Almighty Voice

Almighty Voice was born in 1874

The Morning Star Blanket

Native American Rugs, Blankets, and Quilts
The best-known native textile art in North America is the weaving of Navajo Indian blankets and rugs. These impressive (and expensive) rugs are still made in a style that was traditional in Mexico and the southwest United States long before the arrival of Europeans: kneeling before a vertical wooden-frame loom and using a shuttle to weave colored threads together into large-scale geometric designs. Originally Navajo and other Southwest Indian blankets were made of hand-spun cotton thread, but after the Spanish brought domestic sheep to the region the people primarily switched to wool. Though Navajo rugs are the most famous weavings in North America, they are certainly not the only one.

Finger-weaving has been important throughout the continent since ancient times, and finger-woven blankets, tapestries, and clothing are still made in many tribes. The chilkat blankets of Tlingit people are one of the finest examples of finger-woven Indian blankets. Seminole sashes and patchwork are another important Indian textile art. A more recent tradition is star quilts or blankets, which originated among the Sioux tribes (Lakota, Dakota, and Assiniboine) and spread throughout the Great Plains.

Quilting was one of many Artwork techniques that Native Americans developed from European traditions and adapted into something unique to their culture. Star quilts are made by piecing a mosaic of cloth diamonds into the shape of the traditional eight-pointed morning star design of the Sioux. Before the evolution of star quilts, traditional Plains Indian Robes were made from painted, quilled and beaded Buffalo hide. When the Buffalo herds were exterminated this artform largely died out, but some Plains tribe artists still make Buffalo robes and blankets today from the hides of animals raised in captivity.

Star Quilts, Star Robes, Star Blankets are made with great care and ceremony, these robes are presented to people that have achieved milestones in their life, during birth, childhood, adulthood, and old age, even during the passing into another world - people are given StarBlankets.

The Star is represented in these robes as it is a sign of new life -every morning the Elders would wake everyone in camp to come and greet the Morning Sun - if you are able to see the Morning Sun give thanks to the Creator for the gift of another day.

The First Nations People of Saskatchewan developed their livelihood dependant on the migrating Buffalo Herds, 95% of the Food, Shelter, Clothing, Ceremonies revolved around the Buffalo - with the dissappearance there had to be a great change.

The Snowman

The winter months are long and cold, children begin to play in the drifts, digging igloos and making snowmen. Back home when I was young there would be times when my younger brothers and I would play in the farmyard and when my parents werent home, we had to look after ourselves.

We played in the snow like other children, but there were restrictions as to how we were to play, partly because our gradparents were very strict about the traditional ways and partly because we believed in the traditions, we were cautioned about the Snowman and what that represented to the First Nation Assiniboine.

The First Nation Assiniboine depended on wild game for food, shelter and clothing, therefore the environment played a major part in the hunting conditions. The large game included Deer, Moose, Elk, Bear and Antelope, other smaller game also provided food and several household items. In the winter the people would follow the big game animals and often the hunting trips would take the hunter far out in the wilderness. In the winter the snow would slow the hunter down because they would fall into the drifts making it dangerous and often deadly especially in snow that was very deep. It is beleived that if the hunter made an image of a man that the snowman would bring cold weather to make the snow hard and easy to walk on. That is why when children make a snowman the old people would order them to break it for it was an invitation for cold weather.

Assiniboine Geneology Mosquito Grizzly Bears Head Lean Man First Nation

During the summer months in my childhood years, the whole family would start to plan the summer with trips to various locations in the province. One of the trips that the family would take is our annual visit to the Cypress Hills on a reserve called The Nekaneet First Nation. This reserve is not a big reserve but it is set in one of the most beautiful environments found anywhere in Saskatchewan and the world, complete with an ecosystem that could only be found in exotic countries.

