A Plea For Help

Posted on June 10, 2015 by South Wind

The seasons of life, how wonderfully fortunate and privileged are the human beings who experience all of them! To live from the springtime of your life all the way through to the winter of your years is something we hope will come to pass for all the people we love. My heart is strong in its desire to drum long into its final winter.

I write this post to speak of truths and of misfortune and also to speak of the zest for life of an honourable young man I have come to know and admire. We live in a world where one knows not, with 100% certainty, whether he or she will still be alive and healthy a year hence from now. Much can go askew! The organs inside our bodies, working in harmony with blood, muscle and nerves will generate vigour and physical strength for us only when each organ is functioning as it should. When an organ playing a vital role to the health of the human body is overcome by disease, it is no longer capable of doing its work. Death can occur because of it. Such is the case with David, a dear friend of mine. He has only recently become the proud dad of his first child, an adorable baby girl. He is a fine, considerate, compassionate, generous young man who loves the land and prays for the health and wellbeing of all good peoples. David has been stricken with a disease attacking his kidneys (Berger’s Disease). He is in desperate need of a donor kidney or he will not have the good life he deserves.

David is the type of man who sits in the fasting circle, humbly requesting the spirit of the land to counsel him and to guide his pathway. The blue jay gliding in the foreground of evergreens lifts his spirit. The song carried in the wind and the fragrances emitting from Mother Earth bring joy into his heart. He is a man of simple needs. The love he possesses for his wife and daughter cannot be surpassed. For them he would dance till dawn each and every day of the year. We ask for your prayers and good energy. But who knows, somebody reading this might see fit by helping David out by offering him the gift of life.

Please read David’s own words about how the illness has impacted him:

D & V. May 2015Our baby girl Violette has turned 6 months last week… I can’t believe how fast she’s growing. It seems like it was yesterday again that she was just born… She is a very alert little girl and loves to smile and laugh. She truly is adorable and we are so blessed to have her in our lives.

Approximately one year ago (April 2014) I was getting severe headaches and I attributed it to stress from work, commuting to Kingston, allergies, etc. Then at Easter last year I woke up one morning and started vomiting uncontrollably. I initially thought it was food poisoning. I started to fever and we decided to go to the Emergency Room (here in Kingston). They took my blood pressure and found it was over 200. After many tests (they kept me in the hospital for one week to bring down the blood pressure) they found that my kidneys were operating at only 20%, but they didn’t know if it was due to the hypertension or something else. The kidney specialist determined they needed to take a biopsy of my kidney to determine everything what exactly was present.

The biopsy revealed that my kidneys have a disease called IgA Nephropathy or Berger’s disease and at that time it was at stage 4 (stage 5 being kidney failure). They were, and are still today unaware of the cause of such condition and there is no cure. All they do know is that high blood pressure attributes to the disease and the disease creates high blood pressure. I will let you google for a more detailed description of the disease/condition, what I can share is that my condition is very aggressive, where basically my immune system is killing my kidneys.

That was a year ago and until about two months ago, I was managing/coping with medications to control my blood pressure, a restricted diet, exercise, positive thinking, ceremony, and awareness/research, etc. About two months ago the disease jumped into hyper drive and basically totalled my kidney function. In order to remedy that, it was determined that dialysis was needed and I was immediately admitted for surgery to have a catheter line inserted in my stomach for peritoneal dialysis (PD). Again I will let you google that type of dialysis to obtain furthers details (if you wish) but basically I chose this route because I would be able to do it at home (during night time) and it is a good choice pre kidney transplant.

Since starting PD the dialysis experience hasn’t been the best as the catheter has been moving around too much and therefore the fluid wasn’t draining properly. They found the catheter kept migrating up and not draining. So then it was decided that more surgery was needed to determined the cause of it moving around so much, and felt that they would probably have to “tack it down” to my pelvis to stop it from moving. So as all this was being determined the disease kept on and for safe measures it was determined that I needed some sort of dialysis immediately, so I was admitted (again) for surgery to have a temporary hemodialysis line put in my upper chest/neck area (called a perm cath). So since then (for the past two weeks), I have gone to hemodialysis (at the hospital) three times a week for four hours each time. The catheter in my belly for PD has been completely removed and a new one has been inserted. They are going to try to start PD again next week and hopefully everything works out ok with the newly installed catheter.

