06/18/2025
Happy father’s day to all fathers!
To all the firekeepers, the protectors, the quiet pillars of our homes and nations — this day is for you.
Not because the world tells us to celebrate,
but because your strength has always walked beside us,
even when your name was unspoken.
You are the ones who stood at the edge of the storm,
who taught us to listen to the wind,
who showed us what it means to rise even when the path was hard.
My mushum once told me,
a father isn’t just the one who provides —
he’s the one who remembers the old ways,
who teaches by doing,
who carries the bundle and the burden with grace.
To the fathers, the uncles, the brothers who step up,
To the grandfathers whose wisdom still echoes in ceremony,
To those raising their children in this world
and guiding them from the next —
Mîkwêc. I thank you. I see you. I honour you.
Happy Father’s Day!
—Kanipawit Maskwa
John Gonzalez
Standing Bear Network
