Cultural Teachings & Traditional Healing
Culture as the Foundation of Healing
Indigenous people living in Canada each have their own culture depending on where they live, their language, and their nation. There are differences, but there are also similarities. For example, we all agree that spirit is at the centre of our being and of those we are related to including animals, the land, and our ancestors. We believe that all of life is connected in a circle and is working towards a balance that promotes kindness and respect for all.
Wellness from an Indigenous perspective is a whole and healthy person expressed through a sense of balance of spirit, emotion, mind, and body. Central to wellness is belief in one’s connection to language, land, beings of creation, and ancestry, supported by a caring family and environment.
— Elder Jim Dumont, on his definition of Wellness
As Elder Jim, says, our well-being comes from a balance of four kinds of wellness:
Spiritual
Our spirit is at the centre of our being and wants us to live life to the fullest. We connect with our spirit by learning about our identity as an Indigenous person. There is a beautiful story about how the Creator gave us our identity. When we connect with our identity, we have hope for the future.
Emotional
Our hearts are filled with so many emotions, such as love, sadness, and happiness. Friends and family are important. So are our ties with other living beings, like animals and plants. We feel well when we have healthy relationships with our lives.
Mental
We use our mind to think and learn. The mind is also capable of intuitive thought. That means we need to listen to our spirit because our spirit nurtures our understanding about the meaning of life through intuition.
Physical
We use our bodies to move and live life. Our body is the house for our spirit. Living life with purpose and on purpose needs a healthy body.
We can connect with Indigenous culture in four different ways:
Connecting to your Culture
Write in one color what you are currently doing to take care of yourself in these four areas?
Write in a different color what you would like to do in each area to take care of yourself?
Write in a different color what you would like to do in each area as a family?
Indigenous traditions, ceremonies and practices connect us to our culture. They help us to create wellness in our lives by balancing the spirit, heart, mind, and body. Many cultural activities require a cultural teacher (sweat lodge ceremony, naming ceremony). Others such as dancing, singing, or praying, we can do on our own.
Common Cultural Activities
- Child abuse
- Ceremonial practices
- Cleansing/sweat lodge ceremony
- Dancing
- Elders
- Fasting ceremony
- Feast for our ancestors/loved ones who have gone on
- Giveaway dances/ceremony
- Hunting/fishing/hide making
- Land-based activities/spend time outdoors
- Medicine people/traditional practitioners
- Missing fest for our ancestors
- Naming ceremony
- Prayer
- Singing
- Social/cultural activities
- Storytelling
- Talking circle
- Tell Creation Story
- Traditional teachings/education
- Use of natural foods/ medicines
- Use of our Indigenous languages
