Beliefs
The following is a collection of ideals that may be taken as references;
To see how it may have been, let us start by looking at some quotes from Elders that have made it to print.
First Tataga Mani (Nakoda Sioux “Stoney” Elder) as presented by Vine Deloria Jr in his book God is Red. “Did you know that the trees talk? Well, they do. They talk to each other and they will talk to you if you listen. Trouble is, white people do not listen. They never listen to the Indians, so I don’t suppose they will listen to other voices in nature. But I have learned a lot from the trees; sometimes about the weather, sometimes about the animals, sometimes about the Great Spirit.”Deloria,1994.
Another quote is, “we did not think of the great plain, the beautiful rolling hills, and winding streams with tangled growth as “wild”. Only to the white men was nature “a wilderness” and only to him was the land “infested” with ‘wild” animals and “savage” people. To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the great mystery…”Deloria,1994.
From these quotes it is clear that there was always a reverence to and reference to the Creator and that the land and its contents were not inanimate but there was an intimate sacred relationship with earth. Keeping in mind that, at that time, people had to work together to live. Everything is interconnected.
Members that did not contribute positively to the tribe were banned for a period of time or completely exiled. Being exiled was like a death sentence.
The traditions before the disruption were along the lines of the following. These are some of the traditions that were preserved through the underground. Traditional people had to go underground when in 1984 the Government of Canada made it unlawful to practice our Spirituality. The government did rescind the order in 1951 but the damaged was already done for most Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Some people started to record what was left as soon as it was rescinded One of these people were the Whyte Family that resided in Banff National Park. But the main revival started after the Wounded Knee standoff in the USA in 1973. It seemed like every First Nation in North America started to seek, revive and practice their traditional spirituality.
This is an introduction of sayings to ponder, as this is an ongoing presentation. I will unveil what has been shared to me by my mentors and peers along with what I have experienced in point form;
They say it is handed down through lineages and for the most part they are basically the same although there are slight variations within each clan and spiritual person; for the most part it is not really strict; spirituality is not written nor is it dogmatic; it is an oral tradition that is carried out through the mouth and activities to the ears and heart by talking, singing, legends, thicha uski(trickster) stories, jokes, dreams, nature, ceremonies, experiencing, clairvoyance, transcendence and occurrences; it is unlimited;
The Elders say that there is a sacredness in four. Nature and life is based on four main aspects. The four seasons based on the equinox. The movement of earth in relation to the sun. The stages of life; child, adolescent, adult and elder. The four aspects of a human. Spiritual, emotional, physical and intellectual. The four main directions; north, east, south and west. Always move in a clockwise motion like the sun. The number one teaching was “Nakoda Yaktek” never demean spiritually, emotionally, physically or intellectually a fellow Nakoda or our allies. It is a way of respect for everybody in the tribe. ( Today it is generalized to all peoples). At the time it was said, there was constant war and so it was ok to kill whoever was trying to kill you.
Each of us is as good as all of us; no one person is better than all of us; your ultimate goal in life to find balance in each and the combined four aspects of life in the universe; these will be your personal, familial, social and universal affairs; this is done by being humble, generous, forgiving, and accepting through reciprocal sharing with other members of the tribe and its allies; first you come to believe then you are able to see; meditate, use all senses of your being to stay connected to the Creator and the spiritual liaisons(belief like guardian angels) but, to us, they are our ancestors, animals, dreams, water, thunder, lightening, plants, stones, wind, fire, winged ones, light, shadows…etc; they are also our disciplinarians; the sun is the sustainer of life; there is good and bad in everything but there is also relativity;
Spirituality is delicate but very powerful at the same time; dreams have a purpose; emotional misery comes mostly from yourself; the more you cry the less you need to cry; the Creator is ever loving(benevolent)and everywhere at the same time; It is simple but complicated at the same time; it is best not to overdo things or become obsessed over something; contributing positively to your fellow man and the tribe is key to your well being; it is a way of life, a life long process.
There are many lessons in different forms at various times but the purpose of this presentation is give you a basic idea of this wholistic view of the world. It also sets you up for the rest of the presentation of the effect on Aboriginals of our recent history.
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