6-Aboriginal Healing

Question 1

Regarding the complicated history of aboriginal people, it had been stated that in order to move forward we need to?

Answer 1

• honor the continuing journey of understanding between medical science practitioners and traditional [Aboriginal] medicine practitioners to see how these two pathways can help restore health to people and bring about increased understanding among peoples.
• This is not intended to encourage mixing of [Aboriginal] medicine with mainstream allopathic, or alternative medicine, but rather to emphasize the importance of respecting the integrity of each of these paths in bringing health and help to people in need

Question 2

Describe the Aboriginal Knowledge and Teaching Context

Answer 2

• Abroginal cultural knowledge and teachings found only in individuals
• not in books
• lived experience
• passed generation by generation by Elders
• Meanings passed through ceremonies
• Holistic (spiritual, mental, emotional, physical)
• Medicine wheel
• “medicine is distinguished from healing, which goes beyond mere treatment of sickness”
• Aboriginal healing “encompasses a wide variety of practices and associated knowledge, from the use of herbal medicines to spiritual ceremonies, from the utilization of active pharmacological compunds to…psychotherapeutic practice”

Question 3

Who does the healing and medicine in aboriginal healing?

Answer 3

• Healers, medicine people and elders
• chosen by the community
• roles may not be mutualy exclusive
• both genders

Question 4

Elder

Answer 4

• someone who follows the teachings of the ancestors, and shares the wisdom they have learned with others
• healing is a result of sharing wisdom
• does not necessarily need to be a “senior”
• a younger individual with teachings to share and who has earned community respect, can be considered an Elder as well

Question 5

Healer

Answer 5

• someone who’s purpose is to allow the ‘Creator’ and other spirits to work through them to help people
• there are similarities in healing practices among Healers, however, each is an individual so their treatments will be coloured by the teachings they have received themselves
• may use fasts, dreams, and visions to help give directions in treatment
• may use counselling, plant medicines (i.e., herbal remedies), healing with the hands, or ceremonies including singing, praying, or drumming

Question 6

Medicine person

Answer 6

• another name for a Healer who has specific expertise in plant medicines
• this expertise includes knowledge on how to harvest the medicine, keep and store it, as well as how to prescribe and administer it
• may need to fast to learn about a medicine and how it will work for an individual

Question 7

How does a non aboriginal person approach an aboriginal Healer?

Answer 7

• emphasis on community, many Aboriginal healers only work with other Aboriginal people
• those who do, usually expect a commitment to Aboriginal spiritual beliefs and the idea of shared community,
• expected that you be respectful to them as well as yourself.
• certain protocols that need to be adhered to, individual to each Elder, Healer, or Medicine Person
• Offering in the form of tobacco is expected, as it is meant to facilitate communication between you and the Healer, and by extension facilitating communication with the Creator itself

Question 8

Describe the Aboriginal relationship to the number 4

Answer 8

• Number 4 is sacred
• 4 parts of an individual (physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual)
• 4 seasons (winter, spring, summer, autumn),
• compass (north, south, east, west)
• can also represent aspects of health, as well as symbolize the stages of life
• believed that all of these 4 parts are connected and optimally are in balance with one another and are also connected to Mother Earth at the centre of them all

Question 9

Describe the medicine wheel

Answer 9

• Graphiocal representation of the 4
• colours of the quadrants are often yellow, red, black, and white
• green at the centre often represents Mother Earth
• represent the decision-making process that takes into account an individual’s values (beginning in the East:
  
  • Values (from the East, where the sun rises) influence decisions made in the mental realm (North)
  • Decisions are implemented in the physical realm (West), and actions produce reactions in the emotional realm (South)
  • These reactions provide feedback into the value system, completing the circle of value – action – evaluation
• many versions of the medicine wheel

Question 10

List the 4 sacred medicines

Answer 10

1. Tobacco
2. Sage
3. Cedar
4. Sweetgrass

Question 11

Tobacco

Answer 11

• considered the 1st plant that the Creator gave to the people, and is the activator of all of the other plant spirits
• is used for an offering for everything and in every ceremony, so that communication is possible between the spirit world, the individual, family, friends, and others
• the use of tobacco thanks the Creator for many things, including healing and providing food and medicine
• is generally not smoked, except on special ceremonial occasions
• this medicine comes from the eastern door

Question 12

Sage

Answer 12

• considered a women’s medicine, granting strength, wisdom, and a clarity of purpose
• is burned to prepare people and cleanse the area before ceremonies or teachings begin
• used for removing negative energy and soothing a troubled mind, as well as other medicinal uses
• used for cleansing homes and sacred items
• western door

