It is said that the Anishinaabeg — the Ojibwe, Odowa and Potawatome — came to earth born of the fifth element, the breath of the great spirit itself. Known as “the good people”, the teachings of the Anishinaabe are hard to put into words, as theirs is a path that extends the clarity of vision to others simply through the walking of it themselves.

Nonetheless, as words are indeed the medium we are using here, consider the following Seven Teachings of the Anishinaabe not as precepts, but signs, at once simple and deep, that the great spirit has found expression through the flesh.

Honesty

To achieve honesty within yourself,

To recognize who and what you are,

Do this and you can be honest with all others.

Humility

Humble yourself and recognize that

No matter how much you think you know,

You know very little of all the universe.

Truth

To learn truth,

To live with truth, and

To walk with truth,

To speak truth.

Wisdom

To have wisdom is to know the difference between good and bad, and

To know the result of your actions.

Love

Unconditional love to know that when people are weak

They need your love the most,

That your love is given freely, and

You cannot put conditions on it

Or your love is not true.

Respect

Respect others, their beliefs, and

Respect yourself.

If you cannot show respect,

You cannot expect respect to be given.

Bravery

To be brave is to do something right,

Even if you know it’s going to hurt you.