I am now at the space of this experience where I have accepted this hard situation and that I can’t do it alone. I need to expand my healing circle and in that regards I am humbly asking for you to help me as much as you can offer. I don’t know how this may unfold, but simply knowing you know this helps greatly. Things happened so rapidly and so many great things were evolving all at once, mostly the coming of my daughter, that focusing on this condition was difficult.

I wish to share that my main goal is to have a kidney transplant within the next year. I am currently on the ‘hunt’ for a living donor. So please (and certainly no pressure) put the word out there. I am searching for a grateful soul to donate a kidney and help me to restore my body balance where it was meant to be and as Creation intended it to be. If you ever come across someone who would be interested, I can give you more information on how to proceed or even give you more information/a brochure, etc. FYI, the blood type doesn’t have to match because they have a system where if you have a donor that has a different blood type, they will find another donor in the same situation and all people can benefit.

Besides that I will be placed on the transplant cadaver list. But such transplant can take years to occur and that’s if you’re lucky. Finding a living donor is my best option. I am currently searching for a grateful soul to donate a kidney so I can return to the balanced being that I am intended to be. If you can, please share this with all you feel should know, please do and may I ask you to put out a request to our Ancestors that would mean the world to me.

Again please forgive me for not sharing more of this sooner but I needed to move down this healing path as I was intended to. It has certainly been a humbling and at times suffering experience, but I can speak today with my chin up and say it has made me stronger and greatly aware of life’s sacred gifts.
– David.

~~~
Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind.

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Development On The Chaudière Falls? No!

Posted on June 8, 2015 by South Wind

The Chaudière Falls – so many thoughts come to mind when I see and hear them. ‘The Kettle of Boiling Waters,’ for me, always provokes thoughts of life and its purpose and of the world waiting for us after our hearts have ceased to contract their muscles.

Painting of Chaudière Falls before it was dammed

Painting of Chaudière Falls before it was dammed

Mine is a spirituality which honours sun, earth, wind, and water, for without their presence, human beings could not live. Water; who among us would not give up life and prosperity if doing so confirmed that fresh and pure water would always be present for their future generations? The Chaudière Falls was once a place where people went to pray and make offerings of tobacco, not only to request safe journey on the river but also to pray for the health of the waters everywhere. It is truly sad and disheartening that such rituals and ceremonies no longer occur at the place that was once the most sacred site of my ancestors, the ‘People of the Great River’ (Algonquin).

Today, at a time in history when the voice of ‘money’ is louder and more powerful than ever before, a developer makes plans to construct condos 12-storeys high on a sacred space. Holes will need to be drilled into the shale rock before the foundations of the many high-rises can be poured. The earth will scream in agony and I believe our ancestors too, will sing a long mournful song, released into the wind. But who will hear it? Only the spirit of the Falls. And after the condos are built, who among us possesses the fat bank account necessary to afford a home where a world wonder sits in your backyard?

I beseech you to take the time to go to the Falls, take a long and careful look at the ‘Kettle of Boiling Water’, close your eyes and imagine what it was long ago and what it might be today.

Let us ask ourselves what we lose as a community if condos are built around the Falls. We will miss out on a rare and precious moment in time where we could have created a glue capable of bonding the emotional, psychological, and spiritual domains of the citizens of Ontario and Quebec. As the Falls were long ago, they can once again become a gathering place where all peoples can come to pray, to understand the purpose of life, and to build on things that unite them. Imagine a park which would no doubt become the envy of all world capitals because we are so blessed to have as a neighbour, the Chaudière Falls, a natural world wonder.

Many politicians are nothing more than well-greased mistake-making machines. The mistake they make allowing development around the Chaudière Falls will be a mistake our descendants will condemn all of us for a couple of generations from now. Mark my words!

The common folk should decide what happens to the Falls. Together we must demand a referendum (Ottawa and Gatineau) on whether or not we want condos to be built on land Creator placed on earth to guide our way to a better place after death takes us away. Our sacred sites are not for sale.

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind.

 

Ways to help:
Learn more about Chaudière and the work to stop the condo development at http://freethefalls.ca/
Sign the “Free the Falls” petition

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Invitation: Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Event at Rideau High School

