Unit 1 - Indigenous Spirituality Flashcards
What is this symbol and what does it represent?
It is the eagle feather and it symbolizes respect, honour, strength, courage and wisdom.
What is the symbolic idea behind the eagle feather?
The eagle flies close to the creator.
The eagle feather symbolizes the “duality of life,” what does that mean?
The duality of life means the two sides to life. Examples: man and woman, winter and summer, light and dark.
What does the Wampum represent?
It represents the relationship between the Aboriginal people and the “white man”
The most common Wampum has parallel rows of beads. What does this say in words?
The rows of beads show that they can live as equals for forever, they can live simultaneously without crossing paths in peace.
What is the symbol of the Dream Catcher?
It represents spider webs, catching and filtering all of the bad thoughts away.
What does the Totem Pole symbolize?
Totem poles mark a families lineage, it is their crest. It validates the powerful rights and privileges that the family holds
What is a sweat lodge?
It is a structure low to the ground made from saplings bent as the frame. It is then covered by a tarp to trap the heat.
What is the purpose of a sweat lodge?
It is a spiritual sauna to purify both physically and spiritually.
What takes place in the sweat lodge?
Drums, chants, prayers, sharing of ones burdens. Whatever is said in the sweat lodge stays in the sweat lodge.
Sweat lodges are also referred to as?
The womb of Mother Earth.
What does the drums represent?
It represents the heartbeat of the universe
When should you never play the drums? Why?
When you are angry. This is because we want to treat the drums like face of ones grandmother.
True or false. Drums are only used at certain ceremonies throughout the year.
False. The Drums are used at all ceremonies and get togethers all year round.
What is a Powwow?
It is a special aboriginal dance that promotes renewal and restoration of relationships and the healing of all creation.
What do you do at a Powwow?
Members of the community come together to sing, dance, and celebrate their identity, heritage and language.
What is a Vision Quest?
It is a coming of age ceremony.
What does one do during the Vision Quest?
Participants purify in the sweatlodge and go to a hilltop or peak and endure the elements for 3-4 days with no food or water. They wait for their vision, it could be a bird or animal, this vision gives them an understanding of themselves and what they want to do with their life.
How long do vision quests take? What happens if they do not get a vision in that time period?
Vision quests take 3-4 days in length because they need to survive the elements without food or water. If they do not have a vision they must wait and do another vision quest the next year.
Define Animism.
The belief that everything in the world once had a life, that nothing is inanimate. Animals and plants and natural forces are all energized by a spirit.
The wheel of life displays…
the meaning of wellness.
How many dimensions of wellness are on the Wheel of life?
8
If you have a balanced wheel of life, what does that mean?
It helps determine if you are focusing on one of the spikes of the wheel more than any others, this creates an unbalanced wheel. To have a balanced wheel one must equally spend time on each dimension
What does the Medicine Wheel mean?
It teaches us about equality and respect for all four directions of the Earth.
What are the three Medicine Wheel reflect?
It reflects interconnectedness, creation, and balance of all living things.
What are the four sacred plants?
Tobacco, sage, cedar, and sweetgrass
What is smudging?
It is a holy act, a way of purification.
How does smudging work?
Sacred plants are burned in a shell and the smoke is brushed over the eyes, mouth, body etc. Fanned out with an eagle feather, for good words, thoughts, and actions.
What is the smoke in the smudge used for?
It’s to promote positivity, and get rid of negative thoughts and feelings. The smoke then travels up to the creator.
Explain their Cyclical worldview.
The world is constantly changing in reoccurring cycles. The circle is a power symbol and is seen in repetition of nature.
What are Creation stories?
They are stories of how the world and its people were created. Every different Indigenous community has different creation stories.
In Indigenous spirituality what does Interconnectedness mean?
Everything in the world living and non-living, is interconnected. Humans need to balance with the Earth and all Creation.
True or false. Is everything sacred?
True. All humans, plants, animals, natural forces and objects are all invested with a spirit.
What is intergenerational trauma?
It is the physical, spiritual, and emotional scarring of past events that has occurred within generations.
Explain the Residential schools.
Residential school was mandatory for all indigenous children to try to assimilate them into the Christian culture. The children as young as 4 were taken far away from their parents, they were punished if they spoke their native tongue.
When did the last residential school close?
It closed in 1996.
What are the five common threads that all Indigenous communities share?
Sacredness, interconnectedness, cyclical balance, Mother Earth, and Animism.
What is the Grandfather Teachings?
They are Creation stories, with seven animals representing the seven teachings.
Which teaching does the animal The Beaver represent?
Wisdom to cherish knowledge.
Which teaching does the animal the Bear represent?
Courage to face foe with integrity.
Which teaching does the animal The Wolf represent?
Humility to know oneself as a sacred part of the creation.
Which teaching does The Sabe represent?
Honesty to be sincere when facing a situation.
Which teaching does The Eagle represent?
Love to know peace.
Which teaching does The Turtle represent?
Truth to know all these things and live with them.
Which teaching does The Buffalo represent?
Respect to honour all creation.
