The making of medicine people

Deborah Hansen-Lange, Bounmy Inthavong

and Corine Vreugdenhil-Witteveen16 January 2012

Presentation outline:

• Introduction• Brief background on Indigenous history

• Spirituality, healing and ceremony• Group discussion

• Family and Education• Group discussion

• Temptations of life and returning to ancestral

roots

• Last words• Questions and comments

Brief background

“The reason that this book was written is to explain the

importance of respectful understandings.”

-Hill, 2009 (pp. ii)

Colonization• Establishment of settlements

• Demands of the fur trade

• European ethnocentricity

• Transformation of life

Source: http://atethepaint-canadianbacon.blogspot.com/2010/08/history-of-canada-pre-colonization.html

Residential schools• Lost of the unborn generations

• Generations without guidance

• Lost of identity• Life without language and culture

Source: http://www.virtualcurriculum.com/N3225/spring2006/melissa_wendi/3.html

Urbanization

• Economic and social

inequalities• Health

• Poverty

• Education

• Dissociation from the

land

Source: http://www.rogest.com/templates/Gallery.html

This week’s readings

1. Spirituality, healing and ceremony

2. Education and family

3. Temptations of life and returning to ancestral roots

Spirituality, ceremony & healing

There is a purpose or calling for every native person

communicated from the Creator

Spirit guides

• Spirit animals and ancestor guides

“…this strong spiritual connection, which is a very

natural source for a person’s spirit, is like the battery

to our body”

- Hill, 2009 (pp. ii)

Source: http://reverentiallyspeakinglove.blogspot.com/2010/10/spirit-guides.html

Celebrating with ceremony

• The Sacred Goose connection:

“On the day you were born, your grandfather killed

four geese.”

- Snowboy, 2010 (pp. 2)

• The Naming Ceremony:• Gawehogeh – flower floating in the water

Source: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Northern+Gateway+hearings+mystery+Some+intervenors+were+signed+without/5978681/story.html

The significance of dreams“With every correction

you make as a result of a

dream or message, your

spirit guide comes closer

to you.” - Hill, 2009 (pp. 63)

• Dreams as corrective

• Dreams as a test or

challenge

Source: http://blog.cifor.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/indigenous-canadians.jpg

Identity and spirituality“How could anything else compare with the magic and

pride I felt when I heard the stories of our ancestors?”

- Snowboy, 2010 (pp. 11)

“I never suffered from a lack of identity because of these

ceremonies.”

- Snowboy, 2010 (pp. 8)

Source: http://mediacentre.canada.travel/content/travel_story_ideas/aboriginal_culture

Identity and spirituality

“The Life Giver gave the native people the duty of

caretakers of his land but also the ability to

connect with it both physically and spiritually”

- Snowboy, 2010 (pp. 64)

• This duty has been lost by European genocidal

activity

Source: http://www.turtleisland.org/discussion/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=6956

Approaches to healing

• Healing – 3 A’s

(Hill, 2009; pp. 78):

1. Awareness

2. Acceptance

3. Action

• The more responsibility

you take, the more you

can experience peace

Source: http://www.bearclawgallery.com/Paintings.aspx?PaintingImageID=2161&PaintingID=1565

Approaches to healing

• Snowboy’s message of healing is about

restoring the Spiritual dimensions of life and

reconnecting with the Spirit Guides

Source: http://seventhgenerationhealingnetwork.web.officelive.com/HarrySnowboy.aspx

Approaches to healing

• Group discussion (15 minutes) – forgiveness and

healing

• Group discussion for 5 minutes

• 2-3 minutes for each group to present thoughts

Discussion questions1. How can we take some of Hill’s and Snowboy’s

Indigenous teachings with respect to healing and incorporate them into our “Eurocentric” mentality that was devised out of fear (Hill, 96)?

2. Reflect on the two authors’ perspectives regarding self- determined actions and behaviors vs. spiritually determined actions such as love and forgiveness with respect to healing?

3. Snowboy and Hill were called to be healers, however according to this week’s readings; every person is called by the Creator for a specific purpose. How could these quotes regarding healing lead a person to understand their spiritual calling?

Quote 1“I have learnt to forgive the past because people

have their own hurt. I had to forgive because I

was given the duty to work with the healing of our

people. I had to start with my own healing before

I could take that light I was given and share it with

the rest of the world.”

- Snowboy, 2010 (pp. 72)

Quote 2“He (Jesus Christ) explains that we human beings are the ones who separate each other because of religion. This had to stop and he said that heaven looks down on us all being equal. Jesus began to doctor me in that ceremony and whatever it was he took out my anger and resentment towards the Christian community was gone. It was an incredible experience...When I go visit communities I talk about the visit from Jesus…I encourage people not to judge but just simply try and understand.”

- Snowboy, 2010 (pp. 75)

Quote 3A human being is born with loneliness

It is not an earthy emotion

It comes from the attachment to the life giver

We are not aware but define it by our humanness

We regard it not by the depths of its origin

But a longing a deep longing

We walk the earth with this loneliness

- Snowboy, 2010 (pp. 29)

Quote 4“Awareness is knowing the person that we have

become, and knowing it’s not who we are meant to

be. We have allowed society and circumstances to

shape and mold us into someone that behaves in

ways that is hurtful to ourselves and others. We

behave this way out of hurt and fear….Hurt and fear

is the main factor that causes people to become

angry, revengeful, mean, distant, withdrawn, cold, a

ddicted, judgmental, arrogant, etc. Our awareness

that we have developed into a person we don’t

like…is the first step…We can begin to change

ourselves by first becoming aware of our

thoughts…and start getting rid of the negative and

fearful thoughts.”

