Where and how do the Seven Sacred Teachings and the Medicine Wheel teachings resonate with teachings you have received?? How do you see these teachings possibly informing how you work wit

Activity 2

The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate applications of Indigenous teachings in everyday activities as well as in social policy. The activity demonstrates Indigenous spiritual teachings of the life cycle and ways of caring for one another in Aboriginal traditions.

Faces of UVic Research: Jacquie Green

Green, J. (2009). Gyawaglaab [Helping One Another]: Approaches to Best Practices Through Teachings of Oolichan Fishing Links to an external site.. In R. Sinclair, M Hart, G. Bruyere [Eds.]. Wichitowin: Aboriginal Social Work in Canada. Winnipeg: Fernwood Publishing.

Questions for Reflection

· Where and how do the Seven Sacred Teachings and the Medicine Wheel teachings resonate with teachings you have received?

· How do you see these teachings possibly informing how you work with Indigenous families?

· How do the 7 teachings and the Cowichan Teachings nurture values of love and generosity between peoples? Between professionals and families? Between children in childcare settings?

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MODULE 4: Learning Material

Introduction

Welcome to Unit 4. In this unit, themes related to Indigenous developmental psychology will be explored. Students will consider the significance of the human stage of pre-birth/envisioning, birth and birthing practices, infants and toddlers, middle years children, preteens and teens. Experiences of pregnancy, motherhood/parenthood and the tasks of child rearing are discussed in relation to the greater culture. Students will learn about cultural practices and ways that Indigenous families may conceptualize and care for children. The extended family/clan systems will be explored for their role in supporting the child.

Students will explore the roles and developmental tasks of children from an Indigenous perspective. They will consider:

· The Seven Sacred Teachings

· The Cree medicine wheel

· The significance of names and child naming

· Rites and rituals related to growing and learning

· Learning about the natural world, food and clothing

· Learning through games and fun

· The importance of Elders and grandparents

· The importance of friendship and “cousins”

· The importance of cross-generational interaction

Objectives/Learning Outcomes

In this unit, students will become familiar with “the seven sacred teachings” (www.thesharing circle.com). They will come to understand the development of an Aboriginal identity and how children are perceived in Aboriginal communities. Students will also learn about strategic planning for an “Aboriginal Early Childhood Development Strategic Framework”.

Terminology

In this unit, students will explore terms such as identity, “All my relations” and the “Seven Sacred Teachings”. The traditional concepts of respect and sharing that form the foundations of the Aboriginal way of life are built around the seven natural laws or sacred teachings. The term “All my relations” is expressed differently in different languages. It is often said at the end of a prayer and it denotes how we are connected to all forms of life around us. Students will also hear the term “Jordan’s Principal” in relation to the rights of children to be upheld when their “designation” falls between federal or provincial funding jurisdictions. This term was coined by Cindy Blackstock to honour Jordan Anderson, a two-year old boy from Norway House Cree Nation who died while governments fought over who should pay his medical bills.

Notes

Views and practices related to child and lifespan development are explored in this unit. Each people or tribe has beliefs that vary and correspond with the needs of the community, the food source, and to the collective survival on the land. Indigenous communities have varying but often similar understandings of the journey of the human being from the heavens or higher dimensions onto the Earth, to live a life in fulfillment of a spiritual purpose.

In the medicine wheel, Native Americans work with the power and the energies of the wheel to conceptualize important aspects of life, growth and relationships.

A Three Dimensional View of Lifespan Development – The Six Directions

This six directional model of the human lifecycle is derived from the work of Dhyani Ywahoo (1987) in her book Voices of the Ancestors: Teachings of the Wisdom Fire. However, similar Indigenous or tribal models can be found in many tribal communities. The number 6 relates to the four cardinal directions on 3 dimensional earth plus heaven/heavens above (the fifth) and Earth and what is below/within the Earth (the sixth). Embedded in Indigenous cosmology is the understanding that life exists in many forms on many dimensions. For example, rocks and crystals may be referred to as "The Stone people" and that they indeed live within Earth, comprising her body. So as we enter the worldly plane, we descend from heaven or from our spirit presence, taking form on the Earth. Similar to the rising sun, life begins in the east.

