Bibooni-giizis (Winter Moon) - December 11, 2024
Boozhoo indinawemaaganidog, gidinimikoo miinawaa. Biindigen miinawaa nindaasooke wigamigong; enji-zaagi'iding miinawaa gikendaasong. Hello my relatives, I greet you in a good way. Welcome again to my Storytelling Lodge, a place of love and learning.
In today's story, we will delve into companionship on the Path of Life—a journey that, despite many challenges, can be filled with rewards.
The above artwork depicts two companions, a man and a woman, journeying along life's road on a narrow path etched into a steep hillside, imparting a simple teaching.
To maintain a healthy relationship with a partner, it's important to reflect on oneself and understand what is truly needed for both themselves and their partner. Life starts at the base of a hill, and the various paths leading upward symbolize the lessons and discoveries we encounter. When confusion arises in a relationship, we can come back together to the hill's base, select a different path, and proceed upward. As individuals and partners, stepping back allows us to see the many paths available to us.
This implies that, based on the path we select, marriage can be an uphill journey along a rugged hill path laden with temptations, obstacles, and potholes. These hurdles might make us trip and even fall. However, if we decide, it can also be a journey filled with reward, inspiration, and hope.
The sun shining high in the blue sky, along with the flowers, birds, and butterflies in the painting, represents a journey filled with inspiration and hope. The miigisag (seashells) that line the path symbolize the Gift of Life. These shells are a deeply sacred symbol for the Anishinaabeg, especially in relation to their Medicine Lodge, known as Midewiwin.
The pair of loons waiting for the married couple atop the rocky hill symbolize, among other virtues, the sacred qualities of companionship and fidelity. ¹
Based on the path we select, marriage can be an uphill journey along a rugged hill path laden with temptations, obstacles, and potholes. These hurdles might make us trip and even fall. However, if we decide, it can also be a journey filled with reward, inspiration, and hope.
The rabbit shown at the base of the hill is Jiibayaabooz, the Spirit rabbit, residing in the Underworld and renowned for his mystical and spiritual essence. He is a mentor who introduced the People to the rites and ceremonies of vision quests and purification rituals; they cherish him for bestowing upon them the spirit of music, chants, and poetry. Within the painting, his presence suggests a unique blessing for the couple seen walking the rocky and winding path toward the hilltop.
In the bottom right corner of the painting, we find our cherished shapeshifter Wenabozho, the ally and benefactor of the People, portrayed in his preferred form of a waabooz (hare). Wenabozho, akin to his elder brother Jiibayaabooz, leads and safeguards the companions throughout their journey. The cedar bough he holds symbolizes the sky world.
Why mention the sky world? We all have relatives residing on the Cedar Trail, known as the 'Milky Way' by most non-Native people. ² Every person born on earth has a spirit that enters through the Eastern door ³ but originates from the Milky Way; essentially, each of us has a counterpart dwelling somewhere in the upper-world. Every individual has a reflection from the sky world that they can learn from—if used wisely and responsibly. Thus, wherever we walk, our clans and our celestial bloodlines walk with us!
The lesson of the story is this: Regardless of how challenging it may be to sustain a healthy balance in marriage, no matter how tough things might feel at times, or how large the obstacles in your way may appear, remember that we have helpers. We just need to acknowledge this and identify who they are and where to find them.
Our existence on earth, along with that of our clans, is linked to the star constellations that illuminate the night sky. These celestial bodies offer numerous lessons about our fundamental values and how we should live our lives on earth. The planets and star formations convey a profound truth that speaks to our understanding of our roles and responsibilities as members of the community, grandparents, parents, children, and ultimately, as married couples.
The lesson of the story is this: Regardless of how challenging it may be to sustain a healthy balance in marriage, no matter how tough things might feel at times, or how large the obstacles in your way may appear, remember that we have helpers. We just need to acknowledge this and identify who they are and where to find them.
Never underestimate the inherent intuition and spiritual abilities of animals, birds, and even insects. They serve as our teachers by revealing certain norms and principles essential for us, as humans and companions on life's journey, to coexist and enjoy long, healthy lives. Recognizing this, and understanding that animals embody the fundamental needs of human society, our ancestors chose them as symbols for our phratries and clans. Through the clanship system established by our forebears, animals, even in today's world, instill certain virtues in clan members to emulate and provide us with a lifelong set of responsibilities—both individually and communally. Although now less significant and often merely symbolic, Anishinaabe clans still play a role in marriage regulations.
>For more information on our clans, refer to: What's Your Doodem?
Miigwech gibizindaw noongom mii dash gidibaajimotoon wa’aw dibaajimowin. Mino bimaadizin! Thank you for listening to me today, for allowing me to relate to you this story. Giga-waabamin wayiiba, I hope to see you again soon. Live well!
¹ The loon, a proficient waterbird renowned for its loud, wild call, symbolizes marital fidelity, as the close companionship between loons embodies the sacred bond of marriage. The loon (or 'maang' in our language) is primarily defined by its strong connection to water. Tradition holds that long ago, the loon's legs were broken and bent backward, rendering it unable to walk on land. Consequently, loons only venture onto land to nest. This trait makes it a transcendent symbol, existing in the nebulous space between the material and spiritual realms. Physically, the maang has the stars of the night sky reflected on its back.
² In Anishinaabe cosmology, there exists a Manidoo-miikana (Spirit trail) that perpetually cycles through the earthly realms, the sky world, the star world, and the spiritual realms. In the night sky, this Spirit Trail is known as Giizhik-miikana (“Cedar Trail”), the planetary path that seems to move from east to west. The cleansing herb Giizhik (cedar) and the sky (Giizhig) share not only similar spelling and pronunciation but are also considered spiritually connected beings, which is why it is called the “Cedar Trail.” The eight planets of our Solar System, including Mother Earth, orbited by the moon, her child, are part of the Great Spirit Nation, led by the Sun. These relatives, each with their own names and spirits, travel across the sky along the Spirit Trail. Among all planets and their celestial family members, Nookomis Dibik-Giizis, Grandmother Moon, is viewed as our primary gekinoo'amaaged, or teacher. She is often referred to as Gookomisinaan: Our Grandmother.
³ The concept that human spirits originate in the east aligns with the observation that celestial bodies, including the Sun and stars, travel across the sky from east to west. This east-to-west trajectory of the Sun and stars parallels what is known as waabanong miinawaa ningaabii'anong bimaadiziwin miikana: the east-to-west life path that we, as humans, tread on earth and that we, as traditional beings, adhere to spiritually through our ceremonies.
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