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The Seven Sacred Teachings, also known as the Teachings of the Seven Grandfathers, is a set of teachings on human conduct towards others. The 7 Guiding Principles include: respect, humility, courage, truth, wisdom, love, and honesty. Many Aboriginal organizations and communities have adopted the 7 guiding principles, in one form or another, as moral and cultural foundations. Each community has adapted the teachings to suit their community values. These Seven Teachings can act as guiding principles towards the restoration of the cultural values, beliefs, and practices that were forbidden to Indigenous peoples. Recognizing that not all First Nations, Métis and Inuit cultures and histories recognize The Seven Sacred Teachings or the Teachings of the Seven Grandfathers, the intent is to be as inclusive as possible. Despite where the teachings may have originated, they share the importance of abiding by a moral respect for all living things.

Always act in love.  Love the Creator.  Love the Earth.  Love yourself, your family, and your fellow human beings.

During February the focus of the Seven Sacred Teachings is on Love which is represented by the Eagle. Love is a force that is undeniable. With love all things are possible. It is everyone’s right to have and experience unconditional love. In terms of the Medicine Wheel, love is the hub. It is symbolic of fire and the Creator. Man is incapable of understanding the Creator; so in turn, he gave us a way to experience love and enjoy love through our children. Love is mutual and reciprocal, like the relationship we have with the land and all that she sustains. Love is about loving the Great Spirit, loving the land, loving ourselves in the way we were created, and loving each other in the highest way, as the eagle brings vision that is always based on love. The essence of love is understanding, with empathy and compassion. Through the unconditional love of the Great Spirit, we have all been given the ability to have vision, and to make our visions come true.

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We all know that children require unconditional love to thrive. Loving our children starts with loving ourselves. Research shows that we can always grow emotionally, to become more loving to ourselves and others. In fact, the fastest path to stretching our hearts is parenting, because our love for our child motivates us to grow. It takes work, but the good news is that as our hearts get bigger, we become better parents and happier people. If interested, read more about how to grow unconditional love within your family.

Enjoy snuggly family reading with books that focus on love and unconditional love. In an effort to fill the hearts of the children and adults in your home or classroom, here are books that can help instill unconditional love.

  • Mama Do You Love Me? by Barbara M Joosse. Set in an Arctic setting, a child tests the limits of independence and comfortingly learns that a parent’s love is unconditional and everlasting. The lyrical text introduces young readers to a distinctively different culture, while at the same time showing that the special love that exists between parent and child transcends all boundaries of time and place. The story is beautifully complemented by graphically stunning illustrations that are filled with such exciting animals as whales, wolves, puffins, and sled dogs. This tender and reassuring book is one that both parents and children will turn to again and again.
  • You Hold Me Up read by Monique Gray Smith. This vibrant picture book encourages children to show love and support for each other and to consider each other’s well-being in their everyday actions. Award-winning author Monique Gray Smith wrote You Hold Me Up to prompt a dialogue among young people, their care providers and educators about reconciliation and the importance of the connections children make with their friends, classmates and families. This is a foundational book about building relationships, fostering empathy and encouraging respect between peers, starting with our littlest citizens. 
  • My Heart Fills With Happiness read by Monique Gray Smith. The sun on your face. The smell of warm bannock baking in the oven. Holding the hand of someone you love. What fills your heart with happiness? This beautiful board book, with illustrations from celebrated artist Julie Flett, serves as a reminder for little ones and adults alike to reflect on and cherish the moments in life that bring us joy. International speaker and award-winning author Monique Gray Smith wrote My Heart Fills with Happiness to support the wellness of Indigenous children and families, and to encourage young children to reflect on what makes them happy. 
  • Sharing Our World: Animals of the Native Northwest Coast. The images and text in this book are the work of First Nations and Native artists from communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. Through their art and words, each artist has shared the importance of their personal and cultural relationship to the natural world. Cultural meanings are provided from the Nuxalk, Namgis, Coast Salish, Kwakwaka’wakw, Haisla, Heiltsuk, Haida, Bella Bella, Tsimshian, Kwa Na Ki Nulth and Nuchatlaht Nations. “We have a spiritual connection with all that dwell in our natural surroundings. Our beliefs, based on our ancient traditions, guide us to live in balance with the wildlife that we share this land with.”
  • Still This Love Goes On by Buffy St. Marie and Julie Flett. A love letter to Indigenous communities everywhere, this picture book gorgeously illustrated by Julie Flett celebrates seasons, nature, and community. Based on Buffy Sainte-Marie’s song of the same name, this book is a celebration of Indigenous experience. Julie Flett’s illustrations craft a remarkable piece of art. Destined to be read and sung, this picture book is accompanied by: sheet music so readers can play along and a note from Sainte-Marie about her much-admired song.
  • Have I Ever Told You? By Shani King. This little book holds the message of dignity that every child on this earth needs to hear: You are loved. You matter. You make me smile. You make me the happiest person in the world, just by being you. The author wrote this book as a note to his children, to remind them that they are amazing in their individuality and that they have the power to choose who they want to be in this world. The illustrations create a masterful visual narrative: warm, witty, simple, profound, and as ferociously empowering as a children’s book can be.
  • The Just Right Gift; A Story of Love an excerpt read by Katherena Vermette. Migizi loves Gookom so much. He wants to let her know by giving her the perfect gift to cheer her up while she is in the hospital. The gift should be as sweet as her kisses and as warm as her smiles. He asks his family and friends for help, but none of his ideas are quite right. Can he find her the perfect gift? In this touching story, a young boy tries to find the perfect gift to show his grandmother how much he cares about her. A pronunciation guide for the Anishinaabemowin words can be found at the back of the book.
  •  Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer. Love is baking a special cake. Love is lending a helping hand. Love is reading one more book. In this exuberant book, many different families are shown in happy activities, from an early-morning wake-up to a kiss before bed. Whether a child has two moms, two dads, one parent, or one of each, this simple preschool read-aloud demonstrates that what’s most important in each family’s life is the love the family members share.
  • Love by Matt de la Peña. In this heartfelt celebration of love, Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña, depicts the many ways we experience this universal bond, which carries us from the day we are born throughout the years of our childhood and beyond. With a lyrical text that’s soothing and inspiring, this tender tale is a needed comfort and a new classic that will resonate with readers of every age.
  • Dear Girl by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal. Through Amy and Paris’s charming text, any girl reading this book will feel that she’s perfect—whether she enjoys jumping in a muddy puddle, has a face full of freckles, or dances on tabletops. This book encourages girls to always be themselves and to love who they are—inside and out.

