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)

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[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

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[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.

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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.

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[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)