"Who are the Elders ?"
by Daniel Crowfeather
It seems that there are many people these days
who are trying to find a spirituality that they can
believe in. For whatever reason, we are beginning
to pay more attention to our spirit and to our
direction in life. Many of us have found ourselves
drawn to the First Nations beliefs, perhaps because
they are seen as clean and pure, and based on the
simpler times that we all seem to miss.
As we make our way along the Red Road, with luck
we are led to a person who has been given the
wisdom and knowledge to be a teacher. We call these
people Elders, and from them we begin to learn the
ways and traditions that form the heart of First Nations
beliefs. While these Elders generally do not think of
themselves as anything special, they are usually highly
regarded and treated with great respect.
For some of us, however, these early times can be
dangerous. Being human, most of us have a desire to be
respected by the people around us. When we see the
respect being given to our Elders, we may begin to hope
that, someday, we may earn that respect for ourselves.
We try to learn as much as we can as quickly as we can,
hoping to impress people with our wisdom. We forget that
knowledge of facts is not the same as wisdom, which only
comes from a lifetime of reflecting on these facts.
The danger is greatest at the time when we realize that
there are people who share our road that know even less
than we do. These people may be easily impressed by the
tiny amount of knowledge that we carry. Such people might
even mistake that knowledge for wisdom, and we may find
ourselves receiving some of that respect that we crave. We
may find that we enjoy the taste of that respect, and our
egos may even lead us to think of ourselves as Elders... and
the trap is sprung!
It is important to understand what an Elder is. Aboriginal
traditions hold the elderly in high regard, because a long
life full of experience leads to wisdom. But an Elder in the
spiritual sense is not just old; today an elderly person
may have no knowledge whatsoever of spirituality. While
such a person may have valuable wisdom in other areas
of life, they obviously cannot be a spiritual Elder. A real
Elder carries facts about their traditions AND the wisdom
that comes from long study and practice of those traditions.
However, when you are just starting out on the path, it can
be hard to tell the difference. Those who are impressionable
can be fooled by an older person with a small amount of
knowledge, claiming to be an Elder.
Another very popular claim is to be a Healer. True Healers
are those who are given the ability to Heal others using only
their own energies and resources. Such people are extremely
rare: perhaps a handful walk the earth today. My wife and I
do not know of any, and probably neither do you. If you know
someone who is claiming that they are a Healer, rest assured
that they are either lying or deluded...true Healers never
advertise, because they know that the people who need them
will be brought to them, quietly and without fuss. They do
not seek recognition, because they are only too aware of the
heavy burden of responsibility they carry, and they do not wish
to add to it.
Finally, there are all the self-proclaimed Visionaries. At best, these
people learn from real Seers, then pass on the visions as their own.
At worst, they will invent any vision that will impress their audience.
Once again, if the person brags of it, then it is not so. True Seers do
not advertise, because they do not need to. Again, those who need
their help will be brought to them, and they know it. They never seek
the spotlight.
The lure of prestige and notoriety can be hard to resist. I am saddened
that there are people within our own circle of friends who have started
to call themselves Elders, and pretend to carry far more knowledge than
they actually have. There is one who has appointed himself a spiritual
leader, and has created a following of people who have virtually no
knowledge of tradition. He tells them that they are Elders as well. There
is another who claims to be a Healer, and performs smudging and
purification ceremonies for others. Because she has not learned the
proper use and purposes of sacred medicines, she has no understanding
of the danger this poses for both herself and for the people she tries to
help. There are still others who ask questions of Elders, then pass on the
answers to other people claiming to have received them direct from the
spirits. We call this 'riding someone else's tobacco,' and it is a simple
attempt to gain notoriety at the expense of others. In each case, these
people have brought a great deal of trouble into their own lives by doing
these things. However, despite these warnings, their egos lead them to
continue to misguide others, and they cause much suffering as a result.
Each of us has a best possible path to walk, and each of us is here for
some specific purpose. For most of us, our walk is all about learning.
While we may not see this as significant, the Creator does not make
mistakes: each life interacts with many others, so each one is as
important as any other. Ignoring our path and trying to do something
more spectacular simply wastes a lifetime, and possibly endangers
ourselves and others. While a person's life is their own, to waste if they
so choose, causing someone else to waste or misuse their life is perhaps
the vilest and most disgusting thing that one human can do to another.
It is time for all the pedestals to be torn down, and for each of us to
walk the paths we were intended to walk. We must push aside our egos,
and listen to the spirits and to the quiet voice of our own hearts. To do
any less is to break faith with ourselves, and with the spirits who agreed
to help and guide us. Let the true Elders to do the teaching. Let the
Healers do the Healing. Let the Seers do the Seeing. Be content that
your life, lived as it supposed to be lived, is as important and necessary
as that of any other person. Learn, love, and be humble.
If you would like to learn more about the Mi'kmaw culture,
please visit Mi'kmaq Spirit
Mi'kmaq Spirit Home Page
Copyright 2005 Daniel Crowfeather
Who are the Elders ?