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The Seven Fires of Creation Story:
Booshoo……..Hello
Greetings, My
Fren’
It is good to
see you again
I see by the
look on your face
And the light
that shines thru……
Grandfather ,
the Creator
Has blessed you
with the winds of beauty and grace.
AHO
But….you ask,
“Why do we sit in the dark?”
Listen…..and
perhaps you will see.
Is it
Story…..Myth….Tale….Legend ?
The teaching is
known as The Seven Fires of Creation
And is taken
from the sacred scrolls of the Anishinabe Nation.
Of that Nation ,
there is a tribe called the Ojibway.
It is in their
tongue,
It is told of
the Seven Sacred Fires.
The teachings
belong to all time
And to all the
people that may pass this way
But, it is ever
theirs – The Ojibway.
Ages and ages
ago……beyond memory…….
Before time was
born…….It is told.
There was no
light……Neither Earth, Sun, Moon, Water nor Life
Only Empty,
silent cold.
In and upon the
dark vast
Nothing moved,
nothing could be heard….Nothing could be seen
Light and Life
had not yet been…….
Only the dark,
cold, silent, empty void.
Then…..out of
the silent void there came a soft murmur…..
Faintly at
first……then, louder AND LOUDER.
Suddenly….A loud
burst….As a clap of thunder.
And, once again,
silence across the vast, lonely emptiness.
Then , out of
the stillness, a soft rustling sound…...A rasping, clicking, all around.
It shimmers and
shakes….and the sound it makes, is like,
Is like seeds in
a fourd…..seeds good and pure, we are told.
AHO
Beyond that ,
there was another sound…….
From somewhere a
feeling, sound ,
As if from the
centre and all around.
From the Centre
and in the Centre was the Creator.
And so came The
First Fire.
All thought was
with Him….For He was the first…..
There was none
before…..
Not the
sound…..Not the seed …..Not the rhythm.
He looked around
and seeing the cold, empty vast
Sent His
thoughts to all directions……Near and Far.
Being there
nothing, He called them back.
To this day,
wherever His thoughts travelled
There are milky
trails
And here, there
and everywhere…….He left a star.
All thought ,
all light , and all life was with him.
He thought to
see, and so a fire He made to be…..
The Fire being
the second, was sacred.
He sent His Fire
to travel in a circle……
And in so doing,
created the Sacred Circle……
The Sacred Fire
became the Light by which to see.
Thought He…..To
make the Circle in four parts…….
And so it was…..
So it is even
unto this day.
And as it was
given…..
There are Four
Seasons, Four Directions, Four Winds and Four Ways.
He saw the Light
was good and that it should have a Twin……..
And so came to
be the Day and the Night…….
And to this day,
there are two of every kind.
Even unto the
Stars, the Moon , the Earth……..
And thus, it was
the Third Fire.
He set in motion
the Universe…..
And seeing the
four ways of His work
He smiled and
saw that it was good
And being good,
was made sacred
And there
was…….The Fourth Fire.
He looked about
and said, “Where shall be my Seed ? “
Who will sing
for me?
In so doing,
came to be
The birds….of
every voice, of every colour…..
Of every song to
be heard.
And so it
was….The Fifth Fire.
He thought to
make Earth upon which to scatter His Seeds……
Earth shall be
My companion
And in so doing
…..Earth was made Woman.
And to this day,
the Mother of all things.
Raindrops were
Her tears of joy upon seeing her.
Water is Her
Lifegiving blood
The lakes ,
streams ,and rivers her veins.
Both above the
ground and below
That this is
true we all know.
So….to First
Woman came the birds carrying the seeds……
That were
scattered and mated to the soil, upon her breast.
From Her bosom
came all there was…..
And all that
there is…..
Of every voice,
of every colour….of every size, of every shape.
Came they to
take their place in the Circle.
The Wings of the
air,
The Swimmers,
The Four legged,
The Flowers,
Laughing with
happiness ran the Rivers
Tall and serene
stood the Trees
Winds of calm
and storm swept the Seas
And so it was,
there reigned peace and happiness
For ages and
ages….without measure
And , upon Her
bosom shown The sixth Fire.
Then took He
four handfuls of earth
Thru the Meegis
Shell blew His breath
And …..in His
own image was created…..Anishinabe.
And thus it was
that Original Man came
Walked the
Earthas he was asked
Giving names to
all the animals, the plants
And to the
trees, rivers, streams and ponds
Even the valleys
and mountains, forgetting none…..
Not the
water-beings, the grass , the ants, the bees nor the wasp.
Shown then was
The Seventh Fire, at last.
Thus it was,
thus it is
From the very
first, in truth,
It has come to
pass.
To Anishinabe…….it
was given
And is told in
tongue of the Ojibway
From whence came
the Creator?
Need we
ask……save to remember the cold empty vast?
Do I know it is
true?
