Bgéji éyajmoyan ngom

Why you should learn your language…….or as one person asked me recently, why should I learn my language? I informed him that the Potawatomi People have a Potawatomi language given to them by their Creator…when folks ask him what and who he is, how does he answer them when they ask him about his Potawatomi heritage? How does he answer if they should ask why he doesn’t use his heritage language? What does he say to folks when they ask why he doesn’t seek to learn his heritage language? How does he justify not using his heritage language telling people who he is? Why doesn’t he use his heritage language in prayer? What does he say to people when they find out he is Potawatomi and does not know his own mother tongue?  For that matter, what language does he think those spirits speak, English or Potawatomi? What language does he think his concept of God speaks, you know the One who gave him life and also gave his people their heritage language?

A more interesting question for some of you……what language do you pray in? Are you Potawatomi like me? Do you speak Potawatomi? Are you aware there are language classes being conducted every week, four evenings a week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening from 7:00 PM until 8:30 PM? Do you do everything in your power to make it to at least one of those classes? Two would be better, three would be even better yet, but all four would be best! Monday and Wednesday evening classes are freebies, but Tuesday and Thursday cost you something, a small donation of $40 per month, which you don’t have to pay monthly since there are others who share that cost with you. You might end up paying that donation once a year in that case, but rarely more than once. Still, that is cheap when you consider the quality teaching you get for that mere pittance, when you compare the cost of concert tickets, movie tickets, or even DVD’s once or twice a month for some of you.

In addition, the Thursday evening class is on Neshnabé Spirituality with a good part of the lesson taught in Potawatomi with translations. If you are attempting to practice your tradition, or someone else’s (this is usually the Lakota or Cherokee, for some), why not learn your own language and cultural teachings in your heritage language and speak to your God in Potawatomi, not English or some other language which is just as foreign to you as English? Lets face it folks! If you are Potawatomi, your God does not speak English to you, nor do the spirits who assist Him for you, yes that is right, they all speak Potawatomi to the Potawatomi people!

God may have created all languages but if He took the time to create something very specific like you and me, the bear, the wolf, the deer, and other creatures, then he expects us to follow our original instructions, so start speaking Potawatomi… If you don’t know your heritage language, then begin to learn it and speak it when you pray and sing in your worship. Come to think of it, what language do you sing your songs in? I hope it is in Potawatomi if that is the language you speak or are learning…..better yet, start thinking in Potawatomi too as it shall help you learn in the thought process.

It takes a lot of effort to learn your mother tongue, but it can be done if you take pride in who you are as a Potawatomi person. I do! I want to say I am Potawatomi and pray in my heritage language, think in that language and even sing in it. I want to do everything in my mother tongue and when I pass from this world into the next, I want them to welcome me into that world using my Neshnabé name and in Potawatomi. Don’t you?

What will you do when you meet your ancestors in the next life, and you can’t understand what they are saying to you?  You don’t really think this life and this world is all there is, do you?

Do something about it now and learn your own language and cultural ways.

We have the means and the classes…..check out our web site at www.neaseno.org for online classes and cultural teachings on the Neshnabé Way of Life.

Some interesting and provoking thoughts from Neaseno……   

Some Sacred Ways of a People

The Bodéwadmik – The Potawatomi

There are several stories that attempt to address the various origins of the Potawatomi and some of their sacred rites. There are none published that detail whatever practices they might have had by way of describing a set of ceremonies they followed from year to year, or as some would call Rites of Passage. We shall attempt to highlight what we have come to know and accept as not only Potawatomi Rites of Passage, but an observance of ceremonies throughout a Potawatomi’s life. We shall begin at birth and follow a hypothetical child through life and list some of the sacred rites they would follow as a Potawatomi.

The Naming Ceremony.

The first ceremony any child would go through in a typical cultural observance is the naming ceremony, usually taking place after the child’s first 28 days. A Potawatomi child is usually not even seen or recognized as officially alive by the father until after they have been named. Then and only then, did the father ask to see his son or daughter, and usually the child was introduced to the rest of the family group and people.

