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The Seven Grandfather Gifts
Shelley Charles
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In the Ojibway tradition, there were Seven Grandfathers who were responsible to watch over the
people. They were powerful spirits who sent an Oshkabaywis (helper) to walk among the people and
find a person to teach them how to walk in harmony on the earth. A little boy was found, and he was
gifted with a bundle which would provide the people with the foundation to live and thrive in harmony
with each other and with the earth. At each stopping place on the Little Boy’s journey, there were
megis shells on the ground and the meaning of each gift was explained.
Wisdom
Nibwaakaawin, or Gawdjigikayndumowin, is our beliefs, knowledge, values, behaviour and actions all
rolled into one. We have achieved wisdom when we have the knowledge to live a good life, have
experienced the values of good living, learned to behave in keeping with those values, and have lived
this in our own lives. Wisdom is the ability to give all of this as guidance to others following behind
us on their own path of life.
Love
Zawgidiwin means the ability to “draw out from the heart” when we relate to others. It is the
capacity for caring – the feeling of kindness and caring that comes from the heart that is natural to
our way of relating to others, to the Creator, and to the creation. This word can be seen to be made
up of the two words “zawgi” – to emerge or arise from, and “ode” – heart. Therefore, Love is “that
which emerges from the heart”.
Respect
Mawnawjiwin - Mawnawdji’inenimawin is to be caring and considerate of others in our way of
thinking about them. Respect is knowing the value of others and of all of life, and recognizing that
we are deserving of that same kind of respect. It is by esteeming all of life that we find our own selfesteem. Respect is one of our greatest values, and as such shapes all other values.
Bravery
Zongiday’aywin means to be “strong hearted”. To be brave is always connected to the heart. To
continue to be kind and seek peace even in the midst of adversity and conflict requires the greatest
courage we can call up from within ourselves. Bravery enables us to stand up for the best of others
so we can live in peace and kindness. In today’s world, one of the greatest acts of bravery is to put
the harmony and well-being of our children and family before our own temptations of selfgratification, self-interest and self-gain.
The Seven Grandfather Teachings by Shelley Charles, 2013
Honesty
Gwuyukawjiwin literally means to be “straight” and true in our behaviours and in our way of relating
to ourselves and to others. We learn to be honest to ourselves by being honest with others, and true
to our commitment to the Creator and relationship to the creation.
Humility
Duhbuhsaynimowin means to place other before yourself. Literally, to put your own needs “lower”
than the needs of others. Humility is recognizing that the important part you have within the total
make-up of the creation is only significant because it is related to the value and necessity of
everyone else’s role.
Truth
Debwewin means to be true in all things – to be true to yourself, to be a true Anishinabe as the
Creator made you to be, and to be true to your place within the creation. Learn the truth, live with
the truth, and speak the truth. The word is made up of two words: “ode” – heart, and “bwe” –
sound of the voice. “Ode-bwe-win” would mean the “heart-voice” – therefore “to speak from the
heart is to speak the truth”.
Values are the sources of all of our behaviours. Values cause us to behave and live our lives the way
that we do. To have good and healthy values enables us to behave in a good way, make the right
decisions and live healthy lives. Our original values cause us to be and to become the strong and
healthy Anishinabe we were created to be, walking the good life: Mino Bimawdiziwin.
When we lose these values or they become displaced by other learned and unhealthy beliefs, we
need to relearn our own values again and practice ways to strengthen them. We can do this by
establishing daily practices that support our original way of being Anishinabe.
The Seven Grandfather Gifts and teachings are the foundation for Anishinabe Mino bimawdiziwin,
the ethics on how to live our life in a kind, complete way. The Seven Fires of Creation and the Seven
Grandfather Gifts are central to the overall philosophy and teachings in the Midewiwin lodge or
Teachings of the Heart lodge. The teachings provide us with the foundation not only to know who we
are and where we came from, but how we were meant to live in the past, present and in the future.
Incorporating these teachings into daily life, I connected Anishinabe thinking, Inendamowin, and
knowledge, geekendasowin, of the Seven Grandfather gifts with the young people from the following
experience.
The Seven Grandfather Teachings by Shelley Charles, 2013
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Nawzhaywub, a young Anishinabe boy, was writing a script for anishinabewijig, teenagers from the
north shore of Georgian Bay. He was listening intently (Respect) to the Anishinabe creation story told
by Elder Onaubinisay, and started to develop it in an artistic way including every single person in the
production. He worked into the evening preparing the script, paying particular attention to the
teachings (truth) that were given by the Elder. Sharing the little bit of knowledge that he had attained
with his peers, and including their individual contributions, it began to unfold in a most beautiful way. Page | 3
The young people were really engaged in trying to illustrate their version (Bravery) of the creation
story, although many of them were painfully shy. Their smiles and laughter as they worked together
brought tears of joy to the audience: animating an Ojibwe teaching that the road to knowledge is
eternal, from spirit, to mind, to body and sharing the teachings of the heart, odebwe gageegay
mikinasing, (Honesty). At the end of their performance they all transformed into memegwanug with a
message that we can change too and walk in a good way in our lives, Mino Bimawdiziwin.
Collectively the young people were developing a solid foundation for their individual life- long learning
as Anishinabe (Humility). They embraced the knowledge from the teachings, interpreted it together
and shared it with Neekawnisidok, all our relations, (Love). The entire production from start to finish
incorporated all of the Seven Grandfather Gifts in every aspect of the creation to the final
presentation.
Sources: Teachings and Interpretations by Onaubinisay, Jim Dumont, Anishinabe Izhichigaywin 2000
The Seven Grandfather Teachings by Shelley Charles, 2013