The Earth is my
Mother
I am one of Her
many children……
I am nephew to
the Stars
Cousin to the
Wind
Before my
Grandfather , There was no other,
I heard His
Voice in the wind…..Ni Mizhoo
Loving , gentle
and ever forgiving is He……..
Gitche Manitou
Yes , I am
relative to the river, mountains, valleys and trees.
I am brother to
the wings, to the four footeds
To the swimmers
and the crawling things.
I am brother TO
ALL THINGS and ALL BEINGS…..
Even you!
Ojibway Creation Story:
Boo-zhoo' means "hello" (and indirectly makes reference to the idea that
Ojibway are related to Original Man or Anishinabe also known later as
Way-na-boo'zhoo or Naniboujou, etc). Mi-gwetch' means "thank you" and
Mishomis means "Grandfather." Since everything in the world was created
before Original Man many things are referred to as "Grandfather."
Madeline Island in the Apostle Islands in Lk. Superior is significant
because the Ojibway believe their ancestors migrated there from the east
coast of No. America and it was their final stopping place after 500
years of migration following the dream of the prophet of the First Fire
to move or be destroyed. Teachings about Ojibway history are passed down
orally. Birch bark scrolls were used to write down things using
pictographic writing (a mneumonic or memory device using pictures and
symbols rather than a phonetic writing system).
Ah-ki' (the Earth) is a woman and had a family. The Sky is called
Father. Nee-ba-gee'sis (the Moon) is called Grandmother. Gee'sis (the
Sun) is Grandfather. Gi'-tchie Man-i-to' (Creator or Great Mystery) is
the Creator. The four directions - North, South, East, and West are very
important. The physical and spirtual duality is represented in the four
directions. It is thought that medicinal plants when physically picked
will not work unless there has been the proper spiritual behavior (such
as offering tobacco, etc.).
"Gitchie Manito...took four parts of Mother Earth (earth, wind, fire,
and water) and blew into them using a Sacred Shell [the Megis or Cowrie
Shell]. From the union of the Four Elements and his breath, man was
created" (Benton-Benai 1988:2-3).
According to Benton (1988:3) Anishinaabe (the older term for Ojibway)
means ani (from whence), nishina (lowered) abe (the male of the
species). Others translate it as first male or first man or original
man.
Original Man was lowered to the Earth according to this creation myth
and all No. American tribes come from him.
The Ojibway are a tribe because of the way they speak (Algonquian
language).
Traditional people call North America "turtle island" because it is
shaped like a turtle (Florida is one hind leg, Baja California is
another, Mexico is the tail). In the Ojibway Story of the Great Flood
the turtle offered its back to Waynaboozhoo to bear the weight of the
new earth.
The new earth was formed from a piece of earth recovered by
muskrat from the bottom of the water which covered the world.Cf.
Noah & The Flood
The expression "there are many roads to the High Place" means Nat.
Americans should support and respect each other's traditions and one
tribe's beliefs can shed light on the others.
According to the
Ojibway creation story the Original Man's first responsibility after
he was placed on Earth was to follow the Creator's instructions and walk
the Earth and name all of the animals, plants, hills, and valleys. He
also named the parts of the body.Cf.
Genesis
Many English words are derived from the Ojibway language such as:
Mississippi "Miziziibi"(large water), moccasin "makizin," moose "mooz,"
pecan "bagaan" (nut), toboggan "zhooshkodaabaan," Milwaukee "mino-aki,"
etc..
The rivers that run underground are the veins of Mother Earth and water
is her blood, purifying her and bringing her food. Mother Earth implies
reproduction and fertility and life.
The Creator, Gitchie Manido, sent the wolf to keep Way-na-boo-zhoo,
Original Man, company while walking around creation. After they
completed that task he ordered Original Man and Wolf to go different
ways.
The wolf and man (the Ojibway) are thought to be similar because both
walked creation, mate for life, have a Clan system and a tribe, have had
their land taken from them, have been hunted for their hair, have been
pushed close to destruction and are recovering.
Dogs should never be at sacred ceremonies because dogs are the Ojibway's
brothers as much as the wolf was a brother to Original Man.
Because the
Creator separated the paths of the wolf and Original Man, the dog who is
a relative of the wolf should be separate from contemporary people and
should be kept separate from sacred ceremonies and where ceremonial
objects are stored or it could endanger people's lives.
The Naming
Ceremony
The Naming Ceremony, which remembers the sacrifices of Original Man
in naming everything, requires that a medicine person be asked by the
father and mother to seek a name for their child. The seeking can be
done through fasting, meditation, prayer or dreaming and the spirits
give the name. At a gathering the medicine person burns tobacco as an
offering and pronounces the new name to each of the 4 Directions and
everyone present repeats the name when it is called out. The Spirit
World then accepts and can recognize the face of the child as a living
thing for the first time. The Spirit World and ancestors then guard the
child and prepare a place for him or her when their life ends. At the
naming ceremony the parents ask for four men and four women to be
sponsors for the child. The sponsors publicly vow to support and guide
the child. This naming ceremony is thought to have been started by
Original Man.