Prayers would be offered by the mother and any female relatives, along with the attending elder bestowing the name on the child for the child’s future welfare, that they would be a good hunter or nurturer, throughout the course of their lives. Blessings would be asked by the conferring elder so as to assure the child would amount to something in life and that he/she would follow the traditional ways of their people in the accepted fashion.

Acquiring a name assured the child’s place in the tribal cultural structure but also gave the child a place in the universal structure by introducing him/her as a human being with a formal identity. Names were important from that perspective as it was that name that would identify you to the spiritual world upon the passing from this life into the next world.

Names had special meaning for Neshnabék children and they were told the meanings of their names when they were old enough to fully comprehend. Some names had to be fasted with to ask for special additional blessings, especially thunder clan names and crane clan, but there were other clans that carried similar responsibilities. The name given had to follow clan lines and usually had been in the family before it was conferred upon the child. It was common among the Neshnabék that a person could earn more than one name during one’s lifetime depending on what kinds of accomplishments one might complete. Usually the name given for something like an accomplishment would have special significance for the person earning that right and depicted the person’s character. 

The Puberty Fast.

Prior to a child’s puberty fast, it was commonly asked to go without food and water, often from sun up to sundown. The mother or grandmother would blacken the face of the young child and it would be told the fast was to strengthen it for future such ordeals. Blackening the face meant it was marked for that purpose to the spirits/mnedos, so as to protect them while they were fasting. This was usually done with charcoal from the stove or campfire, with three marks:  two vertical marks on each cheek, and one long horizontal one on the forehead. This stood for the Jibamen, body, soul and spirit of the child. From about the age of 4-5 until the age of puberty, the young child undertook these types of fasts to prepare it for its life as a Neshnabé. Approaching the age of puberty the young person was watched with great interest by its elders so they would know when to place the child out for its first long fast, usually four days in length. 

Puberty was chosen as an age at which to put a young person out to seek a guardian spirit as that was the age when young people began to experience subtle body changes, hair growth, voice changes among young men, and noticing sexual differences among themselves. It was a commonly held practice among most Neshnabék so as to foster wholesome thoughts toward the opposite sex, respect for what their own bodies were going through, and seeking the aid of a mnedo/spirit to help them throughout their lives. Many a young person did not fast beyond their puberty fast, while some chose to Vision Quest further to examine what their fates might be as war leaders, medicine people, and other vocations with their tribal structure.  

The Vision Quest.

Some youths chose to seek a vision beyond the scope of the normal understanding a puberty fast would account for among Neshnabék. If a youth desired war success, or the wisdom to lead their people aright and wisely as a headman or woman, or to dedicate their life as a shaman or shamaness, or some other special insight into their daily living situation, they would seek special vision through this means. An established spiritual leader would be approached to ask for their leadership to undertake such a fast, as it could often be an arduous task, being sometimes many days in duration, many times more than a puberty fast would have been. A well established spiritual leader assured a young person certain successes as they vision quested, as these people would call upon their mnedos to watch over the young person and guarantee them whatever it was they might be seeking. There were fees that were expected to be paid to the spiritual leader by the young man’s family for leading their member and assuring this type of success. Fees and gifts were a constant part of a person’s life whenever advice and spiritual help was sought for a person, whether it was a name for a child, or some special doctoring one might need occasionally throughout life, or some other special help one sought.

The Feast of the Dead/Ghost Feast.

The Ghost Feast or supper as some called it, was actually a memorial feast observed by all members of the tribal group, usually in early Spring and early Fall. These two times were chosen as the Neshnabék saw Seasons as specific Doorways leading to the world of spirits and those who had passed on. All Neshnabék children would have observed this rite as members within their tribal group, from the time they were still babies and on throughout their adulthood and later lives.

