As Cree people, we were given the gift of being named for the four parts of human beings. Nehiyawak, we were called.

It means being balanced in the four parts that are found in the four directions of the Medicine Wheel. These four parts for human beings are the spiritual, physical, emotional and mental aspects of the self. We need to try and balance these four parts that were given to us, to function as people.

The fire is in the centre of the Medicine Wheel. That is where the meaning of the teachings comes from. For me this fire is also the self. When you look at the Medicine Wheel, you start from self. And as you look out, you make your circle.

This is how the Medicine Wheel represents the life journey of people.

The Piikani Nation is part of the Blackfoot Confederacy. The Siksika, the Bloods, and the Piikani all speak the Blackfoot language, and we’re all part of Treaty 7 in southern Alberta - along with the Tsuu T’ina, or Sarcee, who speak a different language.

When they put in the border for the United States, they put it right through our Piikani territory. Half of us were sent to the states and the other half went north. So we became the northern Piikani. The Southern Piikani are across the border in Montana.

HONOURING INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES Toolkit.

Learn common phrases in:

INUKTITUT
CREE
LUNAAPEEW
MICHIF
MOHAWK
OJIBWE
OJI-CREE

In this video from 2008, Nokomis Josephine Mandamin vividly recounts her walk around the Great Lakes. Along with her contagious passion and leadership, it is evident that Nokomis was also a gifted storyteller and a natural educator—leading relentlessly by example and with heart. Nokomis used every fibre of her being to advocate for not only her own Peoples, but for all life on Earth. Her love and spirit of life will flow through coming generations, rippling into relationships of reciprocity all across Turtle Island. We wish her spirit a peaceful journey home.

Carrying Her Message
• See how Nokomis supported and inspired one Thunder Bay teacher and his classroom of junior water walkers (and eventually, the whole school) to infuse science and technology into their water inquiry, in partnership with the Google Earth Educator Community. Read Peter Cameron's blog post, and explore #juniorwaterwalkers' awesome Google Earth project.
• See how Nokomis inspired our past Burtynsky Award winner, Jennifer Baron, to lead a water inquiry with her students in partnership with York Region District School Board's First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Curriculum Leads, Towana Brooks and Hayley Williamson. More than 200 students led a water walk around Lake Simcoe.
• Primitive Entertainment has made WATERLIFE, a documentary about water that features a small part of Nokomis's story, narrated by Gord Downie, free online for an extended period of time.

Bright, beautiful, interactive and simple to use, Managing your money offers a series of seven worksheets to help Indigenous individuals and families to set and work towards money goals. Each financial topic and activity features artwork by Simon Brascoupé paired with a teaching from the animal world that draws on their skills, strengths and experiences in managing resources. These worksheets are designed to facilitate one-on-one conversations or to be used in financial education workshops (and in fillable pdf format)  They can be used in the order they appear, or in a different order that fits best with the individual. This resource also includes recorded webinar, with faciliator guide, blank slides to make your own presenation, and full booklets in English, French, Cree and Ojibwe.

Episode Three: Gaamiinigooyang – “That Which Is Given To Us” describes the traditional Ojibwe survival system through numerous interviews with historians, tribal leaders, and elders; combined with visually stunning dramatic sequences of the four seasons’ traditional economic cycle. Key interviews are powerfully illustrated with archival photographs, documents, maps, and historical film footage.

Travel from the times before contact, through the Fur Trade period, which introduced European concepts of personal profit, land ownership, and debt. This episode traces the damaging effects of treaties and land loss on the very survival of the Ojibwe; the economic reforms of the 1960s and 70’s self-determination; and contemporary court decisions which have re-affirmed reserved rights to practice traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering. Many of today’s Ojibwe people are experiencing a renewed economic sovereignty through new sources of financial stability including gaming, tribal businesses, and individual entrepreneurship.
..

Can you tell the difference between Ojibwe and Dakota beadwork? Stick with host Susan until the end of the video and you'll be able to notice the differences.

00:00 Can you spot the difference between Ojibwe & Dakota beadwork?
01:53 The history of beadwork in Native communities
02:28 Historical Dakota beadwork from the Minnesota area
03:24 Ojibwe floral designs and nature in Ojibwe art
04:42 The history of Indigenous beadwork in the Minnesota area
06:36 Extra: the Spirit bead

From the craft, to the textile, to finishing touches, and even to the customs that come with it, our traditional clothing reflects our cultural identity. Worn Within explores the stories and people behind our traditional clothing.