Mbish Bmadzewen—Water is Life By Yvette Neshi Lokotz (March, 2017)
Most of the Indigenous Nations in the United States have special ceremonies just for water. Why is water so important? I know this question sounds contrite, but there are some people who may not know the interconnectedness we have with water. Humans can survive 8–10 days without water. Water (H₂0) is imperative to life just like oxygen (O). The need for water on the physical level is the easiest one to understand as it is very straightforward; if you have water to drink,
you live. Science tells us that the earth’s surface, Grandmother Earth, is 71% water. Indigenous people have known for generations that the amount of water on the earth’s surface and beneath the earth is extremely important. When we are well hydrated, humans have a 70% level of water in our body. As indigenous people, our Elders taught us that our bodies emulate or are similar to Grandmother Earth’s body. It is no coincidence that our optimal level of hydration
RedHawk Photographer
Writing an article about water requires a large amount of information and experiences to share. I can research information and write an article for you that just reiterates information you can find for yourself, but I would rather share with you about my perspective of water and how water is the force that has brought awareness to the world about human rights, Native American treaty rights, civil rights, and civil liberties.
is the same as the level of the earth’s surface amount. For Indigenous people, the spiritual aspect of water is just as important as the physical. Water is the life-blood of Grandmother Earth. Her blood spiritually nourishes us. Water is our first medicine because as human babies we are in our mother’s womb surrounded by water called amniotic fluid. The water surrounds us both inside and outside of our body. It is this spiritual connection with our first medicine—water—that is also our emotional connection. In my family, when we have an emotional trauma, or we are feeling sad about an issue, we pray for assistance with tobacco and place the tobacco offering in a body of water such as a lake or pond and asking the Creator to take our emotional troubles from us. We also place tobacco
Star Nations Magazine • February 2021 • 26
