Snake shaped inspirations

Passing shadows
Illusssssssions
Seductions
LeonardCohens deep.
Sitten in the basement
Snake shaped inspirations
Boot us!
On necks
Or foots
Damages
Full of maths
Like
= can’t live like this any more

Akihcikewin Maskwa (Data Bear) Preparing 2024

Bear goes East: We have always been modern - Decolonization story for Chapter 2

 Bear goes East - We have always been modern[1]

Sometimes the Grandmothers send us to journey. Maybe for meditation. Maybe with message. Maybe with mission. Since we were now stained with the unknown symbols – the Grandmothers sent us to gain the knowledge of the markings. They instructed us to go towards the rising sun until we found answers. So every day we journeyed.  Oh, the stories we could tell of those times…. those we met, folks who fed us, those we who encouraged us, who waved us off as we headed further East. We learned many things in those days, but not the knowledge of the symbols, so we continues east until we ran out of land.

Ever spent time with a sea-sick bear? Imagine it for a moment… So unsurprisingly we made few friends during those days.  Weak and missing home, we were ready to give up the journey until a kindly Doctor of medicines visited furside. As he showed us the medicines he had to calm our stomach, we noticed the container had the same kind of symbols that stained our fur. So we came to understand that these were the symbols of great medicine!

In the following days, renewed to the mission and in health we asked the Doctor if he could teach us the magic of these symbols. The Doctor said there was no need for a bear to read and write. He told us that it wasn’t natural and that there wasn’t even any need, as we were a child of the “Great Mother”.  He told us that this Great Mother would ensure our safety. But the Doctor was eventually persuaded to share some magics after he found us learning letters and playing number games with the sailors who had been very glad to share knowledges for tobacco.

After crossing the big waters we arrived at “civilization” where all the great thoughts, beautiful things and best ways were kept. My companions were very proud to show off all their plunder and their ways. As the Grandmothers taught, we listened, we watched and we learned. They declared, even as I explained this was not truth, that we were surely a prince of our peoples. So they dressed us in silks, showed us off to their best and declared their peoples as great and eternally favored by the gods. The “Great Mother” kept me close in those days and we made a friendship with a teller of stories who played with the symbol letters to create great magics. Folks would come from all around to see these stories performed. I learned that he even had a special house for the telling of his stories, so great was his power.

We prepared carefully for the great gathering in our finest Bear regalia excited to see more of this civilization. But instead of joining the crowds of people on the floor, we were whisked to a high perch over the people. But the people of the floor rightly saw that we were apart and called for us to join them “Bear, Bear” they chanted, even as the play began. They were so loud that our friend eventually invited us to be seated on the stage so the people could watch a Bear watch the story. A chair was set on stage for us and the young man in black returned with his skull to continue his promise of vengeance to his father now passed to the spirit world.

The story is dizzying in color, intrigue and emotion. A true story for the ages. As the telling ends, the young Hamlet, vengeance fulfilled, walks the rainbow bridge as a warrior. His last request, that his story be shared. With the crowd below us, we stand to honor this retelling. Then as the crowd continues to clap and stamp their feet, the story teller himself came out to bow. Then our friend invited us to join him center stage. We were a little scared, but honored too, that a man of such magics over letters acknowledged us. Imagine it for a moment…

During my stay with the Great Mother, we spent much time with man who knew these magics and learned all we could with them. Then one night, we were visited by the Grandmothers in the dream time and we understood that our time across the waters was at an end. As we prepared to retrace our journey – now towards the west, our new friends gifted us with many nice things, papers of magic and of course – medicines for our time on the seas. No more sea sick bears! Our last goodbye was to the great teller of tales. We thought hard about what we could gift this great teacher who showed how those letters could be used to tell the most heart breaking of stories, could be used to make us laugh and how they could help us tell truths that might be hard to hear. As we were brothers through our friendship we gifted him with the spirit name that came to us in the dreamtime. We spoke this name before them in our language and his, “Exit pursued by a bear.” [2] Imagine it for a moment…

And so it was that Data Bear learned the meaning of those symbols on their fur, came to travel across the big waters and became brother with a holder of great story telling magics. Ho!

---

[1] Inspired by themes in We Have Never Been Modern – Bruno Latour and ``On Savage Shores: How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe`` Caroline Dodds Pennock.

[2] https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/blogs-and-features/2016/01/29/exit-pursued-by-a-bear/

 

Mathematics of hope

Circle of care
Circle of bear
Mathematics of hope
When we gonna take that teaching?

