ᏂᏚᏳᎪᏛ

Ꭷ ᎢᏥᎪᎵᏰᏍᎩ

I don’t think I believe in rights, fundamental universal human rights that is...  I understand those rights protected by ᏲᏁᎦ law, but what about before the law? 

When they got off the boat, they pointed their collective finger at us and said "those ... have no laws, no religion, no government, ect...".  This when I was younger this incensed me, but now I tend to agree with their initial assessment.

Law is ᏗᎧᏃᏩᏛᏍᏗ.  That really is more akin to a goal or something’s foundation.  Religion is ᏗᏁᎸᏙᏗᎢ.  That sounds more like they are trying to do something, or worse playing at doing it. ᎠᏰᎸ ᎤᏙᏢᏒᎢ is not really government.  It is the organization at the middle of things, not coercion, control or management of people’s lives.  It took our elders in the Speakers’ Bureau six months to a year to find the right word for "control", and the context for that was in relation to manually maneuvering a basketball.  One could say these are poor translations to describe universal ideas, but I posit that these are foreign ideas that don’t fit well into ᏣᎳᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ.

"ᏂᏚᏳᎪᏛ" or rights, are something that our people didn’t need at one time.  We were Sovereign, not by constitutional right, or act of congress but by birth.  ᎢᏗᏴᏫᏯ ᎨᏒ and we still are.  No one is between us and ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ - we as individuals, voluntary members of families and communities are ultimately responsible for ourselves and secondly one another. We protected our own interests and the interests of our loved ones.  There was no coercive mechanism for social control.  Kinship ᎦᎵᏉᎩ ᏧᏂᏴᏫ was the resounding social organization and we were tied together by ᏣᎳᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ and ᎠᏂᎦᏴᎵ ᎤᏂᏃᎮᏛ.  Our ᏗᎧᏃᏩᏛᏍᏗ was ᎡᎶᎯ ᎢᎨᏥ, the land itself.  ᏂᏚᏳᎪᏛ ᎠᎴ ᏚᏳᎪᏛ was our way of life and culture ᎢᏯᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ.

ᏚᏳᎪᏛ is the way and the truth, all that is just and right.  It was how we lived and still should ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ ᏕᏣᎳᏏᎦᏕᏍᏗ.  We protected one another and sheltered one another, we were careful not to use one another up.  We always looked for the best in each other and never let anything come between us, we knew that each person was created as unique and we shared in that value. 

ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ gave us everything, gave all.  We had no entitlements and needed no rights.  What was ours was only borrowed and what we had was freely given.  If someone tried to take my life, I defended myself, and if I failed my family would take a life in return. That is ᏂᏚᏳᎪᏛ and it wasn’t a right, it was a truth.  ᏗᎧᏃᏩᏛᏍᏗ ᎢᎦᏤᎵ ᏚᏳᎪᏛ ᎨᏐᎢ

ᎤᏁᎦ ᎦᏅᏅ ᏧᏙᎢᏛ ᎢᏗᎦᏚᏩᎩ ᎢᏗᏴᏫᏯ ᎢᏥᏰᎦ ᏍᎩᎾ ᏂᏣᏛᎦᏃ
ᎣᏏᏳ
ᏩᏕ ᎦᎵᏍᎨᏫ ᏥᎪᏪᎸᎦ

ᎠᏓᏍᏕᏟᏗ

Ꭷ ᎯᎠ ᏥᏥᏩᏔ

ᏗᎧᎸᎦ ᎢᏗᏢ ᎤᎵᎪᎲᏍᏗ ᏒᎯᏰᎯ ᏧᏂᏍᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏂᎦᏴᎵ ᏧᎬᏩᎵᏗ
ᏧᏴᏢ ᎢᏗᏢ ᎪᎳ ᎤᏌᎯ ᏗᏂᏲᏟ ᏧᎬᏩᎵᏗ
ᏭᏕᎵᎬ ᎢᏗᏢ ᎪᎨᏱ ᏑᎾᎴ ᎠᎾᏔ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏂᏫᎾ ᏧᎬᏩᎵᏗ
ᏧᎦᏃᏮ ᎢᏗᏢ ᎪᎦ ᎠᏂᎨᏯ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏂᏍᎦᏯ ᏧᎬᏩᎵᏗ

ᏍᎩᎾ ᎠᏓᏍᏕᏟᏗ

ᎣᏏᏳ
ᎠᏯ ᏩᏕ ᎦᎵᏍᎨᏫ ᏥᎪᏪᎸᎦ

This is what I found.

East has a value of Fall, evening, the youngest and oldest.
North has a value of Winter, night, and the children.
West has a value of Spring, morning and young adults.
South has a value of Summer, Day and mature adults.

That is to help oneself with.
It’s good.
I, Ryan Mackey wrote this.

