Living Our Language_ Ojibwe Tales & Oral Histories - Anton Treuer [92]
[12] And that’s all for today. I truly hope that you listen to me and listen to these elders in what they say. Let yourselves listen and you will get [a good life] from there. In this wish I ask the Great Spirit [for a favor], that the Spirit may bless you all. Thank you.
The Apocalypse
[1] All right. I reflect about these things. I always remember what they used to preach to me about, the people who sat around and talked [with] my grandfather who had raised me. After they visited one another they used to talk a lot about what would happen in the future as they conversed. Today I think about how they preached there, talking this way as they began to address the issue of apocalypse. Nobody is ever heard of who talked about that. But these people wanted to talk about that almost constantly. Maybe there [are] others. I don’t know.
[2] Well, I was always near my grandfather who had raised me, wherever he might go. That’s what they talked about— how the white people were taking everything from this earth here—copper bouillon, lead, uranium, anything and everything. They never put anything [back in] here. Then the old men, they said, “What does this portend? Sometime maybe this earth will become light in weight. Then we’ll just go flying off [into space] over there. Hey Indians, then we’ll be weightless over there.” How did they know about the condition of the ozone way over there? [People] were made aware of this though. They didn’t know anything [for certain]. Me too, I used to forget about this before it came o be so. I’m unsure of what to say. [People] didn’t know anything [for certain]. Events are uncertain.
[3] Now many things are happening. And that one old man was talking [with] them about the apocalypse. Many things shall come to be. And these animals will look [different] too. And these animals will come to do many things differently, the bear, and the deer—all kinds. It must be four years now that I’ve been [closely] observing these birds. Maybe I talked about that the day before yesterday, about my observations of those birds. I never see them. They’re all so beautiful when they are viewed.
[4] And that otter. I never see him jumping [as usual]. Only twice have I seen him jump. He just hobbles along like this. It’s a variety of things. Then that’s what I used to remember about it. So maybe [their predictions] are near [fulfillment].
[5] So then they say, “Grandchild. Prepare. Prepare properly. Get ready. You don’t know when the time will come for you to leave.” I didn’t understand him. “When you leave,” I used to think. “You want to chase me off. I’m going to be evicted. The chief’s son.” That’s what I thought. “Not at all. Make preparations here. It is best for you to talk to the Spirit. And if you don’t listen, your life won’t unfold that way.” My grandfather grabbed me.
[6] [But] I sort of squandered my life. That’s due to this alcoholism. Now today there are so many drugs, so much marijuana. They had talked about [and predicted] this too. From where did they acquire their knowledge of all these things? I see it now.
[7] Sometimes I’m scared about what I will do when I call upon the Spirit. So when I arrive here I see myself leaving [only after] I make an offering of the reflections he gave me. “Your fellow Indian people will address you in a good way.” So too have I been taught to help them. So they follow my instructions in order for me to help them. They become smarter themselves and even correct me when I make a mistake speaking about something so that no bad thoughts will come of it.
[8] That’s it. This is where it is now. They must have known a lot about this earth. Maybe it is flying off its axis, I don’t know. You see it snows in the south. It’s cold. This never happened.