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    Aboriginal Beliefs

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    The Northwest Coast Salish believed in spirits that inhabited all living and non-living things and influenced the natural world. They believed that illness was caused by interference from harmful spirits or a person's lost soul. Shamans used spiritual tools like drums and rattles to enter a trance state and communicate with spirits, asking for their help in healing the sick. The Salish also believed in an afterlife and rituals were performed to separate the living from harmful ghosts of the dead. They used the medicine wheel as a symbolic and spiritual tool to bring balance when someone felt physically or emotionally unwell by determining which aspect of their life, represented by colors and directions, was out of balance.

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    Aboriginal Beliefs

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    api-289036157
    553 views2 pages
    The Northwest Coast Salish believed in spirits that inhabited all living and non-living things and influenced the natural world. They believed that illness was caused by interference from harmful spirits or a person's lost soul. Shamans used spiritual tools like drums and rattles to enter a trance state and communicate with spirits, asking for their help in healing the sick. The Salish also believed in an afterlife and rituals were performed to separate the living from harmful ghosts of the dead. They used the medicine wheel as a symbolic and spiritual tool to bring balance when someone felt physically or emotionally unwell by determining which aspect of their life, represented by colors and directions, was out of balance.

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    The Northwest Coast Salish believed in spirits that inhabited all living and non-living things and influenced the natural world. They believed that illness was caused by interference from harmful spirits or a person's lost soul. Shamans used spiritual tools like drums and rattles to enter a trance state and communicate with spirits, asking for their help in healing the sick. The Salish also believed in an afterlife and rituals were performed to separate the living from harmful ghosts of the dead. They used the medicine wheel as a symbolic and spiritual tool to bring balance when someone felt physically or emotionally unwell by determining which aspect of their life, represented by colors and directions, was out of balance.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    553 views2 pages

    Aboriginal Beliefs

    Uploaded by

    api-289036157
    The Northwest Coast Salish believed in spirits that inhabited all living and non-living things and influenced the natural world. They believed that illness was caused by interference from harmful spirits or a person's lost soul. Shamans used spiritual tools like drums and rattles to enter a trance state and communicate with spirits, asking for their help in healing the sick. The Salish also believed in an afterlife and rituals were performed to separate the living from harmful ghosts of the dead. They used the medicine wheel as a symbolic and spiritual tool to bring balance when someone felt physically or emotionally unwell by determining which aspect of their life, represented by colors and directions, was out of balance.

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    NORTHWEST COAST SALISH

    Aboriginal beliefs can vary widely across the country and between bands. We will focus on the beliefs of
    the Northwest Coast First Nations people.

    Spiritual Beliefs
    In Northwest Coast culture, beliefs and customs were passed down orally. Since there was no written text,
    they told stories to each new generation about how certain things had occurred. They believed that they
    were always surrounded by supernatural beings which interfered with the natural world. They also
    believed that spirits were connected to all living things. Although these spirits were often blamed when
    things went wrong, the Northwest Coast people would also pray to good spirits for blessings and
    guidance.
    In each tribe, the shaman (or medicine man) acted
    as the only link between the natural world and the
    spirit world. It was the job of the shaman to
    communicate with the spirit world in order to cure
    the sick and influence the weather. When someone
    fell ill, it was believed that a spirit was interfering or
    the persons soul was lost in the spirit world. The
    shaman would then use spiritual tools (drums, rattles
    and charms) to enter a meditative trance and
    communicate directly with the spirits and ask for
    their aid in healing the sick.
    Northwest Coast people believed in existence after
    death and harmful ghosts, so rituals were performed to separate the living from the dead. A few tribes
    even believed it was possible for the soul of a deceased person to be reborn in the body of another
    through reincarnation.

    Medicine wheel
    The medicine wheel is a symbol of the circle of life and was used to bring
    balance to a persons life. The wheel is continuous, with no beginning or
    end, and everything is sacred and connected.
    The wheel is composed of four colours: yellow, red, black and white.
    Each colour represents a life stage and a season. Each colour also
    represents a physical direction of the earth and the parts of a person.
    When a person felt ill or unhappy, it was believed that their life was not in
    balance. The medicine wheel was used to determine which aspects of their
    life were out of balance and how that balance could be restored.

    For example, if you were feeling


    overcome by emotion or very easily
    embarrassed, you had an imbalance of
    the Red spirit. The Red spirit is
    connected to a persons emotional side. If
    you were physically ill or in pain, you
    had an imbalance of the Black spirit. The
    Black spirit is connected to the physical
    human body. If you were having
    difficulty making decisions, you had an
    imbalance of the White spirit. The White
    spirit is connected to the mind and its
    ability to focus. The following table
    provides additional examples of
    connections between the spirits.
    Yellow
    East
    Spirit
    Values
    Morning
    Spring
    Newborn
    Joy

    Red
    South
    Emotions
    Reactions
    Afternoon
    Summer
    Child
    Compassion

    Black
    West
    Body
    Actions
    Evening
    Autumn
    Adult
    Resilience

    Information and graphics provided by Darcy Ellis of School District 43

    White
    North
    Mind
    Decisions
    Night
    Winter
    Elder
    Wisdom

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