(Tina)Theresa Hannah-Munns
RLST 280AC-L01
March 21, 2004
This paper acknowledges and is dedicated to my teacher, and spiritual mother, Elder Margaret Keewatin, and also to my partner, Rick Favel.
The displacement and attempted incorporation of the American Indian on the white conqueror’s terms, and the massive immigration into this land of over 41 million people, largely from Europe but also from the other Americas and to a smaller extent from the Orient, from the days of the thinly populated and, even then, ethnically varied seaboard republic to the continent-spanning nation of the present, constitutes the setting for the ‘meeting of peoples’ in the American context.
Sociologists and cultural anthropologists have described the processes and results of ethnic ‘meetings’ under such terms as ‘assimilation’ and ‘acculturation’.[1]
A Journey into Balance and Wholeness
The central focus in First Nations peoples’ healing process is its origins in assimilation and acculturation. Healing is required; all ceremonial and daily living protocols revolve around returning to wholeness. This requires also a returning to balance, both in individuals and in communities, for First Nations people and then all of humankind.
To return to balance and wholeness three concepts underlying the traditional teachings must be understood – impermanence, interdependence (also called a dependence model), and right relationship (interrelatedness, interconnectedness). These concepts then lead into some of the oral teachings that Elders use as one of the means of transmitting knowledge to the following generations. These teachings will stand alone, to give the ambiance of how the teachings are more than interpretation and explanation. This I have done in the preceding parts, so the Elder’s words and those of the other spokespersons from within the First Nations communities will speak for themselves; This is done out of respect of the way Elders teach. In conclusion, examples of how First Nations are dealing with health issues will be given and issues still unaddressed will be raised for consideration. The journey to wholeness starts with a single step, and acceptance of a foundation of core beliefs is where the journey begins.
Impermanence
Change. All of creation is in a state of constant change. Nothing stays the same except the presence of cycle upon cycle of change... There are two kinds of change. The coming together of things (development) and the coming apart of things (disintegration). Both of these kinds of change are necessary and are always connected to each other... (If) it is difficult to see how a particular change is connected to everything else...our standpoint (to the situation from which we are viewing the change) is limiting our ability to see clearly.[2]
Nothing in the universe is stagnating, but moves through patterns of changes that are noticeable if we choose to become aware. These patterns can show thatthe cycles of creation, life, and destruction are all one process flowing within and from each other. These cycles are acknowledged traditionally in our lives, in the seasons of the year, and in the spiritual processes that regulate all of life. These cycles are also infused within the various tools that a traditional individual uses and are also the process and foundation of the ceremonies and rituals of the ancient ways.[3]
The cause of illness can be found within these cycles of changes. Seeing clearly with awareness, with clarity on how impermanence works in our lives allows us to see where illness stems from. We look to find where we are trying to stop change from happening in our lives – either from developing into something new or by letting go of something old. This can give us the insight in how to accept and make change work in our lives. These different kinds of changes are interconnected to each other, depending and responding to each other, as well as on other conditions that are part of the process of life.
Interdependence
(First Nations) see the life-giving force of the Great Spirit flowing through all things in the Universe...everything is a source of ‘power’ and as a result should be revered. The traditional Native American beliefs that each living thing in Nature has a spirit of its own, in addition to being connected to and part of the Great Spirit.[4]
All life is interdependent, and every act creates a ripple in the fabric of time. Everything you think and do sets your future in motion...You can re-create your future during the Vision Quest.[5]
Finding meaning is important for health, and meaning is found within communities. It is impossible for us to lead a healthy life without recognizing our interdependence with people and the environment. Developing individual potential, which includes health in its many aspects and forms, is a major focus within First Nation cultures. Ceremonial experiences shows us values that we can live by[6], and that have balancing influences within everyday life. This is why the Elders emphasize returning, not only to oral or written forms of teachings, but to the real teachings of experience within ceremonial life. Reading this paper can only give us an impermanent intellectual understanding, whereas experience through ceremonies gives us interdependent knowledge of the values that develop our true potential. Ceremony is the educational institution of First Nations peoples because the teachings are interconnected into the structure, actions, words, and spiritual essence of each lodge or quest.
