Fulfilling a sacred responsibility

“It’s not by accident that you were born during the seventh generation,” says Dr. Emily Faries to a group of youth who hail from all parts of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) territory.

The Moose Cree First Nation member is telling a group of youth how they can ensure an ancient prophecy is fulfilled. Her presentation comes at the Seven Sacred Teachings Youth Gathering hosted by Nishnawbe Aski Nation Decade for Youth & Development in Thunder Bay, Jan. 31 to Feb. 3. More than 100 youth gathered for the conference on traditional strength building practices.

“You, as a young person, have a responsibility to fulfill the Seventh Generation Prophecy,” Faries says.
She refers to a prophecy about seven prophets who came to the people long ago.

Prior to European contact, Faries says Aboriginal people were self sufficient, depending upon no one to govern their lives.
“As Aboriginal people, we had an inherent right to govern ourselves and practice our own traditions,” she says.
But each of the seven prophets foretold of a period of great loss and uncertainty for Aboriginal people that would begin with the arrival of Europeans to North America.

During this period of darkness, the Indigenous peoples of North America would see a loss of culture, a loss of spirituality and a loss to their traditional way of life. This would occur during the first, second and third generations of Aboriginal people since the arrival of the Europeans.

In the era of the fourth, fifth and sixth generations, the impacts of those losses would result in social chaos. Families would be destroyed as children were pulled from their communities. The prophets, Faries says, foretold of those things.
With the warning, steps were taken to ensure all would not be lost. One such effort was to take ceremonial practices underground where they were conducted in secret.

During the time of uncertainty, individuals would safeguard the traditional practices and prepare the way for the future and for the seventh generation.

According to the prophecy, it would be the seventh generation after the arrival of the Europeans who would rise up and fight for their inherent rights and re-affirm their sacred responsibility to protect Mother Earth.
“The seventh generation is the youth of today,” she says to the attentive crowd. Her words hang over the many young people.

This generation would witness the loss of their rights as Indigenous people, would witness poisoned waters, sick animals, destruction of lands, polluted air, global warming and increased weather activity.

This generation would also witness family violence, suicide, alcohol and drug abuse and low self-esteem.
But Faries tells the youth these things are the result of a long hard historical journey.

“Our people are not a bad people,” she says.

And it will be the seventh generation who will come together to mend the broken circle and to restore the spirit of the people.

“As young people, you can make the change.”

For Faries, she was greatly impacted by the prophecy. She wanted to do her part to ensure the prophecy would live itself out. She now runs ceremonies on her property just outside Timmins, Ont.

Every year, Faries and her husband Bill Constant host spring and fall ceremonies that attract many people from across northern Ontario and Quebec. In recent years, a Sundance was introduced to the property.
Faries believes it is through the revival and return of traditional spiritual practices that Indigenous people of the seventh generation will gain the strength to fulfill the prophecy.

But it will take hard work, she warns.

“We can talk about the prophecy, but to actually go and do it, will make it happen.”