Some Things to Think About

November 11, 1999

Dear Anishnabek,

My name is George Martin and I am Lynx Clan of the Ojibwe from the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation near Hayward, Wisconsin. I was Honorably Discharged after ten years of service as a United States Air Force Korean Conflict and Vietnam Era Veteran.

In 1983, Frank Bush and myself sponsored this area's first Anishnaabek Veteran's Dance and Feast. The ocassion was and still is a gathering to honor, remembr, feast fallen and missing warriors, and to reaffirm Anishnaabek culture, history, and tradition.

The present day Veteran's Dance and Feast began after WWI when our soldiers were returned safely from war. These returning veterans were so grateful to be home among their families and friends that they celebrated life with a Feast, Dance, and Give-Away. Anishnaabek believe that when something good befalls you; you then show your gratitude and humility to the Creator by giving of yourself and some of your possessions to the community. This was also a time to honor and remember those who did not return and their surviving families.

Anishnaabek Ogitchiidaag know and are assured of their place while serving Anishnaabek on Mother Earh. Anishnaabek Ogitchiidaag understand that their role as protectors of the people and Mother Earth is not over when their "hitch" is up. In fact, it is only the beginning! Present day chimookmon service clubs and groups are modeled after Anishnaabek Warrior Socieities. The Masons, Kiwanis, Shriners, etc. who all do good work for the betterment of society as a whole have infused their missions with many of the values and ideals of these Anishnaabek Warrior Societies.

Living by and continually demonstrating the Seven Grandfather teachings, Anishnaabek Ogitchiidaag strive to please the Creator. The Seven Grandfathers teachings are as old as time. The Seven Grandfathers being:
Bravery - aakdehewin
Honesty - gweyakwaadziwin
Humility - dbaadendizwin
Love - zaagidwin
Respect - minaadendmowin
Truth - debwewin
Wisdom - nbwaakaawin

People who know these teachings understand that Anishnaabe Ogitchiidaa's actions, conduct, and overall daily life are based on the Seven
Grandfathers. Living a good life and serving the people isn't done dishonestly, disrespectfully, carelessly, haphazardly, or cavalierly.

We, the Anishnaabek Ogitchiidaag, are grateful and honored to sponsor this modern-day event in Anishnaabek culture! We hope to see you at
the 1999 Anishnaabek Veteran's Dance and Feast!

Niikane ganaa! All my relatives!
George Martin

"Pursuing the Dream"

Aquay, Greetings, my brothers and sisters,
My name is Darren Kroenke. I have the honor and privilege of speaking to you this evening of the day in which we remember and pay tribute to the life, works, and dreams of a great leader and warrior for all peoples, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I am here to represent the North American Indian Student Organization and the native students of the university. I am Wolf Clan of the Brothertown Nation or Eeyamquitoowauconnuck in our language.

You may be asking yourselves at this very moment, "How can someone who looks so white, be an Indian?" But, would you judge me by the predominant color of my skin or the observation that the rest of my physical features are hardly what you would call "Indian?"

I am a mixed blood. My father is German and my mother French-Canadian and Indian. I am in some ways the solution to the "Indian problem" in this country. My grandmother's parents were the last members of my family who could fluently speak our language - government boarding schools for Indian children saw to that. Along with the language went many of our traditions and the other more intimate aspects of our culture. I fall just under the line of what the Federal government of this country classifies as a bona fide Indian. It's obvious that I could live out the rest of my life as simply as another white male and blend right into the majority. But, I choose not to.

I choose to fight against being told by people who do not know me, who I am and what my place should be in society. As an Indian person, even a mixed blood, I have a strong sense of connection to my family, my ancestors, and our history. I refuse to overlook the fact that my grandmother lives on the reservation. I refuse to forget that my uncle was a baby conceived as the result of an act of rape instigated by racial intolerance and that my mother was the child of alcohol abuse and fear. I will not forget how my mother who she was taught to believe was a good-for-nothing Indian. But, I am indeed fortunate because this all ends with me. I may never have to face these kinds of injustices, but I will never forget my family and their hardships and never will I give up this part of my identity because of what a stranger thinks or says.

