The Native American Spirit Keepers, Shawnodese in the South, Wabun in the East, Mudjekeewis in the West, and Kabibonokka in the North each guard the spirit of a season. These are both the seasons of the year, and the seasons of your life.
Kabibonokka, the Spirit Keeper of the North, guards the Spirit of Winter, and those born under the winter moons:[1]
Location of Kabibonokka on The Medicine Wheel
Earth Renewal Moon (December 22 to January 19)
Rest and Cleansing Moon (January 20 to February 18)
Big Winds Moon (February 19 to March 20)
His colors are those of the winter months – the white of snow, but also the dark violets and indigos of the winter sky.
His mineral is Alabaster, a name attributed to two similar minerals: Gypsum and white Calcite. What is truly amazing is that Orbital pictures from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) have indicated the existence of gypsum dunes in the northern polar region of Mars.
If you were born under the winter moons (from Dec 22 to March 20) your spirit is guarded by Kabibonokka. Carry a white Gypsum or Calcite stone in your medicine bag to keep his spirit near. You may also want stones of dark violet or indigo to enrich his spirit.
Winter is a time of renewal. Its energy and spirit prepares for the coming spring. While the world appears to be sleeping, deep down new life is growing stronger gathering strength for emerging in the spring. Take this time to work with the Spirit of the North. Dream, be quiet, and gather strength, just as the other creatures do with which we share the earth. Kabibonokka initiates our most rapid time of growth during our slumber. It may seem to be a quiet period, but deep in our minds and bodies, new life and new ideas are forming. Under the winter moons, use the Medicine Wheel and the crystals of this time, Gypsum and white Calcite, and dark violet and indigo stones to help you find the energy and strength of Kabibonokka.
Kabibonokka is also your Spirit Guide if you are in the winter of your life. This is the time from about age 73 and older. For humans, this is the time period of our elders. Although they may chronologically be getting on in years, our elders are often wise and knowledgeable, often with the time and willingness to share with the younger generations. If you find yourself in this phase of life, call upon the Spirit Guide of the North to help you accept and be gratified by your accomplishments. Call upon his spirit to keep yours active and alert, and to bring vital energy to pass on your knowledge and wisdom to the young.
Kabibonokka's totem is the White Buffalo. It is the essence of giving - meat, hide, bones, and life force of the tribe.
You may well find you need to temper the spirit of Kabibonokka, for he was a fierce warrior, and his energy is that of the frightful cold and storm. To learn to balance his strength, you want to read this story.[2]
Kabibonokka’s spirit is that of the cold north wind that freezes the land and water, scaring away most living creatures in the North Kingdom; all except for the Diver – you know him as the loon. The Diver remains in his nest, full of heat and warmth, with no fear of the cold or snow. It is said he keeps only four logs for his fires. Each log lasts a month. Each year near the end of winter, Kabibonokka, never understanding how Diver survives, enters the Diver’s nest to drive him away, but each time is quickly overcome by the heat of the fire and the merriment and laughter of the Diver. The struggle continues outside, but each time the Diver is successful in driving away Kabibonokka. Each year, the heat and light and laughter and merriment drive away the winter, and the Diver once again brings spring to the land.
There will be times in your life when you need strength and power - the fierce warrior spirit. Call upon Kabibonokka using your white crystals. You can build a medicine wheel of white crystals to do so.
When you want to balance his fierceness and deal with his aggression in your life, the power of fire should be used. The crystals of the Fire Element are the reds, violets, and scarlets. You can never completely defeat Kabibonokka – for he is the mightiest warrior, but like the Diver, you can keep him at bay with laughter and crystals of the Fire element. A medicine wheel of red, violet, and scarlet crystals would be a powerful source of energy. You may also carry red or violet crystals in your medicine bag when you need to temper the fierceness of Kabibonokka you find in others.
To contact Kabibonokka, please read our guide to contacting the Spirit Keepers. It gives you specifics and is very helpful.
[1] In his book, Dancing with the Wheel, Sun Bear uses the name “Waboose” for the Spirit Keeper of the North. This seems to be an error, or perhaps his vision differs from the recorded legends. The names of the Spirit Keepers of the Winds come from Chapter 2 of the “Song of Hiawatha,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. In that poem, which was based based on the legends and stories of the Ojibway Indians of the Great Lakes region as researched by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, the reknown historian, the Spirit Keeper of the North was called “Kabibonokka”, not Waboose. We follow the original here. The error seems to be that in the poem there is a line “From the regions of the North-Wind,From the kingdom of Wabasso.” The best information seems to say that “The meaning of the word Wabasso has its origin in old Indian legends concerning the creation of the earth. ‘Wabasso’ was one of the four sons of ‘Gitche Manito, the mighty, the creator of the nations,’ who came to earth and took a wife of men. When Wabasso saw the light of day he fled to the north where he was changed into a white rabbit and was considered a great spirit” – this from https://www.irclibrary.org/archive/index_files/Page1054.htm
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