- Hill, 2009 (pp. 78)

Quote 5“Acceptance is acknowledging that you have

allowed this to happen. Now you have a choice.

Are you going to allow yourself or others to define

you out of fear, or are you going to choose to

become the best you! The you, that you were

meant to be? Accepting that blaming yourself or

others, doesn’t help change your inner self, it only

gives you an excuse to behave in a self-destructive

way. When we accept the fact that we can control

how we feel; how our life has turned out; and our

destiny or path we are walking, we can then

understand our power.”

- Hill, 2009 (pp. 79)

Quote 6“Action is making these changes of behavior

happen by being assertive about the awareness

of your inner self. Only we are aware of the

thoughts, attitudes and behavior that we choose

to use. We have to be assertive about practicing

healthier thinking, feeling and behavior.”

- Hill, 2009 (pp. 79)

Family and education

Hill and Snowboy• Family played integral role in development

• Many similarities growing up

• Family reaction to dreams/voices

Source: http://www.hreoc.gov.au/education/bth/community_guide/index.html

Families

“The movement out of

longhouses and into

nuclear families.”- Hill, 2009 (pp. 97-98)

• Children are precious

• The voices of Elders

are extremely important

Source: http://www.communities.qld.gov.au/gateway/about-us/corporate-publications/community-connect/community-connect-issue-eighteen/keeping-indigenous-families-together

Families• Families include ancestors

• We are part of the family of the universe

“We are the youngest ones in the

family of the universe, yet some

people have forgotten this and act like

we are the creators of it.”

- Hill, 2009 (pp. 44)

Source: http://www.rmbrwhen.com/nativ.htm

Families

• Dreams and voices helped heal family

• Family helped push against peer pressure

Source: http://www.freespiritgallery.ca/toddbaker.htm

Families• Current education is inadequate

• Ceremonies need to be passed on

• Healing work from residential schools

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/artdesign/story/2007/12/04/norval-morrisseau.html

Family and discussion

• Group discussion (15 minutes)• Group discussion for 5 minutes

• 2-3 minutes for each group to present thoughts

Discussion questions

1. Family is very important to both authors.

Using the quote you were given, discuss how

the author’s perspective on family differs from

your own perspective or belief.

2. The history of aboriginal people has been

altered due to colonization. Consider your

quote and discuss how the path of indigenous

family has been altered.

Quote 1“My father listens to us when we say something

because he knows that we have just come from

the heavens and he has been here longer.”

- Hill, 2009 (pp. 43)

Quote 2“The fire is the heart of all men. We carry that in

our hearts and she (the grandmother) had tended

my fire. I would see her again. She was to show

me that women are the keepers of the

ceremonies. She taught me about respect and

assisted in the healing of my soul through the

understanding of family and women.”

- Snowboy, 2010 (pp. 49)

Quote 3“When the white people came here and your

people started to move out of their longhouses

and made houses like your white brothers, they

separated their families. Whenever you separate

yourself, there will be darkness.”

- Hill, 2009 (pp. 98)

Quote 4“They didn’t want the people to be united and to

work together for the needs of their people and

their communities. They (the church) wanted

everyone to just worry about themselves and their

nuclear family, that’s it, this way you become

weaker and more vulnerable and easier to be

forced to bend their values.”

- Hill, 2009 (pp. 97)

Quote 5“We need to question if the direction or advice

given is against our own inner values of right and

wrong, not necessarily what our religion or family

expects from us but if it feels right to us.”

- Hill, 2009 (pp. 77)

Quote 6“As Native people, we never had incest or rape

from our spiritual leaders, nor did our ancestors

rape and molest the non-native or native children.

Children are considered gifts, little spirit beings

that have been given to us from love shown by the

creator.”

- Hill, 2009 (pp. 71)

Temptations of life and returning to ancestral

roots“Once a person is connected to heart, spirit and mind and

working in unison, then you are functioning as a healthy

human being. Until then you are only functioning as a partial-

being and therefore out of balance”.

- Hill, 2009 (pp. v)

Temptations of life• Lack of guidance from family and community

• Loss of identity and direction

• Questioning

• Insecurities and pain • Acceptance of modernism

• Needing to conform

“People have become so distant from

their original self or their own spirit that

they become someone who is

cold, mean and distant just for the sake

of fitting into society.”

- Hill, 2009 (pp. 21)

Source: http://mosaicwine.wordpress.com/

Returning to ancestral roots

• Sense of identity and self-worth• Connection to the Creator and his creations

• Purpose

• The Peace Maker• Good mind and good heart

Source: http://edmortimer.wordpress.com/2011/08/03/chief-looking-horse-speaks-at-protecting-mother-earth-gathering/

“It’s important to teach children

about their identity.”

- Snowboy, 2010 (pp. 66)

Any final questions or comments?

References:Frideres, J.S. and Gadacz, R.R. (2005) Profile of Aboriginal People I: Population and Health. Chapter 3. pages 54-88 in Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

Herry, A., Waldram, J., and Young, T.K. (2006) An overview of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. Chapter 1. pages 3-23. in Aboriginal peoples in Canada: Historical, cultural and epidemiological perspectives, 2nd edition. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Hill, W. Understanding life…What my ancestors taught me through my dreams. (2009) Pittsburgh: Red Lead Press.

Snowboy, H. A Cree Shaman’s story: voice from the wilderness. (2010) Ottawa: Baico Publishing Inc.