No two lodges are alike because of the impermanence of each individual character and timing of each lodge and this is why First Nations Elders are wary of putting the teachings down on paper, or even on audio or video tape. The teachings are not to be static entities on their own but interdependent and changing testimonials of living from the perspective of the process underlying the moment that instigates them. These slight differences are hard to understand unless we step into the ceremonial lodges and move from relying on knowledge that is only of, or activates only, the logical, rational mind.[7] The patterning on how we reach understanding and how we approach and accept knowledge is taught within the lodges and includes lessons on being open to awareness and clarity, especially through the relationships of things, which are interdependent of each other.
Right Relationship (Interrelatedness)
Wholeness. All things are interrelated. Everything in the universe is a part of a single whole. Everything is connected in some way to everything else. It is therefore possible to understand something only if we can understand how it is connected to everything else.[8]
“Our Teachers tell us that all things within this Universe Wheel know of their Harmony with every other thing, and know how to Give-Away one to the other, except man. Of all the Universe’s creatures, it is we alone who do not begin our lives with knowledge of this great Harmony.[9]
Understanding the interrelatedness, which the Elders speak of as right relationship, ties each of these three aspects together and shows us how they work in our lives. Right relationship includes the teaching of right time, right place, etc. The word right is a value that takes into consideration the interrelatedness, the interconnection of various aspects that converge in a moment, with each moment being different, thus, impermanent. This is how these core conceptions work as a living dynamic of the underlying process of life.
The complexity comes with true understanding of this process. With the insecurity of impermanence working in our lives, interdependence allows us to connect into relationships that give us a sense of security. As long as we continue to recognize that change does and will occur, we will not try to make our relationships into something they are not. Unfortunately, we as humans do try to control our relationships, including the judgments that form the relationships we have for ourselves, and illness occurs. By understanding right relationship, along with impermanence, we will allow each moment to unfold, and with interdependence recognize that nothing is being done to us personally, just like how we act towards the world usually involves some form of relationship with ourselves. By recognizing the right relationship in each moment we can become present to the responsibility of flowing from one moment that is happening now, to another moment that is now happening now. A “broader scope of perception and a deeper understanding of Nature and our relations can help us to gain a better understanding of the world around us.”[10] This is the purpose of many of the ceremonies and definitely one of the foundational emphases that a beginner on the path will hear. This is why a vision or prayer quest is one of the initiatory ceremonies of any serious seeker of higher truth. By being alone in nature, we must then first turn to ourselves for support. When we realize that we cannot support ourselves, humility opens our hearts and motivates our eyes to see in a new way. By looking around us to nature, we start to see the processes occurring in their natural form, without human consciousness cluttering the awareness of the process. Nature simply is – it does not try to be anything other than its own process that is interconnected with the impermanence of the natural cycles, recognizing the meaning of interdependence as its purpose of life.
When out on a quest, we can see how if a tree falls down onto another tree, that tree will either support it or break from its own rigid structure. We now see with open eyes and our heart understands what we need. Each individual will receive a different teaching from this experience, thus understanding can not be boxed into canned analyses or interpretations. Each individual must interpret their own experience of that tree, and also share and rely on an Elder’s experiential knowledge to help them find an even deeper meaning.
Individual perceptions means nothing until we share them within a relationship of one form or another. The communal ceremonies help us learn what the purpose of individual perception of meaning is and how it connects to the whole of community and the cosmos. These ceremonies allow individuals to tap into collective powers as well as the higher powers of the spiritual realm. From this experience, we “realize that we cannot survive or live without our ‘relations.’ We also realize that they cannot live without us; hence there is a reciprocal relationship.”[11] Here is where we learn that interconnectedness also means that there is no way of escaping from the responsibility for both ourselves and others. Everyday “religious activity and practice are significant because their primary purpose is often to place individuals, family, and groups in ‘right relationships’ with gods, ancestors, other human beings, and nature.”[12] Understanding these concepts lead to a meaningful life of purpose, belonging, and health, all goals that seem unavailable in the world today.
