THE SHAMAN

Grandfather's Prayer

According to Mi'kmaq Tradition we pray to give thanks to the seven directions.

Daily we give thanks for our blessings. The Great Spirit is always blessing us and at times will put a lesson in our path. This lesson is also a blessing , and so we also give thanks for this.

Living in thankfulness and following our spiritual path of humility, honesty, respect, courage, wisdom, truth and love gives us a life that is precious and beautiful , the way KJI'niskam intended it to be.

Pikto'l Sa'ke'j Muise./Sa'qewei-wjijaqamijl wipe's paqt-sm

(Ancient Spirit of the White Wolf)

WISDOM

WISDOM

In the every day duties one must always respect Elders, not as leaders but as judges, leaders of culture and knowledge. They are mental storehouses for spiritual, mental , physical and emotional knowledge and wisdom of all Creation.

They will work in any capacity.

We try to work in the spirit from our hearts, while many gifts and rewards lie ahead.

Our teachings are not rules that must be obeyed, but rather good words that are meant to inspire, guide ,and instruct. The foundation of integrity or wholeness is balance and happiness.

We will conduct ourselves in this manner.

When we hear drums and chants of ancient cultural values, that have been passed down and restored from time immemorial , then we are proud and hold our heads high above the creation of our land. We pass this on in a sacred manner and our dancing to show expression while we dance.

Then it restores and acknowledges the teachers , to show our youth the teachings that have been passed down to the endless tomorrow.

My sisters and brothers , I have spoken of the cycle of truth, which are values such as gratitude, respect , and acceptance.

Pikto'l Sa'ke'j Muise

Blessings to all my Relations of the world; from the Muise Clan...

HEALING

Maqmikawe'sku- Mother Earth

Healing

My sisters and brothers across Turtle Island, hear me through a sacred breath of the Creator. I will tell of generations of healing that I'm about to speak.

Our language and customs of our people has not been forgotten.

The path that leads from your mother's umbilical cord, like stories of ancient times and our healing, customs and language now are even older.

Healing, like language, comes from energy such as the sound of our land, the winds and the waterfalls.

This has been preserved from the Earth through our tongue and has a distinct openness that has not been found, only through the blood of our ancestors.

To heal mental, physical, spiritual sickness, one must encounter experiences of living off the land and Mother Earth and go through the different paths in life.

But sometimes through stories and sacred ceremonies the plants , animals, forest and streams must be all our relations.

To the biggest end of our journey , we have to tone down , and transmit, our emissions and send our thoughts into a meadow of natural smell, sound, sight, touch and speak the sacred words of our ancestors.

Msitno'kmaq- All my Relations

Sa'qewei-wjijaqamijl waqe'k paqt-sm

Ancient Spirit of the White Wolf

Pikto'l Sa'ke'j Muise.

THE CYCLE OF TRUTH

The Cycle of TRUTH

#1 Learning .... A great Healer is one who teaches,inspires,and models how a patient can heal himself.

#2 Honoring....Is respect for the Creator, Creation, yourself and others.

#3 Acceptance.... Accept our weakness as we know our strength.

#4 Seeing ....The ability to see the hidden Truth.

#5 Hearing....A healer can hear health and disease in the tone of a person.

#6 Speaking....One must always speak with care...words are carried with a sacred breath.

#7 Loving-....Love of the Mother Earth.Its symbol is the sun.

#8 Service....A person's service makes him rich and honorable .

#9 Living....If we speak the truth we must live it.

#10 Working....Symbolized by the turtle.

#11 Walking....Spiritual path in life...Survival.

#12 Gratitude....Thank you...four or seven times.

Pikto'l Sa'ke'j Muise.

(Sa'qewei wjijaqamijl wape'k paqt-sm)

(Ancient Spirit of the White Wolf)

Wela'lin,Wela'lin,Wela'lin,Wela'lin.

TOMORROW'S WISDOM

THIS IS WISDOM/ THIS IS TODAY AND TEACHINGS FOR TOMORROW'S LIFE

On an isle there is a mountain of life beyond what you can see. Do a complete circle around your self, then take a journey of your own. Never go to the top alone, or to the bottom by yourself. Always stay at the center of life, then your balance in life will be your own and then you’ll gain more purpose through life in that balance.

CONTENTMENT When you think of a mountain and an ant, find a place that you're in contentment, not a place you're happy. Happiness comes natural, contentment you have to find. Sit by a creek and listen to the silence of the ripples. It will speak to you. When you find that place you’ll know. Fast in silence .Contentment will appear.

