ELDER Dave Courchene Jr., Nii Gaani Aki Inini (Leading Earth Man), Anishnabe Nation, Eagle Clan

ELDER Dave Courchene Jr., Nii Gaani Aki Inini (Leading Earth Man), Anishnabe Nation, Eagle Clan

ELDER 1

ELDER 2

ELDER 3

Roots
Nii Gaani Aki Inini, a leader descended from a long line of leaders and chiefs of his people, the First Nations people of Turtle Island (America), learned the significance of the fire through a personal and spiritual quest for truth. Through the mentorship and the spiritual direction of the Elders, he was guided back to the ceremonies of his people. The Elders helped him realize that First Nations people, despite enduring generations of profound suffering, scarcity and hardship as a result of being displaced from their original connection to the land and a spiritual way of life, have survived because of the strength of the human spirit. The mentorship of the Elders provided Nii Gaani Aki Inini with inspiration, support, guidance and perspective on reaching a higher spiritual understanding, and a sense of the deep, sacred connection we have to the land.

"Only when we align our human spirit with higher spiritual reality will we find peace. When we become awakened spiritually, we begin to see more, to feel more. We begin to trust the Spirit. (2003)"

Vision & Teachings From The Land & First Nations Elders
It was only when Nii Gaani Aki Inini went out onto the land to seek his own vision and purpose for living, that he began to feel peace and a consistent connection to the land and Spirit. The vision that Nii Gaani Aki Inini received was a dream of creating a Village of Peace, to be given to young people of all races. The Village of Peace was to be based on a foundation of strong spiritual values - the Seven Sacred Teachings. Nii Gaani Aki Inini was shown that these values of Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Humility and Truth would transcend racial, religious and political differences, while maintaining a strong love and respect for human distinctiveness and diversity. At the heart of the Village of Peace would be a sacred lodge, built in the shape of a turtle. The turtle to First Nations people has always been a symbol for truth.

"I believe we will evolve as human beings to embrace everything that is sacred and good in all our cultures. It is through our perspective as Indigenous people that we can offer guidance and inspiration on how to nurture the human spirit. (2002)"

Carrier Of The Sacred Fire
In 1967, Nii Gaani Aki Inini was invited to be one of ten First Nations youth who would carry the olympic-like torch from Minnesota to Winnipeg for the opening of the Pan American Games. Among the First Nations people, fire represents the heart of the people. The smoke from fire symbolically represents the carrying of prayers rising above. Fire also represents renewal and cleansing, and from the ashes one has new growth, new ideas, new way of living, new vegetation growth.

The element of fire was already very much a part of his life at an early age. It would only be later that Nii Gaani Aki Inini would realize that the flame he had carried as a youth represented the spirit of his ancestors.

Nii Gaani Aki Inini began lighting Sacred Fires all over the world including the Sacred Fire in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as world leaders gathered at the 1992 Earth Summit, out of imminent concerns over environmental destruction around the globe; in 1994 in the Middle East and elsewhere.