Teachings from the Ancient Beings Ndominaajaanaanik To honour something or someone We want to acknowledge those ones who’ve been sitting on this earth for thousands of years—the rocks. They remind us to take time to reflect, look within and be still. Those one who’ve witnessed the change of the seasons and all of the different elements that come, who’ve witnessed the forever changing winds, waters and change all around, and yet they remain without movement, teaching us to be in one space, to be the observers. (Referring to January photo.) It depends on the seer, you can see the light going in or you can see it coming out. While Gloria was talking with the mayor one time, she told him that Sudbury is getting rid of all of our protectors and he responded, “What do you mean?” She replied, “If you noticed that the weather is starting to come in and affect Sudbury with these tornados and strong winds, well, Sudbury is getting rid of all of your protectors.” When asking who they are, she answered, “That’s the rocks. All of these rocks around here are here for a reason. They’re the protocols of the environment. It’s the elements like the wind and all this other energy that travels— those are the protocol protectors. They are the ones that guide and work with that energy coming in. So, if Sudbury gets rid of all their rocks, then you might as well go live in Texas or the prairies where they’re going to get a thousand tornados a day. There’s a reason why these rocks are here.” The mayor replied, “I never even thought of that.” This is a part of what our people all know. This is our connection. We know their story and part of that is listening to their story and observing. Teaching words translated by Maryann Endanawas. Siniin Stones When we’re struggling with needing to speak our truth and needing to be in a space where we’re having to use our voice, we’ll often take those little stones and we will hold them as we ask for their help to find the words, to be able to speak those truths. We ask our ancestors, we ask the help of those Grandfathers and those Grandmothers to guide us, and help us be able to deliver that message in a good way, with truth, kindness and respect, so that it’s not coming from a place of the mind but rather coming from a place of the heart. We ask for that wisdom to be channeled through our voices, in our message that we’re wanting to put forward. When we go to those sacred places, whether it be in our backyards or whether it be those places that we go to in creation, in our ceremonies and in our sweat lodge, we always have those Grandfathers and those Grandmother rocks. We carry them in those places where we offer our semaa, so that we are always acknowledging the spirit, the ancestors of that land. They are here to help us, when we are needing to be in those places of prayer, and needing to connect with spirit. It is those rocks and stones that we go to, to help us in that connection, of communicating with our Grandfathers and our Grandmothers.
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