KNOWLEDGE Knowledge is our grandmothers and grandfathers and you learn all through you life time. Sometime in life you have to go back, to find out who you are. Your ancestors will help you, when you find out who you are, and then you can go ahead in life. Finding your bloodline is knowledge, because that’s you. Living that line is a task and must take example from Respected Elders of you Communities or Clan.

WISDOM Wisdom is our grandmothers and grandfathers of tomorrow, which is our youth of today. We ,as ELDERS, hold trust for them so they can be stronger in culture than we are. Now our ELDER is fading away. Take time for them to speak to you. They are the metal stories of our survival/wisdom.

PATH Your path in life is of saying and doing, but you have to control of your body, mind, and spirit, a journey that is not hard to accept. Think of the turtle, how slowly he moves on earth, but he or she lives over 300 years old sometimes.

HONOR When you speak with honor, you will receive respect. Spiritual strength you will receive because the people have power. We have none. All ways honor elders, leaders, your community, and yourself. Then you will receive HONOR.

HAPPINESS Small and simple events in life make people happy, but happiness is only for a short time. Why not find what’s in the spirit of those events. It will come to your surprise that you are the spirit of happiness at events. Then the whole event becomes a circle of happiness.

HEALING Healing is not a mission. Don’t attempt to heel another person, if you yourself are laid in illness. Find the path of illness. Most sickness is natural in stages of life. You can heal yourself in that case. Only for illness enter your body, nine spirits will harm you, Then medicine from your birthplace will heal you. But that is the final healing path.

TASK. I have been instructed by the CREATOR to do a task. I have to reach out, smell, touch, hear, see and be present, and then you yourself are that task.

TRACKS When an EAGLE flies he leaves no tracks for his predators to harm him. We can do the same, only be gentile when walking MOTHER EARTH, and no harm will comet you. When an EAGLE flies, he is not only looking for prey, he is watching over the earth to protect and search its path. Our Path is theirs but they cannot see it, so we ,as humans, are the path of natural being. That is a start.

Material Some people say “I worked all my life and have nothing”. That’s because material things are nothing, only to look at, and a need. Your visions in life are what makes life, and then follow your dreams. Life is no bed of roses but I smell them all the time. Pray this way and you dreams will become a reality..

Courage I thought I accomplished everything in life, but first I had to conquer my biggest enemy, MYSELF. Now I can go on living.

WORK An ant does not stop tolling and working all day long, yet he is one of the smallest creature on earth. No mountain stands in their way. Be content when you work, or shift to another job. We are not ants.

DIRECTIONS There are seven secret directions, on our secret pipe, seven stages in life, seven gifts, seven teachings, seven secret medicines. When searching in life always start to the east, and with yourself first.

Symbols There are signs and symbols on earth for us to follow. CLOSE YOUR EYES. In life use all senses, make them work together. Nature will react to your senses, faster than man made signs.

YOUTH When a robin leaves its nest they do not return to their mothers. When a child leaves their mother they draw closer together. When a child wants to fly allow them to explore life.

CONFEDERATION My uncle told me, not to cut a tree to cross to the other side of the creek ..."Why?" I asked. "Your son may need that tree to shelter and to breed among his children’s children."

SMUDGING Sweetgrass is a secret plant, the hair of mother earth. When you smudge to purify your body, mind, spirit, you pray for all creation, to continue is what people forgets.

LEARNING There are certain things women and man can learn in a life span. Don’t try to learn every subject there is. It’s going to take a long time to learn one subject of life. Itself.

OFFERING When we take from MOTHER EARTH, make an offering back, with what ever substance you have. To give is better than receiving. MOTHER EARTH preserves food and shelter. These gifts are all free. And we are only the fourth to be here on earth. The animals were third, the plants were seconds, and the rocks were here first, our grandfathers.

FEAR Fear is our biggest foe which hides in you. Breath fresh air and get rid of fear. While there is air, there should be no fear.

DEATH Old Joe told me he was worried about life, not the death. He said "But there may be no one to carry the secret medicine after I leave because it’s dangerous to mix medicine together, unless you're brought up from a young child. Knowing your plants on earth is one’s life.

VISION Believe in your VISIONS, but a real vision is only those that become a reality.

TALKING I asked an ELDER, when I was only young man. How will I speak to a Group of people? She said "Speak from your heart, but don’t disrespect your self, and know their caliber of their education before you begin and those people's culture which is their language." We INDIANS are not educators. We are teacher of WISDOM. TOHO!

PRAY When I pray to the rocks, our GRANDFATHERS and the DRUM, teachers of the cycle of life, to give me strength, to respect our leaders of yesterday, leaders of today, and leaders of tomorrow and for our youth to have silence. Our wars among men and women, nation to nation, country to country, like the ripples of the creeks in the world , please bandage the wounds of our forefathers.

