“We make knowledge out of our memories….”
As we travel through the days of our lives it is not uncommon to lose touch with many parts of ourselves which are key to maintaining a sense of who we really are. Memories can churn randomly within our minds with little significance, or at times we can merely block inner thoughts and memories not relevant to the infinite tasks and situations at hand.
Daily tasks, careers, evolving focus, stretches of excitement or days of mundane repetition, …and time itself, can blur the memories of our past into a distant haze. Key memories can contain important knowledge of our past, our inner selves, our families and significant experiences.
Wisdomkeepers and elders of indigenous cultures, including holy men and women conscious of sacred traditions are often able to hold on to clear memories of themselves and also intergenerational teachings passed down from their grandmothers and grandfathers. Our memories are important and can be accessible to ourselves at any moment in time.
The “Memory Bundle Teaching” in this video as spoken by Eber Hampton offers a tangible description of a practice which can assist in keeping us all in touch with a deeper level and broader understanding of ourselves…by aiding our ability to be better able to access and gain knowledge from memories of our past existence.
“Memories come before knowledge.”
Eber Hampton is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma and has served as President of First Nations University of Canada and as the Director of the Harvard American Indian Program. His contributions to Indigenous Education have included faculty positions in California, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Alaska, and Saskatchewan, Canada. As an author and scholar in the area of Indigenous Education, one of many awards during his career was Canada’s National Aboriginal Achievement Award in 2005.”
“The Memory Bundle Song,” Copyright 2024 by Holly Rang and Eber Hampton, is used with permission for this video.
