Nourish the Word

In the Anishinaabe seven fires prophecy is an additional prophecy about a boy that would be shown where the records were hidden. “In the confusing times of the Sixth Fire, it is said that a group of visionaries came among the Anishinabe. They gathered all the priests of the Midewiwin Lodge. They told the priests that the Midewiwin Lodge was in danger of being destroyed. They gathered all the sacred bundles. They gathered all the Wee’-gwas scrolls that recorded the ceremonies. All these things were placed in a hollowed-out log from Ma-none’ (the ironwood tree). Men were lowered over a cliff by long ropes. They dug a hole in the cliff and buried the log where no one could find it. Thus the teachings of the elders were hidden out of sight but not out of memory. It is said that when the time came that Indian people could practice their religion without fear that a little boy would dream where the ironwood log full of sacred bundles and scrolls was buried. He would lead his people to t...

I ended  Part 1  of the Seven Fires Prophecies topic with a note that there was more I hadn't addressed and that I had yet to understand how to explain. I think I am ready to do this now. This post also is Part 4 of my Re-creation and Rebirth series that I began with. It was originally going to be titled Turtle Island. Both these topics run together here, though, so they have been combined. The complete combined seven prophecies can be found in the video link in part 1, in Edward Benton Banai's The Mishomis Book , or found on different internet sites, including  this wikipedia page . One important part I have noticed in the prophecies begins in the very first prophecy. "In the time of the First Fire, the Anishinabe nation will rise up and follow the sacred shell of the Midewiwin Lodge. The Midewiwin Lodge will serve as a rallying point for the people and its traditional ways will be the source of much strength. The Sacred Megis will lead the way to the chosen ground...

The Anishinabe people have a set of seven sacred prophecies they call the Seven Fires. They explain that seven prophets came to them and delivered the prophecies at a time they were living peacefully on the shores of north-eastern North America. Each of the prophecies given by the Anishinabe prophets is referred to as one of the seven "fires." Below I will compare passages of the Anishinaabe Seven Fires Prophecies to other scriptural prophecies. The versions of the Seven Fires that are quoted below all came from The Mishomis Book, by Edward Benton-Banai. I'll link online sources for the Seven Fires at the bottom. All the red highlighting in the quoted material is added by me. Other than that, the quotes should be the same as the materials they were taken from. *A description of the people that the Covenant of Christ refers to as "gentiles" in the quoted material below: They were originally divided by "many waters" from the people in the Americ...

The Medicine Wheel A year or more ago, I was having a conversation with a Lakota man. He asked me whether I knew the cardinal directions. I was confused by the question, thinking, everyone knows those.  But the way he asked me, convinced me he wasn't talking about just East, South, West, and North. I explained that I didn't know what he meant, and he proceeded to teach me there are actually no fewer than 7 cardinal directions. In addition to the four main directions indicated in a compass rose and the Native American medicine wheel, there is also the directions of the sky above, the earth beneath, and at the center of them all, the self. My brain imploded for a moment, before it clicked into place. Of course there must be seven directions. How did I not know this before? It makes perfect sense. Here is a link to a website that explains a perspective of the different parts of the medicine wheel. I've been learning lately some things about the four main parts of the med...

I saw an eagle flying overhead as I was driving the other day. This is not so unusual in some parts of the country. But it stood out from the birds of prey that frequent the skies over me this time of year: hawks, ravens, kestrels usually, and the occasional vulture. It reminded me of the symbolism of the eagle I am overdue in examining. So let's examine it... Last post, I shared a link to  this Potawatomi site with their tribes cultural teachings . Today I'm going to direct attention to  another one of their videos.  The specific part relevant to this post begins as the 12:13 min mark of the video. I'll also be referencing The Mishomis Book , by Edward Benton-Benai again. (Edit: When first sharing this, one of my initial resources for this had disappeared from the internet, and I made do with what resources I had left. I have since rediscovered it on the internet archive:  The Eagle Feather ) The Eagle as Intercessor By Carly Lesser & Art Drauglis fro...

Someone recently brought this video to my attention, and I believe it is worth sharing here. It is one of many such videos on the cultural teachings of the Potawatomi that can be found here . Watching the video will be helpful in understanding the familiar attributes I'm about to point out. The Number 7 In both Christianity and at least a few American tribes, the number 7 is highly symbolic of sacred things. For example, this description of the symbolic meaning of the number 7 concerning Christ can be found the Teaching and Commandments : He bears seven wounds on His person: two in His wrists, two in His palms, two in His feet, and one in His side. Seven is the symbolic number of completion or perfection. Seven wounds reflect the completion of His sacrifice and of that sacrifice’s complete perfection. If a similar symbolism can be understood in this Anishinaabe tradition, than the seven grandfathers would also represent completion and perfection. Likewise, the number o...