Mitigook Endaawad Tree Nation Our Tree Nation not only helps us with our breath—we’re often told that they’re the lungs, clean the air—they also give of their vessels. We’ve used their vessels for our homes, our shelters. We’ve used their vessels and their bark to help carry our food, and when we carry that deep grief, that sadness and those traumas, we are told to go and sit with our back against those trees and ask those ones to help us in taking that sadness, help us in taking that grief, and those ones, those trees, will do that for us. They will take that for us, because they are wanting us to move forward, and to stand up again straight and to stand up strong, and to become like that tree that is always reaching for that light. Wiigwaasimitig Birch Wiigwaasimitig is vital to our history. This one has helped us in so many ways—in our travel, in our waterway system, and in giving their bark so that we can build our canoes, make fire, and they give us their medicines. There are so many stories this one holds. It gave of its vessel and its skin to carry our stories, document our songs, and write down our aadizookaan. Wiigwaasimitig is our way of documentation. It holds our records and our sacred stories. Giizhik Cedar Giizhik medicine is intertwined in so many of our ceremonies. Her smoke medicine cleans and purifies the air. She makes crackling sounds when placed in the fire and it is said the spirits are attracted to this sound, as if to say “come listen.” She is one who gives her medicine to us all year round, throughout each season. Giizhik helps us through our grief, when we are sick, and when we send our loved ones home. Gchi-miigwech to the Ancient Beings of our Natural World.
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