I was given a traditional First Nations name when I was in school (decades ago) and an elder came to the class and taught us about First Nations culture.
My traditional name is: Little Pine
Yes, I was a pretty small kid. The smallest in my class at the time. I have done a lot of growing since then... hence Big Ben now!
I just thought that traditional names were cool, and I was wondering if anyone else had a traditional name given to them by an elder. Want to Share?
There was a story related to me by a friend:
It was spring, and time to give the young men entering puberty their traditional names. The elder went off into the woods, and consulted the Chief and the Band, and then gathered the young men around him.
One of the boys was named "Walking Eagle". The term "Eagle" is a very important one, and is not used very often. The young boy was amazed and smiled as he walked away, chanting to himself, "Walking Eagle, Walking Eagle, that is so cool..."
My friend approached the elder and said in a very respectable voice, "Elder, why did you give him that name? Was it a vision? Did the tribal council recommend it?"
The elder looked over to my friend and didn't pause for a second. "Nope, I called him 'Walking Eagle' because he's too fat to fly..."