Posted on May 11, 2015 by South Wind

I hope this post finds you well.

After eight extremely busy weeks I was more than worn out. I truly felt like my wings had been clipped and that climbing the sky wasn’t going to happen again for me at least for a while. Luckily I had scheduled my spring fasting ceremony to begin last Wednesday (May 6th). What an amazingly spiritually enriching time I had among the trees. I now feel refreshed and reinvigorated. I recommend fasting for all who search to find their purpose as a human being. Be it ever so humble, there is no place like the soul. My experiences at the fasting site were many but one in particular jumped out at me.

As I was sitting in my forest circle, I saw all around me the leaves fallen from the trees last autumn. They lay on the forest floor, rust-coloured and brittle, maple leaves, oak leaves, yellow birch and elm leaves. Their tips clutching those of the leaves around them. In life, they had sung their own unique songs. The tree unto which they were attached proudly displayed them for all to see. The leaves waved to their neighbours day and night. All was well.

Now in death, they lay side by side, returning to the earth that gave them life. The brush of the wind brings forth a song from them. Together at last, in a hauntingly beautiful symphony. I meditated on this for a long time. And after I did so, I lit my pipe and smoked a bowl full of sacred tobacco in thanksgiving of another teaching being added to my bundle.

Aboriginal Lecture Series Invitation May 21 2015Now that I’m back, I want to share with you that TRC Commissioner Dr. Marie Wilson will be at Rideau High School, 815 St. Laurent Blvd. in Ottawa, on May 21st. Please click here to read and share the flyer.

As an activist and as a human being, I am requesting your presence at this event. Dr. Marie Wilson will make an hour-long presentation about TRC. The coordinators of the event need you to be there. Please show your support. Wawatay Catering will be there. There is no charge. All are welcome.

SEE YOU THERE.

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind.

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Healing Heartache

Posted on January 11, 2015 by South Wind

As weightless fluffy flakes of snow slowly tumble from the windless sky to form their own distinctive layer on the already snow-covered frozen earth, I find myself in deep meditation of the heart beating in my chest. I marvel at the power of my heart in its amazing ability to receive or reject the music of life offered to it by the world we live in! The musical notes it can find harmony with, it allows to enter its domain, the notes “out of key” with its own song, it rejects! Over the course of our lives we demand much of our poor hearts. A heart beating in the chest of a human being who has suffered greatly, truly is a survivor in every sense of the word.

A young couple may enjoy many good and happy memories together but then something gives way in the relationship and “WHAM”, in a heartbeat it’s all over but the crying. Some might describe such an experience as “heartbreaking”. I’ve been there and I wouldn’t say “broken-hearted” would best describe what I went through! The feeling for me was more in line with imagining that the bottom of my heart had opened up and all the joyful memories connected to the person no longer in my life, came pouring out, like apples from a bushel basket whose straw underside had suddenly let go in the hands of a picker. The laughter we shared, the support and solidarity, the love and counsels, the intimacy and trust, all of it gone forever. I’ve felt as if my heart no longer existed, only a void remained where it had been. An empty space as big as the sky without even a small island within it where peace and recovery might occur.

Such a feeling is not unique to the ending of a relationship involving lovers, it is similar in many ways to what is felt when a dearly loved relative dies. A parent or sibling, a beloved grandparent, a death sometimes creates anguish so severe we’re left wondering if we will survive.

Creator has not left us helpless however, we do have the strength to eventually come to terms with the loss we have experienced and to pick ourselves up and continue to move forward with our lives. If ever there was a reason to bring spiritual beliefs into our lives, it is after our hearts have been left feeling empty and barely alive.

winter(1)Spirituality allows us to shed heartache no matter how many layers of it might exist for us. Like the snow falling now, it will have its place in the many other storms which will occur before spring arrives. But no matter the thickness of the snowbank at the end of winter, the new season will render it down until no sign of snow is left to knock us off balance. The heart recovers likewise!

Why am I writing such a blog? I’m not sure, it’s just the way I’m feeling today. Be kind to your hearts, feed your heart with prayers, nurture it with good songs. Blessings to all.

Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert “South Wind” Dumont.

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Where’s the Snow?

Posted on January 3, 2015 by South Wind

Where’s the snow? What effect would a snowless winter have on the plants, birds and animals of our territory? My beekeeper friend also farms garlic. The crop won’t do well if snow doesn’t come soon, he tells me. Garlic needs insulation!

