Idle No More and Traditional Teachings

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.