The
Seven Grandfather Teachings and the Idle
No More Movement
First
we will list the Seven Grandfather Teachings:
1. Wisdom
– to cherish knowledge is to know wisdom
2. Love
- to know love is to know peace
3. Bravery
– to face the foe with integrity
4. Honesty
– to understand honesty is to know how to be authentic and real
5. Humility
– is to know yourself as a sacred part of Creation and Creator; we are all
equal, no better or worse than any other part of Creation
6. Respect
– “re” means again, and “spect” means to look; we look twice at everything to
gain understanding
7. Truth
– is to know all of the teachings and apply them in your life; there is only
one “truth” which is yours and yours alone, but to understand truth is to know
and recognize the truth of others
The Idle No More movement began in the heart
of community life and was started by four women, but it has no official
leaders. It has a wide base of support among Native peoples, and non-Native
peoples have joined with their support, even around the world.
Basically Indigenous
peoples around the world, like here in Canada, are seeking justice for the
Earth and for their communities. There is a strong emphasis on respecting the
environment, the life of Indigenous communities, and respect of Treaty
agreements going back hundreds of years. More specifically, it seeks to reset
our relationship with the Federal government. This reset means honoring the
Treaties, and the sacredness of life.
The wisdom of the Idle No More movement is based in the
love of the Creator and the Earth. It asks the people to bravely face their foe
with integrity and non-violence. Like Chief Therese Spence modeling her love
and her insistence for fairness and principles, people are asked to sacrifice
with honesty and humility, with respect and truth, and to seek right
relationships with each other and in all their actions.
Following the Seven
Grandfather Teachings, or the Seven Wisdom Teachings as some say, will help us
each to know what right action can be taken to support Idle No More. It will be different for different people, and it
must remain peaceful in order to find its greatest effectiveness. When we meet
resistance from those who are misinformed or lack understanding and respect, we
can rely on these traditional teachings to guide our appropriate responses in
peaceful ways. We use bravery to speak our truth, and help others step aside
from their fear. Frightened people who lack knowledge can act in threatening
ways, but if we face them with the traditional teachings we can deflect their
negativity and continue to move forward in a good way.