This quadrant of the wheel, the East, symbolizes the beginning, a new start. Infancy and childhood are situated here. With time, growth and sustenance, the most important being LOVE, the child moves into the next quadrant, the South. Various Indigenous teachings have particular colours associated with each quadrant. While the East is typically represented by the colour Yellow, Black represents the South. The South is typically seen as "hot" and represents adolescence, a time of passion when it is difficult to "sit still". Adolescents are driven to identify and find a purpose, a way to actualize the gifts they embody as incarnate beings. Moving into the West, we find the colour Red and the time of adulthood. This time is about service and productivity. It is during this time that one's largest contribution to the community is typically made. Elderhood sits in the North, represented by the colour White. This is a time of contemplation and reflection. In Indigenous communities, it is also a time of being honoured by others and of passing on one's teachings to the younger generations. One of the greatest aspirations or challenges of the Wheel is to consider human beings, the young ones particularly, seven generations into the future. Every decision that is made today will impact one's great-great-great grandchildren. One is invited to consider these children and how they will be living based on the state of the world that we leave them.

The medicine wheel teachings are often used to exemplify the importance of diversity on earth. It is understood that the initial four races all brought unique gifts into the world…. music, medicine, technology and healing. The "in-between" and diasporic peoples have come to embody many of these qualities, which lend creativity and ingenuity to the possibilities of life on earth (Richardson).

The Characteristics of the medicine wheel are as follows:

The East – yellow, the fire, the sunrise, the light, the energy of decision-making, the humans, our relationship to spirit, new life, beginning

The South – red, the water (going down), giving, plants, our relationship to emotions/feelings, to our heart, youth

The West – black, the stones/the earth, holding, our relationship to our physical body, adulthood

The North – white, the air/weather, receiving, the animals, our relationship to mind/elderhood

Beliefs About Children

NAHO (2008) writes that, in many Indigenous belief systems, children are seen as sacred gifts from the Creator. They are to be treated with the utmost of respect, care, nurture and dignity. In our communities, our children are at the centre of all circles. They do not just grow up in families, nor are they the sole responsibility of the family. Rather, the community shares the responsibility of raising children. Child development and learning are directly linked to the health and wellness of their parents, families and communities.

Community is a place of connectedness, and ideally where one feels supported, nurtured and a sense of belonging. Strengthening and building capacity for communities to create supportive, resilient and healthy environments for children and their families is essential. A healthy community focuses on the social, cultural and physical places, in which children live, learn and play.

Raising an Indigenous child is perceived by many Indigenous families as a shared responsibility within an interdependent family system; a circle of caring. This is in contrast to parenting, which can be culturally biased towards a nuclear family unit. Children are part of a collective group, closely connected to and supported by extended family and community members (Gerlach, 2008a).

Within this social structure, Elders are traditionally regarded as teachers, philosophers, linguists, historians, healers, judges and counselors (Royal Commission, 1996 in Gerlach, 2008a). Grandparents are traditionally valued as teachers, passing on their knowledge and practices to the next generation (Gerlach, 2008a). For many families, “together time” involves participating in activities that reflect a vital link to a community‘s identity and history – whether it is fishing, berry picking, or hunting. (Gerlach, 2008a).

In many Indigenous cultures, wellbeing and spirituality are interconnected and reflect a close connectivity with the natural environment. For some, there is a suspicion of Western medicine and a reluctance to share spiritual beliefs and practices with non-Aboriginal health professionals. Traditional health practices may or may not be used in combination with Western medicine (Gerlach, 2008a). One of the factors affecting the emotional and spiritual health for Indigenous children is their feeling of connection to traditional Aboriginal culture and language (Trumper, 2004).

