Shé:kon sewakwé:kon (greetings, everyone). I’d like to invite you to walk a mile in my shoes moccasins and see the world through my eyes.
I can recount story after story of my life so far. I can share my perspective on any number of current events and issues. I can articulate how I feel, how I have felt, and what I hope for. But I cannot offer you my lived experience.
Being Kanien’kehá:ka, seeing the world through an Indigenous lens, is an existence I feel blessed to experience. I am inherently attached to a beautifully rich culture with an emboldened history. Through this I am encouraged every day to learn, to connect and to remain humble. Still, for a disturbingly large segment of society, my identity makes me a political agenda item, a fiscal burden, and a social crux.
I’ve had to work hard at living in a society where I feel resented for everything that I am. And I must take a moment here to honour those in my life whose spirits became far too broken to continue. I wish I didn’t understand the choice.
I am so grateful that I found my way out of the dark. I make brief visits now and again, but they are fleeting.
It is responsibility and loyalty that has me continuing to chase the light.
You see, as many Indigenous people will attest, we bring our communities with us. We bring our ancestors with us. We look seven generations ahead. I am guided by those who came before me, the youth coming up behind me, and those who will walk on this earth after I am gone. Resilience and hope stretching across the generations.
I cannot speak to the motivations of all Indigenous peoples, but I can speak to what I have been taught. So-called “Indigenous rights issues” – residential schools, Land Back initiatives, water protection, anti-pipeline demonstrations, and Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls campaigns – are, in fact, less about rights and more about responsibilities.
When I think about my role as an Okwehon:we (original or first peoples of this land) woman, I come back to the teachings of what are considered the Creator’s original instructions.
We are not just ON this earth; we are OF this earth. We are made up of the same elements as she, our Mother Earth. She is our most precious and wise teacher. She shows her gratitude for life every day through her unconditional love.
The lesson for me is to be thankful for all of my relations each day. I have a responsibility to nurture and feed the relationships in my life. I am meant to show compassion even in the face of harm being done unto me. It is also acceptable for me to do what is needed to care for and protect myself. It’s okay for that to look like a fierce storm. Sometimes it’s necessary.
Haudenosaunee people were gifted the Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen, loosely translated to mean the Words Before All Else, sometimes referred to as the Thanksgiving Address. This greeting is meant to open any gathering of people. It aligns the hearts, spirits and minds of those present to foster well-intentioned engagement. The recitation of this prayer reminds us of our duty to centre our role as stewards and protectors of Mother Earth and the life she holds.
In this patriarchal society, too much of the teachings of the matriarchy get lost. Power, control and hierarchy rule our social, political and economic landscapes. We lose countless opportunities to be inclusive, to empower, and to uplift. Relationships become a byproduct of transactional activity.
In this climate, social accountability and consciousness get diluted down to aesthetics, which bolsters the image of an individual or organization but results in extraction from marginalized people and groups, their cultures, and their traumas. The humanity of that lived experience neglected.
Teachings of the water are an integral part of how I understand the matriarch. Water is necessary for bearing and sustaining life, so it has beautiful nurturing and cleansing properties. For the water to fulfill its purpose and support all it’s meant to, the current must also be intense and relentless. For me, that translates into incessant advocation and protection of the guiding culture, values, and interests of this worldview that I carry.
The creation of the residential school system dismantled family structures. It was an abrupt and violent disruption to the very spirit of the culture. Mothers, aunties and grandmothers were robbed of their sacred duties. The children who did return now understood the woman’s role differently.
I will continue to fight for the return of our sacred matriarchy, not as a takeover but as a reuniting of the teachings with those of the patriarchy. The goal is a return to balance, where relationship to all life and an understanding of our interconnectedness are held at the centre of how we travel our paths.
I do not claim that the Indigenous worldview is THE worldview. Instead, I implore you to assess how you prioritize trust and relationship building in your daily functions.
Know also that I am aware that I am not immune to the conditioning and conveniences of modern life.
