Tammy Tipler-Priolo BASc, PLCGS, Traditional Kokòmus

Spirit name Amkwina Amkwina nidijinikaaz (Spirit name The Ancestor Whisperer Nourishing Woman Who Prays)

Odawajameg nidoodem (Clan Salmon)

Member of the Mattawa/North Bay Algonquin First Nation Algonquins of Ontario Weskirini Algonquin nidoonjiba (Algonquin Ancestor from Weskirini Algonquin Tribe)

Omamawinini Anishinabe ikwey (I am an Algonquin Woman)

Traditional Kokòmus/Pipe Carrier/Traditional Drummer-Singer/Professional Genealogist/Nutritionist/Professional Artist/Published Author/Reiki Master/Medium/Animal Communicator/Animal Reiki Master/Sound Healer/Ceremony Facilitator/Astrologer/Tarot Card Reader/Crystal Healer/Garden Designer/Herbalist/Horticultural Reconnectionist

From Ontario, Canada and has been painting since she was 3 years old and writing stories, poems and songs since she was in High School.

Studied Graphic Arts at Humber College and Fine Arts at Canadore College. She earned her Honours BASc in Human Nutrition from the University of Guelph with Honours in 1990. She works in various medium including watercolour, oil, acrylic, ink, plaster and gauche.

She has been operating her genealogy business since 2000 “The Ancestor Investigator”

She now offers Reiki, Animal Reiki, Mediumship Readings, Animal Communication, Sound Healing, Crystal Healing, Astrology Readings, Tarot Readings, Garden Design & Horticultural Reconnection Services, Ceremonies for healing and connecting, Genealogy Research, Lecturing and Workshops, all encompassed under the name “The Ancestor Investigator, Amkwina Traditional Kokòm of Holistic Self-Healing”

She has her artwork of paintings which are available for sale along with cards created from her artistic creations.

As well she makes deer hide rattles, ribbon skirts, crystal pendulums, walking sticks, talking sticks, and ceremonial non-smoking pipes.

Recently she has been writing her own ceremonial drumming songs and has played and sang them for many moon ceremonies.

She will be available at the conference 2nd Annual Art Exhibit and BigFoot Conference 29 and 30 June 2024 at Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, Ontario 16 Spadina Rd. Toronto, Ontario https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10161123856380056&set=a.10152510629905056 for Reiki treatments, mediumship and tarot card readings as well as selling her various creations. Note Reiki treatments, mediumship readings and tarot card readings will be on a donation basis. Suggested donation is $20 for 15 minutes.

Drop by her table to ask her about the deer hide rattle and non-smoking ceremonial pipe she made for Misabe/Sasquatch last year. Possibly the only person to have made either for Misabe, it is quite a tale!

If asked she may be persuaded to read her two Misabe poems she wrote last year as well.

Don’t’ miss her singing her Misabe Drum Song at the Opening Fire. She can be reached at info@ancestorinvestigator.com or 705-250-224

 

Misabe Spirit Canoe

By Tammy Tipler-Priolo BASc, PLCGS © 14 June 2023

 

Whispering your secret of building a canoe,

The Algonquin people knew what just to do.

With Misabes’ directions they gathered birchbark,

White and yellow never dark.

They laboured on for days and days,

Through summer heat and humid haze.

They sent it on its maiden voyage,

Down the river to camp and forage.

Strong and sturdy the canoe they made,

With help from Misable they prayed and prayed.

Teachings of strength and honest ways,

The Algonquin canoe paddles on always.

Word Count: 80

 

Misabe Spirit

Author Tammy Tipler-Priolo BASc, PLCGS © 14 June 2023

 

The Misabe care for the forest beings,

Moving through portals not everyone seeing.

The honesty that lies within,

Standing tall and without any sin.

They walk the Earth not showing their faces,

To too many people in all sorts of places.

Leaving their mark of heels and toes,

Teasing us with their big foot shows.

Chisake, rattle, drum and pipe,

Prayer intrigues them preventing their flight,

From the honest soul who is one with creator,

Misabe shows up sooner or later.

Offer them kindness, peace and love,

They’re here to guide us from realms above.

 

Word Count: 95

 

Diary of Recorded Historical Lies

Author Tammy Tipler-Priolo BASc, PLCGS

The Ancestor Investigator

© 5 February 2022

World War II kept my Grandfather busy.  No he never enlisted but his younger brother did.  This younger brother was a Gunner and Platoon Leader who grievously watched his whole platoon perish before his eyes.  My Grandmother swore that her brother-in-law showed up at that very moment, in the old homestead where she was ironing clothes on the other side of the world and disappeared as quickly as he had arrived.  Grandma took this spiritual appearance in stride.  Shortly after, her brother-in-law, returned home, like many lucky soldiers, with war medals he would later throw out, along with stories he buried deep inside him.  Upon enlistment many soldiers took up smoking cigarettes and engaged in drinking to numb the terrible experiences they were exposed to overseas.  This younger brother was not immune to this and later passed away from a heart attack while shoveling snow, at the age of 75 years old; possible contributing factors of stress, cigarettes and alcohol.  Noting he is fondly remembered as kind, loving and gracious with always a pleasant smile on his face when greeting others. 

 

During this time my Great Uncle was overseas fighting the good fight, my Grandfather stayed back to work as a Pharmacist and raise four boys with my Grandmother.  Grandpa was truly interested in current events, as well as history.  Books satisfied the latter and radio news broadcasting seemed to fulfill the former.  Grandpa got it into his head that it would be a grand idea to keep a diary of all the news broadcast reports he heard on the radio regarding the progress of the war effort.  Each day he would listen to the radio news broadcast on what the allies and enemy were up to, then he would diligently record these news reports in a diary he had purchased for this task; he was proudly recording history as it was happening or so he thought.

 

Once the war was over, Grandpa tucked away his diary, turned history book, amongst his other history book collection on his office shelves.  He was quite proud of himself and thought how clever he had been to record history as it was happening.  It would not be until many years later that he would discover that everything that he had recorded from those radio news broadcasts were all lies.  Not one report was true.  Their excuse was to keep the enemy from knowing what was truly going only.  Needless to say Grandpa was so upset and disgusted by this revelation that he admitted to the desire to throw the book of lies, his diary, in the garbage.  Somehow he held onto his book of historical lies and when I found out I offered to take the book of lies off his hands for posterity; I never thought beyond the idea of just preserving my Grandfather’s dream of recording history that turned out to be lies. 

 

After spending years in the genealogical field scouring through various record groups, I learned to keep the book of lies, Grandpa’s diary of WWII, in the forefront of my mind when I am examining documents for their truth value.  We are taught as Professional Genealogists to analyze our findings, look for correlations and discrepancies and to come to a sound flexible conclusion.  How plausible is the information relative to the truth?  That is a whole other article that could be written on this research methodology that can be saved for another time.  Suffice it to say, we must always be skeptical of what we are presented with, be that various family history documents, oral history or news broadcasts.  We must instinctively dig deeper for the whole truth, the two sides of a story and all the details in between.  If we do not strive to be so discerning, we are risking the real truth of events to be buried, which could lead us to conclusions that could have unexpected and unwanted consequences.  Take care to seek the truth and nothing but the truth in those documents and stories so as not to be bitten by it; remember the truth is supposed to set you free!