Ceremonies within Aboriginal Cultures

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Table of Contents

The Most Well-Known Ceremonies
The Use of Ceremonies
Conclusion
References

Indigenous cultures are characterized by the focus on the development of close ties within the family, with others as well as the environment. In British Columbia, First Nations people have practiced a number of ceremonies to celebrate various important stages and milestones in their lives (Heinberg 2014). It is necessary to note that colonizers tried to ban services and make indigenous people forget about their roots. Nonetheless, First Nations people still follow their traditions, and they even have various implications in the modern community. This paper explores ways people employ rites in the present-day society. To address this issue, the present paper provides a brief account of principal rituals of indigenous populations. The paper will also include particular examples of ceremonies used in the contemporary communities.

The Most Well-Known Ceremonies

It is necessary to note that all rituals differ from community to community. At the same time, the ceremonies have major components that are similar to all the communities. Richardson (2012: 75) notes that one of the primary goals of the ritual is to “reduce isolation” and help an individual to find his/her place in the world. It is possible to trace major themes uniting these ceremonies. These themes are the purification, sharing, commemorating the nature, finding one’s path and getting ready for some milestone in a human’s life.

Potlatch Ceremony

Potlatch ceremony is one of the well-known rites. It appeared centuries ago, and it is deeply rooted in the culture and even identity of indigenous people. Notably, colonizers banned potlatch, and it was illegal until the second part of the 20th century (Blue et al. 2015). Potlatch is a giveaway festivity that was usually commemorated to such events as birth, wedding, death and so on (Markstrom 2008). Puberty was also a reason to hold potlatch.

For instance, a father of a girl gave food and some gifts to the members of the community. Apparently, the more presents the father gave, the more respected he was in the community. Wealthy individuals gave generous gifts while the poor could give away small presents. Notably, First Nations people who pertained to different kinship groups held potlatch ceremonies. In such cases, the entire group could collect things so that the member of their group revealed his/her high status (Warburton and Scott 1985). This ceremony is still present, and indigenous people see it as an important part of their culture.

The Sundance Ceremony

The Sundance ceremony is another tradition that survived until now. This spectacular ceremony focuses on the unity of a human and nature. Colonizers also banned this tradition, but First Nations populations practiced it covertly (Waugh 2013). It is noteworthy that researchers, as well as indigenous people, do not often describe it in academic works due to the ceremony’s sacredness (Blue et al. 2015).

This is the ritual of thanksgiving, and people reveal their gratitude towards the sun. Importantly, this rite is also a way to give individual sacrifice in order close ones, and the community could prosper and be happy. Thus, those who want to participate fast for many days before the ritual itself. The ceremony lasts four days, and participants dance around a particular pole. This is quite an exhausting activity as the participants have to dance in the open air irrespective of weather conditions. Hence, the dancers often have to endure the wind, rain, heat. Some groups pierce their bodies to increase their suffering and reveal their commitment to their community. It is necessary to add that the recent ritual is slightly changing as some groups integrate women (Waugh 2013). At that, this integration is quite partial as indigenous people think that males should focus on the ceremonial life while females should concentrate on the social and material aspects (Waugh 2013).

The First Salmon Ceremony

The first salmon ceremony is another common rite in British Columbia. Indigenous people have always seen themselves as a part of the universe, and they respected natural lifecycles. The first salmon ceremony is concerned with this paradigm. In spring, people celebrate the return of salmon (Turner et al. 2000). Interestingly, some groups have rites devoted to eulachon or herring (Lepofsky and Caldwell 2013).

During the ceremony, a member of the community has the right to catch a fish. This is a great honor, and the most deserving people usually catch the first salmon. The chosen person also has to undergo a process of purification. When this individual catches the fish, it is cooked in accordance with particular traditions of this or that community. The ceremony takes place in a longhouse as this enables all people of the kinship to get together (Clapperton 2009). Importantly, indigenous people threw the bones into the river, as they believe that the spirit of fish is able to restore and continue its journey.

Sweat Lodge Ceremony

The sweat lodge ceremony is the rite of purification. Apparently, many rituals involve some degree of purification, but the sweat lodge is fully devoted to spiritual (as well as physical) purification (Blue et al. 2015). The ritual takes place in a sweet lodge. It is a hut built for the rite. There are particular traditions and rules concerning the construction of the lodge. The leader runs the ceremony. He/she is inside the sweat lodge, and he/she keeps the necessary degree of humidity pouring water on stones. He/she also prays and sings certain songs. He/she also commands people to enter and start the ceremony of purification. There is necessarily another person, a keeper, who controls the entrance. He/she also makes sure that the leader has hot stones during the rite. As has been mentioned above, this is a purification of souls and bodies.

Other Ceremonies

Sweet grass ceremony is an impressive rite that also has a purification component. Thus, the person takes part in this ceremony if he/she plans to do something important, dangerous or complicated (Blue et al. 2015). The sweet grass holder smokes the grass and moves around the circle while people in the circle wash their faces with the smoke. They clean their thoughts and souls. They meditate and get ready for their endeavor.

The naming ceremony is an important ritual as indigenous people gain their names as well as their future identities (Overmars 2010). Thus, the leader performs a special dance and gives a name to a child after it. Interestingly, the leader asks older generations to become witnesses. Interestingly, Overmars (2010) states that little has changed in the psychological practice since then. The researcher compares the naming ceremony to diagnosing where dancing is the conversation with the patient and discussion with other practitioners is the address to older generations. The researcher states that the rituals are based on the main characteristics of the human psychology.

