Indigenous people have their own ways of seeing, being, doing, and knowing in this world. According to Richard Spearman, “Kendaaswin is the Anishinaabe way of developing and disseminating knowledge” (Spearman, 2016). Anishnabe people have theorized that the two aspects of reality are physicality and spirituality. In Anishnabe knowledge there are seven aspects: spirit memory, original instructions, acquired knowledge, traditional knowledge, revealed knowledge, mother earth knowledge, and knowledge from observation (Spearman, 2016). In Health 111 I have learned that the Anishnabe concept of “All my Relations” is based on the belief and understanding that everyone and everything is alive and contains a spirit (Spearman, 2016).
In Health 111, …show more content…
This class has broadened my knowledge on indigenous culture. The smudging process and the sweat lodge ceremony gave me an understanding on how indigenous people cope with loses, cleanse/purify their bodies, and pray for loved ones. The smudging process is a way of cleansing your body from negative energy with the use of smoke from burning sage and tobacco. It is believed that negative energy and emotions are lifted away during this process and that your prayers are taken with the smoke to the spirit world. The sweat lodge ceremony is a form of purification and is a sacred place to say your prayers. “With the introduction of alcohol and the inhumane treatment of native people, the need to re-purify themselves and find their way back to traditional ways of living became evident, as they were becoming increasingly poisoned by European culture. The Sweat Lodge Ceremony was the answer.” (Barefoot wind walker). I am very grateful to have been able to experience a sweat lodge ceremony with my class and Victor. I have to admit that the heat was hard to bear, but in the end I felt as if all the toxins and negative energy I was carrying had left my body. It was an emotional experience that I will never
In Health 111, …show more content…
This class has broadened my knowledge on indigenous culture. The smudging process and the sweat lodge ceremony gave me an understanding on how indigenous people cope with loses, cleanse/purify their bodies, and pray for loved ones. The smudging process is a way of cleansing your body from negative energy with the use of smoke from burning sage and tobacco. It is believed that negative energy and emotions are lifted away during this process and that your prayers are taken with the smoke to the spirit world. The sweat lodge ceremony is a form of purification and is a sacred place to say your prayers. “With the introduction of alcohol and the inhumane treatment of native people, the need to re-purify themselves and find their way back to traditional ways of living became evident, as they were becoming increasingly poisoned by European culture. The Sweat Lodge Ceremony was the answer.” (Barefoot wind walker). I am very grateful to have been able to experience a sweat lodge ceremony with my class and Victor. I have to admit that the heat was hard to bear, but in the end I felt as if all the toxins and negative energy I was carrying had left my body. It was an emotional experience that I will never