Pray this way and you have paid respect to all creation.

PIKTO'L SA'KE'J MUISE,

( ANCIENT SPIRIT OF THE WHITE WOLF)

VALUES, CUSTOMS, AND TRADITIONS OF THE MI'KMAQ NATION

Values, Customs and Traditions of Mi'Kmaq Nation
It is like a Code of Ethics.
In the Mi'Kmaq world, these rules are known as ORAL TRADITIONS.
These rules must be taught to us by Elders, Spiritual people, Medicine people and Chiefs of our Nation. No one learns by verbal knowledge, but you learn through observation all during your lifetime.
(ONE).... Mi'kmaq show respect for rituals in our interaction with nature. The Spirit of the trees, animals, plants, and elements we disturb for our own use.
(Two)...Respect for the human spirit from birth until death. All things have their own unique spirit.
(Three)...Respect for Elders. Our Mi'kmaq society holds this value with highest esteem and consider it most important of all.
(Four).... Mi'kmaq language is sacred. The sacred knowledge within our language provides wisdom and understanding.
(Five)....Sharing. Being Mi'kmaq gives the unique ability to have an Eagle's viewpoint of sharing of yourself, your resources, your time, your knowledge, your wisdom freely without being asked, or expecting anything in return.
(SIX)... Death is a natural as birth.
(SEVEN)... Individual non-interference.
(EIGHT)...Respect for the unborn.
(Nine)... Ageing is a privilege.
(Ten)... Spiritually -The belief of our Elders.
(ELEVEN)..... Belief in the supernatural between two worlds.
(Twelve)... Humility and humor.
(Thirteen)... Labeling: understanding the Spirit in a person.
(Fourteen)... Sweetgrass ceremony. (Pekitne'mam)
(Fifteen)... Indian time, the space of no beginning and no end.
(Sixteen)... Time for healing.
(Seventeen)... Child care.
(Eighteen).... Ritual for death and dying. They should not be left alone. Enter the spirit world completely at peace with everyone and everything, to find a path in the spirit world.(Wasoqnckewi)
(Nineteen)... Ritual for mourning.
(Twenty)... Richness of body language.
(Twenty-one)... Honoring ceremony for elders. (Pestiewa'ltimk)
(Twenty-two)...Ceremony for individual accomplishment. (Wi'kipaltimk)
(Twenty-three)... Dreams. Listen to our dreams.
(Twenty-four)...Ability to function in Separate Worlds.
(Twenty-five) ...Customs and beliefs affecting women. SHE IS THE MAIN AGENT OF OUR CULTURE !!
(Twenty-six)... Customs for visiting.
(Twenty-seven)... Belief in a forerunner.
(Twenty-eight)...Feeding of Grandfather.(A'puknajit., Giving thanks to spirit during the most difficult time of winter.
(Twenty-nine)... Behavor modification of children. Take a child in the bush and teach the spirit of Mother Earth. Let the child breath the breath of our Mother.
(Thirty)...Respect for food.It is sacred. What is never put into fire should return to nature.
PIKTO'L SA'KE'J MUISE : (Sa'qewei-wjijaqmijl-wape'k-paqt-sm),Ancient spirit of the White

ORAL TRADITIONS

MaqmikaweSku-Mother Earth

In the Mi'kmaq world our rules are known as Oral Traditions.

We have a code of ethics which was taught by male and female Elders, , spiritual peoples recognized in society,Medicine people and chief of our nations.

The keepers of this sacred knowledge are wide spread among our people in all four directions on Turtle Island. They are divided into seven Districts: The Wabanaki People of the Dawn are the first people in North America and here in Canada.

My sisters and brothers and seven generations that follow, hear the teachings of our Creator and Great Grandfather of All,who dwells in the Spirit-Land known as the universe.

One of the first and most important teachings is a Natural Law. That was to keep things pure, especially the water. Keeping the water pure is life itself.If we destroy the water you destroy all mankind and all that exists on the planet earth.

Our stories are teachings. Our teachings are healing. Our healing is life,to live in harmony with nature.

Today in history the Eagle Spirit hovers from a higher place and teaches us to gather our drums, and singing with our dancing together in balance in all seven directions.

Our customs ,like our sacred Spiritual ceremony of our people, have not been forgotten. We must understand that our way of life has somewhat changed. But our sacred duty to protect the welfare of our MOTHER Mother Earth , from whom all life comes.

These words are not rules that we must obey, but rather good words that are meant to inspire, guide and instruct the values that is in the spirit of our hearts.

Sa'qewei-wjijaqamijl wape'k paqt-sm(Ancient Spirit of the White Wolf)

Pikto'l Sa'ke'j Muise/