Teachings of the Eagle Feather, part 12: "Fill Our Spirits with Goodness"
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"Turtle Island Drummers" painting by Zhaawano Giizhik ©2023 |
"My drumming shall resonate in the sky world. Where is it that you all dwell?"
- Ancient Midewiwin invocation to the spirits of the sky.
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The Circle and the Four Directions
"The circle is central to our tradition. The Creator sits in the East. Yellow is the colour for that direction; the sacred herb is tobacco; the animal is the eagle. Red is the colour of the South which is the place of all young life, of the little animals; the sacred plant is cedar. The West is the place of life; its colour is black and the sacred medicine is sage. All the healing powers come from the North; its colour is white; sweetgrass comes from there; and that is where the sacred bear sits.”
- Leland Bell (Bebaminojmat/He Who Goes Around Talking of Good Things)
Let us weave a sacred story: A special prayer to the North...
Migizi, the White-headed Eagle
Boozhoo!
Today, once more, I will share a sacred story centered around one of my eagle feather story rings. This story, the 12th part in the series, also includes illustrations I recently crafted to enhance its visual and spiritual allure
Let me share a bit about today's blog story. Like many stories I've shared before, the tale of these rings and the paintings featured in today's blog has been recounted by numerous storytellers before me. While the subject of my stories is inherently “Anishinaabe” (deeply embedded in the collective memory and cultural consciousness of my People), I hope that my narratives—as an artist and writer seeking to impact everyday lives and relationships through my work—also convey a story that resonates universally, regardless of our beliefs or origins.
The color and shape of this particular set of two-tone rings are inspired by MIGIZI, the white-headed eagle. The Ojibwe Anishinaabe People have always viewed Migizi as a mediator between Earth and Sky, and as a living Prayer to the Great Mystery. To me, Migizi symbolizes the essence of our human responsibilities as we journey through life. The feathers of Migizi remind us of our obligation to live in accordance with natural law and to collaborate with all forms of life. The yellow and white gold eagle feather rings I discuss in this blog story represent a unique prayer to Giiwedin, the Spirit of the North. I view the rings as a living prayer to aya'aabitameg giiwedinoong, the kind spirits dwelling in the cold domain of biboon, the winter.
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To live a good and upright way of life
I named the rings - which are used as teaching tools and are not for sale - "mino bimaadiziwin." This phrase, literally meaning “a good, or upright way of life,” is inspired by an ancient ritual invocation of the aadizookaanag (spirits of the Universe) spoken with magical intonation and intent by members of the Midewiwin, the Spiritual/Medicinal Lodge of the Anishinaabeg Peoples.
As they circle the Ceremonial Lodge four times, rattling their turtle-shell cymbals and chanting the ancient song, the Mide Healers call upon the spirit-grandfathers from the four corners of the earth to fill their hearts and minds with goodness. This ritual plea seeks spiritual assistance to endow the singers with healing powers and, more broadly, passionately appeals for blessings, goodwill, and strength for the People as a whole.
Gwaashkominode’ewashkina’ gidode’winaanin
Ji-gwayakwaadiziyaang.
"Fill Our Hearts With Kindness
So That We May Live Upright Lives."
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Eagle feathers carrying prayers to the North and a special blessing to a married couple
The stylized, yellow gold eagle feathers mounted on ring shanks of white gold symbolize spirit, and prayer. They represent, in particular, a special blessing to two companions travelling the Road Of Life; similar to the blessings that the Sun and the Thunderbirds, two “grandfathers” whose appearances and medicine powers are connected with spring, summer, and the south, bestow on nature during the warm moons of the year.
The eagle feather on the ring displayed at the bottom features a unique contrast: a marquise-cut blue sapphire, placed asymmetrically on one side of the eagle feather. This dazzling gemstone, which extends slightly at an angle from the feather, appears to direct towards Giiwedin, the north, known as the cold realm where wise spirit-grandfathers dwell.
The twisted wire on the feathers symbolizes braids of Wiingashk (northern sweetgrass), a sacred plant for the Anishinaabeg that represents the hair of Mother Earth and the northern direction. It is customarily used in prayer and smudging during purification ceremonies by all the Original Peoples of Turtle Island.
Giiwedin represents the northern direction. As a vital component of Life’s Circle, it embodies the wisdom associated with the Elderly, who are traditionally the custodians of wisdom and serve as the spiritual and ceremonial pillars of our communities. The North, known for providing answers through dreams, symbolizes both dibikak the night (especially giizhigaate, midnight) and biboon the winter, whose nature can be as unpredictable and changeable as dreams.
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A place of self-reflection and healing
However, Giiwedin, which translates to "homecoming wind," is more than just a realm of cold, illness, and death; positive things also originate from the North! It is a place of remembrance and rest, self-reflection, and honoring the gichi-ayaag or Elder Persons, the oshkaabewisag or pipe carriers, the guardians of the Lodges of the Midewiwin and Waabanoowiwin, and, naturally, the ayaadizookedjig and debaajimoodjig, the traditional storytellers and chroniclers of our Nations. Giiwedin is a time for reflection and sharing one's life experiences with younger generations in a good way.
Giiwedin is not merely a place of hardship; it is also a site of healing, as well as a period of spirituality and purity…
Giiwenh. So the story goes. Miigwech gibizindaw noongom mii dash gidaadizookoon. Thank you for listening to me today. Giga-waabamin wayiiba, I hope to see you again soon.
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My name is Zhaawano Giizhik. My clan is waabizheshi, the marten.
As an American non-commercial artist and jewelry designer residing in the Netherlands, I draw inspiration from the oral and pictorial traditions of my Ojibwe Anishinaabe ancestors from the American Great Lakes region. To achieve this, I rely on my manidoo-minjimandamowin, or "Spirit Memory," which involves recalling the wisdom and teachings of my ancestors.
The mazinaajimowinan, or "pictorial spirit writings," are rich in symbolism and have historically been painted on rocks and carved into sacred items like copper, slate, birch bark, and animal hide. These writings served as a form of spiritual and educational communication that provided structure and meaning to the universe.
Many of these sacred pictographs or petroforms, some dating back countless generations, are concealed in sacred sites where the manidoog (spirits) dwell, especially in those mystical areas near the coast where the sky, earth, water, underground, and underwater converge. These ancient expressions offer a limitless source of story elements for my work, whether graphically, in my written stories, or within the realm of my jewelry making.
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