Introduction to the Teachings

The Story of the  Seven Sacred Teachings

"The Seven Grandfathers were powerful spirits who held the responsibility of watching over the people. They noticed how difficult life on Earth was for the people and sent their helper down amongst the people to find a person whom they could teach to live in harmony with the Earth. The helper found a newborn child, however the Seven Grandfathers believed him to be too young at that time. Shkabwes, the helper, was instructed to take the boy to see the four quarters of the universe in order to give him more time to grow. When he returned, the boy was seven years old. The Grandfathers then began to teach the young boy, and they each presented him with a gift. These gifts were Wisdom, Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Humility, and Truth.The boy, now a full-grown man, returned to the people and taught them of the gifts of the Seven Grandfathers. With the gifts and the understanding the people now had, they began to adjust to the daily challenges. The people had learned to live in harmony with the Earth."

Each one of us represents the child. We must faithfully apply the teachings of our Seven Grandfathers to our own lives. We must place our trust in the Creator. We must also never forget to be sincere in our actions, character, and words."

Indigenous Character Education

The Seven Sacred Teachings represent one of the first acknowledgments of the importance of character education in raising children to live by the community's core values and become positive members of society. The teaching of traditional knowledge and skills aimed at teaching virtues and values related to Love, Respect, Courage, Truth, Honesty, Humility, and Wisdom has been done for millennia through land-based learning, stories, ceremonies and direct teaching. 

Unfortunately, much of this learning was lost through colonization.

The aim of this project is combine old and new ways to help students in school learn and live by the Sacred Teachings - to be "Anishinaabe" - good people, sincere and confident in their actions, character, and words. 

You can get a better idea of the program by watching the video below or downloading the slideshow below to get a better understanding of the purpose of the program