In my opinion, this is part of Dr. King's Dream. For me, his words explain that we should not make rash decisions about an individual's nature based on physical appearance and our petty ideas of where that person fits in society. We should not rob another human of their individuality, rather we should respect them for the "content of their character." To me this is the dream that Dr. King spoke of. But as you very well know dreams are not quite reality and the reality of our society falls far short of Dr. King's Dream.

There is an old Indian teaching common to many tribal cultures that if you cannot dream of something it will never become reality. Therefore, we are left to pursue the dream of the dreamer, which requires much from all of us for the journey from dream to reality is long and hard.

For many Indian youth, breaking the bondage and conquering the barriers that society places on them is this same difficult journey in pusuit of the dream. Education is the path some will follow. For many, graduation from high school is a dream seldom realized, let alone the opportunity to pursue higher education by attending the university. Here we have the ability to mold our character and cast off the chains, which many would attach to our predetermined potential. But the journey is long and numerous obstacles are placed in our way. The least of these obstacles should be the means to financially achieve a college education. Due to a guarantee made by the forefathers of the present-day inhabitants of this state to the ancestors of many Indian youth who attend this University today in exchange for the very land upon which we now stand, no Anishnabe person should be denied the ability to pursue the dream of a college education. I speak of the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver. The promise of an education for the children of the Anishnabek people as long as the sun shall rise and the rivers flo shall flow in return for the land on which this University is built - a land grant University. It is therefore the sacred responsibility of the Administration of this land grant institution to guarantee an education to the Indian peoples of this state and to uphold the promise made by those founding fathers upon which the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver is based This must be done without reserve if this University is to pursue the dream of the great man we have come here this evening to honor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I most humbly thank you for listening to my words.

MLK Jr. Day Convocation Speech, Great Hall, Wharton Center
Monday, January 17, 2000
Presented by Darren Kroenke, NAISO co-chair

TEACHINGS OF THE SEVEN GRANDFATHERS

In the American Indian teaching we have learned how to take care of Mothe Earth. In our care for the Mother Earth, we have learned to apply these gifts to families, communities, ourselves, an to all things. Remember these gifts as we greet the rising sun in the morning and the sinking sun in the evening. These gifts of knowledge came from the Seven Grandfathers and were handed to the First Elder.

Wisdom - Nbaakaawin - Use the wisdom for the people.

Love - Zaagidwin - Love your brother and sister and share with them.

Respect - Mnaadendmowin - Respect everyone, all humans and all things created. Regard each with esteem and consideration.

Bravery - Aakdehewin - Do things even in the most difficult times. be ready to defend what you believe and what is right.

Honesty - Gwekwaadziwin - Be honest in every action and provide good feelings in the heart. Do not be deceitful or use self-deception.

Humility - Dbaadendizin - Know that you are equal to everyone else. Take pride in what you do, but the pride that you take is in the sharing of
the accomplishment with others.

Truth - Debwewin - Be true in everything that you do. Be true to yourself and true to your fellow man. Always speak the truth.

The Seven Grandfathers told the First Elder that “Each of these teachings must be used with the rest; you can not have wisdom without love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility, and truth. . . . to leave one out is to embrace the opposite of what that teaching is.” If one of these gifts is not used with the others, we will not be in balance. We must remember these teachings, practice them, and teach them to our children.

“Once we were happy in our own country and we were seldom hungry; for then the two-leggeds and the four-leggeds lived together like relatives, and there was plenty for them and for us.” - Black Elk, the Great Sioux Elder

TEACHINGS OF THE SEVEN GRANDFATHERS is from page 10 of the Spring 2001
Michigan Indian Quarterly

MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS
Capital Tower Building, Suite 800
110 W Michigan Avenue

Dividers are courtesy of

Sam Silverhawk

This page is maintained by Mike Wigle. For more information / corrections please contact me at

[email protected]