It was generally held the deceased went to their home in the world of the spirits but could look down upon the living and could guide and direct the living at times, should the Chief Spirit allow them to. It was important to observe this rite for that purpose. The bones of the deceased were cherished in thought among the living and everyone was taught they would each assume their place in the spirit world eventually.  The respect for the bones of the ancestors was one of the main reasons the Neshnabék resisted removal from their homelands.

Originally, the spiritual leadership took charge of these ceremonies and built their fires to accommodate the offering of food, water, and tobacco to the deceased as a way of remembering them among the living. Prayers were offered at these times for the living in the hopes of attracting good blessings among the surviving members to the spirits of the deceased and to Mamogosnan, who oversaw all spiritual activity, both on earth and Above among the world of spirits. It should be noted this ceremonial rite was observed as a Memorial for all deceased relatives among the Neshnabék during the specified times. This rite may have been slightly different among some of the Neshnabék, the Odawa, Ojibwa, and Bodéwadmi, but generally followed the same beliefs held by the group in common. It should also be noted these three people formed an alliance that still exists to this day as the The Three Fires Confederacy, the Ojibwa, Odawa and Bodéwadmi.

The Sacred Ball Game.

There were two games possessed by the Neshnabék, one owned by the women, which was played by all in the Fall of the year, and the other was administered by the spiritual leadership to be played only by the men, usually during the early Spring and throughout the summer months.

The women’s ballgame was called Épeskewéwen, and was owned by a head woman. It was administered by the women of a society and was played to observe all of life. Songs and dances were done along with it and stories were told by elders so people would know their history, origins, and migrations.

The men’s ballgame was called Bagakdowéwen and was administered by the spiritual leaders. It was played periodically to observe the Seasons, that of Spring and Summer, and was also observed occasionally to ward off too much aggression and to foster certain competitive urges the young men felt toward their older peers. It was told by some elders that the tribal group that ritually observed this rite was blessed with mature standards among its warriors and a sense of fair play among them as well. Certainly too much aggressive behavior could foster greed and envy among the younger men and could also mean the downfall of the nation if allowed to continue. The good of the nation was always considered to be of paramount interest to the combined spiritual leaders. 

Feasting was always a part of these rites too and the spiritual leadership took the lead in administering the rites to make certain of the prayers that needed to be observed and the correct stories to be recited.

Midéwen.

This ceremony had its origins in the original creation stories among the Neshnabék. It was open to Neshnabék people upon invitation only and generally was held four times a year. If a person fell sick or died, they could be installed in the Midé and surviving family members would be expected to pay the fees for joining as an initiate. There was both a Life Midéwen and a Ghost Midéwen for this purpose.

When fees were paid to the adopting society, it assured the new member acceptance into that society, always observing the leadership first and foremost as gifts went. Membership meant that strict observance of all society rules and customs involving all of the norms, mores, sanctions and taboos of the adopting society. Each society had expected degrees of maturation one was expected to reach within reason.

Other Ceremonies Observed.

The Wabeno Ceremony was part of an ongoing society of the Midéwen. Only those who showed special spiritual skills and commitment were asked to join these Dawn Dreamers. It should also be noted that the Midé and Higher Ceremonies of this type were considered secret, thus very sacred.  One did not ask to join this or other types of societies; they were open only to those invited by the leaders of that society.  Among the Wabeno could be the Nanandawi, the Sucking doctor, the Jichibshkagé, the Shaker Priest or conjurer of information, and other positions of power and responsibility requiring an additional amount of fasting and spiritual education to be considered worthy.

The Zhawnogé or Adoption Dance, as some called it was also something that could be observed by all members of a Neshnabé tribal group. This Dance was usually conducted during late Summer or early Fall and at one time went four days. Most of the more ritual ceremonies were conducted over a span of days, usually four days. Some of the more sacred ceremonies could go as long as eight to ten days in length, for it was considered the vocation of some of the practicing members; whereas today, most people have other jobs and no longer consider these ceremonies as vocations.

The Dream Dance or Big Drum, as some have come to call it, did not come to the Neshnabék until the mid 1800’s, but soon came to be accepted as one of the major rites of many Potawatomi folk.

