This set, the necklace being an elegantly stylized variant on the classic Dine' (Navajo) squash blossom necklace, tells the story of a more than thousand years old prophecy that led to the legendary odyssey of my Native ancestors, the Ojibwe Anishinaabeg.
The migration path of the People, who originally lived along the northern shores of the Atlantic and at some point in history had been advised by Seven Grandfathers (prophets) - who were instructed by six Mystery Beings who had appeared from the ocean to teach the Grandfathers about the Mide way of life - to leave their home country and expand westward, would be marked by Seven Fires. To this day, the - possibly 2000 to 2500 years lasting- migration of the Anishinaabeg is known as niizhwaaso-ishkoden niigaanaajimowin, the Prophecy of the Seven Fires.
The theme of this jewelry set particularly relates to eko-nishwaaching, the Eight Fire. The eight fire, which is a term arising from the Mide teachings of the Seven Fires, is used here as a metaphor for the importance of a spiritual attitude to life, mutual respect for one another and a reciprocal exchange between all life forms, corporeal as well as incorporeal. Hence the title: “Everlasting Fire Of Life”.
The Prophecy of the Seven Fires, an sacred as well as educative teaching that has been passed on for more than thousand years by many generations of Mide practitioners (members of the Midewiwin society), not only refers to the westward migration of the Anishinaabe People, but also, more particularly, to certain phases or eras in the history of the original peoples of Turtle Island (North America).
This universal teaching, which contains seven essential spiritual lessons to the world, stresses mino-bimaadiziwin: the importance of living a good and honest way of life with an open eye for other people and nature around us and – placed in a bigger context – the vision that all people and races must come together on the basis of shared dignity and mutual respect. The Seven Fires remind us that the only way humankind can survive and save the planet from social and ecological destruction is by renouncing materialism and choosing a path that is truly spiritual. “Only then, if the people of all colors and faith choose the right path, a path of respect, wisdom, and spirituality, will the Seventh fire light the Last Fire, an eternal fire of peace, which will unfold an era of spiritual illumination…”
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