Every day I need to do the work of decolonizing, reclaiming traditional ways of knowing, and seeking out truths. I know that I must walk in both worlds, and all I can do is my best to do it with care.
I don’t want you to see through my eyes or walk in my shoes. I want you to feel connection to the life around you. I want YOUR eyes to take in the beauty; I want YOUR feet to feel the earth. I want to remind you of what your spirit already knows: We exist within the circle together. ❧
Jillian Morris is a Kanien’kehaka (Mohawk) woman and band member of Six Nations of the Grand River Territory who currently lives in Collingwood. With a degree in Public Administration and Indigenous Governance from Ryerson University, she served 13 years with the Department of National Defence (DND) and co-chaired the Defence Aboriginal Advisory Board for a decade. She has spent the past two years volunteering, supporting events, participating on boards, conducting research, and engaging as a guest speaker. She is a proud member of the Feather Carriers: Leadership for Life Promotion community, which is based on cultural teachings and capacity building to support those at risk of premature death.
Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen
The Words Before All Else
The People
Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. Without them we would not be standing together today. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as people.
Now our minds are one.
The Earth Mother
We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our Mother, we send greetings and thanks.
Now our minds are one.
The Waters
We give thanks to all the waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms – waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of water.
Now our minds are one.
The Fish & Water Creatures
We turn our minds to all the fish life and all water creatures. They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselves to us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So, we turn now to the fish and send our greetings and thanks.
Now our minds are one.
The Plants
Now we turn toward the vast fields of plant life. As far as the eye can see, the plants grow, working their many wonders as they sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and look forward to seeing plant life for many generations to come.
Now our minds are one.
The Food Plants
With one mind, we turn to honour and thank all the food plants we harvest from the garden. Since the beginning of time, the three sisters, corn, beans and squash, the grains, vegetables, and berries have helped to sustain us. Many other living things draw strength from them, too. We gather all the plant foods together as one and send them a greeting and thanks.
Now our minds are one.
The Medicine Herbs
Now we turn to all the medicine herbs of the world, especially remembering tobacco, sage, sweet grass and cedar. From the beginning, they were instructed to bring messages to Creator and take away sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are happy they are still among us, and those special few, who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the medicines and to the keepers of the medicines.
Now our minds are one.
The Animals
We gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the animal life in the world. Of which the leader is the deer, as they still give us their bodies for sustenance and clothing. They have many things to teach us as people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. We are glad they are still here and we hope that it will always be so.
Now our minds are one.
The Trees
We now turn our thoughts to the trees. The earth has many families of trees who have their own instructions and uses, especially the Great Maple. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. Many peoples of the world use a tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind, we greet and thank the tree life.
Now our minds are one.
The Birds
We put our minds together as one and thank all the birds who move and fly about over our heads of which the Eagle is the leader. The Creator gave them beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. To all the birds – from the smallest to the largest – we send our joyful greetings and thanks.
Now our minds are one.
The Four Winds
We are all thankful for the powers we know as the four winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help to bring the change of seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and thanks to the four winds.
Now our minds are one.
The Thunders
Now we turn to the west where our grandfathers, the thunder beings, live. With lightning and thundering voices, they bring with them the water that renews life. We bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to our grandfathers, the thunders.
Now our minds are one.
The Sun
We now send greetings and thanks to our eldest brother, the sun. Each day without fail he travels the sky from east to west, bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our brother, the sun.
Now our minds are one.
Grandmother Moon
We put our minds together and give thanks to our oldest Grandmother, the moon, who lights the night time sky. She is the leader of women all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the moon who watches over the arrival of children here on earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the moon.
Now our minds are one.
The Stars
We give thanks to the stars spread across the sky like the most beautiful jewelry. We see them in the night, helping the moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel at night, they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we send greetings and thanks to all the stars.
Now our minds are one.
The Enlightened Teachers
We gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened ones who have come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way of our original instructions, to live as a loving people. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring teachers.
Now our minds are one.
The Creator
Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our most choice words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.
Now our minds are one.
Finally, if something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send such greetings and thanks in their own way, and now our minds are one.