The War Dance was always a rite observed by the men of the tribe and continued to be observed by World War I, World War II, Korean War veterans, but seems to have lost its place for observance among modern day Potawatomi men. It gave the men a chance to demonstrate what they did in battle and how they may have come to earn certain honors bestowed on them. Then too, the spiritual leaders were in charge of these rites also, so it gave the men an opportunity to be doctored as well during the observance of this rite. This is why Post Traumatic Stress Disease was virtually unknown during the early days of the Neshnabék when this rite was observed. It is felt by many practicing members of certain societies today that if ritual observance of the old ceremonies were held again, the Neshnabék would be a much healthier people in all ways. Then too, our tribal languages were always used during the observance of these various rites and had to be spoken on a daily basis within the home and family, so as not to lose it.

On Immersion Camps…

Can you really take a native person to an immersion camp and bring them home speaking another language?  Hmmm….

Many Native American children, some by choice and some by force, were once enrolled in mission schools and boarding schools.  They would be removed from their communities, and they would be unable to see their families for long periods of time.  The various folks at these schools cut the children’s hair, altering their physical appearance.  They exchanged the traditional clothing for clothing representative of the particular group running the boarding school.  They took away any personal sacred articles, disregarded them as idols, and replaced them with a new religion. 

And they IMMERSED them in the English language, or the Spanish language, if they were in Spanish California.  They were Immersed.  The children were told not to speak their own language.  They were either disregarded and ignored, or even punished with loss of privilege or even physically beaten if they spoke their own language.  They had to learn English or Spanish to survive.  They had to learn it to eat.  They had to learn it to get basic necessities.  They had to learn it to avoid humiliation and pain.  They had to learn it to survive. 

That was the original immersion camp…

That is what your elders, the generations before you, suffered…

Is there any wonder why our languages are in such decline? 

It’s time for REVERSE IMMERSION.  It’s not enough to run an immersion camp with language only, nor is it enough to run a culture camp with no language.  The whole thing has to be reversed.  A high quality native immersion camp should incorporate both the language and the culture. 

1. Physical appearance.  That which was changed long ago is going to have to be symbolically restored.  You can’t just re-grow hair, not that fast, but some sort of visible mark needs to be incorporated.  Humans are visually oriented, and they think in symbols, and a symbolic gesture of the physical changes will mark that person.  It seems strange, but if you think about it, it is a rite of passage almost, and the missions and boarding schools used this technique to the extreme at one time.  A hairpiece, a token, something physical that connects the language learner with the language learning experience, will cause that language learner to relive those language memories every time it is touched and handled, this is something that has not been considered before….
2. Clothing.  We’re not talking powwow regalia here, nor are we talking reenactment.  Most of that is glass beads and European finery refashioned to somehow look natural.  We’re talking about simple changes.  A ribbon shirt for the men and a long skirt for the women.  Something to again physically mark the person, giving a visual cue to their brain that something is different, and a different mode of thought is necessary.  Something that causes the brain to relive language learning moments every time that shirt or skirt is worn.  Why?  Because until the Neshnabé culture is incorporated into the heart, incorporated into the being of a person, they are going to need those physical marks to remind them.  Once that incorporation is complete, and a Neshnabé thinks and acts like a Neshnabé, the visual cues and physical marks are no longer necessary.  
3. Religion.  We’re not talking forced conversion here, nor are we talking about beating the religion out of anyone.  What we are talking about is a basic appreciation for the spiritual nature of the Neshnabék, in a non-threatening way.  Remember, this is REVERSE IMMERSION, reversing what was done to cause many of our people to fear their own culture as laden with devil-worship and idolatry.  Many of our people don’t really know the truth about how the Neshnabék truly worshiped their creator and respected the rest of creation.  It’s time they learned, and if they are truly committed to Christianity or any other religion, the truth and the faith will work together, and they will simply gain an appreciation and understanding for their ancestors and their current relations who may chose to walk the Red Road.  And maybe some of these powwow dancers will begin understand what those dances were supposed to represent at one time, and not dance just for the prize money. 
4. Language.  This is the focal point.  This is the center of the whole thing.  Why? Because this is what they attempted to force out of us long ago.  You think they didn’t understand then how important language was?  Why do you think they fought so fiercely in Europe over translations of the Bible?  They knew how important language is, and they knew that if they took it away from the Native people, the culture would die.  SO REVERSE IT.  Bring the language back in its cultural context, to describe the physical appearance, the clothing, the foods, the spirituality, the traditions, the songs, the prayers, the stories, the speeches.  Use it to instruct in native cooking, native crafts, native Everything.

