In this session, Cree Knowledge Keeper Marilyn Dykstra invites visitors back who have competed two years of Full Moon teachings and circles together, to continue their work. 

The group will focus on respect, or mîyo‐wîcêhtowin, as it’s not just a value but a way of living in right relationship with all our relatives — who are not just human. Our first four siblings sit in the four directions. Respect means recognizing that the Earth is alive and that every being carries purpose. We must walk gently because our first mother, the Earth, is resting, and she remembers our footsteps and heartbeats. When we honour her, we honour the ancestors who walked before us and the generations who will follow. We are not owners but caretakers responsible for protecting the balance that sustains life.

During the Eagle Moon, people reflect on their responsibilities to the land and to one another by renewing commitments to act with humility and care. We give thanks for the feathers that we carry and honour all our winged family members. Although the eagle provides us with teachings, so do all the winged ones. 

Participants will work with their feathers that they cared for during their first two years of Full Moon teachings. They will recommit to being strong stewards and protectors as we honour all gifts the Creator has placed around us.

Method of teaching

The method of teaching will utilize Indigenous pedagogy as well as incorporate a traditional tea. Participants will discover their relatedness and interconnection with human rights and balance.

This workshop is part of a monthly Wahkowtowin and Ways of Being series led by Knowledge Keeper Marilyn Dykstra. Each month, we will explore a variety of moon, pole and tea teachings in the Inninewak (Cree) tradition.

Wahkowtowin – which translates to kinship – highlights how relationships, communities and the natural world are all interconnected.

Participants will discover and reflect on their connections with each other, with balance and with human rights through teachings and a traditional tea.

Traditional Helper Peyton will support the teachings while she continues her learning journey within Wahkowtowin.

Marilyn Dykstra is a status Bill C31 First Nations woman from northern Manitoba. She has been immersed in a working matriarchal system that practised Indigenous ways of thinking and being since she was born. Alongside her family, she has participated in many peaceful social justice movements.

Marilyn uses her matriarchal knowledge as a foundation for her work in the Indigenous community, which has been ongoing for over thirty years. She still follows her matriarchal teachings, but she has also spent her life learning traditional knowledge and passing the teachings on.

She is a pow wow dancer, knowledge keeper, and she carries the responsibility of a bundle. She happily participates in naming ceremonies, sweats, pipe ceremonies, moon teachings and more.