I know that the partridge needs snowdrifts to dig into to find himself a cozy spot to wait out a spell of bitter cold temperatures. The rabbit needs snow to establish his trail (runway). He follows it for the duration of the season to assure his survival!

My mother used to say that a stretch of bitter cold is needed now and then over the course of the winter. Kills the cold and flu viruses running amok, she claimed. Makes sense!

It seems to me that this winter is gearing up to be a doozy where misery brought on by sickness is concerned. Everywhere I go I hear noses being honked, wheezing throats being cleared, spitting, groans and moans, left, right and centre. All this even with the amazing cure-all, better known as the ‘flu shot’ (never got one myself). I just hope it all stays under control.

One of the things I hate to see is a child, especially those from infant to toddler age, worn out by a bad cold or flu. I feel so bad, I’d take it from them and bring it to myself to deal with if I could. At least I’d know what was going on, they don’t. No child should suffer!

winter forestBecause there is little snow, I was able to get into my camp from the road just a few days ago. The kilometre-long walk in was nice, I moved slowly along, hoping to catch a glimpse of deer or any of the other forest dwelling creatures. Had no luck with that, but I was fascinated by the evidence I saw of how busy the bush is when human beings aren’t around sending out their negative energy, causing animals to run for safety. The little snow which remained in the forest had plenty of animal tracks on it. I saw deer, raccoon, rabbit and squirrel footprints. They are easily identified, even for a city-Indian such as I. There was an impression in the snow however, I could not figure out. An animal with feet as big in the front legs as are the ones in the back legs, made them. The tracks were about 3/4 the size of my fist with long nails protruding from each toe. I asked myself if they might be wolverine. I don’t know! I’ll ask around though and if one of the community’s trappers tells me it is one, I’ll be happy indeed. The wolverine is a creature of myth and legend. He is awesome in strength and spirit. I wouldn’t mind roaming the woods as one of them at some point in another life. If it is a wolverine, I hope he does me a favour and persuades a large squirrel colony wreaking havoc at my camp to steal away from my cabin and set up housekeeping elsewhere.

I take prayer seriously. And yeah, I’ll be putting my tobacco down so the snow will come. Not too much of it, and not at times when our good people will be placed in harm’s way on the roadways, but the right amount nature needs to make this winter a good one.

Please stay safe and be extra cautious while working and playing on the ice and snow. It’s a new year, keep in mind the power of prayer. Let’s access that power and keep our loved ones free of severe sickness and be safe this winter. Why not vow to offer up prayer for health and wellness for our family and community throughout 2015.

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind.

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Zero Tolerance on Racism

Posted on December 14, 2014 by South Wind

An incident occurred recently which left me feeling sick at heart.

I was at an event, there to offer words of encouragement and acknowledgement for people being honoured for their good work and as well to offer words of prayer, a request to Creator for all to go well. Before things got rolling, a man approached me from the audience and said, “Hey chief, how are you doing?” I immediately told him not to call me ‘chief’. I further stated, “I am not a chief, call me ‘chief’ again and you and I are going to have a major problem on our hands.” The man instantly apologized. He approached me again a few moments later and again expressed words of apology. I let him know that ‘chief’ was a derogatory name racist white people give to First Nations men and that I did not tolerate it. The man said he did not know this. I accepted his apology and we shook hands.

The exchange bothered me the rest of the night and I awoke with it on my mind the next morning. I remember a poster in a prominent place in a room where activists meet. It featured a photo of a lunch room where white workers are sitting at tables in groups. Sitting alone at a table is a First Nations man (worker). At the bottom of the poster it read “His co-workers call him ‘Chief’, at home his children call him ‘Dad’. ‘Zero Tolerance on Racism’ the poster stated in large letters. The poster’s message: The co-workers of the man sitting alone, though they called him ‘chief’, were not motivated to do so out of respect but were doing so because of racism. If the First Nations man was indeed respected, he would not be eating his lunch by himself.

Ignorance is sometimes like a lash across the face. The words of the ignorant can be just as hurtful to a member of a minority as those of a bigot. One must inform themselves about title and protocol before approaching individuals of different cultures for conversation. It simply is all about common sense and respect. That a lot of folks are unaware the name ‘chief’ is derogatory (has been for generations) only proves to me that many Canadians never cared enough about First Nations Peoples to know what is offensive to them and what is not. If I were a chief I would accept the title with honour. I am not a chief so do not call me ‘chief’, please.

Wilber

