Each of us is called something. Many times we identify more with a nickname, a second name or even a mononym (like Madonna).
As a parent to three beautiful children, I must say that listening for their names to come was one of the greatest honours of my life. I heard Xavier's name whisper to me while my bare-feet were walking through the deep dark topsoil of our family garden when I was 13 years old. It took me holding Terran in my arms, feeling his earthy weight, to hear his name come. And now a sweet, special girl has also come through me to dance and to play, to love and to pray upon this beautiful Earth.
My partner is Anishnaabe. He said, quite early on, that our baby would have an Anishnaabe name. I felt that this statement was true. Yes, she will. I do not speak the language of my partner's people, but I do hope to learn as much as is meant for me to learn. So, once in awhile, I would do some looking. There are online dictionaries and sources. Eventually I stumbled on The Ojibwe People's Dictionary, an excellent resource that includes the voices of Elders speaking words, as well as full sentences. We also consulted with Elders from my partner's community in Ontario to be sure of pronunciation and so as not to rely on an internet source.
My Grandma Mina was such a special person in my life. When people ask me who my hero is, I tell them that my Grandma is my hero. She was still alive when Xavier was born. We went to see her in the hospital pretty much every day. She would hold him and say, "And now you wonder what you ever did without him." She died about 3 months after he was born, 3 days before my birthday.
After she passed away, I knew that I wanted to honour her if I ever had a baby girl. I was thinking second name maybe, who knows. So, as baby came closer and closer, I wondered if I searched up her name, maybe just maybe there would be an Anishanaabe word associated. Then I found Miinan. Miinan means blueberries. I got shivers all over my body. My grandmother LOVED picking blueberries. I mean, she literally was willing to stay in the forest with a mama bear and her cubs to keep on picking. Her and her sister would get stuck in ditches and drive great lengths just to find a good patch. I dare say that her favourite thing to do in the whole wide world was probably picking blueberries.
When baby girl twirled out into this world, she just has the most beautiful perfect little face. She is SO beautiful and cute. Maybe the first evening home, my Beloved said, "She kind of looks like my Coco." I asked, "What was her name?" He told me it was Emma. I said, "I love that name. It is such a sweet name." So we had her second name. Our two Grandmothers honoured together but with Miinan having her own special name too. I only recently remembered that my great-grandmother was also called Emma. The Matriarchs. The Grandmothers! Bringing Peace, Harmony, Love and Wisdom <3
And, of course, Star. Maybe we are all Star children, that is what my partner believes based on stories from his culture. But I know that Miinan is a brilliant Star baby. She has been waiting so patiently to come, talking to me and guiding me for years now. And now she is here!!
Her last name is a balance of masculine and feminine lineages. A hyphenated way forward that I hope we can all achieve, the yin and the yang. The Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine dancing Heart to Heart, side by side, in a world where we choose to base our actions always on Love rather than fear.
