Page 38 - Moose Deer Point First Nation

Shkabwes took the boy and his water jug back to the people,
but by this time the boy was a fully-grown man. In the spirit
world, time does not pass, but the boy had been gone many
years. When he entered his old village, an old couple stood in
front of the rest of the crowd and recognized the man as their
son. They had understood the gift of tobacco Shkabwes had left
when he took the boy and had always known he would return
one day.

Then the man taught the people about the gifts of the Seven
Grandfathers, and how they had to be careful of their opposites.
He also taught them that the physical world had a twin in the
spiritual world, and that a fit body was as necessary to harness
one as a strong mind was to harness the other.

Using the gifts and understanding of the directions painted on
the water jug, the people began to adjust to life and its daily
challenges. Diseases and accidents didn’t claim as many lives
because the people learned to live in the delicate balance that
comes in living in harmony with the creation.

The lesson of the story is that beginning at a very early age, we
must teach our children about the world. They already are aware
of the things that are happening around them, so we must instill
the values provided by the Seven Grandfathers that will guide
them along life’s uncertain path.

36 Moose Deer Point First Nation

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