Question 13

Cedar

Answer 13

• high in vitamin C it is taken as a tea to attract positive energy and emotions and for balance
• used as a form of protection in fasting and sweat lodge ceremonies
• cleanses the body (i.e., purification) and protects it from illness, along with other restorative medicinal uses
• also used to purify the home
• northern door

Question 14

Sweetgrass

Answer 14

• considered “the sacred hair of Mother Earth,” it is associated with virtue, and has a sweet smell that reminds people of gentleness, love, and kindness
• used in a healing circle for its calming effect, it also clears the mind of negative thoughts
• also used in smudging and purification ceremonies
• southern door

Question 15

Aboriginal treatment

Answer 15

As opposed to using the word “treatment,” Aboriginal healers refer to the routes taken to ensure balance, which in turn yields optimal health

Question 16

What are some examples of healing routes?

Answer 16

• talking
• crying
• laughing
• dancing
• sweating
• yawning

Question 17

List the aboriginal healing ceremonies

Answer 17

1. Talking circle and healing circle
2. Smudging
3. Sweat lodge
4. Sun dance
5. Pipe ceremony
6. Private Visits

Question 18

Talking circle vs healing circle

Answer 18

Talking circle:

• frequently used in Aboriginal gatherings
• group sit in a circle and take turns sharing or discussing specific issues

Healing circle:

• more formal
• led by a Healer
• talking circle with the specific intention of healing an individual
• allow participants to speak to their community and find, as well as offer, support”
• Sometimes symbolic object,(stick or eagle feather) given to an individual who wishes to speak
• always treated with respect
• eagle = strength, loyalty, honesty, and compassion

Question 19

Smudging

Answer 19

• Purification ceremony that invites health into a person
• One of the most common Aboriginal ceremonies, even around the world
• One, or a mix of the sacred medicines are burned and the resulting smoke is brushed over an individual’s head and torso
• Each plant has a particular purpose
• Smudging is “used in the morning and evening as part of daily devotion”

Question 20

Sweat lodge

Answer 20

• “a rebirthing process”
• purification ceremony to help “cleanse body, mind, heart, and spirit”
• Other types of sweats are used to respond to a participant’s needs: clan sweats, sweats for sundancers, and sweats for spirit name seekers among many others
• Similar to a ceremonial sauna, held in a round structure
• Wooden framework of the structure is covered by overlapped pieces of tarpaulin, blankets, or skins that almost seal off the outer air
• In the center, a shallow hole is made to hold hot stones.
• People sit in a circle around the stones while a Healer pours water onto the stones to produce steam. Some of the sacred medicines may be burned on the rocks, while sacred songs and prayers are performed
• It is thought that the sweat lodge raises the body’s internal temperature well above normal, allowing heat-sensitive viruses and bacteria to be killed
• believed that “the lodge combines the four elements of fire, water, air, and earth

Question 21

Sun dance

Answer 21

• “a replay of the origin of human culture that focuses on gratitude to the Creator for the renewal of life.”
• Also called rain dance, thirst dance, or medicine dance,
• celebrates the balance between man and nature, and the continuity between life, death, and regeneration
• Done in conjunction with others such as a purification or pipe ceremony
• Often a multi-day event, the dance ceremony itself can take up to four days to perform, with other activities scheduled on the days before and after the ceremony

Question 22

Pipe ceremony

Answer 22

• Used for individual prayer or in groups,
• may be also smoked to begin other ceremonies
• prayers are transmitted up to the spirits through the smoke of burning tobacco, creating a direct communication link with the Creator
• The pipe is one of the most sacred medicine objects to Aboriginal people
• The bowl of the pipe represents the Earth Mother (i.e., female powers),
• The stem represents the male, plant kingdom.

Question 23

Private visits

Answer 23

• Healer or Medicine Person may be contacted to aid an individual on a one-to-one basis
• ceremonies, meditation, or herbal remedies
• clients encouraged to take responsibility for their healing by providing a practical gift to the healer based on their means
• Historically, a Healer or Medicine Person was sought out within the Aboriginal community
• Although this is still the case, many Aboriginal people have moved to urban areas where access to traditional Healers may be more difficult
• In order to remedy this, some communities have incorporated traditional Aboriginal healing along with Western health care approaches to improve overall care

Question 24

Describe the safety and regulation of aboriginal healing

Answer 24

• As awareness and knowledge of traditions increases, so does our honour and respect for these ways
• always those who present themselves as Healers, Elders, or Medicine People who have not earned that title and may use the teachings and medicines in the wrong way
• Important for everyone, to be aware and exercise caution when they seek healing, teachings or advice
• Validation of Aboriginal healing knowledge is much less formal
• In Canada, Aboriginal Healers are not subject to regulatory bodies as cultural tradition has dictated Healers are chosen and validated by the local Aboriginal community