Origins
Sacred Space
Rituals
Beliefs
What do you know about Natives?
Origins
 The first traces of human society indicate that early people
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everywhere worshiped consciously and deliberately
Some believe they ‘came out of this ground’ (origins are beyond
record)
Worship and religion seem to have emerged with the ability to
recognize forces that could not be understood or mastered.
Anthropologists recognize that religions existed in the
Neanderthal nomadic tribes
Arranged stones and boulders were positioned in ways that
suggest they were possibly used for worship
Inside graves and shelters for the dead are bones, tools,
ornaments and evidence of food offerings
Paintings and sculptures were located deeply in caves for the
purpose of rituals
Peterborough Petroglyphs (Algonquin)
 The after life was a great concern
 Early humans would smooth sand around graves in
order to detect footprints
 Frequently, the dead were re-buried—just in case
 Rituals were held for health, offspring, good crops, and
fertility.
 Archaeological evidence supports theory that
aboriginal peoples migrated from Asia to North and
South America by crossing a land bridge over the
Bering Strait (about 35 000 years ago)
Bering Strait Theory
Around the World
 Approximately 300 million Aboriginal people in the
world today
 At the time of Columbus about 100 million indigenous
peoples inhabited the Americas (about 1/5 of the
human race)
 Currently over 800 000 Aboriginal people
What makes one Aboriginal?
- one of the original or earliest known inhabitants of a
country or region.
- having existed in a region from the beginning
Sacred Time and Sacred Space
 Nature is inhabited with spirit beings that can guide
humans. These spirit beings are called spirit guides.
 It is important to get in touch with one’s personal
spirit guide, and this is done through a vision quest.
During this time, a person would stay in a remote area
and fast and pray
 Sweat Lodges- sauna like structures. The goal of a
sweat lodge is to seek a vision of a guardian spirit
 Some people also induce visions using peyote. This
drug creates hallucinogenic visions that put them in
touch with their spirit guide.
 Sun Dance is a ritual that induces changes in
consciousness through pain. They hang from poles
attached to pegs driven through skin in their chest.
 To the aboriginal person, the sacred is all around;
in the animals, forest, lakes, etc.
Sweat Lodge
 Traditional way of healing
 Dome shaped structure
 Constructed of saplings, covered with canvas, hides, or
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blankets
Pit in the middle of the floor where heated rocks are
placed
Stones sprinkled with tobacco, Eucalyptus oil is
poured over the stones and water
Steam produces sweat which purifies the body
Physical cleansing becomes spiritual cleansing
Vision Quest
 Part of a coming of age ceremony
 A boy (or a girl) on the threshold of adulthood would
spend time alone in a place where contact with the
spirit world was possible
 Through fasting and prayer, seekers of the vision quest
hoped to make contact with the spiritual realm
 They want to share its power and gain a vision by
which to direct his or her life
Sacred Stories
 Creation Myth : explains the origins of earth and
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individual aspects of nature.
Trickster Myth: explains how suffering and misery
came to be.
Hero Myth: idealizes the image of the good, brave
person
Divine Myth: describes how gods came to be
Cultural Myth: explains how rituals and customs came
to be
Beliefs
 Every part of the earth is sacred
 The air is precious; it shares it’s spirit with all life
 The earth is the mother. What hurts the earth hurts
the children of the earth
 All things are connected like the blood that unites us
all
 The earth is precious to the gods; to harm the earth is
to hate the creator
 The Fours: directions, elements, seasons, ages, tribes
(yellow, brown, red, white)
Beliefs continued
 The natural and supernatural are not separated
 Aboriginals believe in animism- all things (human and
non-human) have spirits or souls
 Natural elements, such as rocks, trees, lakes and so on
can take on mystic significance and have spiritual
power
 All things possess a life force and are equal,
interrelated and interdependent
 There is a supreme creator or Great Spirit called
something different depending on the tribe
Beliefs continued
 Native hunters would often apologize or offer thanks
to the animals they needed to kill, a way of paying
homage
 This belief of connection to animals include the totem
animal
 This totem is usually an animal that is part of the
tribe’s daily experience and has a special kinship with
it
 Ceremonies are used to identify with the animal
powers and keep a strong connection to the natural
world
Community of Faith
 Shaman (religious leader)
Chief (political leader)
Elders (make the decisions)
Tribe (followers)
Shamans
 A shaman is a magic specialist or a witch
doctor/medicine man
 Shamans could control spirits.
 Shaman talked to spirits, spirits talked
through the shaman to the community
 Shamans went into deep trances through
drum beating, dancing, self-hypnosis,
chanting and drugs—spirits could travel
through them in this state
Sense of Ethics
 Concern for the common good of the group
 Co-operation, generosity between people and respect
for the wisdom of children and the elders because they
are closest to the Great Mystery