Prayers for the Water

Art by Christi Belcourt

Nibi gaa-bimaaji'iwemagak Nᐃᐱ ᑳ ᐱᒫᒋ ᐃᐌᒪᑲᒃ in Ojibwe is equivalent to Mni Wiconi in D/N/Lakota.

It means the water that gives life or to save someone's life.

Nibi ᓂᐱ is the word for water.

Like the word ikwe, the word for woman, it is an ancient word and the word for woman is inextricably tied to the word for water.

The woman has a connection to the water.

The woman has the ability to give life and water surrounds the growing baby while it is growing in a womans womb.

All the water teachings are women's teachings.

Women look after the water.

The spirits that look after the water are all female.

The spirit teachings of the women were always kept secret and not

shared with outsiders.

Water is considered a spiritual being in the Ojibwe world view.

Water can give or take life.

If there were an Ojibwe super hero, I think her superpower should be the power of water. Or, she could have the power to make all waring peoples come together by making them realize we start life in water and we all need pure water to survive.

Mashkiki ᒪᔥᑭᑭ is the word for meddicine it means strength of the earth. When a person is in need of healing they seek out the strenght of the earth.

mishkiki or mashkiki and can be broken down to mishki for “strength,” and ki for “the earth”

gaa-bimaaji'iwemagak - Water gives life

gaa ia a stem for mother

bimaaji`means to keep alive, bring life or bring back to life

iwemagak- animate plural stem (for everything that has spirit)

What Will You Do to Take Care of the Water?

https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1505773/Nibi_Water7_13_21.ppt.pdf

#IndigenousArt #NDNZ #IndigenousFeminism #SacredFeminine #Pagan #RadicalFeminism #RadFem #Anishinaabemowin #Aᓂᔑᓈᐯᒧᐎᓐ