Sacred Water

Created by Sharon MeyerNESD FNMI June, 2015

Cree First Nation WorldviewThe Creator created four things above Mother Earth:

1 – Sun2 – Sky3 – Moon4 - Stars

wind

fire

rock

water

Then the Creator made the four elements:1 – wind2 – fire3 – rock4 – water

First Nation Traditional view of water is the sacredness of the element. Without it there would be no existence.

Water represents the veins of Mother Earth. It is in comparison to the veins within our body that flows blood. The veins of Mother Earth are the rivers and streams that flowthroughout the body of Mother Earth.

Ocean flow on Mother Earth

River flow through a city

River flow from a sky view

http://www.sd91.bc.ca/frenchj/Students/Creation%20Stories%20First%20Nations.htmlMany creation stories in relation to Turtle Island and water

First Nation traditional worldview recognizesWater as the first living spirit on Mother Earth.It gives life to all creation. It is viewed as a giftfrom the Creator.

Babies are surrounded in water while their mothers carry them for nine months.

Water surrounds us in various ways:

Can you think of other ways that water is in your life?

dew

Spring water

We all use water for everyday purposes:

First Nations have a variety of cultural and social practices that involve water. These include places of prayer and bathing, stories, dancing and oral histories about water or water bodies, sweat lodges, purification ceremonies, drinking water collection sites, spring water of spiritual significance, medicinal plants nourished by water of spiritual significance, and medicine making. http://www.livingwatersmart.ca/watersmart/firstnations.html

Drink water

Have a bath

Wash clothes

Wash hands

Swim

Use water for pleasureor catch food

Water is used to clean thingslike washing a car.

Can you think of other ways that you use water?

Traditional worldview of First Nation people(s) understand that their relationship withwater is built on the subsistence ways of life that extends back thousands of years. In the relation to the water they advocate for the water rights and want to protect the health ofWater that Mother Earth gives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-SAHaKkBOgKelly Derrickson - Idle No More Music Video (Official HD) 3:22

Water can be dangerous:

Hurricane

Flood

Tsunami

Hail

Ice storm

Snowstorm

What are other ways that water can be dangerous?

What do we need water for?

Water is used to prepare items for creating cultural crafts by pre-soaking and softening the material such as hides and branches.

Softening hideSoaking willow branchesso that the wood will bend without breaking

Wash food and meat before cooking

Water is used to pour on Grandfather rocks inside the sweatlodge to createsteam for purification.

Rain The Creator put Grandfather Thunder in the west sky.The people would become the grandchildren. As good Grandfathers do they visit their grandchildren. In doing so Grandfather Thunder will use the drum to send the big thunder voice across the sky to let them know youare coming so they can get ready to receive you. Protecting Our Sacred Water – the Jane Goodall Insittue of Canada

Everything all ties together. So this water is one elementbut we need the trees, the water from this area to provide life for the trees. We need the trees to provide fires….And we need the earth to provide soil for the trees. It all tiesin with this water. It is the life source for all those elementsand it all ties in. Everything relies on everything and that’s what creates a balance. So when one of those things is takenout of there it creates a domino effect.

Documentary First Nation Perspective on Water by Matthew Roy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp-6olT0i2AWATER JOURNEY – Trailer 3:37

Water concerns!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aysj7696b0A"Drinking from the sea", explore how and why sea water is desalinated (motion design) 2:19

If tap water was safe:

Jane Goodall Institute and Learning for a Sustainable Future

http://www.sacredrelationship.ca/why-water/Has a video explaining interconnectedness of all living things to water 1:11

http://www.etfo.ca/Resources/ForTeachers/Documents/The%20Learning%20Circle%20-%20Classroom%20Activities%20on%20First%20Nations%20in%20Canada.pdfUnit 3 Water: Its Many Uses

Some teachings about water:

http://www.developingaglobalperspective.ca/wp-content/assets/lessonplans/gr8/In_the_News.pdfGr. 8 lesson – In the news – water on First Nation Reservationshttp://www.developingaglobalperspective.ca/wp-content/assets/lessonplans/gr8/Story_of_Bottled_Water.pdfGr. 8 lesson – The story of Bottled Waterhttp://www.spiritsd.ca/learningresources/FNM%20Resources/Pre-K,%20Four%20Elements,%20Fire,%20Rock,%20Water,%20Wind.pdfPre-k – Gr. 1 the teachings of the four elements

https://safewater.org/images/Lesson7WaterandNorthAmerica.pdfGr. 5-6 Water and North Americahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulkY7mOkdqsBird Island - Plastic Vs Nature 3:53

Thank you for learning the First Nation way of understanding our place on Turtle Island and Mother Earth.

Sharon Meyer – NESD FNMI