ABSTRACT
The opening dinner of the gathering began with an Ojibwe blessing and smudging ceremony shared by Paul Johnson. To begin with a Native ceremony paid appropriate respect to the ancestors of the land we were visiting, honored the ancestors of all the Native people gathered, and recognized the importance of each individual’s mana (spirit, power). Sam Suina, Cochiti Pueblo, wrote this of the opening ceremony:
Blessings by Paul. Very much needed and good. Blessings and opening prayers at any gathering are good, but especially when indigenous people come together. It creates a sense of spiritual identity and a sense of oneness rooted in the collective good of all life and of the group. Any foundation of education must be rooted in spirituality and in the oneness of all indigenous people.
