TEACHING FROM MOTHER EARTH

Think of the pine tree, standing so tall in the forest.

It does not bend easily with the four winds . It is fresh and has a dry scent  to help us breathe.

Other trees bend when snow piles on them in winter, but not the pine. It will crack off from the North West wind. But, even when the top cracks off, it still stands proud and strong.

Think of the buds. Before they fall back to the earth the winds scatter their seeds  among the forest, and the rest of the forest stands beside them  to nurture the seedlings to growth.

Then the cycle of one tree shares its strength with others int he cycle.

We are the same as the pine tree and other nations help our growth and journey in the cycle of life.

But, one must not forget our core values from our forefathers and Elderly teachings.

Culture is not science and therefore it should not be definitive.


Victor James Muise ( Pikto'l ) Sa'ke'j  Miu's

THE NAMING

I am honored that you asked me to give you an aboriginal name. This is not usually a role I perform as many in the aboriginal community take great pride in performing this function. My involvement within the aboriginal movement is usually at another level. Because as a People we are just finding our native spirituality, many who do this spirit naming are still in the early stages of their spiritual development and need aids like fasting, drumming, singing etc. to help them along; but I have been on my spiritual path for many decades and do things a little differently. I just need to “think’ about a spirit name in order to visualize it with my inner eye. This is accomplished at a very deep level because I am so connected to Mother Earth and the Universe. This is not a finite process; I just feel your life force and aura as it interacts with my inner-self; therefore what I am going to reveal to you is only my interpretation of your spirit force as experienced through my life-force. It may differ greatly from others’ interpretation or what you yourself believe about all this. Please remember that this is all at a spiritual, inner-self level and is not physical as you understand it.

I know from “looking” at your spirit that you are a complex person, very strong and resilient on some fronts but very weak and in need of help on others. You are a kind, honest person, a hard worker and lover of family. You appear to be in control of your life but have certain tendencies that are self-destructive; this was certainly more evident earlier in your life. Your eyes are the windows to your very soul and I see sadness and loneliness there that you try to mask with your cheerfulness. But deep down I see a lonely person who has self-doubt. I see that you need a soul mate; this person would have to be someone who not only loves you unconditionally but also fully understands your special needs. This person will soon enter your life [if not already present]. I could say a lot more but that is not the purpose of this exercise.

I see you as a young birch tree. This may seem strange to you but you have to understand the birch tree. It is a very resilient life-force taking a lot of punishment from Mother Earth’s elements especially wind, snow and definitely sleet. Young birch tree will bend to these greater forces often touching the ground, even losing some of its limbs. But it will always spring back into shape awaiting the next on-slot of nature’s force. Birch is a real life survivor. Other apparently stronger trees like the pine and spruce will not bend. They are too proud and think too much of their life situation. Instead the sleet and wind will snap off those magnificent trees and they die. For those reasons I see that you are like the birch tree, a life survivor.

But I also saw another side of you, morning; you are strongest in the morning; morning is also the time of day for unknown promise. There is always great expectation and youthful hope in the morning. We all need hope in order to face life’s disturbances. You are a morning person; full of life and in a good mood especially lately in your life. I thought about you as wind or something to do with spring but those elements were not as strong to me as birch and morning. You are not an animal spiritually but have a certain tendency towards eagles but you are not yet strong enough spiritually to have that type of spirit figure.

I struggled over you name for three days but now am satisfied with my feelings on this naming: Based on all of this I name you “Morning Birches”

Elder Eagle Catcher
2009

Unlike

THE BEGINNING

Kwe,,,

From top left :

 Melissa, my daughter ,  Coreen Muise, a cousin ,  Margie Muise ,sister  ,  Jenelle Duval Muise  .  and April O'Brien Sheppard , Chief Larry Jeddore ,  and my self,  VJM .

 This is the First Mi'kmaq Dance and singing Group in Bay St. George.

