O'Jiibwaay Seven Fires Prophecy

By O'Jiibwaay Grand Council Member Ogimaakwe Nibwâskââ Ogichidââ, Wâbĕnō´ of the O'Jiibwaay

This story has been spoken for over a thousand years in O'Jiibwaay lodges across North America. We know it is true.

I am O'Jiibwaay. It is woven within my blood.

A Seven Fire's Prophecy.

They were led by the soft whisper of spirit "sissagwad". Native nations of North America, the Wabanaki, Haundenosaunee, Dakotah, Odawa, Michillimackinac, Saulteaux, Anishinaabeg, and Algonquin all witnessed the presence of a shining megis shell that guided and spoke to the O'Jiibwaay. They proclaimed themselves chosen, Anishinaabe, the Original People of Gichi Manidoo the Great Spirit. The Ojiibwaay sought their chosen ground Manoominikani-ing Ishpiming, that high sacred place where the good seed is abundant. Life, to the O'Jiibwaay, was a journey to Gaagige Minawaanigoziwining "The Land of Everlasting Happiness".

They said, "We are God's People. We are O'Jiibwaay. The Prophecy."

Among the O’Jiibwaay people, the migration westward is remembered as obedience to prophecy. It is not told as myth, nor as imagination, but as a sequence of revelations given by Gichi Manidoo through a sacred Light known as the Megis. From this Light, a Voice spoke, and the people listened.

The O’Jiibwaay understood themselves from the beginning as a people called by prophecy. Their journey was not undertaken to conquer land or escape hardship, but to follow instruction toward a promised land prepared for them. This migration was not meant for the O’Jiibwaay alone. It was given so that all nations would know that Gichi Manidoo speaks, guides, and fulfills what is spoken.

The teachings of the Seven Fires were revealed slowly, across generations. Each Fire marked an era of time and was delivered through a prophet when the Megis appeared. The people were never rushed. They were taught to wait, to remember, and to recognize the Light when it returned.

The Sacred Light: The Megis

Before any Fire was given, the Megis appeared.

To the modern day O'Jiibwaay who knows this story I would ask, what of the story before? Where did the O'Jiibwaay come from, these peoples of the sea, or, of across the sea, we know from Or Hayyah The Book Of The O'Jiibway they did. The People of Gichi Manidoo, the Creator of Light, of everything. A god that superceded form, existing within because it was within all yet manifesting often within moments of Light witnessing and leading them.

Elders tell that the Megis rose out of the water as a brilliant Light, brighter than reflection, brighter than fire, yet gentle enough that the people could gather beneath it. It lifted itself into the sky and remained there, steady and alive.

From within the Light came a Voice. Sissagwad.

The Voice did not shout. It spoke with authority, and the people understood they were being addressed by Gichi Manidoo. The Voice did not speak directly to everyone at once. It spoke through chosen prophets, men and at times a child, who were able to stand near the Light without fear.

When the Megis returned to the water, the people remembered what they had heard. Memory itself became part of the teaching.

The First Fire — Instruction Given

At the time of the First Fire, the O’Jiibwaay lived near the great eastern waters. They were settled and sustained. There was no panic and no disorder among them.

When the Megis appeared, the Voice spoke through the First Prophet, an elder whose life had already been shaped by patience and humility. Through him, the Voice said that the people would not remain where they were forever. A time would come when changes from across the water would disturb the balance of the land.

To survive what was coming, the people would one day have to move west.

The First Fire did not command immediate departure. Instead, it instructed the people to recognize the Light, to trust future prophets, and to understand that prophecy unfolds across generations. The people were told that Seven Fires would guide them, each appearing when the time was right.

This Fire taught listening.

The Second Fire — The Beginning of Movement

When the Megis appeared again, the people had begun to travel inland.

Once more, the Light rose from the water and stood in the sky. Through the Second Prophet, the Voice revealed a vision of a great river narrowing a place where many nations would gather and paths would diverge.

The prophet told the people that not all would continue together. Some would remain at that place. Others would move westward, carrying the prophecy forward.

This division was not spoken of as conflict. It was spoken of as obedience to different callings. Gichi Manidoo does not lead all people along the same road, even when they share the same beginning.

The Second Fire taught discernment and acceptance.

The Third Fire — A Warning Revealed

At the time of the Third Fire, the people had reached powerful waters where lakes and rivers speak to one another.

When the Megis appeared, tradition says that two Lights were seen. Through the Third Prophet, the Voice revealed a vision far into the future.

The prophet saw strangers arriving from across the eastern waters light-skinned nations bringing tools, trade, and new knowledge. He also saw sickness, greed, and loss following behind them.

The people were warned that not everything offered in the name of progress carries blessing. Wisdom would be required to survive what was coming.

This Fire was given not only for the O’Jiibwaay, but as a warning for all nations, showing how power may heal or destroy depending on how it is used.

The Fourth Fire — The Child Who Spoke

When the Fourth Fire came, the Megis spoke through a child.

Though young, the child delivered the message clearly. He spoke of a place where the people would need to pause, strengthen their ceremonies, and protect their identity. He warned that forgetting who they were would be more dangerous than any outside force.

The people learned that Gichi Manidoo does not choose messengers by age or status. The truth stands on its own, regardless of who speaks it.

This Fire taught humility and continuity.

The Fifth Fire — The Promised Land Revealed

By the Fifth Fire, generations had passed. The people were weary from travel, yet they continued to listen.

When the Megis appeared again, the Voice spoke of the final sign: the people would know they had reached the promised land when they found the food that grows upon the water.

When the O’Jiibwaay came upon the lakes where manoomin grows, they recognized the fulfillment of prophecy. The journey that had begun generations earlier had reached its destination.

The Voice warned, however, that the land would only sustain them if they lived according to the teachings they had received. The promised land was not a reward without responsibility.

The Sixth Fire — The Time of Suffering

The Sixth Fire revealed a time far ahead.

The prophet saw the people suffering children taken from families, language suppressed, ceremonies hidden. Many would forget who they were. The fire would grow small.

Yet the Voice also said that some would remain faithful. The teachings would survive quietly, carried through families and elders.

This Fire taught endurance and faithfulness.

The Seventh Fire — The Choice Before All Nations

The Seventh Fire speaks of the present.

It tells of a generation that will face a choice between two paths: one leading to destruction and imbalance, the other to renewal and healing. The prophecy says that if the people choose rightly, the waters will be healed and the Light will return with strength.

This Fire is not for one people alone. It is spoken to all nations, calling them to recognize that Gichi Manidoo still guides those who listen.

The Seven Fires Prophecy tells how the O’Jiibwaay were led by Gichi Manidoo through Light, Voice, and obedience toward a promised land. It explains why they moved, how they survived, and what is now being asked of those who remember.

The O’Jiibwaay did not wander.

They were guided.

The Megis was a Light.

A Voice spoke from it.

And the people followed so that all nations would know that Gichi Manidoo still speaks.