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The Significance of the Bear in the Aboriginal Culture
In the novel, Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, Niska, Xavier’s aunt, makes reference to a story during her youth. This story took place during the winter and highlighted periods of starvation among Niska’s tribe because of the lack of ideal food resources. As starvation became a prolonged condition and desperation levels heightened, the tribe’s hunters brought back a black bear. Niska’s father, the leader of her tribe was disturbed as he associated the bear as man’s “brother.”
Along with the monkey and the pig, the bear is considered one of the three animals that share the most recent common ancestors with humans, therefore proving the existence of homologous features between the two species. In the novel, Niska
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In the Seven Sacred Teachings (concepts based on respect and sharing that form the foundation of the Aboriginal way of life); each law is represented by an animal. The law, courage, is represented by the bear. Aboriginals admire the determination and aggressiveness of the mother bear when one of her cubs is approached by a predator. They believe that humans should adapt the same mental strength, vigour and intensity as the mother bear in conquering the hardships we encounter in life. In 2015, a coalition of First Nation environmentalists initiated a public campaign against the hunt of grizzly bears in British Columbia as they claimed that as kids, they were taught to kill animals only for food as a sign of respect. Aboriginals are very respectful and conserving of the animals they share with the Earth. Given this strong identification with the bear, Niska’s father ensured that nothing was wasted “…for the fear of angering [the bear]” (Boyden 38) and he ensured that all parts of the animal were harvested. Additionally, all parts of the bear were used so that future generations would not be threatened or exposed to any
In the novel, Three Day Road, the three main characters, Elijah, Niska and Xavier are Cree Indians. They are Native Americans that do not rely on Europeans and make their living by hunting in the bush. They are maintaining their culture and identity after the the Europeans come as before. However, Elijah and Xavier are volunteering in the First World War. They are losing their identity gradually in ways of culture, status, power, thinking, beliefs, etc. Xavier and Niska try to maintain their culture but Elijah wants to get rid of it totally.
Since the beginning of the year we have been reading a book by Ben Mikaelsen named Touching Spirit Bear. Cole starts out as a devious miscreant who never forgave or forgot. Cole soon gets banished to an island for a year. Throughout his experience he learns to start caring and forgiving after being mauled by a bear. To add to that he makes totem faces for everything he encounters such as sparrows, wolves, mice and bears. Each teaching him how he was and what they represented. This project is about how I can be like Cole and make a totem about my life and each animal face symbolizes every part of my life.
Nature, it is everywhere, everyone uses it. Quite often, however, people abuse it, such as with humans’ impact on grizzly bears. Grizzly bears are important to the environment because they have many useful purposes for the environment: “they provide an “umbrella” for the environment because they require such large home ranges.” (savethegreatbear.org/CAD/Grizzly.htm) The Grizzly Bear is extremely vulnerable to changes in its habitat and food cycle. This allows humans to detect small changes in the environment, just by watching this amazing species. The Government of Canada needs to try harder to stop the poaching of grizzly bears in Canada.
There was a period of time, before the appearance of Europeans on the continent, that the Nephilim did not have this “rule” or “compulsion” to keep their existence hidden from humans. The Bigfoot were known to the Native Americans by many names. Legends and lore sprang up from the Native American’s interaction with the Bigfoot. The Native Americans always considered them to be a “society” or “tribe.” The relationship the Bigfoot tribes had with the Native Americans was precarious at best. Many Native American tribes described the Bigfoot as cannibals, mountain devils, kidnappers, rapist, and thieves.
This provides powerful insight into the role Bigfoot like creatures played in Native American cultures. Some tribes were not afraid of the creatures, considering them kind and helpful, while peacefully coexisting with them. Other tribes found them to be more violent and dangerous creatures. The fact that these tribes called the animals Stick Indians or Brush Indians seems to suggest that the creatures were simply other tribes they did not get along with opposed to a village of mythical creatures. Some examples of Bigfoot like creatures in Native American tribes include the Chiye – Tanka, the Lofa, the Maxemista, and the popular Sasquatch. The Chiye – Tanka was the Bigfoot like creature of the Sioux Indians (“Native American,” n.d.). This animal
Aboriginals have lived various types of lives and in attempt to improve the lives of Canada’s Aboriginal people formed the Aboriginal self-government. Developing self-government for aboriginal peoples living in urban areas was not easy. The form of self-government varied across the country depending on the factors in each area or region. Some cities had existing aboriginal organizations providing a good basis upon which to build which made the self-government an easier thing to make. Despite the many challenges, self-government for aboriginal peoples living in urban areas is a concept that can be realized and can contribute to meeting the needs and aspirations of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples. Since the formation, the self-government has accomplished
Symbolist mentality is a pattern which can be observed in every Indigenous Religions; it offers an animistic view of the world which helped the tribal cultures to survive and be in balance with nature. Molloy argues that "In a world that is animated by spirits, human beings must treat all things with care. If a spirit is injured or insulted, it can retaliate." (Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. Boston: McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2008. Print.)