I will never accept that ‘chief’ could be said as a show of ‘respect.’ If you really do respect me, then please call me by my name. My name was given to me by my loving parents. Use it! Anyone who believes it is his ‘right’ to bestow ‘respect’ onto a member of a cultural minority with a name ‘he’ feels is appropriate for ‘them’ has a superiority complex boiling in his subconscious. What offends me is what offends ‘me’. You make a huge mistake when you see it otherwise!

As an activist I have a thick skin. I would not be a very good one if I did not. To insults and slurs from my enemies, I say, bring ’em on! I won’t back down! I can take it! But when people who approach me under the guise of what defines respect and friendship and then offend me by calling me a racist name, look out, my reaction will be the same as it would if the hurtful word had been said by a racist and bigot. True friends know better! Respect is what it is, it does not have several definitions. Check the dictionary if you do not believe me.

All I want is respect for First Nations Peoples, the women, the children and the men on this rich land of ours. Is this expecting too much?

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind.

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Love

Posted on November 2, 2014 by South Wind

If a dark day arrived when we found love was no longer ‘real’, would we then have to accept that we no longer existed as human beings? The world of the human beings must be a loving one, if not, it is only a place where the two-legged live without trust, without peace and without tears of gratitude for the great beauty Creator has placed before us.

I feel so strongly about “love” that I would sacrifice much, my life even, if doing so kept love in its purest definitions, alive and strong in my family circle.

On November 22 I will be speaking on love and what it means to me in Arnprior. The Canadian Peace Initiative of Arnprior & Area is hosting “How to Engage Love as a Political Value” from 8:30am – 4:30pm on Saturday 22 November at 46 Elgin Street East, Arnprior. There will be presentations interwoven with time for meditation and discussion. The other presenters are Dada Dayashiilananda and Maria Le-clerc-McAdam.

Please see the poster, below, for more details. Click here for the schedule.

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind.

Love_As_Political_Value_22Nov2014

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The Chaudière Falls – a Truly Sacred Site

Posted on October 19, 2014 by South Wind

The prophecy, so I am told, speaks of a time yet to come, when human beings will find themselves at a crossroads. A choice will then need to be made. If the wrong path is chosen, destruction, mayhem and death en masse will occur for the Peoples of Turtle Island. Many good people worry that when the prophesied time arrives, the wrong choice will be made.

My dear friends, we the First Nations, were at the crossroads many moons ago. And with the turning of our backs away from our beautiful ancient spirituality, we doomed ourselves and our future generations to destruction, mayhem and death en masse as never before experienced by the Peoples of these rich and beautiful lands at any time since their creation.

Look at what has happened to us since we renounced our spirituality as “the devil’s work”. Diseases, warfare, residential schools, addictions, suicides, gangs, abuse of our women … the list seems never ending. Hundreds of years of suffering. But take heart, the ceremonies are being revived. A chance exists that the wrong choice made at the crossroads long ago, can today be reversed! God knows more and more of us are all for it!

What does this all have to do with the Chaudière Falls? Everything!!!

This is an illustration of Chaudière Falls before it was dammed in the 1800’s.

This is an illustration of Chaudière Falls before it was dammed in the 1800’s.

Too many times I have heard people say, “Victoria Island is sacred ground.” Goodness gracious, is there any “ground” on my ancestral land which is not “sacred”? The whole of Turtle Island IS sacred ground, every circular inch of it! Let us never say that anywhere of our earth is not sacred simply because it has structures atop it where creepy things are occurring (Parliament Hill as an example). Don’t deny the sacredness of the land because of what human dysfunction has done to it. In placing too much focus on Victoria Island, we neglected the Falls and now, our neglect of a truly sacred site is coming back to bite us.

Will we as a community find the power to stop the development of the land around the Falls? It is possible. The churches who were instrumental in driving the Algonquins from the Falls in the first place, need to come forward and demand that the City of Ottawa cease and desist with any and all plans being made now which would allow Windmill Developments to bring machinery to the Falls and thereby disturbing a glowing spirit awaiting our tobacco offerings in its churning waters.

At long last, we need to understand and appreciate the power of our spirituality. The circle is strong, the fasting ceremony and the purification lodge, these things need to be accessed. If we do, which force will win out? The power of corrupt and greedy politicians, or the strength of our prayers and ceremonies? If you have doubt, back off until you feel ready and are confident that prayers do indeed work.

Let’s get together at a place on the land and there through spirituality, we will see to it that the Falls will be freed and that they will once again assist us with bringing health and wellness into our lives as they did before the wrong choice was made at the crossroads many moons ago.

