Bgéji éyajmoyan ngom

The Seven Grandfathers were revealed to the people when Europeans came to this continent.  They were revealed to give the people strength and purpose in the face of the changes that the Europeans would bring.  These light-skinned peoples came across the ocean on large ships, and brought stowaways with them, Seven Rats that many were trying to leave behind them in Europe.  Those Seven Rats are forces that stand between the people and their potential relationship with the Spirit.  So it was that the Seven Grandfathers were necessary to combat these Seven Rats that were about to plague the people.

Pride is not healthy self-respect.  Pride is actually feeling that you are better than another, for whatever reason.  Pride can cause one to not accept correction, to be unwilling to admit a mistake, to refuse to change or to even admit that one is wrong.  Pride can keep one from asking for help when one needs it.  Without Humility, one can become so puffed up with Pride that one cannot grow, and may also block others from growing by making them feel inferior or worthless.  Envy, or Jealousy, is what comes when Pride does not allow you to accept the worth of others or their accomplishments.  When Pride causes you to feel you are better than others, Jealousy and Envy naturally come in and prevent you from accepting that another person may have qualities or abilities that surpass yours.  Jealousy and Envy can also cause you to feel that another person is your possession, rather than a free human being with free will. 

Stubborn Ignorance is not a lack of knowledge, but an unwillingness to accept any new knowledge, an unwillingness to grow in knowledge.  One can feel that they already know everything, and be unwilling to admit that someone else might know something useful. One might also be unwilling to admit that certain knowledge is incorrect.  Wisdom is necessary to perceive when there is knowledge that is valuable and necessary to learn, despite the changes that might occur as a result.

Fear is dangerous.  Fear of the unknown, fear of the dark, fear of nature, fear of anything strange or unusual or out of the ordinary, fear of anything different, fear of change, fear of the Fire or the Spirit, all can cripple a person.  When Europeans came, many were afraid of the woods, afraid of the Natives, afraid of the strange customs and different languages, afraid of the different ways of worship.  Many were also afraid of the freedom and individualism that the Neshnabek represented.  Therefore many sought to either control or destroy everything that they feared.  Bravery is necessary to combat Fear so that it does not continue to grow into Hatred.

Hatred is deadly.  One can hate another person, another family, another culture, another race.  One can hate nature, hate change, hate religion, hate just about anything.  Hate can cause one to take destructive, deadly action against the hated, by words or by hands.  Hate breeds hate.  When one is treated with hate, one often responds with hate.  Love is the only thing that can break the cycle of hate.

Deceit and Dishonesty are not the same.   Deceit can present itself to a person in a beautiful form, and one can be deceived.  One can believe the lie.  One can find that the lie is more interesting, easier to believe, easier to digest than the truth.  A great lie is still a lie, and it can keep the people from the Spirit.  One can be deceived by gossip, one can believe untruth about others without thinking about it or without seeking the truth of the situation.  Truth can protect one against attempts to deceive the people with lies and gossip.  Truth can protect one from being deceived by spiritual untruth.

Dishonesty is propagating the lie, dishonesty is spreading untruth to the people.  Dishonesty takes many forms, from theft to gossip to tricks to downright falsehoods.  When one takes something that does not belong to them, be it an idea, an object, or a relationship, it is an act of dishonesty.  Dishonesty is portraying yourself to be something you are not.  Dishonesty is telling lies to yourself about yourself, so much that you deceive yourself.  Dishonesty is telling yourself that you don’t have a problem.  Honesty can break this cycle.

Disrespect is insidious.  When one disrespects the creation, one disrespects the Creator.  One can disrespect oneself, so much that one abuses oneself through food, sex, tobacco, alcohol, or drugs.  One can disrespect others, disregarding the feelings of others, disregarding the wants and needs of the people, allowing selfishness to stomp all over the people.  One can disrespect the earth, using it as an ashtray or garbage bin, abusing its resources, wasting its gifts.  Respect for all of the Creator’s creation includes respecting oneself, respecting others, and respecting the earth on which we walk.