07/28/2025
We were never given laws, not like some.
We were given teachings —
mîyow-iskwêwinan — sacred ways to live.
Gifts from the ones who walked before.
Wrapped in the hide of the bear,
carried on the wings of the eagle,
planted with the roots of sweetgrass and cedar,
and whispered to us through dreams.
They are seven.
And the first is Sîpîy-Love —
kîwîtin-êkota.
Not soft. Not easy.
The kind of love that stays
when the winter is long
and the lodge is quiet.
The love that feeds the hungry
and wraps the children in fur.
Then comes Wîcihitowin — Respect.
To move through the world like the deer —
soft-hoofed, careful.
You speak low to the water,
you nod to the rocks.
You never take without offering first.
Sôhkêyihtamowin — Courage
is the next one.
The bear who rises when the people are in danger.
It’s when your legs shake,
but you still step forward.
It’s the strength to protect the ones who cannot.
Gwayakôhîwin — Honesty
sits by the fire with you.
Quiet.
Not proud.
Like the beaver’s lodge —
you build it strong,
or it will not hold.
Kiskinwahamâtowin — Wisdom
does not shout.
She waits.
Old as the buffalo.
She reminds us:
“Knowing is not enough.
You must live what you know.”
And then comes Ahtisîhîwin — Humility.
Head bowed,
heart open.
It is the small child who teaches the old man.
It is the song of the loon,
never louder than the lake.
And lastly… Tâtruth.
Not a single word —
but the thread that sews them all.
Truth doesn’t walk alone.
It needs love.
It needs courage.
It needs you to carry the whole bundle.
These seven teachings —
these mîyow-iskwêwinan —
they are not for show.
They are not for books.
They are for your breath,
your walk,
your daily prayers.
When you forget — come back to the fire.
When the world is loud — listen to the drum.
When your heart is tired — lean into the circle.
We are still here.
We are still listening.
We still carry them.
Mîna ê-mîyow-iskwêwinan.
—Kanipawit Maskwa
John Gonzalez
Standing Bear Network