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind.

Along with prayer and ceremony, here are ways you can help:
– Sign the Petitions listed here
– You can read more about the rezoning in Greg Macdougall’s article in Richochet
– If you spoke or submitted to the 2 October City Council planning committee meeting on rezoning Chaudière: there is a meeting on Wednesday 22 October at 7pm at Kitchissipi United Church (630 Island Park Dr.) to discuss appealing the rezoning decision at the OMB (Ontario Municipal Board)

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Migwech To You

Posted on June 14, 2014 by South Wind

little bird editA prayer I wrote years ago has the words “And I am grateful, Good Spirit, for the ability you have given human beings which allows us to express words of support and comfort to one another in times of troubles and in times of anguish.”

To all my friends and acquaintances who took time from their busy day to contact me and offer words of sympathy to me and family while we mourn the death of our sister, I say a heartfelt “Kichi Migwech” (greatest expression of gratitude).

On the day Pauline died, I went to my cabin. Her spirit name “Little Bird” was revealed to me as I reflected on my memories of her. My mind, heart and soul travelled back in time to the earliest memory of Pauline and moved forward from there until at last I reached in my recollections the visit I had with her the week before she passed away. Some of my reflections were of times when my actions were less than noble and for these slights I offered her my sincere and most heartfelt regret for any pain caused to her because of what I had done. I recalled in my memories, too, her acts of kindness and generosity for me when as a teenager, I was lost, having been overcome by the cruelty of a dysfunctional society. And I thanked her for extending her hand to me at such times, pulling me away from thoughts of self-destruction.

Pauline was a woman who insisted on keeping things “simple”. The life of a bird is not complicated. The bird has a routine. Its actions are not directed by “instinct” as science would have you believe. All of a bird’s actions are directed by spirit. For them, it has always been as such and thus it will remain until birds no longer exist.

Pauline came to me at the cabin in the form of a little bird. She was telling me, “Here in the world of spirit I am known by the name “Little Bird”.”

Thank you, all of you, I am truly comforted by your words. See you soon.

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind.

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Pauline Daley (Dumont)

Posted on June 10, 2014 by South Wind

dandelionThe Dumont family has lost one of our pillars. My sister Pauline passed away just before 2 a.m. on the morning of Friday, June 6th, 2014. Her health was poor for many years, still her passing was a blow to the collective heart of all her siblings.

Although perfection is impossible for a human being to attain, at least not in the minute definition of the word, a more perfect “sister” could never be found anywhere on God’s green earth. Pauline sacrificed much for her younger siblings, especially after Mom was stricken with tuberculosis and hospitalized for two years. Pauline did more than take up the slack, she was the protector and guardian of all living in the Dumont household.

Pauline passed away at a time of year when wild strawberries are in blossom and the first crop of dandelions have moulted, transforming them from a plant with a bright yellow head to fragile circles of weightless, delicate spikes who wait for a wind to take them to a place on the land which might welcome them.

I took note of the blossoms and of the moulting dandelions before entering my forest sanctuary where I went to spiritually process the great loss I felt at losing a sister from whom I had learned so much. In my circle I feasted the beings of the spirit world whose love and devotion had directed them to re-assure Pauline that she had nothing to fear in the strange new world she had awoken into.

I can easily imagine the world Pauline found herself in after her body lay motionless on her deathbed and with life forever gone from her heart. I have no doubt she was instantly surrounded by spirit beings who had known her embrace while here on earth, her brothers and dear sister for example, who pre-deceased her. They greeted her as they would the greatest hero. And in this new place of wonder and power, the few of her life’s shortcomings were shed from her soul by the breath of Kichi Manido (God) in the same way the wind pulls the seed puffs from a moulting dandelion. And then in the purest state, free of imperfections, Pauline will reap forevermore the spiritual rewards granted only to people who lived an honourable life.

Pauline was a woman of sacrifice who delighted to be in the presence of babies and toddlers born to members of her own and extended family. She loved her siblings with all her heart. She was the keeper of old family memories and of those times when life was simple and the poor had their own wonderful dignity. Rest in peace, my dear sister. When I see you again, we will pick berries together and feast, sing and dance in a circle of everlasting love.

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind.

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