05/12/2026
Heebe-Tous neito'eino' (Hello my relatives),
I honestly was not planning on making a post today, but my neurodivergent 𧩠brain gave me some good ideas. So please excuse me if this post does not seem as well put together as my usual long-form posts.
Todayâs topic is about 'LEARNING', and I think reading this post in its entirety could be beneficial if you stick around.
In the older days, children around the ages of 5â6 would begin spending more individual time with their parents. Daughters would spend time with their mothers. Whenever the mother was not busy with chores, she would play with her daughter, teaching her to treat her doll as if it were a real baby. The mother would continue doing this until the girl was old enough to care for the doll on her own. In this way, the girl learned the responsibilities and teachings of womanhood.
For instance, when a mother was cutting meat to dry, the little girl would be given her own small piece of meat to cut, along with a small drying rack of her own. Boys would sit near their fathers and learn simply by observing throughout the day â watching their fathers make bows and arrows, braid rawhide, hunt, or sit through ceremonies.
The theme here is that children learned by watching, listening, and eventually catching on through experience.
Another instance was when parents wanted their children to learn quickly and speak at an early age. They would feed them meadowlark eggs or rub the bill of a meadowlark across the childâs lips. It was believed the child would begin speaking not long after.
Arapaho children were taught the religious beliefs of their people as early as possible. They were taken to tribal elders for instruction, and the elders would also pray for them. In this way, children understood from an early age that they belonged to a spiritual way of life.
Children were not direct participants in ceremonies, but they were present at them so they could become familiar with what was happening and slowly learn the ways of the people.
Sometimes during ceremonies, things could become disorganized or go a little off track. That is normal â nothing is ever perfect. To restore balance, they would sometimes bring in children or have someone sit with a small baby. It was believed that children are the closest to the Creator, and things would begin to fall back into place afterward.
Another example is when elders became sickly or weak. A baby would sometimes be brought to sit with them, and the elders would often light up with joy, begin moving around more, and seem to regain strength and spirit.
Learning never truly stops either. You continue learning as you move through the four ridges of life. Many of our teachings were never written down; they were learned through watching, listening, and experience.
In my case, I always remember hearing my nei'woo say ceh'e3tiit (âlistenâ), or she would grab my ears and say, âAre these for decoration?â Basically meaning I wasnât using them at the time đŹ.
Knowledge was also shared through stories. Many stories carry lessons at the end, and some connect directly to real life. One story Iâll mention is 'Forgetting Youngbull'. It teaches about not skipping steps in life to get ahead, and also about not skipping ceremonial steps, which cost a young warrior great sickness and dishonor. Iâll probably share that story sometime in the near future.
One way Iâm pretty sure many people learned was simply by being thrown into the mix and hoping they wouldnât mess up. Even if you missed a step or got too far ahead of yourself, you would hear the famous words: âThatâs how you learn.â
This last part is from a conversation between me and my Uncle. I remember we were talking about change and different teachings. He said something along the lines of:
âWhen people want to be perfect, they sometimes avoid participating because they fear making a mistake or want everything to go perfectly. When they do that, theyâre only putting up barriers for themselves. It becomes self-sabotage in a way".
I thought about those words for a long time afterward. A lot of people today want to wait until they feel fully ready before participating, speaking, singing, learning ceremonies, or even asking questions. But sometimes waiting for perfection can keep a person from learning altogether.
In many ways, mistakes are part of the teaching. You learn by listening, observing, trying, failing, being corrected, and trying again. That is how knowledge was passed down for generations. Nobody begins as an expert.
Sometimes the fear of embarrassment becomes a bigger barrier than the mistake itself. But our elders understood that growth comes through participation, patience, and humility.
Even when someone stumbles or misses a step, there is still value in showing up and trying. That willingness to learn is important in itself. Wohei, hohou for reading....