My Kohkum Grandmother Agnes Starchief was born to Gilbert Mosquito and Wechiyan (Little Girl) in April 1897 in the Eagle Hills into a family of four boys and two girls.The oldest son, Herbert Fish moved to an Assiniboine Reserve in the United States called "Fort Belknap Indian Reservation" located in Montana. John Mosquito moved to the " Nekaneet First Nation" which is a small reserve located in the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan, Adam Mosquito the youngest of the boys, lived on the "Mosquito GrizzlyBears Head Lean Man First Nation" all of his life, there was one more son but he accidently fell in a well and drowned as a teen. There were two girls born to Gilbert and Wicheyan and were the youngest of the family, they were Agnes Mosquito (Starchief) and Helen Mosquito (Sauve), Agnes married Peter Starchief at the age of 13 and Helen married Alex Sauve from North Battleford.

The Cypress Hills is a beautiful place to visit and we were fortunate to stay on the Nekaneet First Nation with my Kohkum's neices and nephews, who were more than happy to take us on tours within the park. I have many fond memories of the trips we used to take visiting relatives across the country.

First Nations Traditional Medicines - Tobacco

Tobacco - When a person gives Tobacco it is a form of seeking Knowledge, it is a form of seeking advice , it is a traditional way of asking for something that would benefit a person's livelihood. It is proper to present Tobacco to an Elder when you seek advice or a prayer but it is customary that when you go to visit an Elder to take a gift of Tobacco. When times are tough and Tobacco is hard to get than one cigarette will do. The purpose is that when the Tobacco is used during a ceremony, and when it is lit the smoke will carry prayers to the Creator and His Helpers. In all of North America Aboriginal People have a collective understanding about the sacredness of Tobacco.

Tobacco is usually bought in pouches or as cigarettes.

The Tipi Circle

First Nations People would generally live in small family groups for most of the year, but during the spring, summer and fall there were plenty of opportunities for several groups to gather and camp in one area. Often the village would consist of a circle of Tipis, and in the old days there was always a single standing tipi in the middle of the circle. The Central Tipi was comparatively larger than the rest, this was the gathering place, the theatre, the story telling place, the classroom, and this was also a guest house. The Gathering Place Tipi would be well maintained by all members of the village, usually the Elderly Men and Elderly Women would make sure that there was enough wood to keep the fires going and there was plenty of robes and blankets to sit on and for guests to use. The tipi was well cleaned and it was everyones responsibility to make sure that this was a place designed to keep everyone comfortable and safe. When the time came for the camp to move to a different location the Gathering Place Tipi would be looked after so that it was the last one to be taken down from the old camp and it would be the first one to be put up in the new location.
The Tipis are always put up in a circle during a camp for protection: much like the Buffalo, Antelope and animals that live in groups, when there is a predator the buffalo would herd the calves into the center and turn and face out to fight.
It is a fool who made his camp outside of this circle.

The Buffalo Society

Members of this society must have scientific knowledge of the behavior of the Buffalo, they would have to know the migratory routes of the herd, the calving of the cows, the Ceremonies, songs, celebrations and other information that would help the Band succeed in the hunting of the Buffalo.
The Buffalo provided a livelihood for the Plains People, as a source for Food, Shelter, and clothing, as well as numerous other uses.
The Buffalo Society membership required the Knowledge of Ceremonial procedures that had to be done exactly as they had been practised since time immemorial, so that the Buffalo Spirit would be appeased and not be angry and stop providing.
Children were identified for mentorship for the Buffalo Society by Elders in the Band, the child or children (often a boy and a girl) would than be taught by members of the society. As a survival tactic, two students would be chosen every year for study just in case one student could not complete training.
The members of the Buffalo Society managed the Buffalo Hunt according to traditional laws as governed by the Creator, the time for the hunt was scheduled around the migrations of the Buffalo, usually during the fall. Band members knew their role in the hunt and obeyed direction of the society. To disobey laws could endanger the whole band and the hunt could be disastrous, there were of course Tribal Police that would ensure that all band members followed rules.
The Buffalo Society have a very important role in the band, this position required yearly ceremonies and yearly sacrifices have to be made. The survival of the Band was dependant on the expertise of the Buffalo Society, the transfer of knowledge to a prospective member was a lifelong learning process.
The Buffalo Society members would have headdresses made from Weasel tails and Buffalo Horns, the hat was worn on special occasions, to own a headdress is equivalent in today's standards to a Doctorate Degree. The Band allowed only one or two people from the band to make the Headdresses - if a person made a headdress without protocol chances are they would be severely punished or in severe instances would be banished from the band.