Native American Workshop

MITAKUYE OYASIN!

That means, “We are all related” in Ojibway.

On June 14, the Congregation of the Great Spirit presented a workshop at House of Peace.

It was called:

MITAKUYE OYASIN: Celebrate Mother Earth with Native American Spirituality and Culture.

Almost  50 youth and adults gathered together to celebrate and learn. Barbara, a 12-year old, came all the way from Mountainside, New Jersey to learn about her culture, since she is part Black Feet. She thought the following lessons from that day were the most important to remember:

#1. The number 4 is sacred, because when the world was created, the winds from the four directions brought order to the chaos…

#2. The circle is sacred, because it shows us the directions of the four winds, the symbols of each direction, and how they are all important in life …

NORTH: Season of Winter, time of elders, color white; the herb is tobacco.

WEST: Season of Autumn, time of adulthood, color black; the herb is sage.

EAST: Season of Spring, time of childhood, color yellow; the herb is sweetgrass.

SOUTH: Season of Summer, time of youth, color red; the herb is cedar.

A balanced prayer means we face all four directions to receive their blessings,

We pray for people in all times of life, and we burn the herbs of the season.

Their advent wreath has candles of these four colors, and an elder always lights the first candle.

#3.The smoke of the herbs is sacred. When it is waved to us with a feather (called smudging),

we receive the smoke as a blessing.

#4. Beauty is different to Native Americans. White hair and wrinkles are a sign of wisdom and life experience, so they are even more beautiful than the smooth skin of youth. Elders are given special respect, they even eat first at gatherings. No one tries to stay young-looking because the signs of growing older are so beautiful. People whose hair turns white earlier are respected. Therefore, make up and hair dye is often not needed or wanted.

#5.  Time is different to Native Americans. The present time is more important than the future. Native Americans are sometimes not the best of planners, and they often arrive late to gatherings, because they are so focused on what is happening at the moment. They realize that some planning is important … however… they find that the strong emphasis on planning from the main stream American culture also has a negative effect. Many people who live in the future (always planning, always watching the clock to not be late, always thinking of what has to happen next) never seem to appreciate the blessings of the present time, the here and now. They are often unhappy and miss the many blessings and joys of life.

#6. To Native Americans, the family and the group are more important than the individual. They make decisions that will benefit the most people, even if they themselves receive a lesser benefit. That is why they are humble and always think of the effect their actions will have on Mother Earth. If we harm Mother Earth, we harm ourselves. If we harm our tribe or family, we harm ourselves.