Finishing Up With Teaching Circles

I finished my two weeks with Healing of the 7 Generations. I wound up memorizing most of the presentation that precursed the friendship bracelet workshop

There are 7 main clans which are universal throughout most First Nations people. They are:

The Crane, Loon, Fish, Bear, Martin, Deer, and Bird Clans.

In that order, the Ojibway terms for these clans are Ah Ji Jack, Maang, Gi Goonh, Maakwaa, Wa Bi Zsa Shi, Wawazskazsi, and Be Nays.

Although I admit I'm not 100% on the spelling.

The Crane and Loon Clans are the chief clans. They create a dual government to keep things balanced and serve to keep each other in check.

The Fish Clan are the intellectuals. Sometimes called "star gazers", they devote themselves to meditation and philosophy. They manage disputes between the two chief clans.

The Bear Clan is the police force. They also study medicines and are the adoption clan, taking in those that don't know their background.

The Martin Clan is the warrior clan, serving to protect the people.

The Deer Clan is the gentle people. They are pacifists and won't even use harsh words. They are the poets.

The Bird Clan is the spiritual leaders of the people.

Now, there are a lot of sub-clans that fit into these 7 categories. For example, the Eagle Clan is part of the Bird Clan, the Otter Clan is part of the Martin Clan, the Wolf Clan is part of the Bear Clan, and the Turtle is part of the Fish Clan.

To live a good life, there are 7 Grandfather Teachings. They are: Honesty, Truth, Wisdom, Respect, Bravery, Humility, and Love. Pretty self-explanatory, I didn't memorize the Ojibway terms for them though.

Some Ojibway:

Hello (to a peer): Anii

Hello (to an authority): Boozoo

Thank You: Miigwech

No: Kaawiin

Yes: Enh

And there's no term for "you're welcome" because they felt that "miigwech" was acknowledgement enough.

Ojibway is the hardest language in the world to learn, according to the Guiness Book of World Records, as a result of its many dialects.
There are four sacred medicines. They are: tobacco, sweet grass, sage, and cedar.

There are three sister crops which were the staples of First Nations agriculture: corn, squash, and turnip.

Aside from friendship bracelets, I got to play Lacrosse, do Metis jigging, use Inuit yoyos, and help build a Teepee.

What a cool experience!