We Begin with the Stars with JT Shining Oneside

There’s so much to Native identi identity it starts before you’re even born I mean we know that we when we come as a abi when we come to this earth we come from the Stars when we leave this earth we’re going back to the stars and then that star we have a journey that we take and then we go back to the heaven above if that’s if we’ve lived the life the creator has intended for us but along with that native identity I mean it starts before you um are born and come onto this Earth you were able uh they say um Seven Generations before you’re born they even have your spirit name for you ready for you they know what you’re going to look like they know all of that stuff about you and one of the most beautiful things I think about a Nishi people is that we are um we are dream Walkers and in being in the spirit of dream Walkers it means that while we while we not everybody has this but some of us do have it and use it more than others but we have the ability while sleeping for our spirit to walk and our spirit travels and will take us to different places for example sometimes my star brothers and sisters will come and they will take me to the stars and it’s such a beautiful time when I get up there to the Stars I can see them as clearly as they and I’m just there with them in spirit and when I wake up the next morning I feel so relaxed and peaceful and so it’s connecting to your to yourself knowing uh your clan uh like mine is the OWI makun Maka uh that is the little brown bear clan and knowing that Clan and what that Clan is able to do knowing your Warrior I have a Warrior inside of me and that’s the gry horse Warrior that Warrior protects me and also uh knowing I have a carry the windo con the backwards spirit and also my spirit name uh White Thunderbird woman had having all of those inside of me and knowing how to work with them to balance them out so that I can be a balanced person and knowing you know a big part of native identity is that prayer and just like I seen my grandfather praying every morning with his sea praying to the east praying in ojibway um Gish to um a singing voice uh [Music] Chim uh Creator I thank you for this day and I’m I’m grateful to be a part of it so that is the prayer simple Mak all my relatives and then away mug and nug all my relatives simple prayers you don’t have to have a formalized prayer you don’t have to know a formalized prayer you don’t have to hold a cross you don’t have to have sage in your hand you don’t have to have tobacco in your hand all you have to have is a honest heart and mind and be honest with the uh gim manitu with the Creator honest with God and say what’s in your heart and your mind and always pray your heart and your mind to work together our uh Native people went through horrific stuff lot of things came to them and sometimes overcame them but I think a big part of native identity is to know that you come from Rich beautiful proud people a proud past and in that is your native identity to connect with it to know who you are to know your language your language of your relatives and to use that because in your language is the stories of how we came to be here and your relative stories and being able to take all of that and to be able to teach that to your children and your grandchildren so that language continues to live and our identity continues to live so it’s just a big part of who we are and just knowing how to use you know that gift uh knowing your gift I went on went on the Vision Quest and learned you know um more about myself each time and I had dreams while I was growing up understanding my dreams I continue to dream even to this day yet I think that maybe I’m done now I don’t have to worry too much about things then the Creator will bring me another dream and say well it’s time for this and you as a native person you can say yes or no to your dreams you can wait a while on your dream you don’t have to answer it right away you can have it interpreted it’s really up to you how you decide to do those things because often times as native people we don’t have you know um moms and dads uh grandparents uh relatives that can help us along our way but we do have one thing that I think that’s important you have Elders out there go and sit with the elders bring them tobacco uh bring them a small gift and to say to them um you know can you tell me did you know my par parents are you got to tell them who your parents are of course but maybe you don’t know because I’ve ran into people that didn’t know who their parent one of their parents were or all their parents both of their parents and or even their grandparents but they know that they’re native and they’ll help you along the way but I think the biggest thing is to identify and know your gift what your gifts are and to use those you know to help yourself and when I teach bead work I always tell the students that uh this beading that you’re doing that can give you a gallon of gas that can give you a gallon of milk so learn how to you know ways that you can uh provide for yourself and your family you know I think those are important things and seeing this uh knowing your native identity maybe that’s all you want to do is power but along that way you’re going to be learning stuff to go with that power you have to it’s like building blocks you have to build those blocks same thing with your education you have to build those blocks you have to continually learn because your learning doesn’t stop you know when you pass on to this from this world your learning continues even on to the next world and you know I just am so grateful that there were Elders that uh continued the good fight to keep our native identity and one of them here is Francis um old Eagle Hart cree and his wife Rose they are you know people that believed in our way of life and continued with it you know I have to say Chim to um a singing voice musham a singing voice my grandfather and uh two Thunders coming who was my mother and a blue sky man because they are people that help to shape uh my beliefs about you know who we are it doesn’t mean that we’re better than anybody else and never means that it just means that you know you have an identity there you know you need to know who you are and certainly love the Creator because in loving that Creator you’re going to be able to love yourself and then you will become to know love too Mig