Back in the School Days

The old school days, well there is so much to say about my old school days although to some may not seem so long ago but, to me I am now 41 yrs of age and when I finished my High School days I was 19 yrs. of age which is now 22 yrs ago for me.
Well, first off I will start when I was going to Grade school back in my old Hometown of Haileybury,Ont which was one of the towns up North further past North Bay, Ont about 1 and 1/2 hrs further.

What I remember of that school and town was that I know one thing for sure was that I only went to that Haileybury Public School,till I was in Grade 3. Then after that we then moved to an Island on Lake Temagami near Temagami,Ont the Island is called Bear Island which there I continued going to school on the Island of course continuing there my Grade 3 as it was in the middle of the school year moving there. Quite the difference living on an Island when coming from a town where it seemed to be big compared to the Island. I felt much more at home there on an Island in the bush. Where I was pretty much raised. I felt very proud to be raised in the community where this man called Grey Owl who has movies and books out of himself also had visited for years and lived on for some years of his life, and is now a well, known author to the Native people anyhow.

Now my school days up on the Island were a little different as there is a time of year being on an Island where you cannot travel either by boat or skidoo as the lake is either freezing up or breaking up of ice. Which then meant we had to walk over to school in the mornings and home at the end of the school days. At that time there was no trails we had to make our own trails. So my Father used to walk us to school on the main part of the Island leading us the way , and as he lead us the way was also making a path by, brushing it with an axe, making a path that we would be able to see and know how to come back home through the woods. Cause, also as we had walked through the trail he would also bring a can of spray paint and paint a little part of the trees now and then to show us where we had gone. Which then made it easier to follow home again.

Not like now there is roads all over the Island now and Also they now have things like Fire Hydrants along side of the roads here and there, and also they now have a Water Treatment Plant up there on the Island which these , sort of things were never there before when attending Grade school there. How things change through our years of growning up. Then when I started attending High School while living up on the Reserve that was a little different also. We then had to wake up at 4:30 am in order to get ourselves ready for the day and give us the time to either go by boat or skidoo to the place they call the Main Landing at the Mine access road , where we would then catch that little school bus to get into Temagami which was a 15,or 20 minute bus ride over the mine access road which is a dirt road. I always found that ride a little thrill for me especially that early in the mornings as the thrill to me was the end of the access road near the highway to Temagami was like a roller coaster up and down alot but, straight as can be. I couldn't wait till that part of the ride in the bus was over as I did not like that part of my bus ride.
Then as we got into the town of Temagami we then had to transfer buses to go to the High School which was in New Liskeard,Ont. which was just 10 minutes further up North past Haileybury,Ont. Which from Temagami took like about a half and hour to get to. Lets just say when school was over we still had to travel back to the Island which was home to me.

That day for us did not end until 5:30 pm at night. All in all I was just so very happy to have the day end. Now here I am living in Longueuil,Quebec with my Boyfriend which I love and care for very much and am very happy to be with.

Now and I also have three beautiful young adults now 2 Boys and A Girl.

My boys are ages 21, and 19 and my Daughter is 17.
And also I am very excited to now be a Grandma which my Daughter is going to be delivering a child in April of 2007, My little Anishnabae daughter having another part Anishnabae boy I believe , whatever she delivers does not matter to the Parents and Grandparents as long as the Baby is Healthy is all the really matters or should matter in Life.
That is it about my school days and about living on the reserve and being an Ojibway Indian and how life can be. Adventurous, exciting, and happy , that is just how it should be. Proud to be an Anishnabae ...Mi-gweetch -- Thank-You

Harmony in Anger - Spirit Wind and Sun's Wager

Harmony is finding that strength to be calm when all seems to be moving in the wind of life.
I watch the trees bend with the force, the snow pushed through the cracks and can feel the cold although I am behind this big bay window.

How often do I feel like the Wind. It's force and coldness. Such an invisible thing as Air, which makes up wind; and having all the force to do so much. We poeple which He (Witcha Manitou)made are such an invisible thing, in his big world. And our Anger is sometime the force which we are so proud to show; and sometimes we know only the story of being mad.

Mad at others. Mad at ourself. Mad at Life. Why does this have to happen to me I hear others say.

Wind Spirit and Sun were having a discussion on their importance and as Sun was telling him of how important his energy was to growing the crops and feeding poeple. Wind became angry and decided to prove his points of how strong he was.

"See that man walking there" said wind as he pointed to the traveller on the road doing his morning walk. "I wager you that my strength is such that I can remove the jacket from his back" he told Sun . Wind wanted so much to prove that a way of force is better than a way of gifts ( hea, light and warmth).

So Wind gathered up his best gush of wind, and from behind the man lifted up the jacket and began to blow over his head. Man was so surprise that he immediately grabbed at the jacket and pulled it down in place. The harder Wind blew the stronger man was and more determined to keep his jacket.

Wind stepped back, discourage at the determination of the Man.; to hear Sun say. "Sometime force is only met with more force from the other person" The man was still holding his jacket tight to his body as the cold wind disappeared and he began to feel the warmth of the sun. His grip was eased and within seconds he became so unconfortable in the morning sun; that he took off his jacket and strung it over his shoulder.

As the man walked away, Sun just continued across the sky without a word toward Wind. It served no purpose to be right or prove anything wrong with what Wind thought. Wind would always be Wind and never know the pleasure of giving warmth and joy.

Witcha Manitou, in his use of wind builds a world of harmony. Does not the trees bend with the wind and then spring back afterward. Does not the animals turn their backs to the wind to feel less of it coldness. Even the deer, and animals which place so much importance on detecting scents, use wind to detect danger. They move into the wind to catch what is being send to them. Wind even spreads the seeds of plants and is used today by man for energy. And ofcourse the pleasure of using the Wind. (sailing, Kites, or even just storm watching)
To bury one's anger in harmony and find peace within is hard to do but the joy allows for harmony in others as we forgive and forget. In the end we find a greater peace of self.