Traditional Teachings of Knowledge
Here are a few excerpts to contemplate on impermanence, interdependence, and right relationship:
There are “four aspects (of) our nature... (that) must be equally developed in a healthy, well-balanced individual through the development and use of volition (i.e. will). These four aspects hold our potential concerning our lives and purpose.”[13]
The four great meaning – protection, nourishment, growth, and wholeness – are “movements in the cycle of human development from our birth toward(s) our unity with the wholeness of creation.”[14]
“Primary emphasis was on teaching individuals from birth how to live together in ways that avoided or minimized (disputes) in the first place.” [15]
All through Ross’ book, talks of protocol as ethics, how Native people show respect through non-interference; withdrawal rather than confrontation; the importance of praise and gratitude; anger not being shown; timing must be right; and other ethical rules different from the white man’s. Ross shows how Natives have a specialized form of reasoning (71) that is outside of the mainstream society’s ideological systems.[16]
“This message – ‘Be attentive!’ – well expresses a spirit which is central to the Indian peoples; it implies that in every act, in every thing, and in every instant, the Great Spirit is present, and that one should be continually and intensely ‘attentive’ to this Divine presence.”[17]
“The Creator gave each person a special talent, and if they are in touch with their spirit and know their special work on this earth they will flourish, Abbie (Burnstick) believes. If people can keep doing what they are supposed to be doing, they can keep on living. People are supposed to support people so they can do what they are supposed to do – to carry out their identity, she says.”[18]
“You have noticed that everything that an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. In the old days when we were a strong and happy people, all our power came from the sacred hoop of the nation and so long as the hoop was unbroken, the people flourished. The flowering tree was the living center of the hoop, and the circle of the Four Quarters nourished it. The east gave peace and light, the south gave warmth, the west gave rain, and the north with its cold and mighty wind gave strength and endurance. This knowledge came to us from the outer world with our religion. Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are the stars. The wind, in its greatest power whirls. Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The sun goes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. Our teepees were round like the nests of birds, and these were always set in a circle, the nation’s hoop, a nest for us to hatch our children.”
Black Elk (Neihardt 1973)[19]
“As intrinsic to the Plains religious worldview, power is constituted as a plurality of presences that sustain and infuse a unitary perception of both the visible and invisible worlds. It is embodied in specific manifestations of the extraordinary, and it communicates viable means for enhancing and sustaining life. The presences are dynamic and moving sources of creative inspiration. They generate transformation and metamorphosis and are conceived of as world creating and directive. All powers must be approached with reverence and regarded with great respect, and they manifest themselves as gifts given to those who make themselves pitiable.”[20]
Sanapia is the last of the Eagle Doctors of the Comanche people because of the traditional protocols around passing the lineage down the generations. An Eagle Doctor is somewhat like our psychiatrist. In the study of Sanapia’s role in contemporary Comanche culture, her “psychotherapeutic function” works well with both old ways of knowing, and in learning to handle new illnesses as they enter traditional populations.
“Each new realization of acculturative changes stimulates her to attempt to fit this newly acquired realization into a nonantagonistic relationship to her role as Medicine woman.”
“She must meet the threats of culture change directly if her institution (as medicine woman) is to continue to have meaning for Comanches who are reacting to acculturation.”[21]
The Journey in Motion
Indigenous healing has been defined as “Non-Western, culture-bound approaches to the treatment of psychological and medical problems based on Indigenous knowledge of plant and material use, and ritual.[22] This term sounds like it has been defined from outside the First Nations community, whereas a more affirmative definition is “Traditional medicine refers to health practices, approaches, knowledge, and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and mineral based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied singularly or in a combination to treat, diagnose and prevent illnesses or maintain well-being.”[23] Problems of definition happen when people research First Nations’ perspectives from the outside looking in; a simple step of approaching an Elder or a liaison person can eliminate the suppressive tendency of ethnocentricity. Examples such as these show how imperative it is that First Nations people be in the position to help other First Nations people. An understanding of their beliefs are not integrated and practiced enough in our contemporary society with the different forms and ways of knowledge under-rated in the unidirectional mode of on scientific thinking, which most, if not all, social institutions are grounded in. These institutions are set up to help people, but the statistics and the personal experiences of First Nations people, in general, do not show much improvement.[24] The institution’s lack of acknowledging their responsibility in causing, and possibly still are causing through the use of bureaucratic procedures, additional factors towards illness within First Nations communities leaves a gap between their intentions towards health and healing, and actually fulfilling them. 70 percent, if not more, of the Canadian population have tried or are using complementary medicine and most people do not know that “25 percent of the modern medicines are made from plants first used traditionally.” [25] The medical industry is only now starting to realize the profit from adding complementary medicine, with the scientific method and bureaucratic system slowing down the process.
