from Basil Johnston's "Ojibway Ceremonies"
Basil Johnston, Anishnaabe writer, storyteller, language teacher and scholar, was born on the Parry Island Indian Reserves in Ontario, Canada, in 1929. He attended elementary school at the Cape Croker Indian Reserve school until the age of 10, after which he attended St. Peter Claver's Indian Residential School in Spanish, Ontario. He left school for a time before finishing the ninth grade, but soon learned that it would be difficult to support himself without further education. In the meantime, St. Peter Claver's had gained a new Father Superior who reorganized the school as Garnier Residential School for Indian Boys to deliver a secondary school education, instead of as a trade school. In 1950 Johnston graduated valedictorian from Garnier and then attended Loyola College in Montreal where he graduated with honors, earning a B.A. in 1954 (from http://www.hanksville.org/storytellers/BasilJ/)
It was not my intention to make mention of Williams decision to leave school and go to work, which seems to be the path of Mr. Johnston in his earlier years; but his path took him back to school later to become one the most reconized Ojibway authors. (Maybe, Williams path is likewise going to take him back to a educational way.)
Page 134, THE PATH OF LIFE - " Our Ancestors taugh us - and the Midewewin teaches us - that there is a land of souls. In that land there is not sickness, no hunger, no sorrow, no anger and not envy. It is a land of Peace inhabited by men and women of peace. For them there is plenty and confort and joy."
"Our aucestors tell us that only men and women of peace may enter theree. Others will suffer hardship and misfortune and sickness in this life. Or they will be caught in the river that divides the Land of the living from the Land of Souls"
"The Midewewin tells us that we must lead good lives - following the Path of Life. The Path of Life will give us good fortune , good health, and peace of heart in this world; and bring us admission into the Land of Souls"
"And the Midewewin tells us what the Path of Life is. We must honour Kitche Manitou and thank him for life - for the winds, the sun, the waters, and the land we live on."
"We must honour our elders - for they are the recipients of a great gift of long life from Kitche Manitou. If they are slow and febble and sometimes infirm, we must feed them , help them, listen to them and be patient. That is also our destiny. Someday we too wil be old."
"We must honour our elders brothers - the wolf and the bear, the eagle and the robin, the snake and the turtle, the butterfly and the snail, the whitefish and the trout. We must honour the rose and the corn."
To make a comment following this quote from Mr. Johnston's book would be disrespectful, as it is complete and well presented.
Blogs coming out of this..." Midewewin" What is it? Others books of Mr. Johnston (check out http://www.hanksville.org/storytellers/BasilJ/) Balance (rose and corn or eagle and robin)
Mi-gweetch and " Kego gayae" (Watch over us)
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