But also it is good to let out a good yell once and a while... Maybe at the Hockey game or when excitement permits the joy of expression. Not during those moments of Anger...
Wisdom in the Morning pray is found in the North which is where the cold North wind comes. The color white of the North is where snow is seen when Mother earth is covered.

Happy St-Valentine Day

Well Dorty's Valentine Gift is a Airplane Trip.... Up and Away.... As Dorty has not flown in an Airplane these photos are the experience or what she would sees. ENJOY
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First, Above the Clouds seems like snow landscape, but because of being at 28,000 feet it is clear the clouds are below you.

As we descend into the clouds and come at their level (20,000 feet) it appears more like a trip across the snow.

These photos were taken by myself as I went to Nova Scotia to collect my Cadillac. The same boat (15.5 feet long car) that was loaded as we returned from North Bay.

As we begin to see the city or earth below it can still be hazy as the clouds can be low (10,000 ft)

Whooops. Dorty is afraid ... it seems to high.... so guess it is best to come back down to earth. The Airport as we approach the runway


And finally on the ground...


Hope you enjoyed that first experience of a flight.. Now to do the real thing... Fly like the eagle.


Love to you on St-Valentine day DORTY

Oh sure, for you readers, I gave Dorty other things but certainly not to be mentioned on this blog... hahaha...Jo kin Kwa Kwa... John

Dorty's Family on TV (APTN)

Well, that last Blog of Dorty was nice words about me. OH GOSH I think I am blushing.. But I must add my 2 cents now... Haha.
Well we were watching the Tipi Tales after I registered the section. I registered it because I though SAM the little girl looked like Dorty. (Those dark eyes, Ojibway face style and black hair make me think it was Dorty). Then the old man (great grandfather) looks like her brother (Fra....)
Can you name the family members from the photo. Haha..

So we both laughted how much they looked alike. Especially when Granddad laughs with is hand over his mouth. Which Fra... does all the time.
So now when we are watching it, Dorty now has her whole family in there. Russell, the little boy she says looks like her brother Barry. Now all are there. It seems every character looks like someone. (sitter, brother.another brother... ha ha ha) But I must say the puppets do have the Ojibway character in the faces although the program is announced as " children's puppet series illustrates the seven sacred teachings of Aboriginal spirituality."
There is alway a big laugh between Dorty and I as we watch Sam and Russell sing their songs. We even have began to sing one when we are skiing. "When you are happy you laugh, when you are sad you Cry...etc) And now today, the program was complete broadcast in the language of the program. (cree or Ojibway)
So now I will attempt to e-mail the program site (APTN) or Tipi Tales to see if a translation of the actual language program can be e-mail to us. It would be great to know the english of the total Cree (or Ojibway) program.

Native Television (APTN)

Well, about this t.v program Tipi Tales. My boyfriend John has alot of interest in the Ojibway ways and getting me(Dorothy) back into my Ojibway ways also.

Never thought of meeting and living with Someone in Quebec, let alone meeting someone from there that was into my Culture and Spiritual ways of the Ojibway and helping me with getting back into my Culture.
Well, this t.v program Tipi Tales he was watching while I was in bed still sleeping , he then decided to Record some of the programming for me to watch as there was a few words in each program in the Ojibway Language, which I think was the main reason for him recording those shows , to then Show me them and learn the Ojibway words.
S0 far I have written down the words that were said in Ojibway Language which are : SAND- Canishie Dongook , NOISE- Gudong Bigazan , SOMEONE WHO HELPS OTHERS FIRST- Gazoonzee Adah , Now all of these Spellings of the words I learnt are spelt in a way only which I hear them, could not be correct but, it is just how I hear them. So that I understand how they are said is why I do it this wayI am very happy to be living with someone I Love and admire being with , that is also very interested in the Ojibway Culture.
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And is always looking to learn something new all the time and is helping me with the ways of my Culture . Meegweetch -Thank-You

DNA tell the Whole Story

Would you believe that the poeple of the Anishinabae 'Bear Island' Reserve as part of the OJIBWAY nation isa member of the only North Americian Aboriginal People with origins from Eastern Europe. A recent APTN movie made by KANATA showed the discovery of North America by a poeple coming across the Ice from Europe and settling in the Virginia Region of USA.

What does that mean?. In short, as explained in the movie; the Ice age tribes which became the aboriginal poeples of North Americia seem to have crossed the Alaska Land Bridge from Russia. But because of unique DNA markers found only in the Ojibway poeples, they are identified with primative poeples of Eastern Europe. Because DNA markers are found in each of our DNA and hold unique markers for all previous generations back thousand of years; it is a possible with this science to identify the origins of a poeple.

Although all the Aboriginal Peoples of North Americia, The Ojibway also, show the similar DNA markers of a Western Europe(Russia) originin and show family ties to each other; only the Ojibway poeples show the unique markers of the Eastern Europe migration of tribes. This connections started with a settlement in the Viriginia (USA) area and now apply only to the Ojibway.
The movie of "First Civilization" explain the finding of a unique Spear Point in the Virginia region which in it method of construction is unique and similar to those found in Eastern Europe. The story explains how the last Ice age spread far south and even created an ice passage (used for hunting) from Europe to North America; and how a lost band of hunters from Europe probably crossed to North Americia. '
Because the DNA markers found in everyone's DNA it is possible to find the origins of a poeple. This article explained how except the Ojibways of Northern Canada, there is no evidence of other migrations to North Americia from Eastern Europe.
Isn't interesting to know that the Ojibway are unique and that the TFN can trace their origins to similar tribes of Eastern Europe.