The Creator’s Signature
Reflections through an Anishinaabe Heart
Recently I was reading, and a teaching settled deeply into my spirit. It reminded me that from the very beginning, Kitchi Manitou has been speaking without words. Long before there were churches, long before there were books, long before people debated beliefs, there were mountains, rivers, forests, stars, and eagles. Creation has always carried the fingerprints of its Maker.
The eagle does not preach, yet it teaches us to rise above fear.
The cedar does not speak, yet it teaches us healing.
The rivers teach us perseverance.
The seasons remind us that death is never the end of the story, but part of the sacred rhythm of renewal. Every sunrise quietly whispers, "The Creator is still here."
As an Anishinaabe person, I have come to realize that creation is not simply something to admire, it is something to learn from. Every living thing has a teaching. Every season carries wisdom. Every walk through the forest is an invitation to slow down and listen. Perhaps that is why I love photography so much. People often compliment my photographs, but I hope they see something much deeper than the image itself. My camera is simply a witness. It captures what my spirit has already noticed. Over the past while I have photographed eagles soaring overhead, waterfalls carving through stone, heart-shaped rocks resting along the shore, leaves wrapped in delicate white fluff, clouds dancing across the mountains, and trees that seemed to transform into deer at first light. None of these moments were accidents to me. Each one carried a teaching. Each one reminded me that Kitchi Manitou has never stopped revealing Himself through creation.
One of my favourite captions I have ever written says, “Don’t look at me. Look at what I am looking at.” I realize now that those words have become more than a photography caption. They have become a way of living. I do not want people to admire the photographer. I want them to pause long enough to notice the Artist. If my photographs cause someone to stop, breathe, and recognize the beauty, wisdom, and presence of Kitchi Manitou in the ordinary moments of life, then they have accomplished exactly what they were meant to do. Creation has always been speaking. The question is not whether Kitchi Manitou is revealing Himself. The question is whether we have become quiet enough to listen.
— Waubshki Migisi
from the heart of Loon + Sturgeon 🪶
