One Native Life

Wagamese uses water as a metaphor for life and its transformative journey, noting that life begins in the water of the womb and that the tears shed throughout life are remnants of that initial, nurturing environment. His people advocate for aspiring toward tranquility, likening an individual’s ultimate quest to achieving the serenity of still water. Wagamese acknowledges that one can approach this state of peace through various channels, such as ceremony, spirituality, storytelling, and learning, as well as through interactions with others. These experiences have taught him that life, much like water, experiences shifts and changes, but within these phases lies the potential to return to a state of purity and innocence akin to that at birth.

Wagamese describes a mountain resembling a resting bison, a sight imbued with a sense of strength and ceremony, almost as if it were a Spirit Helper watching over the land. He contrasts his upbringing in a strict Protestant household, where faith was a rigid yardstick, with his reconnection to his Ojibway family and their stories, which were filled with wonder and acceptance of the magic in life. Through ceremony and ritual, he embraced his place in the spiritual energy that surrounds us.