Yet the healing process is in motion from within First Nations communities; nutritional courses are offered to Northern residents to increase employment skills and also have an avenue of passing on both traditional and contemporary knowledge through the use of Elders within their courses[26]; a health research team is conducting research in the “value of traditional medicine with the Cree using advanced biomedical methods”[27]; “Manitoba’s Ten Little Indians youth movement, is trying to correct the high rate of alcoholism, drug addiction and suicide among native youths by stressing a return to traditional values.”[28]; and the Seniors’ Medicine Wheel program was developed specifically to provide urban Aboriginal seniors with information, access, support and referrals to existing health services.”[29] The list is endless and reflects the fact that First Nations communities are taking the initiative to instigate change rather than wait around for a system that is slow at implementing change. Yet, this list does show how the medical system is starting to open up its doors to a less limited version of healthcare.
Conclusion
The ancient philosophy and ideology of Native American people provide us with a perspective that is critically lacking in Western society, a worldview that reminds us that mankind is not separate from Nature, and that everything in Nature is our relation. Within this universal kinship exists an ancient language that is...still relevant...the language will need to be relearned, and they will, no doubt, have difficulty trying to relearn it. The key to understanding the language depends upon one’s relationship to the Earth, Nature, and life itself.[30]
The concepts of interrelatedness, interdependence, and impermanence are starting to slowly become part of the contemporary worldview, but health issues cannot be ignored until the medical system decides to open their eyes to reality or to open their doors to anything more than apprehensive attempts to look at alternative concepts of medicine and health. More not-for-profit organizations are fighting for the same health dollars, yet the organizations are not always accessible to the people that need them most. Intimidated by contemporary processes, many First Nations people feel left in the dark.
Unfortunately, a mystical intimidation surrounds the First Nations traditional community as well. Superstition and avoidance are two results of residential school training and an education program is necessary to dispel the shame and superstition about traditional practices. The designation of which old people are Elders, or are elders also sets an avoidance that is motivated by protection. Elders and lodge makers need to have better support structures in place that will help them fulfill their leadership roles. With the rising population, Elders in contemporary society have to handle more individuals and wider community areas compared to the traditional role as it was in traditional times. If we can make sure that the Elders are healthy and that the elders are sharing the years of their experience, then that health will inter-belong within the whole community. To summarize:
Indian philosophy does offer a positive vision of the way in which people can relate to each other and to the world around them. It seeks to establish mutual respect among all the beings of creation, and an order based on wisdom rather than hierarchical order. Some of the knowledge offered by the Indian spiritual traditions may ultimately be of use to those attempting to create a new, more humanistic society. However, we must recognize the inadequacy of an idealistic or philosophical approach...Indian philosophy, by itself, will simply be inadequate as a basis for humanizing the city.[31]
There is no one way that can stand alone. Interdependence, interrelatedness, and impermanence all give us an assurance that all of us are in this together. Through an integrated approach to knowledge – ceremonial, traditional teachings, various experiences, and contemporary knowledge methods – we can overcome the alienation, the meaninglessness, and the separation that creates the illnesses of our society.
[1]
[3] Insights and knowledge are my perceptions of walking the traditional Cree life. I only have five years of experience of ceremonies, various Elders and Elder’s helpers, especially Elder Margaret Keewatin of Okanese, and Rick Favel of Kawakatoose, who verifies most of my writing, since I am not an Elder who has the right to freely pass knowledge on.
[4] Lake-Thom, Bobby. (1997). Spirits of the Earth: a Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Stories, and Ceremonies.