The vision quest is concerned with the search for one’s self. The rite aims at helping people to understand who they are and what they want in this life (Blue et al. 2015). Hence, an individual goes away for 4 days and nights. This period can be longer if necessary. Of course, the person should be physically, psychologically and emotionally capable of enduring such a quest. The person has no food as he/she has to concentrate on the spiritual rather than material aspect. During this quest, the individual meditates and, eventually, finds some guidance, answers to his/her questions.

Drumming is another ceremony practiced by First Nations people. The drumming is a kind of background for meditation and looking for answers. The rite also helps people in their attempt to socialize and become a part of the community. Uuk*aana is the ceremony devoted to remembrance. During this rite, indigenous people commemorate reality as they remember important things (Corntassel 2012). They stress that it is vital to remember the past and the present to understand the future.

The Use of Ceremonies

As has been mentioned above, colonizers banned the vast majority of rituals, but they survived the ban. More so, people find new ways to employ ceremonies. Thus, indigenous people’s traditions are becoming an important part of counselling and even therapy provided to both native and white people. For instance, Absolon (2010) states that the holistic approach of indigenous populations enables people to integrate better into the community. Thus, through certain ceremonies, people learn how to be a part of the community. They become more willing to open up and be active in their social life.

Practitioners also state that ceremonies positively affect people’s emotional and psychological well-being (Howard 2010). For example, the sweat lodge ceremony helps people to gain the necessary balance in their life. Apparently, this is beneficial for their emotional state. Schiff and Moore (2006) claim that participants of this rite had a better self-esteem. They also become less worried and ready to make friends and acquaintances. Indigenous people emphasize the need for socialization, which makes people empowered.

Ceremonies also become a part of quite specialized treatment procedures. For instance, Rowan et al. (2014) mention the interventions aimed at treating addiction in First Nations people. Thus, practitioners suggest that sweat lodge ceremonies could be used as individual therapies while naming ceremony could be a part of the group therapy.

Conclusion

On balance, it is possible to note that indigenous people have various traditions and ceremonies that survived strict bans. First Nations people understand the importance of their culture, and they benefit from following their traditions. Some of the most important rituals are the Sundance, sweat lodge, naming, potlatch, first salmon, sweet grass and other ceremonies. The major themes recurrent in these ceremonies are the remembrance, purification, finding one’s path and socialization. The rites positively affect indigenous people’s emotional well-being. It is noteworthy that therapists have also acknowledged the benefits of ceremonies. Thus, many rituals are a part of therapies used to treat various psychological disorders in indigenous as well as white people. Individuals find the balance and become ready to integrate into the society. Therefore, it is possible to note that old traditions are now able to heal modern traumas.

References

Absolon, Kathy 2010 Indigenous Wholistic Theory: A Knowledge Set for Practice. First People Child & Family Review 5(2): 74–87. Web.

Blue, Arthur, Wes G. Darou, and Carlos Ruano 2015 Through Silence We Speak: Approaches to Counselling and Psychotherapy with Canadian First Nation Clients. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture 10(3): 1–42. Web.

Clapperton, Jonathan 2009 Building Longhouses and Constructing Identities: A Brief History of the Coqualeetza Longhouse and Shxwt’a:selhawtxw. The University of the Fraser Valley research Review 2(2): 95–118. Web.

Corntassel, Jeff 2012 Re-envisioning resurgence: Indigenous pathways to decolonization and sustainable self-determination. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society 1(1): 86–101. Web.

Heinberg, Richard 2014 Celebrate the Solstice: Honoring the Earth’s Seasonal Rhythms Through Festivals and Ceremony. Quest Books, Wheaton, Illinois. Web.

Howard, Cynthia 2010 Suicide and Aboriginal Youth: Cultural Considerations in Understanding Positive Youth Development. Native Social Work Journal 7: 163–180. Web.

Lepofsky, Dana, and Megan Caldwell 2013 Indigenous Marine Resource Management on the Northwest Coast of North America. Ecological Processes 2: 1–12. Web.

Markstrom, Carol A. 2008 Empowerment of North American Indian Girls: Ritual Expressions at Puberty. U of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska. Web.

Overmars, Danika 2010 Diagnosis as a Naming Ceremony: Caution Warranted in Use of the DSM-IV with Canadian Aboriginal Peoples. First People Child & Family Review 5(1): 78–85. Web.

Rowan, Margo, Nancy Poole, Beverley Shea, Joseph P. Gone, David Mykota, Marwa Farag, Carol Hopkins, Laura Hall, Christopher Mushquash and Colleen Dell 2014 Cultural interventions to treat addictions in Indigenous populations: findings from a scoping study. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 9: 1–34. Web.

Richardson, Cathy 2012 Witnessing Life Transitions with Ritual and Ceremony in Family Therapy: Three Examples from a Metis Therapist. Journal of Systemic Therapies 31(3): 68–78. Web.

Schiff, Jeannette Wagemakers, and Kerrie Moore 2006 The Impact of the Sweat Lodge Ceremony on Dimensions of Well-Being. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research: The Journal of the National Center 13(3): 48–69. Web.

Turner, Nancy J., Marianne Boelscher Ignace, and Ronald Ignace 2000 Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Wisdom of Aboriginal People in British Columbia. Traditional Ecological Knowledge 10(5): 1275–1287. Web.

Warburton, Rennie, and Stephen Scott 1985 The Fur Trade and Early Capitalist Development in British Columbia. The Canadian Journal of Native Studies V(1): 27–46. Web.

Waugh, Earle 2013 Conflicting Ethics: Aboriginal Values and Religious Renaissance. In Learning, Technology, and Traditions. Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc., Toronto. Web.

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