Band Member Voices
January Culture Column - NEW YEAR, NEW STEP FORWARD
By Nazhike, Mille Lacs Band Member
As Anishinaabe, we know that the Anishinaabe New Year begins in the spring. When the snow melts, the water starts to flow again and when the thunder beings return is the start of when our spiritual clock resets. As the trees start budding, animals return and the land reawakens, the Anishinaabe start the new cycle of seasons.
January, from the colonial calendar, is the start of a time system that was not made for us and in some ways was designed to pull us away from the spiritual rhythms of the world. Still, we take part in it. We gather, reflect and make resolutions. That's not a bad thing. In fact, there's a teaching there too: no matter whose system you're in, you can still be Anishinaabe.
So let's walk into this new calendar year with the purpose to prepare for the Shinaabe New Year. Make this year the one where you challenge yourself a little bit more. The world could use more deliberate kindness, more commitment to community and more people asking,
"What can I give?" instead of "What can I get?"
This can be the year you find yourself in ceremony. If you've never been to one, set a goal to go once. That's enough to start. If you went once last year, go twice this year. If you're a regular, find a way to deepen your participation and knowledge. You can offer to help with the fire or ask a question or simply listen with your whole attention as where your focus goes is where your spirit will have the experience.
Remember: just being there matters. The Manidoog know what it took for you to go there. They don't measure your worth by how many songs you sing or how much you dance. They know your heart and they are glad you came. Participate at your own comfort until it's time for you to step out of your comfort zone to grow. You will know when that is.
If you don't dance, try dancing once. If you don't sing, try singing once. If you usually stay quiet, maybe share a teaching or ask a question. If you've been holding onto something, maybe this is the year you let it go. Growth doesn't have to be loud, it just has to be honest and deliberate.
Another beautiful goal: use the language. Start the year with using what language you know.
Maybe it's just one word, maybe it's a phrase, maybe its a prayer. Use it. Say it out loud. Write it down. Teach it to someone. The words will multiply. Your confidence will grow. Gikendaasowin (knowledge) has a way of doing that, it builds when shared. You keep what you give away.
Each year, if we get just a little better, a little more grounded, a little more connected then the Manidoog will guide us all toward the life we're meant to live. Year by year, not only will your life improve, but so will the lives of our children, our family, and our community.
So, whether you mark your New Year by the stars, the trees or the thunder, start it with intention.
The steps don't need to be big, they just need to be taken.
Migwech and have a strong start to this new cycle of life.
