Circles of Giving: Ancestral Teachings from the Lower Great Lakes

The Sacred Art of Giving: Ancestral Wisdom from the Lower Great Lakes

Since time immemorial, the Haudenosaunee and Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg Peoples have stewarded the lands and waters of the lower Great Lakes, weaving rich traditions into the fabric of these territories. Among their most profound teachings is the sacred practice of giving—an expression of gratitude, respect, and interconnectedness that has guided relationships between peoples, lands, and waters for countless generations. This ancestral wisdom teaches us that every gift carries within it the spirit of its origins, the stories of its makers, and the sacred bonds that connect all beings.

Wisdom of the Gift Circle

In local Indigenous worldviews, the act of giving flows from an ancient understanding that all life moves in sacred circles of relationship and responsibility. Each gift carries within it the breath of the land—the whispers of the waters, the songs of the makers, and the stories of the territories from which they emerge. When we participate in this sacred practice, we step into an unbroken circle of giving that has sustained communities since time immemorial, weaving together hearts, hands, and homelands in a dance of mutual care and respect.

The Sacred Dance of Giving and Receiving

In the ancient rhythms of Indigenous giving, each gift sets in motion a sacred dance—a choreography of care that weaves together the one who gives, the one who receives, and the living spirit of the gift itself. Within every offering lives a constellation of stories: the whispered wisdom of ancestors, the gentle teachings of the land, and the loving attention of those whose hands brought it into being. Through this timeless exchange, we honour the delicate web that connects all beings—the waters that sustain us, the lands that nourish us, and the profound bonds between Peoples who have shared these territories since time beyond memory.

By Rye Karonhiowanen Barberstock