Page 37 - Moose Deer Point First Nation

When Shkabwes presented the baby to the Seven Grandfathers,
they said, “He is too young to hear our teachings or to gaze
upon us. To do so would be fatal for him. Take him out and show
him the four quarters of the universe and then return. When he
is stronger, he will learn.”

Shkabwes showed the boy many things across the four quarters
of the universe. It took many years, so when they returned to the
lodge of the Seven Grandfathers, the boy was seven years old.

They stood before the entrance, the boy realized that Shkabwes
had been his uncle all along. Uncles help guide us in our journeys
through life, and Shkabwes had done the same for the boy.

The Grandfathers told the boy of his parents and how they
expected him to return one day and what he would teach the
people when he returned. They then pointed to a water jug,
painted for the four directions and colors of people the Creator
had made.

“North is white, West is black, red is South and yellow is for the
East,” they told him. Then they each placed a gift in the water
jug, sharing it just as one does in the peoples’ ceremonies today.

The first gift was wisdom, which allowed people to cherish the
knowledge they attained.

The second was love, because to know it was to know peace.
Then, to honour all of the Creation, they gave respect. Bravery
in the face of the foe was next, then honesty to face a difficult
situation with pride. Humility to know one’s place in the
expanse of the Creation came next, while the gift of truth to
know and understand all of those things came last.

“But remember,” they warned the boy, “for in the world each
gift has an opposite, like evil is the opposite of good. You must
teach them carefully in the right way to use each gift.”

Moose Deer Point First Nation 35

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