http://www.anishinaabemdaa.com/language-camp.htm#schedule  Reverse Immersion camps do exist!  The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians has been sponsoring this for 15 years!  AND THEY WORK.  Kenny Pheasant and the other fluent elders of the Ottawa and Ojibwe nations have been advocating this for their people all this while!

Why aren’t the Potawatomi doing this?  If our primary objective is to record and preserve the language, THEN WE HAVE ALREADY ADMITTED DEFEAT.  The primary objective should be to use, use, USE the language!!!  NOW!!  While our Elders are still HERE!!!!

These Potawatomi bands have managed to get together for the past 13 years at an annual gathering, and for the past 5 years at an annual language conference.  It is therefore entirely possible that they can get together, fund, and hold a Reverse Immersion Camp, incorporating language, language, language, and culture, funding their fluent elders to come together and teach, and helping the people come back to their roots, helping the people remember that they are Neshnabék. 

Iw énajmoyan

Nin se Neaseno

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.

Folks, do you realize that the youngest fluent speaker of Potawatomi is in their late sixties?  We are losing our elders rapidly, and I wonder sometimes at the response to this crisis.

In their zest to preserve the language, the younger generation has begun writing grants and gathering materials in an effort to keep the language alive.  An interesting thought occurred to me today regarding the ANA grants that are currently being used for language preservation and curriculum development:  Why are some of our people dealing with elders as though they were already dead?

Why aren’t our elders asked to sit in on these planning sessions for grantwriting?  They are asked only to send a letter of committment, agreeing to the plan already drawn up, but not asked for their suggestions or opinions.  Our fluent speakers learned this language as children, wouldn’t you think they would have some valuable insight as to how to teach it???? 

Our various native cultures, in particular the Potawatomi culture, have a system of respect for elders and those who possess traditional knowledge.  It seems that this business of getting grants to preserve this language has used money to bypass the respect due to these elders.  Some language students have hinted at the attitude that the Language must be preserved at all costs, and through any means possible.  Don’t you understand that the language and the culture are inseparable????  A language cannot exist without a culture!  A culture cannot exist without a language!  If you attempt to preserve the language while circumventing the cultural norms, mores, sanctions, and taboos, by disrespecting elders, stealing their materials, not compensating them properly for their time, not recognizing their place, and claiming that you have learned the language all by yourself and not giving credit where credit is due, then you have won the battle but lost the war!! 

OUR ELDERS ARE STILL HERE.  They have not disappeared, nor have the language they speak or the culture they practice.  Don’t treat them like they are already gone.  If we forget in our haste to preserve the Potawatomi language that we are NESHNABE, then we may forget to follow our cultural teachings.  What is to stop someone from printing out webpages and passing the material off as their own, perhaps selling it in various places?  What is to stop someone from taking classroom material from an elder, and using it elsewhere as curriculum in an unrelated grant, without credit or compensation to the elder?  What is to stop someone from stealing office supplies, curriculum materials, or incentive materials, and selling them for their own profit?  OUR CULTURAL TEACHINGS, THAT’S WHAT.  WE ARE TAUGHT THROUGH OUR CULTURE NOT TO STEAL FROM THE PEOPLE, AND ESPECIALLY NOT TO STEAL FROM OUR ELDERS. 