ᎠᎩᏰᎸ

Ꭷ ᎯᎠ ᎨᎵᎠ

I feel that labels are like any tool, even identity labels; they can be used for good or ill.... When people are exposed to similar environments and are educated (indoctrinated) in a specific ᎢᏯᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ (language, values, beliefs, customs, behaviors, world view, life ways, ect.) recognize their commonality and draw strength socially as an individual from that same ᏗᎧᏃᏩᏛᏍᏗ, there is a sense of solidarity, solace, comfort and surety that can cradle a person and allow them the safety to reach for their maximum potential. Challenges to that insulation, on the other hand, are potential motivation for personal achievement.

Those that share the same physical appearance due to relatedness by means of population migration or even adaptation to climatological conditions may also develop a value for commonality in physical expression that could further facilitate the insulated comfort zone of sameness. This comfort in sameness the natural intuitive conclusion of experiential observation. Those most similar in all ways to another can draw comfort from the predictability and stability of an expectation of posited responses. If you live in a world of gray you don't expect color.

In a peaceful and safe ᏅᏩᏙᎯᏯᏛ environment, when individual differences are shown to be mutually beneficial between diverse groups then the natural and logical initial fear of the unpredictable, potentially chaotic and different "other" can be overcome through time, patience and acclimation. In a positive scenario approaching the perfect ideal, a complete system ᎧᎵᏬᎯ, exploring differences can be seen as an opportunity for growth in experiences and ideas. Exposure to positive and innovative experiences do not mean an abandonment of self and others of like kind but will result in growth and positive self reflection ᎠᏑᎭ ᎢᏣᏛᏁᏗ.

By accident of birth or result of conditions, individual expressions, though potentially similar to others each of us is unique and endowed with specific characteristics, abilities, skills and talents. When we maximize our individual or personal potential, we specialize in function and purpose. When we rely on one another in community, each of us contributing the best of what we are, our specialty; we can rely on others to do the same and the result is that an integrated system functionality is established. Both individuality and cultural identity are necessary to fulfill our potential as ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ.

ᎣᏏᏳ

ᏩᏕ ᎦᎵᏍᎨᏫ  ᏥᎪᏪᎸᎦ

ᏅᎩᏊ

Ꭷ
ᏅᎩ ᏤᎶᎯ
ᏅᎩ ᏧᏁᏥ
ᏅᎩ ᏧᏂᏴᏫ
ᏅᎩ ᏗᎾᏕᏲᎲᏍᏙᏗ

That’s how it began ᎢᎪᎯᏛ ᏥᎨᏎᎢ ᏗᏓᎴᏂᏍᎨᎢ ᎠᏂᏃᎮᏓ
ᎤᏠᏯᏊ ᎢᏗᏍᏆᏛ and end.

We are not promised a fifth world ᏗᎧᎸᎦ ᎢᏗᏢ  ᏫᏥᎦᏔᎾ
We are not promised anything ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ  ᏫᏥᎦᏔᎾ  ᏥᏣᎴᏅᎯ
ᎤᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ  ᏂᎦᏓ  ᏧᏤᎵᎪ  ᎢᎦᏁᎳᏅᎭ  ....ᎦᎵᏉᎩ ᏗᏥᏴᏫ
ᏗᏂᏲᏟ ᎠᏂᎦᏴᎵᏃ ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎦ ᎤᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ ᎢᏥᏍᏕᎳ ....ᎦᎵᏉᎩ ᏗᎩᏴᏫ

ᎦᎵᏉᎩ ᏧᏂᏴᏫ ᎤᎾᏤᎵᎦ ᎠᏥᎸ ᎠᏰᎷᎴᎯ
ᎠᏂᎦᏚᏩᎩ ᏚᎾᏙᏍᏛ
ᎠᏂᎦᏚᏩᎩ ᏚᎾᏙᏍᏛᎯ
ᎠᏂᎦᏚᏩᎩ ᏚᎾᏙᏍᏛ
ᎦᎵᏉᎩ ᏧᏂᏴᏫ ᎤᎾᏤᎵᎦ ᎠᏥᎸ ᎠᏰᎷᎴᎯ

ᏗᎧᎸᎦ ᎠᏁᎰ ᏙᏓᎸ ᏧᏬᏚᎯ ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᏧᏪᏘ ᏫᎨᏓᏍᏗ
ᎢᎦᎵᎪᏒ ᎢᏗᎦᏚᏩᎩ ᎢᏗᏴᏫᏯ ᎢᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗᏃ

ᏕᎦᏓᎨᏳᏎᏍᏗ
ᏕᎦᏓᏟᏴᏎᏍᏗ
ᏕᎦᏓᎸᏉᏕᏍᏗ
ᎤᎵᏍᎨᏗ ᏕᎦᏓᏰᎸᏎᏍᏗ

ᎣᏏᏳ ᎠᏯ ᏩᏕ ᎦᎵᏍᎨᏫ ᏥᎪᏪᎸᎦ