FIRST OCCUPANTS: CULTURE

1. Spirituality  The search for the sacred, for that which is separate from the ordinary.  Usually a religion. 24/10/11

2. Eloquence:  The ability to speak in a persuasive or powerful manner.  People who are good at public speaking are eloquent. 24/10/11

3. Reciprocate:  To give or take mutually. 24/10/11

4. Shaman:  Is an intermediary (middle man) between the living and the spirits. 24/10/11

Culture and the environment  1. For the First Occupants: Culture = Environment  Meaning:  2. Their culture was in direct relation with their environment.  They respected their environment because they realized that that’s why they were able to survive.

3. Reflection of their territory  Their clothing, tools, dwellings, and transportation determined and reflected their territory.  Examples?

Word that ends with “ism”: Animism  A) Description: The belief that the spirits of the living and of inanimate objects were IMMORTAL (could not die).  Question:  Considering what you know about the First Nations, is the description of their beliefs surprising? Why or why not? 24/10/11

Animism  B) Characteristics:  Respect for nature  Importance of animals  Importance of dreams 24/10/11

Animism  C) Key Players:  Shamans: The Shaman usually had dreams of fulfilling their role as Shaman. And that is how you became a Shaman.  Their job was to:  Explain the meaning of dreams  Have special access to the world of spirits  Have prophetic visions (see the future) and healing powers  Illness was seen as the presence of evil spirits, so Shamans were kind of like doctors too.  Rituals: dances and songs to the rhythm of a drum to chase away evil spirits.

Animism  C) Key Players:  Elders:  They are the moral and spiritual leaders of the various Aboriginal communities. It is the elders who keep order, who make sure that everybody is heard, and treated with respect.  They are like teachers.

Animism  D) Forms of cultural expression:  Communication with spirits & Interpretation of dreams: First Nations groups believe that the best way to communicate with spirits is through smoke and dreams.  Tobacco: communicating through fire, or smoked through a decorative pipe.  Dreams: could tell prophecies.  Example: Animals giving themselves up in a hunt would appear in dreams.

Animism  D) Forms of cultural expression:  Hunting & Healing Rituals:  A) They took special care of the animals they hunted or fished. Why?  They believed the reason they could kill the animal is because the animal had given itself to the hunter.  They believed that the spirit of the animal would return in another animal.

Animism  Example:  Weapons made from bones needed to be used properly.  Weapons made from land animals, needed to be used on land animals.

Communication & Trade  1. The Iroquois & Algonquin groups would engage in different activities with each other.  A) The goal of these rituals was to preserve friendly relationships:  Trades  Festivities  Speaking “competitions”

Communication & Trade 2. Gift Giving and Reciprocal Relations:  a) The ability to give and be generous was a quality demanded of ALL PEOPLE.  Examples: Even when food is scarce, the Inuit are expected to SHARE what they have.  When building longhouses, all members of an Iroquois village were expected to help. Not just the ones that were going to live in the house.

Social relationships  3) Aboriginal Chieftanship:  A) Selection of the chiefs reflected their lifestyle  Example: Nomadic chiefs were usually the best hunters. (Because that was the way they maintained their lifestyle and economy)  B) Eloquence (ability to speak) was an important quality for all First Nations groups.