Children’s book offers lesson to care for and protect the most precious gift of all

The Seventh Direction, a Legend of Creation is a book by the late Kevin Locke, published two years after he “walked on.”

Locke was a world-renowned Hoop Dancer, flutist, storyteller, musician and educator.

With a mixed heritage, including Sioux, Dakota, Anishinabe, Scottish, Irish, and English, Locke devoted his life to preserving Lakota traditional arts and using them to share the messages of his Baháʼí faith–love, harmony and unity. A fundamental tenet of the faith is that all the world’s religions have worth and their teachings are part of a universal plan.

The Seventh Direction highlights a central Lakota belief that each being—human, animal, plant, or stone—had its own purpose to fulfill. The Lakota believe that everything has a spirit.

In Locke’s story, The Great Spirit created the world in seven days, leaving the most precious creation until the last—spirit. To protect this creation, Creator needs to hide it and turns to the animals to find the perfect place.

There are many stories where animals are enlisted as helpers. Everyone's participation is necessary, no matter how small they are, in the creation of the world we share.

In Locke’s telling, with the timeline of seven days, The Seventh Direction weaves in an element from the creation story in the Bible. (This combining of different beliefs is called religious syncretism).

Teddy Anderson, founder of Medicine Wheel Books, publisher of The Seventh Direction, told Windspeaker it is not clear if Locke grew up with this version of the creation story or if it came to him from someone later in his life.

“He approached me with a story that enlightens our understanding of the importance and sacredness of the human spirit,” said Anderson. Locke initially recorded the story and sent the publishing house his audio recording.

“It was very Kevin,” said Anderson. “It was real, sincere and beautiful, again connecting the human heart to the world in a magical way.”

Kristy Cameron (Métis) is the illustrator who brings the story of The Seventh Direction to life through colourful artwork inspired by the Woodland style. Cameron is a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario, with roots in the Red River (Manitoba). She was born and raised in northern Ontario and still lives in Atikokan.

She said she “didn’t grow up knowing my culture, so the seven-day creation of the world, [the] Christian story, was all that I knew growing up.”

“Kevin’s story, also a seven-day creation story, creates a flowing storyline incorporating Indigenous spirituality,” said Cameron. It considers the directions and “lovingly honours” Earth, who has been gifted the “spirit of creation—the power of life and growth,” reads the book.

Cameron says Locke’s text “caringly” places our ancestors into Grandfather Sky.

“Kevin's descriptions of how alive, beautiful and happy the world was during creation speaks to the soul,” she said.

Some texts are easier to illustrate than others, Cameron explains. The more descriptive, the easier to visualize.

“What helps me with many Indigenous stories is their spirituality and messages that they intend to portray.

“I am a very spiritual person, so I also like to incorporate this in my images,” Cameron says.

“I use Indigenous culture in my work. Some of my Métis work is seen in stories and historical depictions. I also love to bead, and I sometimes include beading in my work,” she said.

“Creator shares his thoughts with us, and we go on this journey with him to find the best place to keep the human spirit, and suddenly we realize we have this spirit and it is precious so we have a responsibility to ourselves and others to care for it,” Cameron said of Locke’s story.

The publisher’s hope for The Seventh Direction is that readers “realize that Kevin believed in them in a magical way. Kevin wanted them to know that each of their hearts matter and are sacred. And as we connect with our hearts, we realize how beautiful we are and how we can relate to the world in a spiritual, heartfelt way.”

Cameron hopes young readers can “feel the power of their human spirit, and take action to use it,” she says. “Then they could feel that spirit grow in themselves and in others, and the environment around us.

“Kevin wanted each child to know that if they work on their hearts, they too can see the beauty that is all around us.”

The Seventh Direction will be available March 19 but can be pre-ordered now at https://shop.medicinewheelpublishing.com/products/the-seventh-direction?_pos=1&_sid=9ac54e759&_ss=r