For many Indigenous peoples, the study and knowing of “child development” relates to a child‘s spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical wellbeing with a special consideration of the Aboriginal context of his or her community and culture. (National Association of Friendship Centres, 2005). This includes everything from storytelling, smudging, learning, singing, practicing community protocols, and being introduced to traditional foods and customs. Such practice and belief represents quality children‘s services and education in that it contributes to the building and/or maintenance of the child‘s emotional and spiritual wellbeing. This will assist in building strong children with the skills, resiliency and confidence to succeed in any education system. Instilling children with the pro-social values of their culture can promote this success.

Seven Sacred Teachings found in Indigenous cultures include:

· Love

· Respect

· Courage

· Honesty

· Wisdom

· Humility

· Truth

The Seven Aboriginal Sacred Teaching are presented at The Sharing Circle website (from the producers of Canada’s longest running Aboriginal documentary film series, out of Winnipeg).

The traditional concepts of respect and sharing that form the foundation of the Aboriginal way of life are built around the seven natural laws, or sacred teachings. Each teaching honours one of the basic virtues intrinsic to a full and healthy life. Each law is embodied by an animal to underscore the point that all actions and decisions made by man are manifest on a physical plain. The animal world taught man how to live close to the earth, and the connection that has been established between the animal world and that of humans has instilled a respect for all life in those who follow the traditional Aboriginal way.

Teachings about Mother Earth

We are taught that we all originated from the Earth, that the Earth is The Great Mother to all. She provides everything we need in order to survive in this life, the clothing, shelter, medicines, food and water. For example, the Elders tell us to look at a tree. The tree is connected to the land, the tree only takes what it needs in order to survive and it gives back to the Earth. This is how we should conduct ourselves in every day life.

These teachings that are being shared are sacred teachings. From tribe to tribe across North America, the details may differ but the basic teachings are the same. They have been followed for many, many years. We honour the ancestors, the ones that have walked before us, because they are the ones that sat in circles many times before, and prayed that their children and grandchildren would follow in their path. When we honour the ancestors, we honour ourselves on the land. We should only take what we need in order to sustain ourselves and always give back something in return. Respect the land, all its creatures and all living beings.

Cherokee teacher and ceremonialist Dhiyani Ywahoo speaks of the Nine Precepts in the Code of Right Relationship reflecting the teachings of her people and her spiritual work. These precepts include:

1. Speak only words of truth.

2. Speak only of the good qualities of others.

3. Be a confident, and carry no tales.

4. Turn aside the veil of anger to release the beauty inherent to all.

5. Waste not the bounty, and want not.

6. Honor the light in all-compare nothing; see all for its suchness.

7. Respect all life; cut away the ignorance from one’s own heart.

8. Neither kill nor harbour thoughts of angry nature, which destroy peace like a bullet.

9. Do it now; if you see what needs doing, do it.

The First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples of North America were given teachings, such as those shared in this unit, to serve as a spiritual foundation. The traditional concepts of respect and sharing that form the foundation of the Aboriginal way of life are built around the seven natural laws, or sacred teachings. Each teaching honours one of the basic virtues to a full and healthy life.

Many Paths: Learning From Others

The development of a pertinent Indigenous Early Years framework requires the consideration of models of service delivery that have been or are currently being implemented in other parts of the world. What follows herein is a sampling of the gifts shared in a number of published models from New Zealand, Australia, Cuba, Norway and Scotland. In keeping with Indigenous ways of doing things, it is recommended that the Indigenous Early Years framework be developed through a process of sharing best practices of these various models with Elders, families, community members, program designers, deliverers, and funders. Invested parties need to consider and best inform the framework building process to ensure the creation of a model suitable for the Indigenous children and families of British Columbia.

St‟at‟imx Elder Gerry Oleman teaches us that when Elders and knowledge sharers choose to share their teachings with us, they are leaving gifts at our feet. It is up to us whether we pick these gifts up and carry them with us.

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