Chapter 3: Aboriginal Spirituality Test

T/F: Canada's Aboriginal population is growing at a faster rate than the non-Aboriginal population.

True

T/F: An elder is always one of the oldest people in an Aboriginal community.

False

T/F: Most indigenous people prefer the word "religion" to describe their spiritual practices.

False

The stem of the sacred pipe represents

a. truth

b. peace and justice

c. nature

d. harmony and balance

d. harmony and balance

The vision quest usually takes place at

a. Birth

b. puberty

c. marriage

d. approaching death

B. puberty

Aboriginal people consider time to be

a. non-existent

b. circular

c. square

d. linear

b. circular

The word "Inuit" means "the ___________________________."

The people

The identification of the spirit with objects it inhabits is called ___________________________.

Animism

Aboriginal populations statisics

More than 1 million people in Canada are Aboriginal. But the number of Aboriginal people is growing at a fast rate - it grew by 45 percent from 1996 to 2006.

Elder

Aboriginal men or women who are recognized, respected, and consulted for their wisdom, experience, knowledge, background, and insight; an elder is not necessarily one of the oldest people in the community

Spirituality - What does it mean to be Aboriginal people

They view life as interconnected. Their cultures are taught orally through elders. They have a long tradition of seasonal food growing and gathering, hunting, fishing, and spiritual and cultural activities.

Potlatch

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

2009 - Pope Benedict XVI

In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his sorrow over the abuse suffered by some residential schools. Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine, Aboriginal elders, and survivors met with the pope.

Sweat Lodge

Aims to purify the body, mind, spirit, and heart, and to restore right relationships with self, the Creator, and others. It is a closed structure built around a pit into which heated rocks are placed during the ceremony.

Hair

They consider long, uncut hair, to be sacred. The general three braid strands signify the body, mind, and spirit. It is of spiritual and cultural importance to the individual. For some, cut hair is a sign of mourning. p82

Death

They believe those who die need to relearn being a spirit. During that process, a Death Feast is held.

Cree: the body undergoes physical transformations but spirit remains unchanged. Belief that spirits communicate in dreams or visions.

Thanksgiving celebrations

This feast celebrated particularly by Indigenous peoples who are farmers, was adopted by non-Indigenous peoples who call it "Thanksgiving"

Kateri Tekakwitha

Beatified in 1980 by Pope John Paul II, the first Indigenous person to be declared blessed

Time - what is it considered?

Cyclical

Residential schools - levels of government overseeing it

Federal government (1876) allowed residential schools to be run by Anglican, United, Presbyterian, and Catholic churches

Names of the Great Spirit

The Creator.

The Siouan peoples refer to the Great Spirit as "Wakan Tanka" or "Wakonda"

The Haudenosaune (Iroquis) call it Orenda.

The Algonkian-speaking peoples call it Manitou, "Great Mystery"

A Sun Dance

Dance ceremony celebrated by peoples of the Prairies in June or July during the full moon. It became the renewal of dedication to the Great Spirit. Four days before, the dancers purify themselves and prepare. The ceremony takes another four days where the dancers fast. The final rite involves tearing away from the piercing of the body to symbolize renewal of the quest.

Census figures from 2006 of Aboriginal People

identified 1,172,790 people in Canada as Indigenous peoples

A Powow

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

Takes place in a circle which is a holy space. The dancers and singers enter the circle from the east and move in a clockwise direction (same direction as the sun moves). The drumbeat is symbolic of the solemn rhythm of creation and Mother Earth's heartbeat.

Ojibwa Feast of the Dead

Ojibwa celebrate the Feast of the Dead each autumn to remember those who died and each family who has lost someone has a banquet for the entire village. The food is placed in an open area outside and a place is set for the deceased person whose spirit remains with the family.

Vision Quest

young people go on an intense, solitary spiritual experience for those seeking direction in life. They prepare for about a year and go when parents and elders think they're ready.

The Creator

inhabits all things: rocks, land, water, etc. The Creator appears to be a highest God who is one.

Sacred Pipe

The carved wooden pipe bowl and stem used by Algonquin First Nations. It was sometimes referred to as the peace pipe.

Parts of the Sacred pipe

The stone bowl represents truth, the stem represents the way we are to live in harmony and balance with all creation, the bowl with its hole represents the woman; the stem represents the man. Joining the bowl to the stem symbolizes a union and a balance between male and female.

Longhouse

a home shared by several related Iroquois families

Inuit

means "the people" in INuktitut

The Seven Fires

Prophecy of the Ojibwa people which announced a period of time in which the people would suffer. Tells how seven prophets came to the Anishinabe when they were living a peaceful life. These prophets left the people with seven predictions about their future. Each prophecy was a fire, and each fire referred to a particular time to come.

Residential Schools

The assimilative policies that the Canadian government directed. Children were taken away from their families for many years at a time. Many residential schools did not allow students to speak Indigenous languages.

Medicine Wheel

The circle represents the continuous cycle of life and connection. The powers of the four directions organize everything that exists: the seasons, the races, the elements, the stages of life, the aspects of the human personality and more. Elders use the wheel as a tool for teaching younger generations about who they are.

Eagle Feathers

consider eagle feathers sacred because the eagle is viewed as a divine messenger. Its feathers represent power and protection. Because it soars high it is the only creature believed to have touched the face of the Creator.

Nunavut Legislature

Set up as a ring in which all memebers are joined, rather than having members sit on opposite sides from each other.

Animism

the identification of the spirit with the objects it inhabits

Smudging

A holy act that is a part of many rituals.

Naming Ceremony

to learn the right name of a child, the name-giver (often grandparents or an elder) enters into a time of fasting, meditation, meditation, prayer, or dreaming. The name is revealed by the Spirit and is then given to the child in a special ceremony.

Aboriginal Peoples - Define

A broad term referring to people who are First Nations, Metis, and Inuit.

Indigenous

Refer to native, original, or earliest known inhabitants of a region

Assimilate

Absorb one group into the culture of another

Intra-religious dialogue

a dialogue within a religion

Smudging ceremony

sacred herbs are burned in a shell and then the smoke is brushed over the ears, mouth, eyes, hands, heart, and the whole being of the participant. The cleansing smoke can be used to purify people and places.

Shaman

An Aboiginal spiritual leader

Sacred Pipe

The carved wooden pipe bowl and stem use by Algonquin First Nations. It is sometimes referred to as the peace pipe