ROW 35: Canadian Aboriginal Spirituality

Metis

a person of mixed ancestry, in Canada, the offspring of a Native American and a white person, originally most commonly one of French ancestry.

First Nations

first inhabitants of the land that is now Canada.

Inuit

an aboriginal people; the word itself means “the people.”

Indigenous peoples

refers to native, original, or earliest known inhabitants of a
region.

Assimilation

absorb one group into the culture of another.

Consensus

a general agreement.

Smudging Ceremony

-holy act that is part of many rituals

-sacred herbs are burned in a shell or earthen bowl, then the smoke is brushed or washed over the eyes, mouth, ears, hands, heart and whole being of each participant.

-smoke can be used to purify people and places

-holy act. so ashes are holy

-ashes returned to earth after ceremony, sign of respect.

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Sweat Lodge

-aims to purify the body, mind, spirit and heart and to restore right relationships w/ self, others, the creator and all of creation.

-considered a sacred space, a place of spiritual refuge and healing.

-closed structure

-built around a pit into which heated rocks are place during the ceremony

Peace Pipe

a tobacco pipe traditionally offered and smoked as a token of peace among some North American Indian peoples.

Vision Quest

an attempt to achieve a vision of a future guardian spirit, traditionally undertaken at puberty by boys of the Plains Indian peoples, typically through fasting or self-torture.

-those seeking direction in life go on this

-prepare for a year to go, only when elders or parents believe their ready

-must do this to get accepted as adults in the community

Sun Dance

-renewal of dedication to Great Spirit.

-participants take part in four annual dances to prepare themselves for final stage of the rite.

Potlatch

celebration to redistribute wealth in a community. It highlights the important value of equality among Aboriginal peoples.

Powwow

-A dance of renewal for the restoration of right relationships and the healing of all of creation.

-Takes place in a circle.

Shaman

An Aboriginal spiritual leader.

The Trickster

-figures who play an important role in the creation of the World but is not the Creator.

-gives earth the form it has today.

-can be both mean and generous

-impulsive, a bungler, a joker or buffoon.

-pleasure seeking figure, a troublemaker

Indian Act (1876)

subsumed a number of colonial laws that aimed to eliminate First Nations culture in favour of assimilation into Euro-Canadian society.

Intra-religious dialogue

internal depthing of one's faith that arises before, during and after the religious encounter.

Significance of cut and uncut hair for Aboriginal Peoples

-uncut hair; generally signifies that the style worn is of spiritual and cultural importance to the individual and reinforces his or her sense of belonging to a particular First Nation.

-cut hair: a sign of mourning.

The Great Spirit

inhabits in all things like
rocks, land, water, plants and animals. They
often address this great spirit as the Creator.