8.3. Spiritual Practices and Beliefs that may evidence Respect for Caribou Athabasca Denesųłiné state that their spiritual and symbolic attachment of the Denesųłiné to the caribou is profound, strong, and elemental to their being and way of life (Athabasca Interim Advisory Panel 2004:38). Denesųłiné traditionally are animists. Knowledge holder AD1 relates that traditionally Denesųłiné “believe that animals, people, and some landforms are imbued with spirits” (AD 1-9). Knowledge holder AD1 explains, “Spirits are constantly at work and influence the wellbeing of the people” (AD 1-4). A Denesųłiné explanation for occasional scarcity was that caribou never die unless killed. If hunters capture or mistreat an animal, its spirit will warn others …show more content…
The people-caribou relationship operates two-ways: caribou to people and people to caribou. I present data below on oral traditions that provide insight into this symbiotic relationship. Birket-Smith (1930:80) maintains that: "The boundary between man and animal is very indefinite“. One element of the symbiosis between people and caribou is evident in beliefs about blood. Nattoganeze told Father Dauvet: “Don't you know that our blood is just like the blood of the caribou. We have been eating it so long that our blood can never be anything else than the blood of caribou" (Holland and Kkailther 2003:166). In another account, caribou come to people. Father Dauvet insists, “They weren't going to the caribou, the caribou were going to them" (Holland and Kkailther 2003:166). The Sayasi Denesųłiné of northern Manitoba affirms "In the eyes of the creator we are no different from the caribou ... we moved and lived with the herds, and loved the beauty of the wide-open tundra and the bounty of our land" (Bussidor and Bilgen-Reinart 1997:4). The story “His Grandmother Raised Him" explains how Caribou Head Boy made caribou live with people (Mandeville 2009:74). George Mercredi said, “The caribou must be very happy to have come to us as we have come to them (Holland and Kkailther 2003:166). Kendrick (2003:189) exposes the symbiosis between caribou and Denesųłiné: The strong ties between caribou and humans meant that the caribou would always return because they would get lonely for humans. Elders would also state that this was reciprocal, and they too would become 'lonely' for the caribou after a long-term absence … When an elder says that caribou are no longer at a certain place, it may be explained that this is so because people are no longer at that
When a Choctaw tribal member became terminally ill, it was common practice for the medicine man to inform the family of impending death (Swanton 1931:170). Upon death, the Choctaws believed that the spirit of the dead continued on a voyage to either the good hunting ground or the bad hunting ground. This journey would take many days, which would require the proper provisions. A dog would sometimes be slain in order to accompany his master on the long journey. After the introduction of horses, they, too, were killed so that the spirit had means of t...
The French offered protection from neighboring enemies while the Indigenous people offered resources such as fur trade, and education of European settlers on how to use the land. In creating this mutual alliance, the differences between the two cultures of people led to a natural formation of gender and power relationships. To better understand the meaning of these gender and power relationships, we can look at Joan Scott’s definition. Scotts states that “Gender is a constitutive element of social relationships based on perceived differences between the sexes and gender is a primary way of signifying relationships of power (SCOTT, 1067).” By incorporating these two ideas from Scott, we can better understand the different perceptions of social relationships between the French and the Indigenous people and how the misunderstood conflicts created a hierarchy and struggle for
Winona Wheeler’s essay, “Cree Intellectual Traditions in History” analyzes the oral history of First Nations Elders. She specifically questions the identities of the Elders telling their story and how they have attained the stories that they are telling. Wheeler’s thesis is that the Elders are not mere storages of knowledge, they are humans. And as the days go on, few of them remain which makes it even more relevant to take in what they have and pass it on to the newer generations.
When chief Sitting Bull and his people ran away from their native lands to Canada, they lost all the resources they had once relied on. This led to multiple deaths due to the lack of food, warmth, and much more. A little girl of the Sioux died due to hunger and the harsh weather. M...
Nevertheless, his life becomes much more facinating when the fact is introduced that Black Elk converted to Catholicism and even became a catechist, afterwards. This completely does not fit into the sterotype of the frustrated reservation Indian, who spent his time with alcohol and gambling. Therefore, one question is emerging. How could Black Elk balance Native American spirituality with Western Christianity? This question directly leads us to the spiritual level of Black Elk’s life. As can be seen in the following, his religion changes in a natural development from his native Lakota religion to Catholicism.