Pikto'l ,

Sa'ke'j Muise

THE UNKNOWN TRUTH

A Brief History of My Life (The Unknown Truth)

Mothers and (Maqmikawe'sku)  Mother Earth,  have raised me in  (Nujioqon )St. George's Nl., through the sacred seven stages of life.

When I was young the Elders (Nsukwis),  in and around our communities,  through assimilation into society and with  over 520 years or more of suppression,  did not know their Spiritual part of our culture.

Hunting and fishing and gathering berries , trapping in the fall still existed. 

My grandfather made a living of trading animals such as  foxes, mink, beaver etc… to sell or trade the pelts .

Only a few people know medicines,  such as knowledge of  hubush,  or bear root and  kinikwejitewaqsi, which is ground juniper,etc…

 Very few knew the Mi'kmaq language. 

I was taught English, Latin , and French in day school and I had a hard time trying to stay with the system .  I wanted to be in the bush , the country, walking Mother Earth and listening  to the creeks sing slow melodies to me . 

My thoughts were more clear in that environment  , and I always had this inner piece and spiritual sense when I was  with nature and it  became a huge part of my being.

Being from a poor family I still felt rich with love and respect  for  my parents , and I was always attached to my grand- mother and Elderly people in the community.

Only after 1980's  , when I went to a meeting with the Federation of Newfoundland Indians,  did  my awareness of my ancestor's  past come  to light.

Nevertheless,  my Aunt Josephine always told me I was Mi'kmaq.

 I started asking questions to the Elders and family members who were  Mi'kmaq Indians.

Very little was known,  but still yet today the spiritual strength,  in my inner soul,  stays with me.

I had passed almost a quarter  of my life standing strong with earthly objects, physical things,  that meant a whole lot to me and yet I didn't know the true meaning.

After years passed I became Chief of the Band Council in St.Georges and learned Mi'kmaq songs, chants from George Paul and got some teachings from Cathy Joe,  Mi'kmaq tribal teachers,  and many teachers from the Mi'kmaq Nation.

I went on and formed a Mi'kmaq warrior drum group and women's drum groups, and many groups after that , still learning and my interest grew   even stronger and gained more spiritual strength that stayed with me.

 I had to learn to be humble as I got older and this was a hard task .

I have accomplished many things in my life but my biggest reward was to finally find my true Identity and I lived the Mi'kmaq way of life .

I was now aware of many things . such as  truly staying on a path that the Creator intended for Indian people of the Mi'kmaq Nation that I'm so proud of ,  the  First Peoples of the Land   in North America .

Pikto'l Sa'ke'j Muise
Victor James Muise

LIFE'S JOURNEY

Important and Informative

I have sensed a deep connection to my SPIRITUALITY from a very early age.

 I hunted , fished , gathered berries and wild vegetables (living off and on the land).I was accustomed to Mother Earth and traveled with my uncle and cousins and spent most of my l spare  time walking the country of Western Newfoundland,sleeping in old log cabins. Side camps were home to me for many nights at a time.

My teachers from our Mi'kmaq traditions were SPIRITUAL,  Mi'kmaw  and traditional  L'NU; George Paul and Cathy Joe. Their teachings have sustained me throughout my life.

From a very early age I was taught to be respectful of my ELDERS. Respect and a helping them  were part of what was done for the ELDERS in our Community.

I joined the FNI in 1985 ( having only scratched the surface) of my SPIRITUAL understandings. At that time many people in Bay George did not know they had ties with the Mi'kmaq Nation. The L'nu of K'taqmkuk have since then taken a stand to revitalize their CULTURE which had been almost lost and forgotten.

When I helped kick start the St. George's Band and in 1989 was affiliated with FNL, I  became Chief of the St. George's Indian Band.  I acquired  a building for the Mi'kmaq of St. George to have their meetings.

