Walking Spirit in a Native Way

  To a Great Mentor ! About this book "Walking Spirit in a Native Way" By James B. Beard This book is dedicated to my teacher, Nagaan we widong, [na-gaan-way-wi-dong / First to Speak, First Thunder, Lawrence Joe Matrious, A man who dedicated his life to the people. An Elder of the Ojibwe Nation of People that live around the great lakes in North America. His teachings, patience and example changed my life and that of many others who knew him. He was one of the last of the Old Ones of Lake Lena Reservation in Hinckley, Minnesota. I say here that he was one of the last, though in truth he is one of the old ones. Though he passed on August 9 th , 2009, he is still with us in spirit and continues to affect my life on a daily basis. A grandmother of the Ojibwe from Red Lake Reservation had been asked to oversee the ceremonies for Misho. Her name was Anna Gibs and she was a very short woman and needed a walker to move about together with a nurse...

  NOODIN ~ Cultural Story Teller, Educator, Speaker, Author J ames B Beard aka Noodin Cultural Story Teller, Educator, Speaker, Author   You are invited to visit my Web Site!   I hope you will enjoy the books and services offered here :   James B Beard aka Noodin @ www.northeastcultural.com Behind me, in the photo, is the Grand Monadnock Mountain. It is the most climbed mountain in the Americas with more than 100,000 climbers each year. It is more than that. It is a spiritual gathering place for people. I often refer to her as Mona and she is my friend. Her Native American name is  Chi Manitou’Nuc and means great Spirit place . I lived here on this mountain at Monadnock State Park. In the park I was a Park Ranger, Interpreter/storyteller, Camp Host and Wilderness Responder. I maintained an area of the park to honor this special place with a ceremonial fire, medicine healing lodge and areas for native and cultural gatherin...

  Alone with spirit in the now   Tonight I took a walk on the mountain. No one else here. Just me and the wind. Ten degrees and the wind blowing at twenty to thirty miles per hour. Carefully stepping from rock to rock on an icy trail. Beautiful to hear the music wind plays as it comes down the mountain. Alone with spirit in the now. I feel the warmth of my friends and family knowing that they are in the now too. James Beard aka Noodin                Cultural Storyteller, Educator, Speaker,                Author ...

bookhaven__ 's review Nov 14, 2025 it was amazing!!! “Walking Spirit in a Native Way” is the first book I’ve read by James B. Beard. Although James believed he was living the American dream, he still felt an inner void—something essential was missing. This sense of incompleteness led him on a search for deeper meaning. His first teacher on this journey was Misho, an Ojibwe elder. Misho guided Noodin, helping him learn more about who he truly was. Over the years, Noodin absorbed Misho’s teachings, which ultimately shaped the person he would become. When Misho once asked him, “Who is Noodin?”, the question unsettled him—he realized he couldn’t answer something so fundamental. Even during his childhood in Sunday school, James found himself questioning th...

Honouring those that honour you! by James B. Beard, author     anishinaabe water walkers Authors note: The feeling I had as I watched the people pack and leave the ceremonial area after Spring Ceremonies in Manitoulan Island.   They are going home today!   They came to visit with the people honouring them. On the first night they visited some of the people in the ode swan / sweat-lodge, and helped the people to heal. The next morning 🌅 the people gathered to greet the sun and a new day. A new 🆕 day, a new beginning. They were pleased to see all the people gathered to honour them. There would be much work for them to do to help the people. They listened to the prayers and intentions of the people and were happy. As the ishkode 🔥/ fire awoke, they came to stand amongst the people. They watched as the people worked to make preparations to ask for renewal and oshkibimadzwin🧬 / new life. All the people did, was to honour them and prepare, they the people, for renewal...

  Awhile back I received a call from a woman in Southern New Hampshire. She wanted to know if I would do a memorial service for her son.  She explained to me that her son had been killed in a drug related shoot out about a year before and that she was seeking closure. Her son was part Micmac, and she wanted a ceremony done in a more traditional indigenous way. I referred her to an Elder, but the Elder declined for health reasons. The Elder then suggested that I do the ceremony for her son. I told her I would do it but would need to meet her and her family before any ceremony to make sure we were on the same page. She invited me to come to her home for dinner and to talk, as well as meet the family. The day I arrived at her home I was greeted at the door by her and her seven-year-old daughter. Before I stepped in the door her daughter looked up and said, "you are the one who is going to do ceremony for my brother.". I answered that I was and she asked' "what is ceremo...

  I really don't like to promote my book I think people will see the title and want to read the message that it carries. I know it doesn't work that way but I wish it did. I was checking the comments on some of the adds I post and came upon a re-post by my niece, Neemin. What she posted melted my heart. It reminded me of the closeness of family, even by adoption. It brought back so many memories of Neemin growing up in Sault Ste. Marie.  Here is what she said: "This book written by my uncle James beard is a must read!!... James is a life long friend of my grandpa Larry Matrious and my dad Brian Matrious... so most of the teachings you will read about in this book come from my family... James not only is a life long friend of my family but he has earned the trust of my misho and my dad to share these teachings.. James became our uncle brother and son to my family years ago...  it makes me so proud to have my grandpa's teachings an my father's together in this book.....

  Gardening with Respect - A Seven Grandfathers Teaching   Garden / Gitigan     The Seven Gifts:: Wisdom , Respect , Honesty , Humility , Love , Courage , Truth     When I was young, I remember my mother always keeping a garden. She would plant lettuce, carrots, beans, peas, corn, potato, tomato, beets, and all sorts of vegetables in the garden. My Dad would go out in the early Spring and turn the soil down to about fifteen inches so that the ground was broken up and would drain well. This was the way to prepare a garden. Mom and Dad would spend weekend s in late May putting in the seeds.    As the garden plants began to grow so did the weeds. We would all go out to weed out the garden throughout the summer. It was a never-ending job. I think we produced more weeds than vegetables. We did have wonderful vegetables to eat and enjoy.    My parents lived from 1903 into the 1970’s. Gardening was a normal part of living for them. When ...