often used here in this region because the circle of cedar represents diversity and inclusiveness. And also because it is part of the teachings of this area that can be shared and incorporated.. One of the flaws of going too deeply into detail on any aspect of the ceremony is that it can potentially prevent an individual from understanding the Spirit, which has an individual teaching and relationship with each person. The Spirit takes you to another place, where daylight and enhancement helps us to journey with more clarity and understanding. This will be different for each person.The ritual of the ceremony can be seen like a tool to enter or engage in the ceremony, such as cedar, fire, Grandfather stones and the Four Sacred Directions and colors being used as a path into the other place, or transcendance if you want to use that word. Getting caught up in the aspects of the details of the rituals will block the true spirit of the ceremony. The ceremony is what is important, not the ritual. It is like fundamentalism - truth can evade you and the essence of love for self and humanity can be lost. The ceremony leads us to metaphor which opens understanding of Spirit to us and allows us to go to that other place. It is important to recognize that too much focus on feelings, like too much focus on detail, or too much focus on ritual aspects, will distract us from the new things Spirit is trying to bring to us. Finally, the teachings surpass all rituals. We must remember it is through living our teachings that we become who we are. Each persons path will be different. It is not our job to judge another person or their path, but to try to be helpful and loving to them in all ways. Even if that means there are times of distance or confusion. We learn from those teachers too.

Recovery of a Cracked Soul

2010-10-22T20:53:00.003-04:00

People who have severe addictions, drugs or alcohol, often speak of a hole in their chest. This hole is best understood as a cracked soul. The recovery and healing of the soul is done by ceremony by spiritual healers.
The negative impact of alcohol and drugs (the toxicity of the substance) has a spirit. This negative spirit creates the feeling of hollowness, thereby creating a climate of negativity in the person and the immediate environment of the person and anyone touched by that environment.
You can see that in the effects in all the directions (mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually) in the little children who are affected by that person and environment.
Anyone who observes this is affected by that negative spirit.
The crucial question then becomes: how do you heal that cracked soul, and those affected by that cracked soul? There are many approaches to this dilemma, by other traditions different from Native traditions. Native traditions have been healing cracked souls for millenia - cracked souls can happen from many different kinds of negative spirits (violence, war, trauma, physical illness, etc...)
Just like there are many Native traditions, likewise there are many different types of ceremonies that address the issue of cracked souls. The approach that I use is a Pipe, Sweat Lodge, Bear Grease, and Talking Circles and One-on-One Talking. There is no wrong or right way to do Ceremony. What our spiritual masters emphasize is healing the heart.
There is a lot of trickiness to that negative spirit. For example, THC is the active substance in marijuana that alters a persons perception. It can have both a positive and a negative physical affect. The negative spirit enters through the cracked soul thereby invoking trauma and in many cases violence, and other emotional damage. The Traditional medicines address the imbalance and the pain experienced by the individual. When Traditional medicines are used in ceremony they help free the person or people from that negative spirit.

An Elders Perspective on Indigenous Knowledge

2010-10-22T20:46:00.003-04:00

Indigenous Knowledge grew from thousands of years of "research and development" in the natural world. The major premise of Indigenous Knowledge is a deep respect for all forms of life. The knowledge grew from the territory itself, as did language, and the people lived in a context of relationships and responsibilities with all of that natural world, the Creator, and the invisible helpers.
An IK approach to the roles and values of each aspect of nature creates a paradigm in which relationships, and a relational guide to all human choices, holds the key to understanding. Language defines our relationships to the land, to each other, and to Shkagamik-Kwe (Mother Earth).
Language informs our spiritual understanding and the traditional structure of community.
Debwewin is truth, which instructs our own personal truths. the Ode-min (Strawberry), the first berry that grows in the spring, informs our hearts - the link to truth. The teachings around Ode-min inform us in multiple dimensions.
Our language provides a comprehensive overview of traditional teachings passed on by our Elders, commonly referred to as oral teachings.
This paradigm has been utilized by the Aboriginal community for millennia. Passions in our communities run very deeply when it comes to oral tradition and the like.

The role of the clan is to provide a safe space for community members to live, work and play.

2010-07-13T18:07:00.002-04:00

An excerpt from my book, The Hollow Tree:Fighting Addiction with Traditional Native Healing:

"A long time ago a loon was badly hurt. His spirit was broken, and his mind and body were confused because he drank too much alcohol This loon lived on the lake of firewater and he was surrounded by many other loons who lived in the same state of confusion The lake was polluted and the surroundings of the lake were not very pretty to look at because all the loons that lived on the lake drank too much. One day the loon met three other loons from a different lake. The confused loon, the one with the broken spirit, began to talk with the visiting loons. The two loons, Eddy and Michael, were generous and took time to communicate with the loon. The talked and walked the sweetgrass road with the broke-spirited loon. The told him that 'only through simple honesty and kindness are we able to build our true fire. If we cannot build this fire we eventually die.'" (p.39-40)

I wrote this book to help other people, who, like the broken-spirited loon, need help to fly. My prayer is that everyone who reads this book will discover their own inner fire and ability to fly. I hope that you will have the opportunity to find this book and read it and pass on the wisdom you gain as you read. That wisdom comes from your inner fire as you engage with the teachings contained in the book.

May you walk well with the Creator.

Update on Elders events

2010-04-25T20:12:00.002-04:00

On April 28, 29, May 1, May 2 we will be doing a 4 day Fast in the traditional Anishnaabe way, out on the Land. We will end the Fast with a Sweat Lodge Ceremony and a Feast on Sunday, May 1, 2010.

