Message From an Elder

(Teaching message from an Elder and teacher)

We do a lot of talking about the "old Ways". And for those of you that are new or have not been around long enough to know the old ways, we are not talking about going back in time to live like our grandfathers did. (although I would do it in a heart beat) There are not many of us who would be willing to give up living in houses, not willing to give up electricity, or how about being willing to skin a buffalo before you can eat.




No, what we are talking about is seeing the Earth Mother the way our grandfathers did. What we are saying is having the kind of respect for the Creator and His Creation that our grandfathers did. One of the biggest problems Native People and White people face is we don’t have the teachers any more. It has taken a long time for us to wake up to the fact we don’t know everything there is to know. The Seven Fires Prophacies told us that some of the Elders would not speak because they were afraid, some would not speak because they had nothing to say. Our teachings have always been oral teachings. So when people stop speaking the teaching fades away. The world we live in today is especially hard on the older people of all nations. We are a youth orientated world. The technology has us moving so fast, if you can’t keep up you are shoved into a corner and passed by. We don’t take time enough to listen to what our old people are saying. And even when we hear them, we dismiss what they tell us because "they don’t understand the world anymore", "it’s not like that now", "things are different now", etc. Our children are using the computer to speak to people all over the world and their words travel faster than the speed of light.




Native children are taught to respect their elders, but we have seen the results of not listening to the elders. Some times what they tell you is not what you want to hear. But it is always what you need to hear. Their experience is valuable.




The problem with oral history is it has to be spoken and repeated so it has to come from some one who has heard it. I have heard Native Elders tell white people they should look to their own old religions and not take from Native teachings. There are none. The teachings of the old ways have been assimilated into the Christian ways or have been wiped out and none of the old religion or teachers is left. If Mother Earth is to be saved we must teach the old ways to those who will listen, not just to our people. Some of our own people were never raised in a way to be able to learn. A lot of our people changed their names, or listed themselves as other that Indian on census reports. They didn’t want anyone to know they were Indian for fear of the treatment they would receive. So now there children have lost the teachings.




Another problem with oral history is translation of words. We have so many languages that it is hard to translate from one to another. And translations loose allot in the translation. There are words in Ojiwe that really have no English translation. Black Elk said it best when he said the English language is a dangerous language because one word can have more than one meaning. If I attempt to translate the teachings into English, I run the risk of the reader miss interpreting what I have said. I remember a phrase my communications teacher used to use. " I know you think you understood what I said, but I am not sure you realize that what I said is not what I meant." In other words the meaning of a word I use is based on the experience I had with the word. When a reader hears the word it is translated based on the experience of the reader and may not have the same meaning as the word I used. I know that sounds confusing, but the way to prove it is to have twenty people write the definition of "teacher" on a piece of paper without seeing what anyone else is writing. You will get twenty different definitions of "teacher". So if I say to you my teacher was great. Each of you will have a different understanding of what I said. And that was using only English, can you imagine what can happen when you use different languages with different cultures on top of that.




So be patient, those of you who are wanting to learn the "old ways" it is not something that can be learned overnight, it has to be experienced also. You have to grow with it. Listen to your heart when someone tells you bits and pieces of what you must know. They will direct you to the experience they want you to learn and the ancient ones inside you will teach you the meaning. Some times it can take years before something I said now will have any meaning for you. If someone was to ask what the most important thing was to learning the "old ways" I would tell them to pray everyday and ask for knowledge.




Thanks for listening
your brother, Manylodges

BTM, this is what my medicine teacher told me from the very start. One must be willing to digest, re-gurgitate, eat those words again, LIVE THE WORDS. So many people everywhere are moving too fast for real learning. Thank you for posting this!!!

Quote :

So be patient, those of you who are wanting to learn the "old ways" it is not something that can be learned overnight, it has to be experienced also. You have to grow with it. Listen to your heart when someone tells you bits and pieces of what you must know. They will direct you to the experience they want you to learn and the ancient ones inside you will teach you the meaning......