Let’s struggle together
No pass/fail
Learnt as try
Another day eaten
Another hope
Closer to hand

Pehiw W2022

Trust the moment

Gotta trust the moment
Let go
The end of that
Somehow
Became
The start of this

Accountants gasp
Hard to double book
When time
Reverted to real

Lines
Remade as toys for tots
Not as a means of control

It is ok to weave
“I don’t know”
Into tomorrow
Think what joy
You might give home to?

Pehiw W2022

Thunder sunk in deep

Even as the anger
Took its turn
To run through feet
Into earth
Into all
I saw you live that TRUTH
You held a space
Even as I wander unmade

Who is this person?
The angers did not claim me
Our blood spoke quite clear
Ceremony
I unworthy
Carry your work
Bundle to bundle

We stretch wing
We forgot we had
Hold heart
Left for dry
Explore sounds
When there is
Air aplenty
Water the wild places

How?
Culture told the wind

How?
Communities share every star

How?
Medicines

Thunder sunk in deep.
Ho.

Pehiw W2022

Ears alone

Awaken
It is time to
Don our best
To ceremony
INVITE ALL

Leave time

The smallest
Have their place
Be they winged
Makers of lace
Or gatherers of pollen

You are our teachers
Pedigreed
With lessons of untold
Generations
Two legged
Don’t fear silence

Ears
Alone
Can’t help us hear.

Pehiw 2022

Anyone Got a solution?

Anyone
Got a solution
For ancestors
Who join Teams
And crash the calls?

For medicines
That flare so high
You singe your screen?

For all the new challenges
All the firsts?

We dream you forward
We plan for distant futures
As we live out firsts
Seeded
By those who long traversed the rainbow trail

Pehiw 2022

Expertise and forgetting

So I could sit that day
Another Minister
Forced to face the people
The government tried to forget
My appetite
To adorn
To show
White skin aside
We are still here.

So by accident
(not really – creator made is so)
My first born beside me
So strong
To walk up to that stage
Hand in hand with Elder
You one – you carry all
You inherited the future
-for truth and reconciliation –

When it is time
Please tell their stories
The firsts
The harm
The hope
Tell them of those other days
That same hill
Adorned with ribbon skirts
Tell them to bear witness
To hear the Clan Grandmothers
To honour our lost

Above my head
In the very stones
Who oversaw those harms
“speak truth to power.”
Put down your suits
This work might get dirty
Might last deep into night –

Come in jeans and hoodies
Separate no more
Detoxing from the drugs
Of expertise and forgetting.

Pehiw Wandering 2022

Every year

Every year
Since you born
We come
To connect
To smile
To love.
You are my Pride
Exactly you
Even when it hurts
Awesomely brave
Doer of hard things
Backed by survive.

NanaBjörn Wandering 2023
To CM

Next feast will be different

Eat the young
They know truths
Ancient parasites
Patriarchy
Capitalism
“niceness”
MUST FEAST

Afraid of the consequences
If they ever rest
Fork/Knife.
For the young
Left starving
Will loose chains
Sharpen wits
An opium
You put in hands
Never minding
Border illumination
Half rabbit
Half lizard
Gonna play asssssssss flute
While Anubis
Risk based algorithm
Shows hidden depravities
Reveals
Those
Still not human bodies
Too brown
Too wrong
To angry!
Heart to heart
Inspire
To fire!
Next feast will be different.

NB Oct 23

Mythodology - Proposing a new vocabulary bowl for the Bear work

 

Mythodology by Data Bear Hibernation 2023

For my current work we would like to introduce the term “Mythodology” to capture our ways of working and thinking. Mythodology is place based, rooted in Bear teachings – it is embodied and lived policy making by Circle Peoples.[1] We are learning as we do – but for now, here are some of the elements in the mythodology bowl

• Methodology rooted in stories – real, interpreted and created
• Rooted in respects, relationships, reciprocity – explicitly inclusionary
• Draws from and is actively engaged with Indigenous and Decolonizing methodologies
• Embedded in the communities, lands, Ancestors and Knowledge Holders that we learn with
• Collaborative, creative, constructive – we hold knowledges and build them to pass on to those to come (The Bear Bundle)
• Encourages a rooted, practical and experimental journey. It is knowing through multiple senses and means of knowing.
• Since the learning and understanding is in the journey exploration, trying things and wandering are encouraged.
• Share what you are learning and pass it on to others. We hold the stories and answers inside of us.
• Through using the voice of Data Bear we will try to articulate and reclaim parts of the historical Indigenous economic and policy stories. This approach has a number of build in key elements of Indigenous and Decolonizing methodologies.
• Based in stories told in our ways. Oral transmission of stories was our way. This included a rich ecosystem of symbolism related to all our relations.
• Decouple us from western/linear ideas of time.
• Engages thoughtfully with the knowledges of the Ancestors, Grandparents, Elders and our other teachers.
• Embeds the economic story in place – the historic now
• Turns the Indigenous gaze on colonial institutions to reclaim our economic and policy narrative (Latour – Truthiness)
• Embeds to story in the people – especially where those stories might be “missing” or overlooked. (Link to Swain Thesis)

