WHO ARE YOU?! Always direct questions from this man, Noodin’s teacher. (Excerpt from the book ~ Walking Spirit in a Native Way by James B Beard)
CHAPTER ONE - WALKING SPIRIT IN A NATIVE WAY
While We Were Dancing
Misho asked slowly and deliberately; “Who are you?”
Always direct questions from this man, Noodin’s teacher.
The rain started coming down even harder as if it were making some sort of statement to emphasize the importance of the question.
“I hate when he confronts me with a direct question,” Noodin thought. “I never feel that I will give an answer that will be right even when there are really no wrong answers.”
Misho looked down at the floorboard of the car with some dismay. The wrinkles on his face went deep with concern about how to say the next thing he would share. It was a full minute before he said anything.
The rain fell back to a light patter and Misho spoke softly.
“You need to search for your own bundle, Noodin. We share these things to help you find that direction. Here is an article about a man who is a Druid.”
He took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Noodin.
“You should call him.” Misho continued. The man says in this article that he is a third degree Druid and that there is a whole group of these people honoring their original teachings.”
Noodin looked at the article briefly and put it in his pocket. “I will read it and check it out Misho,” He answered.
The rain suddenly stopped. It was as if someone had turned a handle and shut it off.
Misho got out of the car and went into the house. He would be leaving New Hampshire in the morning to return to his home in Minnesota.
What was he trying to tell me? Noodin wondered to himself.
Everything that Noodin had learned from Misho had been gathered and given with the intent of helping him find out about himself. He felt he should have answered Misho more honestly. He should have told him who he is, who he has become, and the truth of what he has found out about himself from the teachings of this man, Misho.
Noodin has hung on every word given by this man. He has found that the basic wisdom shared with him offered balance and centering beyond anything that he could have ever imagined. This new way of life surpassed all of his greatest expectations.
Any man could answer ‘I am just a man’. What a foolish answer and yet still a basic truth. The question of who you are seems so simple when put in terms the way Misho put it. The answer is also very complex in that it takes in the “all” of who one really is.
On the surface it seems to be a trivial question for one to ask another when you already know them, and Misho knows Noodin pretty well. It has been years learning from Misho to be at the place where Noodin has come to be.
Yes! Noodin thought. I know who I am!
Misho seemed to want him to say he is a white man from Europe or a Celt or a Druid. To Noodin all of these things are true but they alone do not describe Noodin. The transcendence that Noodin had undergone over the last years learning from Misho and others had indeed made a change. The question of “who is Noodin?” is not so simple as, “I am a white man”.
Misho is an Indian! That is who he is. At least 95% because Noodin knew that many generations ago Misho had an ancestor that was a French Portage. Misho mentioned that one time in a gathering talking circle.
Who is Noodin? He is a white man who has transcended to a different cultural teaching. He is a man first named Jim. He is a man of ancient Celtic descent. Noodin is Noodin.
Noodin had learned an important fact from Misho over time. Everyone has a bundle, a collection of all that is who they are and all that they come to understand.
“Why couldn’t I answer my teacher,” Noodin wondered? Misho’s first teaching was that you must always tell a person who you are when you meet them so that they know who they face.
Noodin indizhinikaz, maang indodiem, anishinabe bamaagaana, ogichidaa indow, Celtic indow! [Wind is how I am known, Loon is my clan, Indian it is that I am by adoption, it is that I am a veteran, I am Celt]
Walking Spirit in a Native Way
James Beard is a speaker on topics such as traditional living and natural spirit teachings. His topics address many concerns to do with wellness and balance in life. He is a student of native teachings from Ojibwe Elders, Algonquin language based people, living throughout the Great Lakes Region of the US and Canada. The audiences for his presentations vary from youth to elderly.-- James B. Beard
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Walking Spirit in a Native Way shares timeless teachings from Native Elders that remain as meaningful today as ever. For over thirty years, Jim has learned from Ojibwa/Chippewa Elders, presenting their wisdom to schools, communities, and Native tribes across North America. Respected for his knowledge and dedication, he walks the red road to honor and carry forward the original teachings of all people.
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