Kin 306 - Spiritual Wellness

spirituality

- comes from within
- encourages deep reflection
- about deepening and enriching one's relationship with their Creator
- autonomous - individuals make own choices

religion

- usually externally taught
- structured, organized and directive (i.e. mass times, clergy, priests, etc.)
- includes teachings/texts, often about the after-life and one's Creator
- may seek to convert

expressing spiritual wellness

- spiritual health extends beyond ceremony and is "lived outside the lodge"
- expressed as love, peace, balance, awareness, faith, and "being alive well"
- inspired by the joy and energy of children
- expressed and sustained in relationships with family and friends
- expressed in service to community
- expands to include reconnections with, and relationships with, the natural world (land, animals)

spirituality (a way of life)

- not a religion or about worshipping deities
- the belief that in the interconnectedness of everything, we are all connected as one under a Creator of everything
- however, could not curtail acts of colonialism, including the residential school system

early colonization (1500s)

- historical records indicate that early colonizers joined forces with missionaries
- reports dating back to early 1500s describe using disease and illness as conversion tactics
- French and English colonizers viewed mass mortality rates as a sign and gift from their God that the land was being cleared for use and development by the chosen ones
- with the mass spread of disease, deliberate removal of Indigenous Peoples from the land, conversion efforts by many religious sects occurred
- conversion often happened for survival

ongoing colonization (1700s)

- by the 1700s, Indigenous Peoples who gained a sense of understanding of how epidemics worked, responded to conversion efforts through resistance
- Indigenous peoples turned to their connection to Creator
- those who resisted maintained commitment to cultural ties
- traditional ceremonies conflicted with conversion and "civilization" efforts

the ghost dance

- Indigenous peoples who reported having received instructions from the Creator about a ceremony that would return ancestors and Indigenous Peoples together to flourish

the sun dance

- consisted of abstinence from food or water, including prayers, offering of gifts, singing, and dancing (all night, or from sunrise to sunset) followed with a feast
- variety of ceremonies, but included dance and have strong symbolism of renewal, overcoming pain, showing bravery, renewing kinship ties

potlatch

- means "to give" and the ceremony involves gift giving and feasting (lasting for days or weeks)
- held at naming ceremonies, change of leadership, births, deaths, etc.
- respect was earned when hosting them due to generosity
- the more one would give, the more honour and respect earned
- cultural practices of giving and gifting were viewed by colonizers as counter to civilizing of people

potlatch ban

- legal potlatch ban began in 1885 and lasted until 1951
- banning expanded from potlatch to all ceremonies across
- illegal for Indigenous Peoples to participate in ceremonies
- ceremonial belongings were seized by Indian Agents
- practice in ceremonies risked imprisonment

residential schools (mid 1800s and 1900s)

- extreme push to remove children from family (forced conversion and assimilation efforts)
- residential school experiences included, among others:
- isolated from family
- publicly ridiculed for traditional belief system
- repeatedly told traditional beliefs are the devil's work
- punished physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for maintaining belief systems
- berated and belittled, put in isolation and made to go without food or water until one conformed
- cutting hair
- effects of residential school include spiritual traumas
- residential school system lasted over 100 years, with many children indoctrinated over periods of 10 years

1951

When was potlatch ban lifted?

reclaiming dance

- 1951 potlatch ban lifted
- freedom to be
- communities now able to engage in ceremony freely
- no longer had to hide ceremony practice
- while ceremonies such as the Sun Dance appeared to have stopped during the Potlatch ban, some simply went underground for many communities and experienced a significant revival with the lifting of the Potlatch ban

revitalizing the dance

- with the lifting of the Potlatch ban, there was and continues to be revitalization of traditional ceremonies
- traditional ceremonies such as the Potlatch have demonstrated to be powerful in the reconciliation process and healing of individuals and communities

colonization

- involves formal and informal processes/actions that include behaviours, attitudes, ideologies, institutions, policies, economy, and paradigms that maintain and/or expand social, political and economic power
- colonial power comes at the expense of the oppressed which includes exerted domination over their lands, self-determination, and daily social and health lives

decolonization

- involves critical reflection, active resistance, conscious and deliberate calculation to deconstruct forces of subjugation and/or exploration
- it involves resisting exploitation of land and individuals through the whole being of mind, body, emotional, spiritual, and social means
- engages in the higher purpose of disrupting and overturning colonial structures that realize liberation of the oppressed

cultural humility

- requires ongoing commitment to self-evaluation and self-critique; acknowledge power imbalances; process-oriented; seek to develop mutually beneficial partnerships

cultural continuity

- contemporary preservation of traditional culture
- spaces that include cultural processes provide Indigenous Peoples with support for their healing journey (requires more than "just" a smudge room)

cultural safety

- an approach that considers how social and historical contexts shape experiences
- practitioners are self-aware with regards to their position of power and impact of their role
- safety is defined by those who receive the service (not those who provide it)
- important to ensure that recipients of services "feel safe"

culture humility, continuity, and safety

- honouring and creating space for multiple worldviews
- recognizing that culture is interconnected within all areas of an individual's life
- creating space for more than just physical health symptoms and treatment (i.e. medication, surgery, physical therapy)
- integration of multiple ways of knowing that promote health, healing, and wellbeing
- valuing Indigenous knowledges in healing

safety (examples)

- prayer
- honouring beliefs
- acknowledgement and inclusion of Elders
- working with traditional healers
- active participation and voice in plan of care
- providing a translator
- visibly Indigenous people/staff
- establishing relationships
- seek to learn cultural meanings
- supporting traditional medicines

ethical space

- a theoretical space between societies/cultures/worldviews
- unseen, often unstated
- a "neutral zone" between cultures to step out of allegiances, detach from worldviews, and assume a position where human-to-human dialogue can occur
- rarely acknowledged in non-Indigenous circles because it is not a physical space to be bought, sold, measured, or seen
- arise when competing worldviews/systems come together for engagement

ethical space (relationships)

- relationships built here recognize one's role and contributions to any relationship
- need to be responsible and accountable for creating ethical space
- includes the responsibility to develop deeper self-awareness

restoring traditional healing

- links between trauma, stress, and chronic disease require a wholistic approach to healing that addresses the spiritual as well as the physical manifestations and roots of poor health
- Royal Commission of Aboriginal Peoples report called access to traditional healing, protection, and extension of existing knowledge base; self-regulation of traditional Healers; and dialogue between traditional Healers and biomedical practitioners

3 characteristics (successful healing program)

1) reflect the philosophy and worldview of the Indigenous Peoples who design and benefit from them
2) Establish physical, emotional, and cultural safety for participants
3) engage healing teams of Healers, therapists, Elders, and volunteers who use a combination of traditional and Western professional approaches

moving forward

- when we reflect on turning to the land for access to traditional medicines we recognize the potential and power not only of land, but are faced with a truth that some western-centric thinkers may resist

personal (intersection)

- make space to know our own selves and each other (micro-level)

medical system

- cultural humility, continuity, and cultural safety; larger transformation of system

health governance

- need for Indigenous-led health and wellness systems