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The Sundance Way – Honouring all life

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Since the beginning of time, our ancestors had their own belief system drawn from living off the land and interacting daily with the natural world. Their dedication to survival and their spiritual knowledge level were equal to that of other species. Their value system was designed to align with the Universe’s natural order. That is why they lived in harmony with the land and all life. They followed the core values (which are universal): courage, honesty, humility, compassion, respect, sharing, and truthfulness. Not living life in line with these values meant disharmony. The result was pain, abuse, violence and other ills.

Much has changed in Eeyou society since our contact with our European brothers. The impacts of colonialism that went worldwide are devastating to our people. The removal of young children from their parents, the eradication of the ancient beliefs and value system, the loss of land, and more – have resulted in internalized colonial oppression. Today, we face lateral violence in our community, abuse of all forms (elder abuse, child abuse, and others), child neglect, addictions, distrust of each other, distrust of our leadership, gossip, and much more. Many of our community members feel unloved, experiencing feelings of loneliness, guilt, sadness, fear, nervousness and irritability. These symptoms cause confusion and imbalance within ourselves, our families, and our community. Parenting is not as it used to be.

To resolve this, we must reclaim our power to maintain our language and promote ancient culture, way of life, and spirituality. This will help us prosper and be resilient in a fast-changing world. The Sundance can help us achieve our independence and resilience. As our Elders often told us – reclaiming our power is a process of reclaiming our freedom, freely exercising our beliefs, values, customs, and traditions, and achieving independence!

The Sundance Way involves:

  • Learning to love oneself
  • Finding your purpose in life
  • Letting go of pain from the past, and healing your body, emotions, mind and spirit.
  • living life with the Seven Grandfathers’ Teachings: courage, honesty, humility, compassion, respect, sharing, and truthfulness
  • Honouring all world nations and all life on Mother Earth.
  • Honouring all religions of the world.
  • Honouring ancestral wisdom.
  • Maintaining a strong land-based culture and way of life.
  • Living in harmony with all life on Mother Earth.
  • Walking always with the Great Spirit.

Contact Information

nebiiskad@gmail.com

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