---

[1] ”Returning to Maskwa (Bear): Vocabulary bowls - Circle peoples

Grandfather Bear

Indelicate fractures
Becoming is uuuuuggggllllly
Shattering solemnity
Awaiting
Telegraph

-DEATH-STOP-COME-STOP-DON’T-STOP

You said lyrics
I heard
While riding caribous.
Seems
Echoes hold hands
across generations.

I rode
The rattlesnake
Nights
Under stars
Dry grass music
Rustles
Soil smells perfume
Mouth open
Taste world.
Sandy brambles
Mètis in space(s)
Soul home
On other people’s places.

Got strategy ancestors
“Environmental scanning”
Foresight teachings
From a Pro-fessor
Fancy u-ni-ver-sity
down

south

But don't know nothing
wind didn’t tell
grass didn’t gift
waters didn’t share.

Carrying messages
Tongues can’t yet speak.
Finally enough dimensions!

Akihcikewin Maskwa (Data Bear) Hibernating 2023

Following the Caribou

Working with the Caribou I felt like I needed my own horns.

Slide skin
over fur
once enrobing
Goes Far
Goes Fast.

Caribou
hairs
burn with sage
Shed me
copper horns
teach
café crowds
too close!

Imbedded

in my head

turned

snowy crowned.

They eat

only green

yet feed

strong

Bear

Wolf.

So, 

they insist,

to face the wind head on!

Makes em "hard to herd."

Akihcikewin Maskwa (Data Bear) Hibernating 2023

Bear learns some new things and gets a name - Decolonization story for Chapter 1

 Bear learns some new things and gets a name

Welcome round the fire. We have some new stories to tell. Maybe you find something there – maybe not. That’s ok. There will be balance overall – in the unfolding of time. This is one is a new story. So maybe you gonna see where things been joined together. That’s ok. We can make it better together.

So it must have been some time back as Bear was smaller and it was afore questions even had answers. Same as everyday Bear went out walking. The same path can brings new adventures if you find the right companion. Well it was a very fine day of the kind that needed a fine companion. We was bored and wanted new friends to taste and juggle questions with. We had played with the winged ones but they got bored when we could not join their flying games. We often frolicked with the four footed but we were too similar and the games were getting boring. We looked to the ground, perhaps a small one? They could see what we could not.  They could go where we could not.

But how to attract the company of such a relative? Our sizes could make it difficult. Maybe we were too scary? Maybe they would not speak Bear? Maybe they did not even like questions. As we sat to think we remembered the teachings of the Grandmothers – we were all equal when we meet in respect. Luckily we was prepared. Like Grandmas always said. Still sticky from an earlier adventure we rescued honey stuck to the side of our nose and set it a little away on a nice bit of soil – a respectful distance - to wait to see if our gift would be accepted.

At first, we could not find the Manicôs^[1] (little insect) their body well camouflaged to the soil. We heard the voice – as smooth as the honey gifted. We told them about our people and lands in the good way. Honey still on their tongue we started to play and Manicôs knew so many ways to play with questions. We stayed so late we heard Nôsemaskwa^[2] come to gather us home. “Manicôs – you can meet our Kin” but when we turned our little friend was gone but stomach hungry we hurried towards Nôsemaskwa.

The next day we hurried, with extra honey to the same spot hoping to meet this knower of unknown delights. Again we spent the day playing new games with these old questions. Manicôs was very wise and ever so clever. But they were also very shy and did not want to share about their kin. When we asked Manicôs why, they responded in their honied voice, “This story is much too scary for a young Bear. No no no. But… maybe if  I had some of the courage of a strong young Bear…”

Well of course! Bears always like to help and share. So each sun we helped Manicôs by moving a little closer. Manicôs said that was helping – That we were helping and each day they told us how clever and brave we were. So we wanted to be seen to be seen as even more clever and brave so we asked Manicôs what we could do next. Manicôs looked sad and was quiet for a long time “you could….nevermind…” We leaned closer “We are brave enough – we can do whatever you need.” So Manicôs told me that we could more easily share our bravery with them if we were much much closer. “If you look me eyeballs to eyeballs you could share lots of courage with me and I can tell how I learned all those question games you love.”