Wdetanmowen - Respect.  We are taught to respect our elders.  Not to steal from them in various ways, not to shunt them aside, ignore their input, forget to compensate them for their efforts. 

Most elders are ready to share what they know, because they see over the wisdom of their years the immense loss to our people caused by the loss of our language and culture.  Most elders are ready to pass on to the next generation these precious gifts that they received from their elders.  THEY ARE WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO APPROACH THEM IN A CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE WAY, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THEY HAD TO DO IN THEIR YOUTH TO LEARN WHAT THEY KNOW. 

We speak on and on about the Seven Grandfathers, but do we use them?  Do we practice them?  Or are they just words that we memorize so we can sound like we know something?   Try approaching a Fluent Speaker with a little Respect once, maybe a little Humility, and you’ll learn alot more about language than you will with an ANA grant.

Granted, ANA grants are useful for funding projects, and are necessary in this day and age.  It’s not ANA who is doing this to our elders.  We speak of some of the people who have applied and used these grants but who have forgotten who they are as Native People.  That money cannot replace the power of Respect, Humility, Wisdom, Bravery, and all those special gifts that once made the Native Nations great.  Nor can it replace our Elders.  In this time in which we live, we require money to kickstart our projects into motion.  But we cannot forget that which makes us NESHNABE, and remember to include our Elders, in the planning, application, and implementation processes. 

Some have complained that they cannot find Elders who will work with them.  Maybe if you changed your approach and your attitudes, you might find the answers you seek.

Ahau, iw énajmoyak odo pi.

We are back from the Potawatomi Gathering 2007 which took place at Crandon, WI this year, and the 5th Annual Language Conference that was held at Carter, WI, just prior to to the Gathering of Potawatomi folk. Both events were well attended and much was learned by all who took part in the Language Conference, as well as many Potawatomi folk gaining a better perspective of themselves, as a nation and as individuals, within their respective reservation areas and tribes.

I would have liked to have heard more from the Language Teachers, especially from Billy Daniels, Jim Thunder, Peter Pemma, Mary Wensaut, Mary Daniels, Lillian Kelty, Marian Perrot, Donald Perrot, Lillian Rice, Cecelia Potts, Stewart King, and other fluent elders, instead of the speakers they did schedule.

Some of the beginning speakers are good, but come on now, they are not completely fluent, and why can’t they pay their dues first, as the original fluent speakers have done?
The Language Conference was good, but for me: I wanted to hear from other fluent speakers like me, and be able to talk shop with them, instead of always catering to the Language Learners, who are still doing just that, still learning!

I think the Language Leraners should still be listening to us, the fluent speakers, and what were the Ojibwa speakers doing there from Bay Mills College? Are they suddenly Potawatomi, or were they speaking Potawatomi? I think not!

Yeah, the Learners should leave the speaking to the fluent speakers and listen, learn more before they venture out to speak, because much of what they teach and try to share is wrong, not quite correct, thus making it wrong……

They may mean well, but meaning well and getting it right are two different things. Listen and learn well, so they can pronounce it right, before trying to teach others is what I say!

If anyone differs with that, tough luck!
I want my language taught right, by fluent speakers……
just me—-Don.

Much has been written about native beliefs and the way we native people worship. It has kept many an anthropologist, sociologist, social-psychologist, and many of the other Ologists busy for some time studying and probing our native psyches and collective awarenesses, trying to find out who we are, what we were, and whether or not they could ever accept us, and incorporate us into their melting pot of America. Many other cultural groups have been studied with the same scrutiny and expediency and have been accepted, to varying degrees; the Irish, Italians, Polish, Jews, Scottish, Germans, Russians, and the Blacks have been grudgingly accepted into various parts of Corporate America only through their sheer tenacity and confrontive personalities, but are still viewed as unacceptable in White social circles. For example, salt and pepper relationships, as they are often called, are still frowned upon, and the black who uses his/her political or economic clout to gain access into White mainstream organizations or social clubs, is only grudgingly accepted. The Native American has not tried to climb the social ladders or achieve any social prominence, even if they attain any degree of status in the entertainment industry, which has grudgingly admitted them in as actors and actresses. At one time, they were only included as extras, stuntmen, and technical advisors, and even then, some White expert had the final say over what they might advance. In short, most Native Americans do not seem to be too concerned about being accepted into White America, and generally have no interest in joining….

