1. Introduction Native Spirituality Introduction

2.  It is impossible to identify a single founder of Aboriginal spirituality  Aboriginal inhabitants of a region are known as indigenous peoples  Some Aboriginals believe they “came out of the ground”, meaning their origins are ancient  Some evidence exists that supports the theory that Aboriginal peoples crossed over the Bering Strait (between Alaska and Russia) to North and South America over 35000 years ago

5.  Canada has six cultural groups of Aboriginal peoples, defined by geographical environment and each culture contains many nations:  1. The Subarctic – The Innu, James Bay Cree, Montaignais  2. The Arctic – Mackenzie, Labrador, Caribou  3. The Plateau  4. The Great Plains – Sioux, Cree, Siksika, Blackfoot  5. The Northwest Pacific Coast – Haida, Tlingit, Salish, Nisga’a  6. Northeast Woodlands – Iroquois, Algonquin  As a group they have similar aspects of belief, although different practices of form represent those beliefs

7.  All things, human and non-human, have spirits or souls, and that spirit/soul lives on after death  All living things live in close connection with one another and move in cycles  Power is recognized around them: in heavens, in human ghosts and spirits, animals and plants, and in the weather

8.  Aboriginal spirituality is a polytheistic faith, but most believe in a supreme Creator  Other “gods” (spirits) include “Sea Woman” (Inuit title for the sea), “Sky Woman” (Iroquois title for the sky) and “Grandfather” (Algonquin title for sky)  Aboriginal spirituality turns to many spirits for many needs (e.g. fisherman turns to spirit of the sea, or farmer turns to spirit of the rain or the sun)

9.  Belief that spirits live in humans, animals and plants.  Sometimes the spirit of the objects are worshipped, or the objects may simply be the symbols of the power, which is truly worshipped.  Often, totems link Aboriginal peoples to their mythical ancestors and are protective entities of a clan or individual (plant, animal, or mythological being

11.  Utilizing the powers of the spiritual world  Shaman: a person who has special contact with the spirit world. A shaman possesses special powers and is capable of having visions that convey the spirit world to humans.

12. Female Shaman

13.  Duties of the Shaman: - curing illness - foretelling the future - finding lost articles or missing persons - reviving the dead - controlling the weather

14.  Many believe in reincarnation or rebirth, based on various myths and legends  For example, Northeast Woodlands: spirits can enter man-made objects when they are reincarnated