Discovering Our Cultural Values and Identity

Discovering Our Cultural Values and Identity 

“The point of the journey is not just healing.

It’s also recovering the truest, most

spontaneous, joyful, and

creative core of ourselves.”

Gloria Steinem 

          We establish a sense of belonging by learning about our cultural roots leading us down a path of discovery. We can meet others who are on the same paths as we are and they can provide us with positive support and encouragement. Sometimes people can be their own worst enemy and do the opposite of what is needed. For example, many Euro-Americans have lost touch with their cultural origins. A person of European descent once said “What about the white people? We left our families of origin to move to this country and forego our cultural ties to the communities we left behind. We have suffered also.”

            Yes, many Euro-Americans did suffer. All of the people in the world resided in some form of tribal community during the distant past. For the sake of becoming mobile societies, a multitude of people have lost valuable connections to their cultural roots. The results of the Aboriginal Healing Project in Canada demonstrated the importance of returning to our cultural heritage. Cultural intervention has been associated with successful healing practices concerning overcoming the harmful effects of historical trauma. 

            Activities aimed at renewing and reviving Native American cultures have contributed to individual, family, and community healing. These activities include Elders’ teachings, storytelling, language programs, activities involving nature, feasts, Pow Wows, learning traditional art forms, harvesting medicines, drumming, singing, and dancing. Culture is connected to the collective values and worldviews of all people. Culture is the shared set of beliefs derived from the group’s practice of a shared language, behaviors, customs and knowledge and a common understanding of reality, history and future for a specific group. Cultural interventions tend to be collective activities and these activities promote a sense of belonging.

Many of us have merely existed in limbo trying to figure out who we are and what is really important to us. Take note about what is important to you and make a list of your values. Explore where these values came from; for example if you know you are of Indian descent, what is the significance as far as your own personal belief system. We need to place importance on our values and to remind ourselves that those who forsake their values to please others pay a high price. Our cultural values strongly represent who we are. We would be hard pressed to find many people who can say they are 100% Native American or any other ethnic group for that matter in this country. The United States is a melting pot of diverse ethnicity. We need to consider other factors as well when questioning our cultural values and making the determination about what is important to us. 

The following exercise is designed to help us enhance our cultural awareness. We can meet with family members and/or work by ourselves to examine responses to the following questions in our effort to explore our own culture: 

·         Who took care of us when our mother or caregiver was away from home? At what age were we left alone? At what age were children in our family given responsibility to care for the other children in the family?

·         What form of discipline or punishment did our family use most often? Did this form of discipline effect how we felt about our parents? How so? Were there any kinds of discipline or punishment our parents wouldn't use because they felt it was harmful to us?

·         What were the family rules about meals? Did everyone sit down at the table together? Who cooked? Did our family cook regular meals every day? Could we eat whatever we wanted, when we chose? What kind of food did we eat most?

·         Did our family have different expectations for specific children in the family? Older or younger children? Boys and girls?

·         Who made what kinds of decisions in our family? Which were made by our mother, our father, or other family members? Any joint decisions? What influence was there from extended family, grandparents, others living in the home? What decisions were children permitted to make for themselves?

·         Who did our family turn to for help and support in times of need or trouble? Did we help ourselves?  Did we turn to immediate or extended family? Did our family have a wide range of extended family and friends? A church group? A community? Did we turn to professional helpers such as a plumber, electrician, counselors, and/or the bank for example?

·         Did adults other than our parents care for us for a period of time or have a strong influence on our development? How did we feel about being cared for by people other than our parents? What was our relationship with relatives? What part did aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, non-blood family members play in our lives?

·         What were our family's values and beliefs concerning the following:

Respecting our Elders

Formal education

Finances, money, and the importance of money and success

Rites of passage

Religion and spirituality

Codes of Conduct

The role of reciprocity (a mutual interchange of favors and privileges)

Appreciation for diversity (learning valuable lessons from other cultures)

The major life goals our families had for us

·         Which of our family's values and patterns of behavior do we still adhere to and which have we changed? 

            The practice of cultural interventions cannot be considered the entire part of our healing; but it will open the door to more intensive healing by creating a sense of identity, pride, and belonging. It can lead to developing a better sense of underlying values such as wholeness and balance. I remember the feelings Healing is sacred and there are various forms of cultural practices that may enhance our healing process.

The most important event in an Indian child’s life was, and continues to be with many tribal entities, the receipt of personal identity through a naming ceremony. The given name permitted the child to have a place by the tribal fire and be a part of the tribal thoughts and discussions. The name was a gift from the spirits, inherited through a naming ceremony by the person bestowing the name, usually soon after the child’s birth. The given name was to be respected for its origin within the tribe and cherished by the one receiving it. The children’s names would come to the leaders and other adults through dreams and visions. Sometimes children would receive the name of a namesake who passed. In the past, no one could have the same name when they resided in a traditional Native American village. Today, Indian people of all ages can receive their spiritual names. Traditional healers can be located by contacting local tribal offices to assist you with finding out about your Indian name. 

