Review #6 - Indigenous Traditions

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Jan 9, 2024

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Winter 2023 RLGN 1324 – Introduction to Western Traditions Review #6: Indigenous Traditions Indigenous Traditions  Problems with terminology – which cultures are Indigenous and which are not? How can you even be the ‘original’ inhabitants of a land? (Fails to account for migration, etc.)  Generally, it is non-Indigenous governments that impose these terms on people  Patterns of belief and practice but no unified system that is common to all ‘Indigenous’ groups  Defined through kinship and location  Problematic assumptions: ‘us vs. them’, primitivity, static cultural entity Common Elements:  Orality – storytelling is an integral part of knowledge transmission (mythological narratives, moral imperatives, important historical figures, etc.) and often includes elements dealing with the afterlife, tricksters, and stories of universal origin  Connection to Place  Emphasis on community and relationship  Sense of time as rhythmic, not linear or even necessarily circular  Greater concern with life, not afterlife  Authority of Elders in the community  The sacred as a dynamic entity, not a static thing  Complementary Dualism – connects to gender roles  Gender roles (i.e. hunting as male and healing as female) but some groups are matrilineal and others are patrilineal so this understanding of gender doesn’t always privilege one over the other Ritual - Common themes include the journey (i.e vision quest) and sacrifice (importance of communal practice and location) Cultural Expressions – Sacred thread, carvings (masks & totems), and tattoos (note the significance of symbolic representations) Buildings – Ancestral homes and shrines Colonialism – loss of land, culture/identity, language, and religion; impact of residential schools in Canada; current attempts to mitigate negative effects of colonization in Canada Terms: Colonization : is the action or process of setting among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area. Elders: men or women whose wisdom and authority in cultural matters are recognized by their community. Elders are not necessarily old in years but are understood to possess greater knowledge of tradition than other and often to be more closely in touch with spiritual forces.

Winter 2023 Residential Schools: church- run schools, funded by the Canadian federal government, designed to facilitate the assimilation and Christian conversion. Of indigenous people. Families were forced to send their children to the schools, where they remained for months or even years at a time, forbidden to speak their own languages and often subjected to neglect or abuse. This system was established in the 1840s, and the last school did not close until 1996. In total more than 150,000 indigenous children attended residential schools. Vision Quest: fasting ritual undertaken in many native north American communities to induce visions through contact with spirits. A vision quest typically lasts several days and involves a solitary journey into the wilderness; it may be undertaken as a rite of passage to adulthood or during other key life events, such as preparation for war. TRC: Truth and Reconciliation Commission was to establish harmonious relationships between indigenous communities and government/ settlers MMIW: Missing and murdered indigenous Women- A formal commission and official inquiry that was set up to look into the serious issue of missing and murdered indigenous women. Study Questions: 1. What are some of the issues surrounding the use of the term ‘Indigenous’? Be sure to comment on problems of origin, the use of this term, and by whom it is generally employed.  Which cultures are Indigenous, and which are not? How can you even be the ‘original’ inhabitants of a land? (Fails to account for migration, etc.)  Generally, it is non-Indigenous governments that impose these terms on people  Patterns of belief and practice but no unified system that is common to all ‘Indigenous’ groups  The term “Indigenous” is problematic since it obliges us to ask which cultures and people are “indigenous” and which are not.  Question is loaded with legal and political implications.  Usually, the non-indigenous governments that impose the definitions 2. How can we understand the term Indigenous and to whom it applies?  The term “indigenous’ id often used to refer to the religious traditions of the peoples who inhabited a particular geographical area before colonization or the arrival of other cultural or religious influences, “Original to the land”.  Places like India and Africa have very ancient histories of migration and interaction between various groups. How can anyone possibly determine the “original” inhabitants of such lands.  The term indigenous (or aboriginal) community is one that is defined booth by its members genealogical relations to one another and by its connection to a particular place. The people who make up this community may or may not be the first or “original” inhabitants of this place.

Winter 2023 3. What are some of the common assumptions about Indigenous culture that non-Indigenous people and scholars have made in the past (and continue to do so)?  Assumptions include: i. That indigenous religions are primitive: Common misconception: illiteracy= primitivity. ii. Indigenous religions are static: some assume that indigenous cultures remained static and unchanging before colonization, but this is false. Nonindigenous people assumed indigenous people and cultures had changed very little before colonization began. iii. Indigenous religions are mystical iv. Indigenous religions are non-rational v. Indigenous religions are incompatible with Christianity 4. Why is story-telling an integral form of communication in Indigenous cultures? What kind of knowledge is transmitted through storytelling?  Story telling is an integral form of communication in indigenous cultures because it is a way of transmitting knowledge, values, and cultural identity from one generation to the next. For many cultures, oral traditions and storytelling have been the primary means of passing down knowledge and cultural practices.  Afterlife – some of the examples in the text outline specifics of the afterlife but the point less about the metaphysical nature of the afterlife and more about the nature of relationships among people  Origins – similarly to Judeo-Christian narratives, some Indigenous stories about the creation of the world begin with a flood narrative that destroys the world and then an animal spirit or deity reconstructs the earth in its current form (they also emphasize the interconnectedness of all things)  Trickster – this is a figure that features prominently into many mythologies as someone who is considered almost like a hero; Narratives that reference tricksters often contain moral lessons to members of the community  Through storytelling, indigenous cultures transmit a variety of knowledge, including historical, spiritual, and ecological knowledge. Historical stories may recount the origins of the world, the history of the community, or the exploits of heroic figures. Spiritual stories may convey important teachings about the relationship between humans and the natural world, or the nature of the divine. Ecological stories may provide insights into the relationship between humans and the natural environment and may offer guidance to live sustainably. 5. Why is ‘place’ important in Indigenous religion?  Place is considered important because it is believed to be the location where the natural and supernatural worlds meet. Indigenous people view the land as scared, and they connection to it is deeply spiritual. They believe that they have a responsibility to care for the land, an in return, the land provides them with sustenance and spiritual nourishment. The importance of place is central to the maintenance of indigenous cultural and spiritual practices.

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