Long ago, near the beginning of man's time, the Great Spirit sent his agent to see if man was living as he should be.

At the first home, his agent asked for a drink. "I have travelled far, and have no water, would you share with me?" The man replied "get out- who cares if you thirst?" and pushed him away. 

At the next home, he listened and heard the man yelling at his wife and children, belittling them and striking them... when they cried, he spoke terribly to them. 

As he walked to the next home, he saw two men stealing belongings from another man who was off hunting.

Everywhere he went, people were selfish, proud, arrogant and unkind. Filled with hatred, they lived without respecting others, they lied, cheated, treated others badly... 

He sat on a rock by the river. How could he tell Great Spirit such painfully negative things about man? As he wept, a small child approached. "Uncle, it is late in the day, and I see you have no pack- you must be hungry and thirsty. Would you share with me?" and he gave the Agent half his lunch, and three times filled his bowl with water. As the agent ate, the boy said "I see your cloak is torn, I can repair it for you?" and he took it, and sewed the tear with as much skill as a woman. 

Although he did not need a rest, he wanted to see where the boy lived so he accepted. The boy took his own bedding for the stranger, and put it nearest the fire. In the morning, the agent prepared to leave- the boy gave him a parcel of food, and a cup... "I cannot give you more, but I hope this will sustain you... " The agent thanked the boy and said "Trust you will see me again" and the boy said "Uncle, I will hunt and find a rabbit and prepare it for you, if you let me know when!" and the agent said "soon, but I will bring the meal, as you already have done so for me."

The boy accepted, and as the agent left, he saw the child being mistreated by the others in his tribe for being so foolish as to look after a stranger. 

The agent reported back, but before Great Spirit could react to all the faults and negativity of the people, the agent told him of the generosity and kindness of the boy, who even though he himself was a mere child and had very little was so loving, kind, generous, and selfless."

Great Spirit was relieved, but realised this child would grow up to be no different than any of the others unless he had guidance and mentorship. Seven grandfathers- wise elders who lived in accordance with the Great Spirit's wishes, were called together to teach this special child so he would grow to teach his people the way to a good, happy, and fruitful life. 
 

The Grandfathers were pleased. "Yes,  the teachings must be used together. Love requres respect, respect requires bravery, bravery requires honesty, honesty requires humility, humility requires truth, and truth requires love. None of this can stand alone. You must keep them all, as to leave out even one would be like turning over the full bowl of water... you would lose everything."

The boy reflected. He gathered many, many blades of sweetgrass, and wove them together.  He held them out and said "Grandfathers, I hold all the teachings you have so magnanimously given me, woven together... always together, no one greater or lesser, all as one. I promise you I will never forget."

One day, the boy- who was now a young man- went to the Grandfathers and said "I want to go back to my people, to bring these gifts to them, that they may live good lives as you have taught me."

He was warned that people might not listen, but he said "In time, they will see the importance and value in your teachings. I will be an example to them, so they may live well."

The Grandfathers were  pleased.  They reported back that the young man, was wise in his ways, understood the values he had been taught, and was committed to living a good life. 

The Grandfathers walked back with him to his tribe. The people were disrespectful, prideful, and rude. suddenly, the agent of Great Spirit was visible... and he chided them, reminding them of how they had behaved when he last visited. 

He then explained that this young man would teach them, and if they valued the gifts of the Great Spirit, they should listen. The young man was gentle, and said "You all have so many wonderful things about you, and I want to help you be happy..."

Great Spirit touched their hearts to make them open to him. This is rare, as Great Spirit believes that all should have a choice... but he also felt in some ways it was his fault, as he had left them without teachers to tell them how to live. 

Over time, the young man became a respected elder and continued to teach the story of the seven grandfathers. He taught everyone to braid sweetgrass as a reminder of the principles, and how they all must remain together.

"This is Bravery... it reminds me to face life with courage and strength, to not hide from my fears, and to not expect others to carry a burden that is mine.

This is Honesty- it requires that I be truthful and genuine, with myself as with others. I must not lie, or cheat, or offer falsehoods...

This is Humility, and it requires that I value others, and not be so proud that I put myself above others... it reminds me to take time and look inward and honestly assess my weaknesses but also my strengths.

This is Love, and it requires that I show kindness, compassion, concern and regard for myself and for others... it is one of the strongest, but should never be made to stand alone.

This is Respect, and it requires that I act considerately towards others, towards the earth, towards all creation, and towards the Creator whose Great Spirit flows in all. I must remember that life is precious, and should be treated with regard.

This is Truth, and it requires me to be completely honest with myself and others, even when I am afraid.

And.... this is Wisdom, it requires me to seek knowledge, to learn from my elders and from the world around me, to seek inner counsel from Great Spirit, and to use all the blades of grass when making decisions, when learning, and when acting. 

If I use all the blades of grass- and here, she wove them together and held them up with the braid he had given her- I will be strong, bring strength to my family and my tribe, and live a good life in appreciation of my life."

He smiled.  She said "Grandfather, thank you for reminding me by giving me the braided grass, and for listening to me. You are old, and wise... please, tell me, have I recounted this well? Have I recited it properly? I would be grateful if you would tell me, as you will of course know so much more than me..."

He was overjoyed, seeing that without even realising it she was showing that her life was lived with the principles he had been given so long ago. 

He told her "Child, I have no criticism for you, only a compliment that you have done so well. You have made me happy by telling the story so well. But now, I must rest, as I am old, and my time draws near... so go to your people and leave me here... "

She said "Grandfather, I cannot leave you here alone, especially if you are preparing for your final journey..." and she helped him to her home, where she told her parents about him. They recognised him and were very pleased that he had come to their home. They prepared a bed for him near the fire, and gave him food, and drink, and throughout the night they sang songs and told stories so as he fell asleep he would have a heart full of all those things that meant so much to him. During the night, they tell her that he was the one who brought the teachings to her people. 

  
In the morning, his spirit had left his body behind. All were very sad and worried that without him, they might forget about the seven Grandfathers...  So the young girl made sweetgrass braids for all, and said "as long as we follow the teaching, he remains with us... and we will keep telling his story, for all time..."

And we still braid sweetgrass, and we still tell the story of the seven Grandfathers, and we still seek to live a good life as we have been taught in the story passed down through the generations so we never forget.

(This is not the only version of this story... most Indigenous people have a version of this story, and even within groups the story varies. This is how I learned the story, so this is the story I've given you.)