            The function of the healing circles is to re-connect individuals with the parts of themselves that have been injured and to connect with others through a process of voluntary, personal, and mutual disclosure. Healing circles permit every participant to actively participate as teachers as well as learners; to be healed as well as to heal. The support created in these circles offers therapeutic properties. The most sacred teachings derived from these healing experiences are those which arise from the collective insights of the participants who fully participate in the healing circle in a supportive manner. There are many ways in which we can delve into our cultural heritage and there are many interesting tidbits about Native American cultures.

          Ceremonies were often held to celebrate various stages in the lives of the Native Americans. Ghost suppers were held to honor those who passed on. The ghost supper has been a traditional fall ceremony of Indian people throughout much of history. The time when leaves are falling on the ground was considered a time for remembering and honoring those who walked on. The ghost supper has been held in many different ways. One common denominator includes the serving of favorite foods of the ones who are being remembered. Usually a place is set at the table for the one(s) who passed on. The plate was fixed with a variety of the loved one’s favorite foods and left for the entire evening. Ancestry has been paramount for Indian people and ghost suppers are a way of celebrating our ancestry. Ghost suppers served as a venue for family stories and fond memories of the deceased. Families would visit another home and eat the food they prepared. Then the family would be invited to their home and so on. This fostered community awareness, and encouraged community trust and sharing. 

            Indian people of all ages have participated in fasting activities. Fasting usually takes place each spring and fall to help seek new direction in life by shedding old or negative energy and replenishing with positive energy. Fasting may take place in the woods, a fasting lodge or on a vision quest. The vision quest is a highly personal ceremony that serves as an integral part of the process of self-reflection and self-understanding. Vision quests served as an important developmental ritual for both boys and girls during their adolescent years and have served as a part of a lifelong process of learning, balance, and growth.

The sweat lodge ceremony is another way Indian people have united for a common purpose, which was to commune with the Creator and other spirit guides for healing purposes and spiritual guidance. The sweat lodge ceremony served as a vehicle to give thanks, and pray to Gitchi Manito (the Creator) and the attendees’ spirit guides. These ceremonies continue to be held today. 

Praying and giving thanks is a good way of communicating with the universe. Prayers come before all else at many gatherings of Indian people. It is important to give thanks for all that is provided to us such as the food we have to eat, the water we have to drink, and our loved ones. Humor and play were considered integral components to good physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health, especially during the long winter months. 

            Pow Wows are also considered spiritual events and continue to be held throughout most of North America. They are a way in which the Anishanaabeg (original people) socialize and celebrate their heritage. The term “Pow Wow” comes from the Algonquian derivative of “Pauau.”  It originally meant curing ceremony. Pow Wows signify a time in which Anishanaabeg could sing, dance, feast and give gifts. The main emphasis of this spiritual practice continues to be with the powers of nature, which are Father Sun, Mother Earth, mountains, rivers, clouds and animals. The traditional female and male dancers celebrate Mother Earth’s gifts. Different forms of dancing are used to elicit rain for crops, preparation for hunting, food gather-ring, healing, and warfare as well as a way of extending respect and giving thanks. Many of these dances are handed down from one generation to next. 

Storytelling provided a lens in which the Indian people could recall and honor the past, understand the present, and foresee the future. In the past legends told during storytelling sessions served as the primary method for teaching children about the philosophy and/or about the worldviews of the Indian people. There are two types of stories or legends, one form tells about anecdotes or narratives about exceptional events and experiences, while the other informs us about sacred stories of our ancestors. For example, every culture has a creation story, this type of legend tells us about an exceptional event. 

            Smudging is a spiritual ceremony using smoke from the burning of the four sacred herbs:  sage, cedar, tobacco, and sweet grass. These medicinal plants are used to cleanse people, places, food and objects. Smudging is used to erase negative energy, creating an opening for positive healing energy. If smudging occurs during a healing circle, the burning medicine may be placed in the center of the circle which connects the participants to their inner sacred fire.

The four sacred plants are often utilized in sweat lodge ceremonies, Pow Wows, ghost suppers, naming ceremonies and other spiritual practices. These sacred plants complete the circle of life. Their smoke can provide cleansing for the mind, body, spirit and soul. They can remove negative energy. It has been very important for the Anishanaabeg and other cultural groups to bestow gratitude for all the Great Mystery has provided to them. Keeping the idea of gratitude in their minds and the proper use of all the sacred plants helps those who use these sacred plants to convey their personal meaning of thankfulness. The plants carry additional significance, such as their representation of the four directions and the four stages of our lives: childhood, adolescence, young adulthood and elderly. Other herbs and spices are also used under the direction of a medicine man and other spiritual healers. 

            Ways in which to explore our cultural heritage may include meeting with other family members and ask what ethnic groups our family came from before coming over to this country if we are not only of Native American descent. If you are of Indian descent, again meet with elders, attend cultural events such as Pow Wows and read books about the Indian and other cultures you may be connected. Again, many of us have several lines of descent from European, Native American to Asian.  Explore your heritage by using the internet. Use an internet search engine to obtain information about your culture heritage. Google is a popular search engine on the internet. If you do not have a computer or the internet, go to the public library to conduct your research. Your exploration and discovery of your cultural values and identity will prove to be very rewarding.