Native Spirituality

NATIVE SPIRITUALITYIntroduction

Native Spiritual

ity Introductio

n

ORIGINS It is impossible to identify a single founder of

Aboriginal spirituality Aboriginal inhabitants of a region are known as

indigenous peoples Some Aboriginals believe they “came out of

the ground”, meaning their origins are ancient Some evidence exists that supports the theory

that Aboriginal peoples crossed over the Bering Strait (between Alaska and Russia) to North and South America over 35000 years ago

ABORIGINAL PEOPLES IN CANADA Canada has six cultural groups of Aboriginal peoples,

defined by geographical environment and each culture contains many nations:

1. The Subarctic – The Innu, James Bay Cree, Montaignais

2. The Arctic – Mackenzie, Labrador, Caribou 3. The Plateau 4. The Great Plains – Sioux, Cree, Siksika, Blackfoot 5. The Northwest Pacific Coast – Haida, Tlingit,

Salish, Nisga’a 6. Northeast Woodlands – Iroquois, Algonquin As a group they have similar aspects of belief,

although different practices of form represent those beliefs

ANIMISM All things, human and non-

human, have spirits or souls, and that spirit/soul lives on after death

All living things live in close connection with one another and move in cycles

Power is recognized around them: in heavens, in human ghosts and spirits, animals and plants, and in the weather

POLYTHEISM VS. MONOTHEISM Aboriginal spirituality is a polytheistic faith,

but most believe in a supreme Creator Other “gods” (spirits) include “Sea Woman”

(Inuit title for the sea), “Sky Woman” (Iroquois title for the sky) and “Grandfather” (Algonquin title for sky)

Aboriginal spirituality turns to many spirits for many needs (e.g. fisherman turns to spirit of the sea, or farmer turns to spirit of the rain or the sun)

TOTEMISM Belief that spirits live in humans, animals

and plants. Sometimes the spirit of the objects are

worshipped, or the objects may simply be the symbols of the power, which is truly worshipped.

Often, totems link Aboriginal peoples to their mythical ancestors and are protective entities of a clan or individual (plant, animal, or mythological being

SHAMANISM Utilizing the powers of the spiritual

world Shaman: a person who has special

contact with the spirit world. A shaman possesses special powers and is capable of having visions that convey the spirit world to humans.

Female Shaman

Duties of the Shaman:- curing illness- foretelling the future

- finding lost articles or missing persons- reviving the dead- controlling the weather

AFTERLIFE Many believe in reincarnation or

rebirth, based on various myths and legends

For example, Northeast Woodlands: spirits can enter man-made objects when they are reincarnated