A Word -- Aadizookaan
by Gregory Hermann

A WORD
James Vukelich 12-17-2020
Aadizookaan
A sacred story or a spirit
A story traditionally told during the winter. The cold sends many life forms out of our location or in hibernation. These offer times of stillness, openness, learning.
A time for hearing the sacred stories.
The word for ‘sacred story’ is the same word for ‘spirit’.
This ‘expression’ is animate, an expression of life. Given the same respect as I do all of my relatives.
Tobacco is offered to the ones who are absent – those who have flown south, those who are asleep, to the story teller and their ancestors.
These are the stories of how we came to be. This requires a moment of sanctity. We are becoming the life givers as we are creating and passing on this good life – mino bimaadiziwin.
GIZHEWAADISI TAADIDAA
Let us help each other live lives of kindness.
AADIIZOOKAAN
A sacred story
A spirit