Anishinabe-Aking has lost another great elder and holy man; Thomas Stillday.
When i think of this elder, many a thoughts come to mind. But the few thoughts that last, are is when me and Foxy( one of my non-fictitious characters) sat down and tried to "iron" things out to the differences in our opinions. We sat down to discuss things in the month of August of 2007. Our discussion was in the Hotel lobby of the St. Croix Hotel in turtle Lake, Wisconsin. We had discussed many things about the Midewiwin and what he "thought" was important to the community of Round lake and to the ideals and principals of Midewiwin and how i wasn't fit into his grand scheme of Midewiwin. It gets deeper, but what i did get across was my concern to his arrogance and his respect for elders.
Of course, because i do not have fancy letters behind my name(i do not promote them), my thoughts and concerns to him were worthless and unmeaningful. I am okay with this, but i shocked him on many levels of self-being, all of which pointed to him and his Anishinabe lifestyle, attitude, psychological functioning and reasoning.
Out of the many things we threw back and forth towards one another; the thought of Tommy Stillday and Anna Gibbs came up.
I, did not initiate to know either of these elders and i am not saying i know them personally. I do know however what was related to me about Midewiwin and what "Foxy" thought about the future of Midewiwin in the village of Ponemah. When he brought up Midewiwin in the village of Ponemah, my first initial thought was, " what the hell does this have to do with me or my community of Roundlake"?"
Foxy related to me that....basically Ponemah was going to lose it's Midewiwin and that Roundlake was going to flourish; because" hey " we have so many interested young people and so many people interested in the language."
From me to the cyber world, Foxy told me that he didn't see Anna or Tommy living much longer.
Man, when I had heard him relate this, i was floored. How could someone even think of such things and to say such a thing, is not a traditional concept. So, this related to my Spirit and helpers, that, damn-this dude has many things to learn........was i the person to teach him this.................I hardly doubt it, i have no letters attached to my name...........
To be continued
1 comment:
Boozhoo my brother.
Exactly what letters is it you need attached to your name that makes a man's word worth more or less? This is confusing to me. I thought a persons heart and mind in the way he or she lives speaks more truthfully than some lettersd appointed or attached to someones name.
Are these educational letters? My very close friend and brother Walter Funmaker from Black River had some letters (PhD.) attached to his name when the American world wanted to know his qualifications.
Let me share a story with you and everyone whose willing to read and listen:
When Wally finally got his thesis published and received his PhD. and soon also got his "tenure" at he University he was teaching at, we were all glad for him AND proud of him. It's quite an accomplishment for any Native American from any res. Not because Native peoples have some kind of learning disability, but because so many choose NOT to continue any school for whatever reasons. That's just the truth of it, nothing judgemental, just the facts.
Anyway, soon after Wally got these acheivments, his demeanor changed. He started talking "down" to me. Apparently because I had not completed my Associates Degree yet. (Still thinking about finishing it)
Anywho, after a short while of hoping this phase would pass, it didn't. My wife who has a Master's Degree was shown much respect where my status seemed to diminish. One day while he and I were driving on a long trip, I told him that it was a great accomplishment to get this PhD. Iasked him what it was about exactly. He said Cultural Anthropology. Well, I knew that part I explained. What I wanted to know was what field exactly he was an expert in? He said the Ho-Chunk culture. Well, thats' greatn I said, and you have a couple of other things that are educationl minors that you have knowledge in I would guess? He said yes. And of course life's experience too? Being as he was 55sh years old at time he said yes.
I stopped the car and looked at him. This has to do with the earth and so I asked him, "How many years should a person rotate crops in a farm field and what types of crops should you be using? "I don't know" he said. "Well, I said, in one area of the country I do know." I don't have a PhD. nor have I finished the Amercian college system. Does that mean that I know more than a person with a PhD.? No. But Wally, I said, you don't know everything either. He was a very intelligent man and very generous, but none of us know everything.
I did it in such a way as not to insult him either. Like I said, he was a good man. Some of his people called him "fierce," I called him freind. but they knew a different and younger man than I did.
hy ty o' ne Ka ha'gon
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