The subject of our religious beliefs have been a matter of study for some time now and folks who have made the efforts to explore the tenets of our religious ideals and ways, are still in doubt as to what we are, who we truly are, and who we worship. Linguists have added to the studies and even though many have learned various languages among us, they too, are still in limbo, as to what our languages encompass and who we address. From the early Jesuits and other religious leaders who sought to understand us through our languages, much data has been accumulated and translated, in an attempt to incorporate us into their religious scheme of things, to evangelize, and convert us. All of these efforts have not met with much success, as we still have scores of Native People who insist upon worshipping in their own way, and following their own teachings, and since the 1950’s, there has been a resurgence of Native People finding their own religious roots   

I want to share some things with you this afternoon about my language. We have no word for culture, nor do we have a word for tradition, or traditional, or for that matter, Indian. In fact, many of the words we take for granted, which the linguists and others have told us mean, don’t really mean that at all. If we took the time to examine many of the definitions of various words from the Potawatomi tongue and saw what they mean in the literal context, we would be surprised. Our language is sacred, it is what we were given to bless God and man, as well as all of creation. It is what our Creator gave us to speak with Him/Her. Even the words we utter, which supposedly refer to our concept of God, do not refer to a Him, but could mean Her.

The linguists, bless their souls, mean well, but have taken over just like the early religious leaders of their time did, the Jesuits and others who came to convert us, and now mean to tell us what our words and language mean. These people, with all their military might,  couldn’t conquer us, could not break us, nor could they defeat that Neshnabé spirit of us, that kept searching for its own, and eventually found its way through the various ceremonies our elders and spiritual people kept alive for us. We had prophecies told us in that magical, mystical language of ours, that was meant for this time and day, which foretold of the rise of the Native People once again. Though many of them searched our ways and language, they neglected to ascribe truth, wisdom, understanding and prudence to what they discovered about our language. Our language contained it all, if only they had been receptive to what they saw and sometimes heard, through the various elders who faithfully told them what they could.  

We don’t need linguists, priests, rabbis, ministers, senators, congressmen, social workers, judges, lawyers, their teachers, or anyone else to tell us what our language contains for us. We need to return to our own ways and we need to recognize the wisdom of our elders, stop giving it lip service, but really respect them for who they are, what they are, and what they know, about our language and all it has to say to us today.

Iw énajmoyan ngom……kyét nam épich mno wéndem édazgenjénéyan ode neshnabé zhechkéwen mine ode neshnabé méndokaswenen mine i neshnabé zheshmowen.

I love a people who have always made me welcome to the best they had.

I love a people who are honest without laws, who have no jails and no poorhouses.

I love a people who keep the commandments without ever having read them or heard them preached from the pulpit.

I love a people who never swear, who never take the name of God in vain.

I love a people who love their neighbors as they love themselves.

I love a people who worship god without a bible, for I believe that God loves them also.

I love a people whose religion is all the same, and who are free from religious animosities.

I love a people who have never raised a hand against me, or stolen my property, where there was no law to punish for either.

I love a people who have never fought a battle with white men, except on their own ground.

I love and don’t fear mankind where God has made and left them, for there they are children.

I love a people who live and keep what is their own without locks and keys.

I love a people who do the best they can.

And oh, how I love a people who don’t live for the love of money!

Geroge Catlin  (1796-1872)

Many things could be said about this subject, along with showing a basic respect for our elders, a side subject many folks give only lip service to. For beginners though, if we maintain a healthy respect for our traditions by learning what they are, thus how to pay our due respects, and this would include the observation of major ceremonial functions, both for ourselves and the families we represent, and our elders. It was those same elders who gave us the original instructions we should be observing anyway, or it should have been.

