The Seven Grandfather Teachings (or the Seven SacredTeachings)
 Courtesy of Native Women's Center.
The first elder was given these gifts of knowledge by the Seven Grandfathers. These gifts were to help the people live a good life and to respect the Creator, the earth and each other. We have learned how to take care of Mother Earth. In our care for Mother Earth, we have learned to apply these gifts to families, communities, ourselves, and to all things. The Seven Grandfathers told the First Elder that “Each of these teachings must be used with the rest; you can not have wisdom without love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility, and truth…to leave one out is to embrace the opposite of what that teaching is.” If one of these gifts is not used with the others, we will not be in balance. We must remember these teachings, practice them, and teach them to our children.
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Wisdom: to cherish knowledge is to know wisdom.
To have wisdom is to know the difference between positive and negative and know the result of your actions. Sound judgment, ability to see inner qualities and relationships. Listen and use the wisdom of elders, spiritual leaders and healers. Wisdom is sound judgment and the ability to use good sense, to have a good attitude and reason of action, that runs through and binds the seven teachings together. Wisdom is given by the Creator to be used for the good of the people. Love: to know love is to know peace. Feel and give absolute kindness for all things around you. To love yourself is to live at peace with the creator and in harmony with all creation. Love is to feel and give complete kindness for all things around you. Love is based upon affection, respect, kindness, unselfish loyalty, devotion and concern. Love your brother and sister and share with them. Love cannot be demanded... it must be earned and given freely from the goodness of your heart. Respect: to honor all of creation is to have respect. Showing respect is showing honor for the value of persons or things by polite regard, consideration and appreciation. Honor our teachings. Honor our families, others, and ourselves. Don't hurt anything or anyone on the outside or the inside. Respect, also is not to be demanded, You must give respect freely from the goodness of your heart if you wish to be respected. Bravery: to face life with courage is to know bravery. The personal strength to face difficulties, obstacles and challenges. Have courage, make positive choices. Stand up for your convictions--show courage in communicating and decision-making. Do things even in the most difficult times. Be ready to defend what you believe and what is right. Never give in. Never give up. |
Honesty: to walk through life with integrity is to know honesty.
Being truthful and trustworthy. Tell the truth. Be honest with yourself, recognize who and what you are. Accept and act on truths with straightforward and appropriate communication. Be honest in every action and provide good feelings in the heart. Do not be deceitful or use self-deception. Honesty keeps life simple. Humility: to accept yourself as a sacred part of creation is to know humility. Reflecting, expressing or offering in a spirit of deference or submission. Balance of equality with all of life. Recognize the human need for balance in life. Know that you are equal to everyone else. Take pride in what you do, but the pride that you take is in the sharing of the accomplishment with others. Truth: to know of these things is to know the truth. Faithfully apply the teachings of our seven grandfathers and trust in the creator. To show honor is to be truthful and trustworthy, to tell the truth. Sincerity in action, character, and utterance. Be faithful to fact and reality. Be true in everything that you do. Be true to yourself and true to your fellow man. Understand it - Speak it - Live by it 
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'To dance is to pray, to pray is to heal, to heal is to give, to give is to live, to live is to dance.'