[5] Linn, Denise. (1997). Quest: A Guide for Creating Your Own Vision Quest.
[7] The key word here is only. The Elders are not asking us to give up logic or rationality, but only to suspend judgment in order to fully experience different aspects of ourselves that are invoked from ceremony. There is no study of First Nations’ culture that can have any resemblance of truth unless both objective and subjective aspects are combined. This includes both in the methods we chose and the attitude we bring to our study, which I must admit I fall into not balancing out.
[8] Bopp, Judie & Michael, et al. (1989). The Sacred Tree, 3rd ed.
[9] Storm, Hyemeyohsts. (1973). Seven Arrows.
[10] Lake-Thom, Bobby. (1997). Spirits of the Earth: a Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Stories, and Ceremonies.
[12] Molloy, Michael. (2002). Experiencing the World’s Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change, 2nd ed.
[13] Bopp, Judie & Michael, et al. (1989). The Sacred Tree, 3rd ed.
[15] Ross, Rupert. (1996). Returning to the Teachings: Exploring Aboriginal Justice.
[16] Ross, Rupert. (1992). Dancing With a Ghost: Exploring Indian Reality.
[17] Brown, Joseph Epes, ed. (1989). The Sacred Pipe.
[18] Meili, Dianne. (1992). Those Who Know: Profiles of Alberta’s Native Elders.
[19] Harvey, Harjo & Jackson. (1990). Teaching About Native Americans.
[20] Irwin, Lee. (1994). The Dream Seekers: Native American Visionary Traditions of the
Press. (104)
[22]This may not be the case, but it is in the negative form of definition. Anon, (2003). Indigenous Knowledge and Practice, Information Centre on Aboriginal Health (ICAH) website.
[23] Bagozzi, Daniela. (2003). ‘Traditional Medicine – Fact Sheet Number 134’, World Health Organization. Website last updated May, 2003: last viewed March 21, 2004. www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/2003/fs134/en/
[25] Bagozzi, Daniela. (2003). ‘Traditional Medicine – Fact Sheet Number 134’, World Health Organization. Website last updated May, 2003: last viewed March 21, 2004. www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/2003/fs134/en/
[26] Anon, (2003). ‘CINE’s Face-to-Face Courses,’ Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition And Environment.
[27] CIHR, (2003, Oct. 28). “CIHR’s Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health announces Partnership to invest in health research’, Canadian Institute of Health Research. Press release on website. Last updated Nov. 27, 2003: last viewed March 21, 2004.
[28] Wilson-Smith, Anthony. (1996). Disunity Finds Fresh Roots: natives are no more united than the rest of the countries population, Maclean’s, 109 (30), 44-45.
[29] Willinsky, Catherine. (1999). “Seniors’ Medicine Wheel Project”:
[30] Lake-Thom, Bobby. (1997). Spirits of the Earth: a Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Stories, and Ceremonies.
Anon, (2003). ‘CINE’s Face-to-Face Courses,’ Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition And Environment.
Bagozzi, Daniela. (2003). ‘Traditional Medicine – Fact Sheet Number 134’, World Health Organization. Website last updated May, 2003: last viewed March 21, 2004. www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/2003/fs134/en/
Bopp, Judie & Michael, et al. (1989). The Sacred Tree, 3rd ed.
Brown, Joseph Epes, ed. (1989). The Sacred Pipe.
Dieter, Connie, & Linda Otway. (2001). Sharing Our Stories on Promoting Health and Community Healing: An Aboriginal Women’s Health Project.
Harvey, Harjo & Jackson. (1990). Teaching About Native Americans.
Lake-Thom, Bobby. (1997). Spirits of the Earth: a Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Stories, and Ceremonies.
Linn, Denise. (1997). Quest: A Guide for Creating Your Own Vision Quest.
Meili, Dianne. (1992). Those Who Know: Profiles of Alberta’s Native Elders.
Molloy, Michael. (2002). Experiencing the World’s Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change, 2nd ed.
Wilson-Smith, Anthony. (1996). Disunity Finds Fresh Roots: natives are no more united than the rest of the countries population, Maclean’s, 109 (30), 44-45.