Blumenthal, Susan. "Spotted Cattle and Deer: Spirit Guides and Symbols of Endurance and Healing in Ceremony." The American Indian Quarterly. 14 (Fall 1990) : 367-77
The lake finally melted and flooded the cabin, so a tent was pitched only ten yards from a hunting path. A boundary was made after the tent was pitched and the wolves never crossed it. Farley figured out the wolves were living on mice much more than caribou. When the heat came the wolves more their pups to a summer den where they could run. He watched the wolves hunting one day and was in a rage when they would not try and attack any of the healthy deer. Watching closely he figured out that they usually only eat the sick and weak deer.
"Children of the Forest" is a narrative written by Kevin Duffy. This book is a written testament of an anthropologist's everyday dealings with an African tribe by the name of the Mbuti Pygmies. My purpose in this paper is to inform the reader of Kevin Duffy's findings while in the Ituri rainforest. Kevin Duffy is one of the first and only scientists to have ever been in close contact with the Mbuti. If an Mbuti tribesman does not want to be found, they simply won't be. The forest in which the Mbuti reside in are simply too dense and dangerous for humans not familiar with the area to enter.
The Eskimo hold an annual Bladder Ceremony which demonstrates all of these things previously mentioned. To explain the complete meaning and symbolism behind this Bladder Ceremony in its entirety, is very difficult because every act that goes into this ceremony is meaningful and of concepts not easily understood. In the Eskimo society, the Kwakiutl men go hunting. To go and kill an animal is to kill the fleshed body of an ancestor's soul that is temporarily occupying it. So it is clear that this source of food (hunting of animals) connect the people to the ancestors or spirits of their pray. Therefore, extra care needs to exist in the approach and killing of the animal because each animal has the soul of an ancestor. The ideology of animals having souls runs much deeper. In fact, these souls are powerful forces in the Eskimo's lives and they determine the future's prosperous gain of game or the lack there of. For that reason, the hunters of Eskimo treat the physical body of these animals with the up most respect in order to keep harmony. The bladder of each hunted animal is hung in the Men's house because it is believed that the souls of these powerful forces are held within them (Gill, Native American Religion, p.122). During the ceremony, the men must become purified.
McClurken, J. M. (2009). Our people, our journey: the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.
Many people who hunt the limited Grizzly Bears do it to satisfy their own “needs” of achievements. The Grizzly bear is an exclusive species that is only local to British Columbia; therefore it adds to the feeling of achievement for hunters, but it also encourages individuals, environmental organizations, and the first nations to preserve this rare species. Hunting bears is not sustainable and it’s much worth it to have them alive to promote more advantageous benefits than to have them dead with their heads on the wall to amuse people or to disturb people’s thoughts of what was once a beautiful
The history of the Cree Indians begins where they live for the most part in Canada, and some share reservations with other tribes in North Dakota. The Cree Indians, an Alogonquian tribe sometimes called Knisteneau, were essentially forest people, though an offshoot, the so-called Plains Cree, were buffalo hunters. The Cree’s first encounter with white people was in 1640, the French Jesuits. The Cree Indians later lost many of their tribe in the 1776 break out of small pox, battles with the Sioux, and a defeat to the Blackfeet in 1870. The Cree lived by hunting, fishing, trapping, and using muskrat as one of their staples. They made sacrifices to the sun; the Great Master of Life (Erdoes, Ortiz 504).
When you mention Alaska and the Arctic Circle, one envisions igloos, dog sleds, and invariably, Eskimos. However, little do most know, that what most refer to as Eskimos is actually a generalization representing three distinct groups. In order to understand the societies that live in this region and acknowledge their cultural differences we must explore the different groups that inhabit this region of which there are two: the Inuit, and the Yupik.
Bastien, B. (2011). Blackfoot ways of knowing: The worldview of the siksikaitsitapi. Calgary, Alberta: University of Calgary Press.
The Cree people have a rich and diverse history. Through methods of written and oral teachings, a greater understanding of the Cree people and their history has become apparent. In the following, I will highlight portions of Cree history to establish an understanding of such a rich culture. As a guide, I will use ideas highlighted in Jim Kanepetew’s (n.d) teachings of “The Ten Treaty Sticks”. Underlying concepts from “The Ten Treaty Sticks” have implications on both past and current practices of the Cree people. Since a large portion of the final exam is a chronological list of happenings, I will examine and extend the teachings of “The Ten Treaty Sticks” and how these align with teachings throughout the course. Using “The Ten Treaty Sticks” as a guide, I