On June 16-20 Herb will be at the 10th International Conference, "Celebrating Indigenous Knowledges: Peoples, Lands, Cultures" held at Trent University, Peterborough, ON. He will be speaking on June 18 on "Climate Change from the Medicine Wheel Perspective" and will post his comments prior to the conference.

At the end of August at Laurentian University there will be a Language Conference where he will be presenting the Seven Grandfather Teachings and the Fire Teachings.

Herb has one more year of teaching before going on sabbatical in 2011-2012. Individuals and groups who would like him to plan for presentations should schedule early with him. In Nov. 2011 he will be traveling to Brazil for a Canadian Studies Conference.

Fire Teaching

2010-04-25T20:06:00.002-04:00

Fire - All humans have a fire within. The Earth also has a fire at Her center, and we humans have a connection to Her fire. The fire keeps the Earth in balance along with the Life Force. Global warming creates an imbalance with the Life Force and the Earth. Extreme weather and the melting ice represents that imbalance. This is a teaching from our ancient wisdom. Humans have to begin listening to our Mother to rebalance the Life Force and the Fire.

The Medicine Wheel

2009-12-08T20:51:00.002-05:00

In the Native (First Nations) cultures the Medicine Wheel is used to heal individuals and communities. It uses the compass points of the four directions to help find harmony and peace from within. In the Cree tradition the East direction (represented by the color red), where life begins, is where the Creator bestows the gifts of food, feelings and vision on the people. Food is medicine. There is a strong relationship between good food and good feelings. When we feel good about ourselves, we enjoy vision, purpose and direction. The shadow side of these good aspects are the problems of inferiority and anger. The goal is to heal these problems and bring a message of peace and harmony into our lives. The turtle is the animal of the East in the Cree teachings.

The color yellow, from the south, symbolizes relationships and patience. It takes time to understand our identity, to learn and know ourselves through relationships with ourselves, others, and the world around us. The opposite of good relationship is envy - wanting what someone else has but not being willling to work for it. Envy can be transformed in sacred healing circles where people can learn to build on strength and overcome barriers and problems. The golden eagle (Ginoo), a very sacred bird, is represented in the South direction. Because the eagle flies so high in the sky it is thought to carry messages for the Great Mystery, and its feathers are held in great respect.

In the West the color black is a symbol of respect, reason, water, and Autumn. The quality of our inner lives is enhanced when we understand the concept of respect which leads us to humility. The opposite of respect is resentment (re-seeing/dwellin on the past). In the Western door, the person reflects on intimate relationships and her or his own behavior. Showing respect for others and for one's self is central to finding balance. The Thunderbird is the symbol of the West.

From the North, white is the symbol of Winter, caring, movement, and air. Not caring, or isolating, usually indicates problems exist and need to be dealt with. Care is as necessary as the air we breathe. Everyone makes a difference either in a caring way or an uncaring way. Some methods of natural healing (caring) are yelling, laughin, sweating, crying, yawning, and shaking. These can help a person move through fear. When caring is not considered during movement things are displaced, out of balance. The Bear (Mckwa) is the symbol of the North.

The Center is symbolized by green, a healing color, the symbol of Mother Earth, the center of all things. The Earth nurtures the four races of humankind and all living things. Green is the symbol of balance and listening. We should listen and pay attention to the dark side of life so we can learn and heal. The dark side can be denied by the five little rascals of inferiority, envy, resentment, not caring, and jealousy. Listening helps us make appropriate changes from negative to positive.

The Four Sacred Directions help people to balance themselves and to know their place in the world - they help people reain inner balance and well-being.

(Condensed from The Hollow Tree by Herb Nabigon, 2006)

LOVE

2009-10-26T19:31:00.002-04:00

Love is the absence of fear. Fear is defined :
by inferiority, which is feeling "less than",
by envy, which is wanting something for nothing and not willing to work for it,
by resentment, which is looking in one direction and not being able to look twice. "Re" means to go over again, and "sentment" comes from the root word for "to feel", so re-sentment is going over the same old feelings again and again.
There is also the "not-caring" component of fear, the opposite of caring, and finally,
there is jealousy, or the inability to listen.
All of these things invoke Windigo and cause fear.

These are the five rascals which undermine love and hurts the Red Road.

2009-09-30T14:13:00.002-04:00

September 30, 2009

The Gi-Bai Fire will be at Pic River over the next four days. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who gather there to remember the ancestors, remember their teachings, and follow the path revealed by spirit. We will be posting another teaching in the near future.
Herb

WISDOM

2009-09-08T19:23:00.002-04:00

Wisdom does not mean "wise". The teaching of wisdom reminds us to cherish our knowledge, our pipes, sweat lodges, fasting, and other sacred ceremonies. Cherishing knowledge can be translated to being grateful which in turn strengthens our relationship to the Creator and the Grandfathers. "Grandfather" is a good spirit that helps us in our journey of life and a Grandfather could be likened to Angels in the Christian church. A pipe is a tool that was envisioned to us in the Stone Age, sent to us from the Creator. We use the pipe to maintain and sustain our relationship with the creator in prayer. The pipe is very much alive, like a human being. The wood of the pipe stem represents honesty and the stone represents strength.

A sweat lodge is a purification ritual that cleans ourselves of inner demons, or "rascals". Sometimes Ojibways refer to the rascals as "Windigo", an evil spirit. Fasting is a time of abstaining from food and water for four days and four nights in the "bush", or forest. Food spirits represents the East door of the sweat lodge, and Water represents the West door. The West and East doors of the lodge reminds us of the strength of food and water. As you know, without food and water life could not be sustained, therefore, understanding our relationships with these two elements helps us to connect with Creation.

Gaining Wisdom through fasting and other ceremonies enables us to live the good life. This is a process that is a lifelong process and not just a "thing" you can go out and get.