  I set up a Mi'kmaq drum and singing group here in the Bay St. George area. I took direction from the ELDERS' who sat on our council. This is how Mi'kmaq people make decisions.

 I volunteered my time making presentations in the  school system here on the West Coast and also helped set up a group in Central Newfoundland and later set up a group at the Native Friendship Center in St. John's.

When my marriage broke up I turned to drinking. The emotional pain  was too much to bear and alcohol numbed this profound hurting. After a while with some help from my friends and family, I got the help I needed and stopped drinking.

During my working days as I was young, I sailed with the  Upper Lake Shipping Company from Toronto and sailed the whole Western Seaboard.

 I worked in the forests fields as a Forest Ranger 11 and was later fire Boss over the unit , here in the Bay St, George area, working throughout the Island and in Labrador.

 In later years I  worked as prospector on the Island and in Labrador.

 I spent time volunteering at Native Friendship Centers  with youth and I helped set up programs. I traveled in the many Provinces throughout Canada and in my spare time I stayed at my cabin up Flat Bay Brook in Helch Gulch in part , for 27 years .

Trying to stay on a spiritual path is very hard, although I have received much respect for my accomplishments over the past thirty years. In those years we had no pipe carries, sweat lodge keepers , spirit name givers, or  medicine people. 

People barely knew the Mi'kmaq language and as I was completely lost living in an European society.

In 2014 many of our Mikmaq people on K'taqmkuk gathered at our Mawiomi and every one was saying Pjila'si-welcome and there were over three thousand people present on Saturday.

 Many of our youth attended the gathering which made me so proud because twenty years ago there was very few of our youth dressed in full regalia and trying to learn more about our Mi'kmaq culture.

In concluding this writing I want to say we are fortunate to have some Mi'kmaq people that are Mi'kmaq Elders and teachers here in the Bay St. George area. However people are coming out of the woodwork from here and everywhere professing to be Mi'kmaq teachers, pipe carries, name givers and sweat lodge keepers.

I know to be a pipe carrier one must be recognized by the community and those people are hard to find to fill that role in Mi'kmaq society.

 The same goes for a Traditional Mi'kmaq Teacher of our culture. 

The honour of being a sweat lodge keeper is only given to a person when he has been a helper for many years. This person must be seen as be living by our 7 spiritual teachings , even  before they are considered to hold such a responsibility. Some people don't even make it and the name givers have to go through a sacred ceremony and then a name might be revealed.

Our youth are looking for direction from our ELDERS and TEACHERS about our way of life and how we live as Mi'kmaq. It is important that we have a discussion about who these people are and recognize these ELDERS and TEACHERS in a ceremony to present them to our COMMUNITY .

Pikto'l Sa'ke'j Muise..VJM

"Mandiewagque"
Up Flat Bay Brook

HIGH MOON

HIGH MOON

 Consider the moon

All Creation responds to the energy and pull of the moon.

When the moon is full , people and animals seem energized and sometimes behave in strange ways.

We are part of the cycle of the High Moon.

This manifests as many forms of changes in plants , in non-human animals, and in people.

It is good to notice these things

SPIRITUAL SPRING CLEANING

SPIRITUAL  SPRING  CLEANING

Sometimes we need to spring clean our Inner Selves, and purify Mind, Body , and Spirit.

I like to spend time with Nature to renew my thoughts and to embrace all my senses, or to take  a trip to the Spirit World during an ancient sacred ceremony.

No two people walk the same Path in life. One has to respect the other's Path.

Also, some life experiences are between a person and Creator, the same as a fast...very personal.....and not easy to convey. One must respect and understand that words cannot express some journeys.

But, you can find wisdom in nature, if you listen.

When I confine myself to the heart of Mother  Earth, I become strong in Spirit and with a sacred object can visualize a healing which can echo at a great distance. Our own destiny and spirit within nature can provide healing.

Thus, sometimes people should be alone in Nature.

I watch Nature and animals and this gives me direction.