Next Chapter in Siksika storytelling from Elders

It has been a difficult road to success or the thought of success in my project. The difficulty of the scope of the project is overwhelming but through the guidance of my Professor, I am greatly appreciated by her experience and knowledge. Moving forward, I began with several elders and knowledge keepers in mind but in reality, the simple fact is time and distance. Three elders, Roger Prairie Chicken, Rod Scout and Duane Mistaken Chief are all Siksika Language experts and linguistics. The three elders have all been recognized by well-recognized universities. I also decided to include Clarence Agar Wolfleg, a Society member of the Horns, knowledge keeper and Canadian Army veteran.

After speaking with all elders I have come to understand that there needs to be balance between ancient and modern thought. The main ideology of each elder is a higher thought process, understanding and vision. To begin the next step in my project I need to develop a higher thought process from a Siksika 2-eyed view. What is a Siksika 2-eyed view? The perfect response to the question can be provided in a story.

'Wolf was born into this world with no vision of the physical world. In short, the Wolf was blind and didn't have the undestanding of the world around him. When the Wolf would travel as a child he would follow the scent of his mother. As he grew older the wolf would begin to travel on its' own but would bump into everything. One day, the Wolf was walking through the forest and a Crow took site of the Wolf and began to observe it. The wolf would bump into each tree and bush as it walked. The Crow became very confused by Wolf's behaviour, actions and demeanour. Crow observed for some time and wanted some answers to his confusion about Wolf. Crow flew down to the ground in front of Wolf and said, "Wolf why do you walk and behave like? I see you bumping into everything are you ok?" Wolf responded, "I was born blind. I can't see anything and use the trees to guide me. I am a clumsy wolf." Crow, "How do you hunt? How do you travel? How do you cross rivers?" Crow had many questions of concerns. Crow took pity on Wolf and decided to gift Wolf with one of his eyes. Wolf was very grateful and humbled. However, Wolf only had a narrow view but was still clumsy. Buffalo also came onto Wolf to see he had problems walking. The Buffalo asked Wolf why he walks the way he does. Wolf responded with the same answer he gave to Crow but added Crow's pity by giving him one of his eyes. Crow announced he was thankful to see the physical world but only had a narrow vision. Buffalo also pitied Wolf and announced he would give one of his eyes as well. When Wolf receives the second eye Wolf can see 360 degrees. Buffalo then said, "Now that you can see with 2 eyes from different animals use them wisely." Wolf became one of the most wisest, respected and knowledgeable animals in all of Napi's creation. Wolf would later teach the Siksika how to live in clans and become families.'

In essence, I need to develop this view. The project is beyond my comprehension but I currently do not see every angle at the moment. At the surface level, 99% of people will view 2-eyed vision as 'seeing through 2 eyes to view a broader horizon.' A higher thought process will examine 2-eyed seeing as something more. In the story, the Crow receives eyes from 2 different animals. If you look deeper into the story there are 3 animals the fourth being the spirit. To become wise and knowledgeable a person needs to remove themself from every situation to view the world. Moving forward I need to set aside the overwhelming anxiety of the complexity of the project and just move forward.