Ceremonies vary from nation to nation amongst Indigenous communities across Turtle Island, and protocols will also vary depending on each community. Depending on your campus, your Indigenous student services may host or encourage participation in various ceremonies held on campus or nearby community. Participating in ceremony is a great opportunity to build your social circle, reconnect with your culture and through a wholistic approach to find balance, and improve your wellness (Trent University, n.d.). Below are a few examples of ceremonies that may be hosted by your campus, friendship centres, or local Indigenous communities (Trent University, n.d. p. 25).
- Sweat lodge: Used to purify the body, mind, and spirit. Participants enter a lodge made from maple saplings covered in canvas. The lodge is completely closed and void of any light. Superheated rocks, referred to as Grandfathers, are heated in a fire and brought into a centre pit. Water and medicines are poured onto the rocks, creating a steam bath. Songs and oratory are offered by the conductor.
- Feasts: A feast is a ceremony where traditional and other foods are smudged and spoken for in prayer or thanksgiving. A “spirit plate” is prepared, with an offering of tobacco, as an offering to the spirit world. The feast is shared with all participants, usually beginning with the ceremony conductor, their helpers, Elders and Knowledge Holders, and then followed by all other participants.
- Sunrise ceremony: Used to celebrate together and give thanks for the day. Usually includes a tobacco offering, water offering, and the sharing of berries.
- Pipe ceremony: Tobacco is smoked in a sacred pipe by a pipe carrier. Personal or collective prayers are offered in the ceremony. Pipe ceremonies may take place in association with other ceremonies.
- Life celebrations: There are specific Indigenous ceremonies for new births, weddings, adoptions, clan celebrations, fall harvests, memorials, and funeral rites.
- Music/dances: Take some time to listen, observe, and participate in traditional songs and dances. For example, folk music, the Red River Jig, a local pow wow, longhouse etc.
- Church: Attend for prayer and/or services
Indigenous student: “From when you are little you are taught to respect the f ire. What is said at fire, stays at the fire. There is a mutual respect. It would be beneficial to our health. Helpful to have counsellor, medicine man, Elder around the fire. I do better by talking it out. When you hold eagle feather you share what is heavy in your heart.” (CICMH, 2023c, p. 35)
To learn more about the different ceremonies available on your campus, please reach out to your Indigenous student centre or advisor for information.
Content below is drawn from the IIC’s Pathway to Wellness Course, Touchstone 3 “Physical Health and Wellbeing”
Returning to the land
Getting back on the land and enjoying the scenic beauty of Mother Earth is a great way to reconnect with nature and your culture. Being outdoors can reduce stress, provide mental clarity, and improve your physical health. Some examples may include:
- Taking a nice walk on a hiking trail
- Going out on the water to canoe or kayak
- Taking some quiet time to fish, hunt, and/or trap during the season
- Building a fire outside
