Mkomose
Indinawemaaganag, boozhoo gakina awiya – Greetings all my relatives –Mkomose indigo (The spirt calls me Bear Walker), Mishiikenh nindoodem (I am Turtle Clan), deshkanziibi indoonjibaa (I was born and raised along the horn of the serpent river [present day London, Ontario – Thames River]), Thessalon Dedaa, I currently live in Thessalon First Nation, Anishinaabe miinawaa Irish, Ojibii’igay inini ndaw (I am an Anishinaabe and Irish, Ojibwe man).
Check out my recent interview with the GrowAbility Podcast (Dec 2024)
Anishinaabe history
Anishinaabe is an Algic word said to translate to “from whence lowered the male of the species” [down onto the earth]… he was a man that “lived in brotherhood with all that was around him” (Benai, 1988, p. 3-4).
Anishinaabe is the term used in self reference by some of the Indigenous peoples who primarily lived, thrived, and perished, for many generations, in several disparate regions of the Great Lakes and far beyond, prior to first encountering visitors from a distant land in the late 1500’s and early 1600’s (Hallowell, 1975).
In early literature the French and English visitors refer to many groups of Algic speaking people’s as Ojibway, Chippewa, Saulteaux, Mississauga and a host of other names and misspellings (Warren, 1984). It is believed that at one time there were at least thirty-six or more dialects of the Algic language – Ojibwe is one, which itself has several distinct branches. There were more then likely several million Anishinaabe peoples pre-contact.
My Ancestry
My English name is Andrew Judge and I had an English grandfather named John Smith. I have Celtic ancestry on both my mother Brenda’s and my father Arnie’s sides of my families.
The Celtic lineage on my mother’s side is connected to my Grandmother Noreen Heeney, from what is today referred to as Northern Ireland. In Celtic times this area was known as the province of Ulster. My Mom was born in Sarnia, Ontario, she lived on a farm in her early years and even had a pet cow.
My Father was born near Thessalon, First Nation where my late grandmother Celina Beboueigygig – was also born and raised. The origins of his father, my namesake, Bertram Judge, remain obscure to me, though it was well known he fought in WW2. Bertram passed before I was born at the age of 52. According to Kin (Mayan sacred Calendar) teachings, 52 is the year when the Hab and Kin align and a person can reinvent themselves.
I introduce myself this way because Makoons (Wendy Geniusz), in her book, Our Knowledge is Not Primitive: Decolonizing Botanical Anishinaabe Teachings (2009) writes, “It is in accordance with Anishinaabe protocol that I introduce myself this way. According to our customs, I must explain who I am, to whom I am connected, and where I come from so that those listening to me will know the origin of my teachings”(p. xv).
Shawn Wilson (2008) also recommends that Indigenous scholars share their origins to establish relational connections with readers. If you are exploring this website, thank you for taking the time. While I may not be with you, my spirit is always fully present in my writing.
The name the spirit gave me
I dreamt my spirit name after my first fasting experience. I fasted to ask for my spirit name and clan. The night I came out of my fast I had an extraordinary dream. At the very end of the dream a force of energy came out of a water fountain that I witnessed being constructed through time lapsed video, it appeared directly in front of my face. It was as close as something can be without touching. In that moment a commanding voice announced, “Your name is Bear Walker! Your name is Bear Walker!” The voice shook me and in that moment I awoke gasping for breath. Since that time I’ve consulted several Anishinaabe knowledge stewards about this name. It now directs my life path towards mino-bimaadiziwin. What the Anishinaabe call ‘the way of a good life’ (Rheault, 1998). Or what I refer to as the movements for harvesting the sustainers of life.
Thank you to all teachers who have shaped me into the educator I have become.