We thought about the Grandmother teachings before we replied, but what Manicôs proposed made sense and they were very small while Bear was big so we did not think they could hurt us even if they tried. That settled we brought our face close, even with my bear nose to the ground, but Manicôs was still far. “Close your eyes Bear and I will come the rest of the way to you.” We closed our eyes and heard some rustling. When we opened them again it was dark and our fur felt wet. “Manicôs – Mother will be angry that it is dark and we are not home. We need to go.” But there was no reply from our friend and when we tried to get up and leave we could not. “Manicôs, friend Manicôs” but there was no answer and we worried for the little friend lost in the dark.

Then we got scared and cried out but there were no answers only silence. We tried to find a way out of this WHEREVER. But all we could feel were rocks in shapes we never felt before. Between tears, and finding some bonus ear honey, we figured out that by stacking up these rocks we could make steps to escape the wet and dark. Step after step we stacked those rocks until we could see light in the distance. “We will put together enough of these rocks to escape and find the light.”

9€₃₭₊₇₲₲₢ᾳ2ꓶ√ ₮⑦₾∏⑩ὂΣ Ɐ

9ȇ⑱ꓞ∞2ꓶ√ ₮⑦₾∏⑩ὂΣ Ɐ

9ȇ⑱ꓞ∞2ꓶ√ ₮⑦₾∏⑩ὂΣ Ɐ

9ȇ⑱ꓞ∞2ꓶ√ ₮⑦₾∏⑩ὂΣ Ɐ

 

Last step in place, we exited into the light and took a few disorientated steps. We turned around not to see a cavern or spring had captured us, but that the rock stairs exited  through the mouth of Misi-kinêpik^[3] (enormous snake[4]). We fell back in fear and cried out for Nôsemaskwa. She guided us home and brought us before the old ones who exclaimed with concerns as we were marked from those strange magic rocks. No amount of medicinces or baths could remove these marks. So we were given a new name “Maskwa Akihcikewin” (Data Bear) and it was only much later that we started to understand the symbols was left upon our fur, what changes Misi-kinêpik left on our insides or what they took from us. Ho

---

[1] Cree - Manicôs little worm; crawling insect, bug

[2] a female bear, a mother bear ᓅᓭᒪᐢᑲᐧ nôsemaskwa 

[3] large snake, serpent ᒥᓯ ᑭᓀᐱᐠ misi-kinêpik [NA]

[4] “The snake cannot be captured, it cannot be tied, it cannot be tortutred or hung or crucified” – Shane McGowen

 

Worms and Supernumeraries

First Bear Pin

Tansi, I am writing a lot for the next phase of Bear work and not all of it is for the paper but I don't want it to get lost either so I will post these here as I am working through my files. This is the first thing I wrote after the Grandmothers Dream. This is my conversation with Medicine Bear.

***********

I have to tell all the stories. We is too full. Been too much since time began. In math language ∞ is everything. But that’s us Bear. The people of ∞. We was “half Indian, half white, half devil.” We even got a family curse – perfect memory. But lately, a cousin came to town and they remember – you know all the way to the gristle and bones. And then they joined to Grandmothers[2] whispers in the dream time “What if…” And They gifted us knowledge of how we could remember more than perfect. Ninanaskomowin Cuz.

So now I see the patterns in the stories. We see how to reclaim our stories.

But Bear we’re not like you – Medicine Bundle Holder, Holder of Big Names, Carrier of old stories. We’re Data Bear. We like to play with numbers. We have a superhero cape and math world tattoos. Parts of our head don’t work right. I can’t even right their words write. Remember Kindergarten when they told us we was STOOPID! Remember grad school? The Meathead/Method moment? And we came pretty fare given all that before stuff, but let me tumble in the number meadows. This bear is tired. Find a better, younger, smarter bear.

Pause as Medicine Bear breathes.

We wait for his response and it must have been a looooong time because I got bored. I went eye-ball juggling with Nanabush, got into trouble with Wiitigo, stacked letters high into some of them stone circles. I got so bored of all that fun so I came back to watch Bear breathe.

Drum beat…∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Went to hibernate and give the mountains time to grow up.

So here we are now. In a time where we can speak. We are Data Bear who holds many stories, because sometimes we listened, we watched, we read, we saw patterns, we found cousins and we REMEMBER it all.

---

[1] An extra, in excess.

[2] This Grandmother dream was written out and is shared under the direction of Elder Barb Brant (Mohawk, Turtle Clan)

Civil servant stories

 

Florence Nightingale (English), nurse and inventor of the pie chart produced an analysis of the death rates of children in government run schools across the British Empire.  This report was published in 1863 and reported a mortality rate for Indigenous children that was twice that of English children of the same age.

