The four natural elements connect us to all parts of Wahkowtowin. This interconnection becomes even more evident during this moon, when the stars are especially close to us and the ancestral teachings are literally glowing above us.
At the same time, the four natural elements surround us: below the earth, on the earth and within each of us. They uphold our strength and represent every human's first four siblings. Each element lives within every person because the elements represent creation, no matter how we choose to celebrate it.
The first element, fire, represents our passion and keeps us strong. We will need that strength as the water begins to freeze and our movements become more restricted during first winter. This is when introspective work begins, and we need to feed our fire.
Like the animals, we should migrate, returning our focus to the things that bring us calm, as though we are sewing together our safety net. Our hobbies bring us joy, and their controlled movements teach us about our strength and help us bend ourselves to align with the stars and the elements.
Please note
There will be smudging smoke present during the event.
The first 30 registered people will be offered the opportunity to participate in a hands‐on activity.
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
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 30 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 and knowledge keeper, and she carries the responsibility of a bundle. She happily participates in naming ceremonies, sweats, pipe ceremonies, moon teachings and more.
