my name is muhkwa or bear, im ojibway indian.

[TheOjibway]

Hello (boozhoo) I am Canadian, I am twenty years old I am from treaty 9 in Canada. I am also Ojibway and speak it. I fish, hunt, trap, I also practice herbal medicine, and regularly gather herbs from the bush (as well as berries), I make native crafts like; clothing, jewelry, weapons, and camp items. I love having a close connection with nature, as well as living simply. My dad taught me how to survive in the woods with just my bare hands, and my 96 years young grandmother (kokum) is full of history and wisdom, and she only speaks ojibway. I seem to have been bitten by the ''indian bug'' these past years, by wanting to know and live in the old ways, but Ive hit a crossroads since I also love the modern ways. My family owns five lakes north of the reserve my family grew up in, where weve traditionaly hunted and trapped for many generations, and I dont plan on letting tradition and culture end with me. I love knowing new people also.

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

<strong>Welcome Oji Bear. While in New Mexico, I met a woman who is Navajo who taught Navajo to school kids and the College. The tribes in the area barely spoke it anymore. There was lets say Government Intervention for a while regarding many western tribes in the USA and many have lost language and culture. Very sad. People like you with a rich heritage you are taking advantage of are a Godsend.<br>If you have or set up a blog, I would love to read it.</strong><br><strong><span style="color: #ff00ff;">Dragonfly</span></strong>

 

[Lostinspace]

Welcome Bear to our group. Preserving your heritage is important. Good work.

 

[wagoneer]

welcome bear that is a soul searching question and believe you will get your answer when you least expect it. Life is a journey. Keep yourself strong and open.

 

[Wild_E]

<span style="line-height: 20px;">Hello (boozhoo)&nbsp;I am Canadian, to you as well !<br>I am Canadian as well, love the North and the people although stuck in the south near the GTA for now, but there is this winter and next spring as well. If you head on down this way, there is a Lady who does Wild Edibles walks and talks, she would love to go out and discuss plants and nutrition with her and me as well. If your down this way or near, there are many walks and talks almost every weekend, so we could meet up on one of them. <br><br>My background is European bushcrafter, so I also enjoy the love of the woods and draw of the lakes.<br>Welcome to you hope you stay here for a bit in your journeys. &nbsp;<br></span>

 

[Curtis]

Welcome Bear to the forums,<br><br>That history and wisdom your grandmother knows is one of the reasons she is 96.<img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br><br>So called "modern medicine" has a lot to learn from someone like her.

 

[wagoneer]

All the answers are right in front of us if we look . (If we don't destroy them) Geeeze I'm turning into this guy "Mr Natural" from Zap comics

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;Hola! Nice to see more Canadians showing up. Coincidentally enuf, my buddy Cliff, who I truly thought had kicked the bucket, showed up a coupla weeks ago.. and he's Woods Cree. He lives in his rig and, at 70 something yrs old, wouldn't have it any other way. ..Willy.

 

[TheOjibway]

<p>Yes maybe Im kinda soul searching, but the great part about being in ontario is there is so much untampered wilderness here, where I can explore, since I grew up in the bush my whole life. lol. One day I will fill a backpack with basic tools, and starter foods, and go and live a few months in the wild during hunting season, before the winter hits,having recently moved to the big city I am always overcome with excitement, but still having this deep desire to be near nature, and not living in s much&nbsp;excess. My father was a guide and an animal tracker, he was able to find anything, and traditionaly our family were trappers, and twice a year they would sell there furs to the hudson bay outpost and use that money to buy food staples, and then make there journey back to th reserve either by canoe in the spring, or dog sled in the winter. If anyone is ever in the area of sioux lookout&nbsp;I would love to hang out and show you around, I think its good to make connections wherever you go, since we are all travellers.</p>

 

[blkjak]

<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>welcome from s.w. florida .... blkjak</strong> </span>

 

[Patrick46]

Hey there Bear!!<BR><BR>I've always been fascinated with backwoods handicraft, and my interest in Blackpowder firearms has brought me to mountainman events where I've really been able to learn alot!! <BR>It's great to see when younger folks like yourself are interested enough to learn the arts that your ancestors used in everyday life. (alot of these handcrafted arts are in danger of dyeing off due to lack of interest.) <IMG class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/frown.gif">&nbsp;...everyone wants instant gratification these days!<BR><BR>I'd love to see more of your work! The necklace is&nbsp;awesome! (is that made from&nbsp;porcupine quills??)

 

[reube123]

<table class="post_body" style="table-layout: fixed; color: #000000; font-size: 13px;" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td class="post" style="word-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.6; border: none; padding: 6px;" colspan="2" valign="top" height="100%"><span id="post_message_1279102112">edit by kate: the following is a quote. reube123, maybe you lost some of your reply??<br><br>Hola! Nice to see more Canadians showing up. Coincidentally enuf, my buddy Cliff, who I truly thought had kicked the bucket, showed up a coupla weeks ago.. and he's Woods Cree. He lives in his rig and, at 70 something yrs old, wouldn't have it any other way. ..Willy.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>

 

[Wild_E]

Reube123<br>did you mean to quote Willy or add to his comment?&nbsp;

 

[Coffee Tim]

Hello Bear, welcome to you.