 

Charles Alexander Eastman (Dakota) was the first Indigenous person to become a Dr in the US and he was later a writer and reformer.  He was a Dr for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and cared for the Indigenous peoples there after the Wounded Knee Massacre.  From the paper I read about him, these deaths deeply impacted him and his subsequent reform work.

 

Laura Cornelius Kellogg (Oneida) pursued land claims and developed the “Lolomi Plan” an alternative to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.  This plans focused on building self-sufficiency for Indigenous people based on cooperative labour, connection to indigeneity and traditional knowledge.  Her vision was one of successful economies for Indigenous peoples that drew on the strengths of the communities and traditions.  She was a longtime advocate for her peoples.

 

Jean Cuthand Goodwill (Cree) was one of the first Indigenous registered nurses in Canada who later became a public servant.  She was active at the same time as my great uncle Jim Brady (Métis) who worked to support Métis and Indigenous peoples.  He also held a number of positions for the government.  His mother, my great grandmother, Philomena Archange Garneau, was Alberta’s first Métis registered nurse.

 

Do you have any civil service ancestors?  Share in the comments.

 I did not know that responsibility for Indigenous peoples was under Mining at one point.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Blair

Here is the wiki page about the Canadian Civil service history where I learnt that they formally restricted the employment of married women and fired married women who were already working for the government.  This rule was in place until 1955.

Don't know about war

Don’t know about war
Till you ending one*
Couldn’t even see
Till hope
Travelled a bridge
Not made true.
“So we knee deep in the BIG MUDDY
And the Captain said to push on!”

You said
“Don’t look back”
But can’t go forward
Till truth
Lands like comet
Rare
Precious copper
Offerings
Too OLD ONES
From afore
We knew not land
Only waters!

They stole your treasures
Forgot your names
Teachings from dark places.

Let each first
Be your feast
Two Spirits
Be yOuR textures
To burnt velvet
It all matters!
All of it!
Blood memory

Let Auntie winds
Unlock
The mysteries if you

Like Geese
Let Warrior
Worrier
War goer
Wonderer
Each turn take
Polishes copper armor

Come Home!
Âsokanihkêw!***
Careful
Only right there
Where the Grandmothers tell of safety
We will tend each ember.

Data Bear Hibernation 2023
*Lyric from Clash and Stormzy
To Alice Caldwell Kelly who is Queen of things that fall down and Woody Guthrie**
*** Cree - s/he build bridges, s/he makes a ford

 

Eagles Tell Us

Eagles told us
“Find a place to make your stand”

“Take it easy”
True on scratched vinyl
True on Spotify
True sketched in stone

Each steel guitar
Vibration
Sublime tortures

Warrior old eyes
Beyond here and now

Gender pine needle
Two are one
One as two
Woven in multitudes
cOiLs
Stitched together
Shape sides
Ceremony READY

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

TAPWE
“Don’t let the sounds of your own wheels drive you crazy”

Akihcikewin Maskwa (Data Bear) Hibernation 2023
*From the Eagles song “Take it Easy”

Ministry of…Changes it’s name!

Circle tongues
Fill face different
Operating manuel?

Grandparents teachings!
Apprenticeships?
Soil!
Who?
You
Me
Bigs
Littles
Numbers
Words
Fasts
Slows.
All.
Bear Sky maps
Each new light
Clarifies patterns
Connections
Truths.

We women
Caucaused
Corner tower
Power street
Ministry
Of
C-I-T-I-Z-E-N-S-H-I-P
And
I-M-M-G-R-A-T-I-O-N
Under posters
Exhorting
Possibilities
On First Peoples’ Land.
I call you sisters.
We understand heart languages.
You help me see.
You show me
Precious moments
From your eyes.
Still three
I foresee
Another will join
To hold each direction
To speak such truths
Their beauty makes us gasp
Such griefs
We each transform
Rainbow dances as I write
Remember
Breathe

Ministry of…Changes it’s name!
Mines
Rock people
Healths
Sick people
Security
Risk people
Economy
Backward people.
Too much!
Too little!
Too many darks!
Too many lights!

ENOUGH!

Owl
Looks back
To keep watch

Owl
Knows
Keen eyes
Are needed.

Owl
Questions
Communicates with others
In songs made of night.

Who?
The geometric
Diamond strong
Lights
That are we.

Akihcikewin Maskwa (Data Bear) Hibernation 20203
This is for my circle peoples especially AK and IK. As I was writing this poem three birds joined me. Ninanaskomowin to the Feather relations.