Places that command respect

The sacred can be seen in our gestures marked by respect, for example, towards the bones and remains of hunted animals, or towards the fish that we must hold in a certain way. This respect for all that surrounds us is called TSHITIMAUENITAKUSHUN (innu aimun) /KICTERITCIKEWIN (atikamekw nehiromowin). By this respect that I have for it, I recognize the fullness of this entity: because it was conceived, I owe it respect in the same way as a human being. We are part of the land, we are not masters of it. All Indigenous peoples see persons in everything, persons with a history, a character, a way of behaving. We say “person” because when we turn something into someone, we can identify with that thing that has become alive. We can then thank it.