Aboriginal Art and Rituals

Aboriginal Art• Aboriginal art is a main method

for preserving and maintaining the stories.

• They show a respect for the earth and the spirits that inhabit everything on earth (look again at your definition for animism)

• Watch the video and list the different ways that Aboriginal people might preserve their heritage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTd9wvXD7_0

What does Aboriginal art include?

Paintings, totems, sculptures, masks…

RitualsSpiritual practices of Aboriginal peoples have:• a strong relationship to the physical environment• an underlying belief that all life is interconnected• Some rituals are done daily, others mark special

events in a person’s life or seasonal or community events.

Prayer is important:• God is the Creator; praying

recognizes God’s greatness and expresses thanks for the Creator’s gifts

• Prayers come in a variety of sung and spoken forms, usually spontaneously from the heart; some involve offering a gift or sacrifice

• Prayer is done before and after actions such as waking, sleeping, hunting, planting, and harvesting

Smudging• This is a holy act that is a part of many rituals.• Sacred herbs (e.g. sage) are burned in a shell or

earthen bowl, and the smoke is brushed over the participants.

• It is used to purify people and places, such as before a wedding or powwow.

Sacred Pipe Ceremony• This is one of the most powerful and sacred spiritual rituals.• The pipe symbolizes unity and harmony of the world.

– The bowl of the pipe represents truth, and the stem represents the way we are to live in harmony and balance with all of creation.

• Smoking the pipe stresses the unity of everything.

The Sweat Lodge• Sweat lodge ceremonies purify

the body, mind, spirit, and heart and restore right relationships with self, others, and the Creator.

• The sweat lodge is a sacred space.

• It is a closed structure with a pit where heated rocks are placed.

• The sweat leader pours water on the hot rocks to create steam.

• Participants sing, pray, talk, or meditate as they sit.

Birth and Naming Rituals•Most Aboriginal people go to great lengths to give

the right name to each child.• The name-giver (child’s grandparent or an elder)

fasts, meditates, prays, or dreams, and the name is revealed by the Spirit.• The name is given to the child in a ceremony with

family, relatives, and friends. • This name can change as the person matures.

Puberty• Young people go on a vision quest—an

intense, solitary spiritual experience for those seeking direction in life.• They must undertake the vision quest to be

accepted as adults in the community.• **Catholic Connection** - after his baptism,

Jesus went into the wilderness, ate nothing and was tempted by the devil. It was a spiritual experience that prepared him for his coming ministry

Hair• Some Aboriginal peoples consider long,

uncut hair, to be sacred.• Hair is sometimes braided; the three strands

signify body, mind, and spirit.• Cut hair can be a sign of mourning.

Death• Death rituals vary among Aboriginal peoples.• In some traditions, a Death Feast is held for

the spirit of the person who died.E.g. Ojibwa celebrate the Feast of Death each autumn to remember all who died the previous year.E.g. The Cree have a wake or a round dance.• Cree believe spirits have the power to

communicate with humans in dreams or visions.• The wake is a ceremony for returning the body

to Mother Earth.• The round dance is a ceremony to commune

with spirits who have passed to the spirit world and is an important part of the Cree grief and healing process.• The round dance lets family and friends allow

the spirit of the deceased to fly free and dance with the other spirits in the northern lights.

Seasonal and Community Rituals

Read pages 84 and 85Summarize:

• Harvest Feast• PowWow• Sun Dance• Giveaways and the Potlatch (summarize why the

potlatch was banned – from the Fast Fact)

Harvest Feast• Aboriginal peoples celebrate the harvest from the field and

forest.• It recognizes the spirits that acted on their behalf to give them

food. • It renews the earth with prayers, chants, and dances.• It was adopted by non-Aboriginal peoples as Thanksgiving.

The Powwow• It is a dance of renewal for restoration of right relationships and

healing of all creation.• A community celebration of singing and dancing• It takes place in a circle, which is blessed by a spiritual leader so the

space within the circle is holy.• Dancers and singers enter the circle from the east, where the sun

rises, and move clockwise in same direction as the sun.• Drumbeat is symbolic of the rhythm of creation (heartbeat of

Mother Earth and rhythm of the mother’s heartbeat heard in the womb).

Sun Dance• Celebrated by peoples of the Prairies in June or July, during the full moon• Tradition says it began when a warrior’s vision quest showed him a new

way to pray to the Great Spirit.• Its purpose is renewal of dedication to the Great Spirit.• Four days before the ceremony, dancers purify themselves, and they fast

during the four days of the sun dance.• Final stage of the rite involves piercing the body and tearing away from

the piercing to symbolize a renewal of the quest for the spirit

Giveaways and the Potlatch• This festival celebrates a special event such as a birth or

wedding, or commemorates a death.– Involves giving gifts of blankets, beadwork, or crafts to family, friends, or visitors– Involves ceremonial dancing and singing

• The potlatch increases the host’s standing in the community and highlights the host’s generosity, wealth, and power.• Banned by the Canadian government in an effort to control

poverty.