FATHER
SUN
The sun has it’s own path, gives and withdraws his
light.
The earth responds abundantly.
From the earliest times the Anishinabeg honored the physical
world of the sun, moon, earth and stars; of thunderer’s, lightning’s, rains,
winds, mountains and fires.
Superseding all was the sun. Even the position of the
lodges reflected reverence for the sun. The entrance to the lodge faced east
or, as it was known ”The Dawn”. By custom the first person rising from sleep,
also known as ”Half Death” went out, faced the east, thought and uttered a
prayer.
A further connection between the sun and man was
deduced from the daily experience of dawn and dusk-the annual regeneration and
dissolution of life.
Each morning when the sun rises, the flowers open, the
birds begin to sing the animals begin to stir, and the shadows fade away. The
sun infuses life into all things. And each evening with the setting of the sun,
the roses enfold themselves, the robins become silent, the animals go to
sleep. When the sun withdraws light, he
also reduces life. In the spring when the sun grows warm, the whole world
regenerates; in autumn, when the sun is less warm, life departs leaving only
shadows of what was, and shades of what will be. In life-giving, the sun is the
father of all. Just as the Anishinabeg
rendered prayers of thanks in the morning, so did they give thanks in the
evening for the gifts received during the day.
But the analogy of sun and man-father goes beyond the obvious and the
physical to symbolize the relationship of the begotten Kitchi Manitou. The sun served only to symbolize this
relationship and understanding.
Prayers of thanksgiving were part of daily life and
living, not separate from mans labor or recreation, nor cribbed in ritual. As the giver gave freely and generously, so
the receiver must acknowledge his gratitude in the same spirit. To the
Anishinabeg there was no gift or giving without a recipient. At the same time
the recipient must know how and in what terms to acknowledge benefits. The gift
of life is given only once, but is renewed daily in each dawning. There is yet another aspect to the gifts
bestowed by Kitchi Manitou.
Everyone shares in the gifts of light, life, and
warmth. Thus no one person may presume
that the gift is intended for him alone or deny the enjoyment of such gifts to
another. All have received, all must acknowledge the great bounty.