Healing, na-naan-dah-wih-i-way, is an ancient activity practiced by all cultures from the beginning of time. The Anishinaabeg, the People, here on Turtle Island, Mis-koh-tay-sih Minis, are one of the many nationalities who practiced the art of healing. The Ojibway, O-zih-bee-ih-gay-wug, the People that Write, is just one tribe of the Anishinaabayg having many ways to treat a variety of illnesses like: mental health, physical wellness and spiritual care.

Mental health was practiced by the Anishinaabe Nations using memory in the oral tradition of passing down knowledge. The mental health teachings were maintained with care and held in high esteem. As in other cultures, the Anishinaabayg had an education system that promoted everyone to have a good mind. We had men and women teachings in the Anishinaabay language — guiding the young people in understanding the meanings of dreams. Young females were taught the female teachings by the mothers, aunts, grandmothers and female elders interpreting the dreams and visions from the yearlong Strawberry Ceremony. The young boys went on a vision quest to obtain their dreams and visions.

The dreams and visions were told to the elders who in turn reported their meanings to the young men and women. The dreams and visions told the elders what the main purpose of life the young people were to follow. The purpose might be: to be a warrior, a healer, a hunter, a provider, a teacher, an orator and other village and nation activities. These teachings and guidance were all given orally so there was the expectation to remember all the instructions.

The healers, orators, visionaries and teachers all remember the Anishinaabe Creation Story orally. They tell the events from the time of creation to the present. The names of living and non-living things are mentioned along with their purpose in life. The Anishinaabe names of the constellations are told with the stories of each. The movement of stars and planets and the corresponding seasons of earth are also presented. The spirits of the air, plants, animals, trees and water are also mentioned. The spirits' names are said along with their purpose and we heard their names in the traditional stories told by our parents when we were kids. All this knowledge was passed down orally from generation to generation.

Along with having great memories our ancestors were of superior physical fitness. We have family stories of our ancestors doing mighty feats in wars, living the nomadic life of hunters and gathers, and having the ability to live for three hundred years. There are family stories of our ancestors living to see what is now called Halley's Comet three times in their lifetime. We were physically active throughout the four seasons. There weren't any devastating diseases on Turtle Island. The Anishinaabayg had a great health system at this time in our history. The word suicide was and is not in our Anishinaabay vocabulary. We had many ways of curing our types of sicknesses using natural herbs, plants, and spiritual ceremonies.

Our spiritual ceremonies consisted of doing prayers and songs in the Anishinaabe language. We called in our guardian spirits to help anyone that was sick. The drums were used along with the use of our sacred medicines: the tobacco, a-say-mah, cedar, kees-kah-tik, sage, mahs-kohd-day-wush, and sweetgrass, ween-gashk, for healing. We have a healing game called pah-kit-tah-way meaning he/she is setting a net. A wooden ball with holes in it is used and it is caught with a stick that had moose hide webbing tied to the end where the stick was curved. The ball had healing prayers said to it as it was being made by the medicine person. The people played the game for a sick relative to get better.

These Anishinaabe healing methods are important to us as they are being used in our healing lodges and ceremonies. There are individual ceremonies also done by people to heal themselves. These ceremonies are in our Anishinaabe languages but with the loss of language these healing practices are being lost. Is this the reason why there is so much sickness in our Anishinaabe communities?

Eli Baxter: "I am grateful to write a piece on healing. I will be writing on the Anishinaabay way of healing mentally, physically and spiritually. It is to be about our healing methods from the past and will talk about the present healing issues of today."

Eli Baxter is a residential school survivor, certified Ontario teacher and author. Aki-wayn-zih, his first book, won the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for nonfiction.

CBC Books asked the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award winners to contribute an original piece of writing on the theme of healing. Na-naan-dah-wih-i-way was Eli Baxter's contribution to the series.

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