ABOUT FIRST NATIONS CULTURE

Tecumseh's (Shawnee) vision statement

"Live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life.

Beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and bow to none. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.

Abuse no one and no living thing, For abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes to your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."

THUNDERBIRD'S VISION STATEMENT

"The importance of learning about Native history and culture is not only to dispel myths, stereotypes and biases about Native people, but to also to take an ACCURATE (the web is full of inaccuracies!) look at Turtle Island's Indigenous history both pre- and post-European contact. As well, it is important to have a clear understanding of the contributions that First People continue to offer to the rich cultural diversity that IS Canada.

Traditional teachings are as relevant today as it was in the time of my Ancestors. They are blueprints for human behaviour - they connect us to the teachers of the natural and supernatural worlds, celestial beings, plants, animals, earth, air, fire, water -- respected equals, in other words, whose unique traits provide models for living in a "good way." There are lessons to be learned from both the seen and unseen worlds -- to be passed down from generation to generation through songs, drumming, stories, sharing, caring, medicine wheel teachings and ceremony.

This website has not been designed to make anyone feel they must function as apologists for the mistakes of their Ancestors, but merely to cast a bright light on a people who have been neglected in Canada’s overall appreciation and understanding of its citizens.

People should leave this site with a more informed view of the rich and vibrant Indigenous cultures that continue to exist all across Turtle Island, the heavy price that was paid to keep them alive and a renewed appreciation of the unique place of Canada’s First People in the grand scheme of things. Some pages will take courage to read to the end. If you do, I offer my respect for your willingness to really know and understand who we are as a vibrant people.

May Your Spirit Be Strong, All My Relations."

PRE-EUROPEAN CONTACT AND OTHER THINGS

Columbus Rant (Honest Injun! It's not our fault we're called "Indian!")
Facts and Fantasy About Turtle Island's Indigenous People ("Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts", Pre and Post-European contact, and yes, a lot of us actually pay taxes!!)
Indigenous History (Off-beat and not so off-beat walk along Memory Lane: Here Come the Vikings; Here come the Missionaries; Foreign Diseases, Germ Warfare; Alcohol; That Persistent and Pesky Bering Strait Theory; Horses, Warfare and Conquering, John Wayne)
Teaching Indigenous Studies and the Ontario Curriculum (Culture, Spirituality, History: How it should be taught and what topics should be included)

TRIBAL SPIRITUAL BELIEFS

Colours and Their Meanings (Colours when combined with Nature's gifts have special meanings)
Elder 'Speak' - In Their Own Words (Past and Present Tribal Elders, Leaders and Traditional Teachers Speak their truths)
Medicine Wheel Teachings (What goes around comes around...walking the great circle of life)
Pacific Northwest Coast (Thunderbird's heritage: Beliefs, World of the Spirit Doctor, Land of the Totems, Button Blankets, Feasts, Culture Hero Raven....)
Prophecies and Teachings (Hopi, 7 Fires (Ojibwa), Lakhota, Cherokee, Onandaga, Inuit, Fiber-Optic Cable......)
Sacred Symbols and Meanings (Ancestors, Animals, Circle, Drums, Fire, Land, Medicine Shields, Pipe; Plants, Power or Guardian Animals/Spirits; Rattles/Shakers; Smudging (Sage, Cedar, Sweetgrass, Tobacco); Talking Stick; Talking Circles)
Tribal Beliefs and Ceremonies (Anishinabe, Blackfoot Confederacy, Cree, Haudenosaunee (including Great Law), Mi'Kmaq, Plains, Smudging and the Four Sacred Plants Sweatlodge, Potlatch, Sun Dance, Powwow, Visionquest, Wampum)
Tribal Drum Teachings (Drum is Female; Drum's voice, Messages from the drum, and more......)
Tribal Spirituality (When we are victims...Five Native Ethics, Five Native Beliefs, Respect, Spirit, Soul, Balance/Harmony, Wisdom, Healing, Sins of Spirit, Memory and Powerful Song of Divine Discontent...The Peace of Wild Things, Remembering Your Dreams, Four Agreement, and more....)
Tribal Warriors (Dedicated to all those historical and contemporary Warrior Heroes who continue to impact the world with their wise words and brave acts. Visionaries, Warrior Chiefs, Orators, Singers, Dancers, Actors.
Universe and the Supernatural World of Indigenous People (Brief history of the link between the seen and unseen worlds; different Indigenous supernatural beliefs - (Pacific Northwest Coast, Haudenosaunee, Anishinabe, Cree, Mi'Kmaq, Plains); Shamanism; Use of Masks)
Women and Ceremony (Patriarchal, patently predictable!!)

STORYTELLING, ART, MUSIC, THEATRE

Animal Stories A-M (A wide variety of Animal Native stories and their meanings)
Animal Stories N-Z (A wide variety of Animal Native stories and their meanings)
Art, Magic and Wisdom of Indigenous Storytelling (Native stories are not, 'once upon a time' yarns or myths - they reflect the cultural grounding of wondrous people)
Creation Stories (Tsimshian, Haudenosaunee, Anishinabe, Mi'Kmaq, Plains)
Indigenous Art (The importance of Native Art, its meaning, how it defines Native culture - Pacific Northwest Coast, Haudenosaunee, Anishinabe.......)
Indigenous Music, Dancing (What it means, why they are important to the cultural grounding of Indigenous people)
Indigenous Theatre and Scripts (About Indigenous Theatre; A few stories adapted to script form for Drama Teachers)
SCIENCE AND NATIVE STORIES: Cosmos, the Four Elements
(Planets, Ocean, Sun, Rainbows, Fire, Air, Earth, Water, Milky Way, Moon, Aurora Borealis......)
Thunderbird's Art (Not a lot of time to do it, but painting is her peaceful pursuit)

TRIBAL LIFESTYLE

Native Contributions I (Settlement of Canada, transportation, people, wealth, government, military service, language, sports, and on and on.......)
Native Contributions II (Food, Lifestyle, Medicine, Earth Wisdom, Healing properties of trees and plants)
Protocol, Behaviour and Celebration (General Conduct and Etiquette; Powwows: How to Behave, Grand Entry; Descriptions of Songs, Dances, Regalia; Interaction With Elders and Traditional Teachers; When money is a gift or a fee)
Tribal Environment (Asserting Indigenous rights to hunt, trap and fish; conflict between Native and non-Native land claims; supporting traditional lifestyle)
Tribal Hierarchies (Gender roles, Elders)
Tribal Housing and Transportation (Plank House, Longhouse, Tipi, Hogan, Chickees, Brush Shelters, Adobes, Wattle, Wigwam, canoes, sleds, dogs, horses - descriptions of Pacific Northwest Coast. Haudenosaunee, Anishinabe, Plains, plus......)
Tribal Language and Cultural Groups (Who's Who in Moccasin Country!)
Tribal Lifestyle (Pacific Northwest Coast; Haudenosaunee; Anishinabe (including description of their 7-point star Clan system; Cree; Mi'Kmaq; Plains; Inuit; Warfare; Social Systems and on and on....

HOME PAGE

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