Seven Fires Prophecy Of The Anishinaabe People And The Future Of The Turtle Island – Are Humans Standing At The Crossroads?

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Like many other Native American teachings, the Seven Fires Prophecy comes with a powerful message to future generations. It tells us that we are architects of our own fate and have two choices if we wish to survive.

The Anishinaabe people still wait for their Seven Fires Prophecy to be fulfilled. It deals with the fate of Turtle Island, a Native American name for North America, but it also concerns the rest of the world.

This prophecy is spiritually encoded in the wampum belt of the Anishinaabe that has been passed down for generations.

Wampum belts existed long before the European contact with the Native Americans. They were used as the official tribal records, to keep historical records, to commemorate important events such as festivals, or served as public records of treaties.

Seven Prophets Came To The Anishinaabe People

The Indians learned about the Seven Fires Prophecy during their encounter with the seven prophets who taught them how a good person should live and revealed the secrets of the seven fires.

In what way can modern people living in North America relate to the Seven Fires Prophecy? The Anishinaabe people think much of what we experience in our modern world shows the prophecy will be fulfilled. But will these anticipated future events create a better world?

The Anishinaabe - often translated as "first man," "original man," or "good person" - refers to several different tribes living in Canada and the United States.

These include the Ojibway, Algonquin, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Saulteaux, Nipissing, and Mississauga, as well as some Oji-Cree and Metis communities. All these tribes have their own identity and leaders, but they do share cultural traditions and some beliefs.

According to Anishinaabe tradition, their people came from eastern areas of North America and from along the East Coast. Their homeland became Turtle Island, meaning North America.

As previously discussed in Ancient Pages, many ancient cultures held the turtle sacred, and the animal was often associated with the world's creation.

The Anishinaabe do not have written records, but their oral history tells that seven prophets came to their people to give them knowledge. These prophets, called 'miigis' had human form, but they were glowing, and they had nonhuman powers. These highly enlightened spiritual beings came from the ocean. One of the prophets returned to the ocean's depths, and the six other spiritual teachers stayed with the Anishinaabe and taught them the true values of life.

The Seven Fires Prophecy given by the prophets in seven different time periods, called a ”fire” conveys a simple and straightforward message. Leaders of the Anishinaabe think we have entered the seventh epoch, and we must now decide whether we continue on the road of materialism or follow the road of spirituality.

Those who choose spirituality will survive, but materialism will be a deadly trap.

The Anishinaabe Were Warned About The Light Skinned Race

The Anishinaabe say that their first prophets came to warn them about a ‘Light Skinned Race’ that would come to their land. They were told to divide into two groups. One group would hide by going deeper into the land and wait there until the white men revealed their intentions. The other group should greet the newcomers as brothers and sisters.

Indians who stayed to welcome the ‘Light Skinned Race’ were warned by the prophets to be cautious with these new people. They said that even if the newcomers were smiling, they still bring death to the land.

Thunderbird design, inspired by Anishinaabe textiles. Credit: Public Domain

The 4th, 5th and 6th prophets said:

"If they (Light Skinned Race) come bearing nothing in their hands, you must still be cautious for they may be smiling, but in reality, they may be wearing the face of Death. Do not accept them readily but wait and see. You will know them by their actions."

More Myths And Legends

"If they come with the face of the Brotherhood, you will become one people. Their knowledge of the material world and your spiritual wisdom will be joined together to create a mighty spiritual nation and you will be joined by two other races, (we believe) Asian and African, to create the mightiest nation of all."

"If, on the other hand, the Light-Skinned Race comes wearing the face of Death then a great calamity will befall the people of this land. Great suffering and pain will be visited upon your people. The very cup of Life will almost be overturned."

"You will know which face the Light Skinned Race is wearing when the fish are dying and the water's unfit to drink."

Humans Must Decide If They Follow The Road To Materialism Or Spirituality

The seventh prophet who came to the Anishinaabe was different. His eyes were glowing and he brought a message not only to the Indians but also to the Light Skinned Race. He said that “at the time of the Seventh Fire, new people will emerge. They will retrace the footsteps of their ancestors and will try to find those things which have been lost along the way. They will approach the elders in search of guidance.

It will not be an easy task but if they are of good heart and pure intention they can prevail. Some elders will be sleeping and have nothing to say, others will say nothing out of fear. The New generation must be fearless in their quest.

Above: The Wampum Chronicles: Mohawk Territory; Below: “Nation to Nation,” focusing on treaties, indicates a new, more historically serious direction for exhibitions at the National Museum of the American Indian.

The Light Skinned race will be at a crossroads. If they continue down the road of Materialism, it will be their destruction and for all humanity as well. But if the Light-Skinned Race chooses to join with the Natural People of this land on the Spiritual path, they will again have the chance to create a nation, the greatest spiritual nation ever to have existed.

Two other races will join these two races. Together, they will together light the 8th and final Fire an eternal fire of Peace, Harmony, Brotherhood, and Sisterhood.”

The Seven Fires Prophecy does not only address the Anishinaabe but all people on this planet. It is a warning, but it also offers us as humans a choice to change the course of events. To create a better world, we must put aside our cultural differences and become united so that Mother Earth can heal. If we don’t do this, we are doomed to destruction.

A similar prophetic message can be found in the prophecy of the rainbow warriors. According to Brooke Medicine Eagle, Daughter of the Rainbow, Crow, and Lakota, “we have the opportunity to build a Rainbow bridge into the Golden Age. But to do this, we must do it together with all the colors of the Rainbow, with all the peoples and beings of the world. We who are alive on Earth today are the Rainbow Warriors who face the challenge of building this bridge.”

The Eagle and the Condor Prophecy, a 2,000-year-old message for the future also tells what happened in the past and how human societies split into two paths. It tells the story of conflict but also peace and reunion.

It should be added that far from all Indians share a belief that things on our planet can change for the better. Many Hopi believe we live in the “End Times.”  The Hopi think the destruction of this current world is inevitable, and the fifth world will emerge when the Blue Star Kachina makes its appearance in the heavens. This will be the Day of Purification.

Just like the Maya await the return of their white-bearded god Kukulkan, who to the Aztecs was known as Quetzalcoatl, the Hopi still await the return of Pahana, their lost white brother who will he will come back carrying a missing section of a sacred Hopi tablet.

Whether one believes in prophecies or not, it cannot be denied that Native Americans’ myths, legends, and prophecies offer modern humans perspective and time to reflect on our actions on this beautiful planet we call our home, Mother Earth.

Putting the spiritual issue aside and looking back at history and current events, it seems doubtful some people can or will ever change for the better.

As previously stated at the beginning of this article, perhaps we are all architects of our own fate unless everything is predetermined, of course. We must take responsibility for our actions and accept what shall happen. Sometimes, it’s better not to know what the future has in store, but one thing is certain: being a good person is never wrong.

Updated on December 5, 2023

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

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