  • All the Things I Love About You by LeUyen Pham. There are oh so many things a mom loves about her young child. But most of all, she just loves him, no matter what. This author combines her experience as a mother and her proven storytelling skills in a humorous and heartfelt love letter of a book. In this book, Mama lists the reasons she loves her little boy: the way his hair sticks up in the morning, the way he says “Mama” (even in the middle of the night), and the way he laughs. Simply written and beautifully illustrated, this book speaks to the unconditional love between a mother and her child. Children and parents alike will treasure this heartwarming book and, in reading it together, appreciate the small actions that make love grow stronger every day.

  • Wherever You Are: My Love Will Follow by Nancy Tillman. Love is the greatest gift we have to give our children. It’s the one thing they can carry with them each and every day. If love could take shape it might look something like these heartfelt words and images from this author. Here is a book to share with your loved ones, no matter how near or far, young or old, they are.
  • The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown.“If you run away,” said his mother, “I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.” A little bunny keeps running away from his mother in this imaginary game of hide-and-seek. Children will be profoundly comforted by this lovingly steadfast mother who finds her child every time. The Runaway Bunny, first published in 1942 and never out of print, has indeed become a classic. Generations of readers have fallen in love with the gentle magic of its reassuring words and loving pictures.
  • You Loves Ewe! by Cece Bell. A side-splittingly funny picture book about a silly donkey, a cranky yam, and an irresistible ewe, packed with hilarious homonyms and the distinctive humor. A persnickety spud, Yam, introduces the grammar-challenged Donkey to a new friend, Ewe, a lady sheep. The confusion between “ewe” and “you” results in a fabulously funny series of who’s-on-first misunderstandings. Perfect for Valentine’s Day or any day!
  • Caveboy Crush by Beth Ferry. Neander is a young caveboy. He spends his days doodling on cave walls, chasing mammoth butterflies, and playing with his pet rock, Rock. But one day, he meets Neanne—and he’s CRUSHED! She’s short, she’s hairy, she’s perfect! Neander does everything he can think of to get Neanne’s attention. He picks a bouquet for her from the Field of the Bees. He fetches a conch shell for her from the Waves of Salt. As Neander’s gestures get grander and grander, Neanne remains unimpressed. But then Neander hatches the grandest gesture of all, and it’s Neanne’s turn to do some crushing. this sweet celebration of first love is perfect for Valentine’s Day and read-alouds all year long.
  • Like the Moon Loves the Sky by Hena Khan. A lyrical and heartwarming celebration of a mother’s love for her children. In this moving picture book, the author shares her wishes for her children: “Inshallah you find wonder in birds as they fly. Inshallah you are loved, like the moon loves the sky.” With vibrant illustrations and prose inspired by the Quran, this charming picture book is a heartfelt and universal celebration of a parent’s unconditional love.
  • I Need a Hug by Aaron Blabey. Everyone needs a hug in this new, irresistibly funny book about a tiny porcupine who just wants a cuddle and friendship. All of the other animals turn him away because of his prickly spikes. But finally the porcupine meets an animal who’s happy to hug. Perfect for Valentine’s Day or any day that requires a hug!
  • Sometimes It’s Grandmas and Grandpas, Not Mommies and Daddies by Gayle Byrne. This book explores the life of a child being raised by her grandparents rather than her parents – a reality for many Canadian children. It focuses on the positives of this relationship and how it’s a normal and positive arrangement. After reading the book, watch the video about the Eagle representing Love or share more information provided by Elder Hazel.
  • The Seven Sacred Teachings, highlight how to behave towards others, and are often shared by Elders or older people in the community. Discuss the following questions with your children about their grandmothers and grandfathers who they have or remember:
    • How many of you have grandparents who live nearby?
    • How many of you have grandparents who live far away? 
    • What are some things you have learned from your grandparents? 
    • What are some stories your grandparents like to tell you? 
  • This teacher’s guide contains lesson ideas but also a poster of all seven teachings with the corresponding animal.
  • The following are videos you may wish to preview and then share with students:

REFLECT:

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