Many Neshnabe folks today though have been removed from that instruction for various reasons, but that doesn’t mean they still cannot learn what those traditions are. The same folks who should know, but don’t, for whatever reason or reasons they may cite, are the same ones who suffer the most hardship and seem to lay the blame for these things at the door of the rest of us, who are attempting to observe our traditions. We get blamed in many different ways, which I won’t go into right now.

If we are practicing an observance of our traditions and are attempting to maintain ourselves in a reasonably healthy manner, lifestyle and ceremonial life, we can conceivably expect to receive the blessings of health and help we request at our ceremonies. It stands to reason, when one is praying and observing what they should, they can reasonably expect their concept of a God to bless them accordingly. The flip side of that is when you don’t maintain a good spiritual attitude and ceremonial life, it seems we are subject to numerous maladies of this world, resulting in dysfunctional lifestyles for some.

There is a need to return to our own basic traditions and the practice, along with the respect for those traditions, and an observance of the ceremonies of our people. Then we shall observe some major changes among our people and they will begin to experience some positive blessings from observing those traditions.   

Whazzup?

A favorite question of the young people today, eh?

The same thing is always up with me, I tell them……

Ode zheshmownenan gete shna enagdewendemyan pene mine wa zhechkeyan emendokaswiyan ngoji pi epa shya yan. I am constantly considering my place in this universe with the Spirit/spirits of late. Like, I wonder a lot about my dad, who walked on back in September of 1983, and other relatives who have sincewalked on also. If I didn’t hold regular “ghost feasts” for those who have walked on, people I still care very deeply about, I would be remiss and feel I have failed them somehow. My dad and others of my deceased relatives taught me a lot about what I believe today and still practice of the “old ways” our people once prayed and worshipped or followed. If it were not for them I would not be here today. They are the backbone of all I believe theologically, sociologically, psychologically, economically, philosophically, and beyond. I am the sum total of all they ever taught me. I further believe no one can say they are anything without that which they were taught by their forebears, their relatives and parents. We need to honor those people periodically whom we represent in this world today. That is why we jibekwe once in awhile, usually every spring and fall for me.

Jibekwe means to hold a “ghost feast”.

So that is something that I have on my mind today, thus what is up for me!

Also, Spring Equinox is just around the corner……

I wonder how many Potawatomi folk offer prayers for a good planting season and good health/help when the seasons change like this. March 20 is the day we usually get up early in the morning and make our offerings of food, water, corn, berries, and some kind of meat with our nensema, and remember our past along with our furure as well. It is at that time we pray for the Earth and all the people, black, red, yellow, and white, the four leggeds, the creeping crawling nations, and the flying nations, as well as the fire, rock, water, and the green.

It is a very solemn moment for us and usually the week end preceding that date we will hold teachings regarding the sacredness of our ways and our ceremonial obligations to each other and the Earth’s denizens. These are ways to remind ourselves we were crafted in a sacred manner and placed on this altar, Earth, for a purpose, and we need to remember what those instructions are and what is expected of us.

Too many people merely profess a belief in things traditional to us and not enough are really practicing what they preach to others. The modern day way of life that casinos, the government grant life, BIA, pursuing the white man’s education system, the corporate way of life, and so much else the dominant society throws at us as a people, tend to get in the way of many of our people. We see our elders being pulled away by the casinos and other things like alcohol, and our young being pulled away by drugs and the modern way of life young white people follow, including their music. No longer are the sacred chants and oratory being done as in the days of yore.

Let’s face it folks! It is not being done! Pow wow songs are not the same as the sacred songs once sung in the Mide, the Wabeno Lodge, the Zhawnoge, the sweat lodge, and other ceremonials our people once practiced. Powwow songs are beautiful but they are not the same as our sacred ceremonial songs.

So that is part of what is up for me!

I’ll share more later……