The religion of the Ojibwe is centered on a belief of a single creating force but according the Minnesota Historical Society the religion also, “Incorporated a wide pantheon of spirits that played specific roles in the universe.” These different spirits took on different roles, some to protect the Ojibwe hunters, protection from illness and while in battle. Each person had a personal guardian spirit which was one of their most important. Their guardian spirit would come to them in a dream or vision and could be called on for protection and guidance. The tribe also had spiritual leaders, which were feared and respected because of their supernatural powers that could be used for good, or evil. Dreams were related to religion and spirit guides. Natives believed dreams carried great significance and that they would provide visions of their future and how to live their lives. The Ojibwe would go on annual fasts to renew the vision of their lives and reflect.
The Canadian population is composed of people with different cultural background that consist of different communities of immigrants and natives. The Aboriginal community is one of the native community living in Canada holding 4.3% of total population as per National Household Survey 2011 (Statistics Canada, 2011).The Aboriginal people are culturally diverse in Canada having unique historical, linguistic and social contexts. Distinct cultural background of the Aboriginal communities is one of the reason they are experiencing inequities and disparities in health status compared to the non-aboriginal people. In this regard, Canadian nurses are expected to learn about cultural diversity, knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide culturally
Australian indigenous culture is the world’s oldest surviving culture, dating back sixty-thousand years. Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders have been represented in a myriad of ways through various channels such as poetry, articles, and images, in both fiction and non-fiction. Over the years, they have been portrayed as inferior, oppressed, isolated, principled and admirable. Three such texts that portray them in these ways are poems Circles and Squares and Grade One Primary by Ali Cobby Eckermann, James Packer slams booing; joins three cheers for footballer and the accompanying visual text and Heywire article Family is the most important thing to an islander by Richard Barba. Even though the texts are different as ….. is/are …., while
Why are terms such as Aboriginal peoples, American Indian, Indian, Indigenous Peoples, First Nations and Native American all used to describe the original inhabitants of North and South America? Why are some of these terms considered controversial? What terms to you feel are most appropriate, and why?
Being a dangerous threat to the wildlife is an anti-wolf claim that is expressed within literary nonfiction. In Never Cry Wolf, local people are very quick to blame the wolves for damage done to their food sources as well as their surrounding nature. According to Mowat, “’Listen,’ he said challengingly, ‘you’ve been screaming for proof wolves butcher the herds. Well, hitch up your team and get out to Fishduck Lake. You’ll get your proof! One of my trappers come in an hour ago and he seen fifty deer down on the ice, all of ‘em killed by wolves—and hardly a mouthful of the meat had been touched!’” (Mowat 236). This example proves that the local people find it easier to blame the wolves for mistakes that they have blatantly made themselves. As believable as this could possibly be, one really needs to look at the big scenery (literally) to fully understand that, in most cases, these false accusations are not possible for a wolf to achieve. Mowat claims that, “Unfortunately for the ‘proof’, none of these deer could have been attacked b...
"The Ojibways affirm that long before they became aware of the white man's presence on
Canada has been constantly acknowledged as a nation of different people from different part of the world (MacDonald 66). Our great nation is recognized as a very diverse country filled with unity, which continues to encourage people from other part of the world to come and live in Canada. Although its been constantly considered as one of the top countries in the UN Human Development Index, Aboriginal peoples classified together with residents of Panama, Belarus, and Malaysia in terms of their economic and social possibilities (qtd. in MacDonald 66). In a special report by James Anaya, claimed that Canada has issues in regards to the circumstances surrounding indigenous people of the nation, and Aboriginal petitions continues to be unsettled, and therefore resulted to an excessive amount of lack of confidence among Aboriginal peoples towards the government (qtd in MacDonald 66).
Imagine you to live in a town full of people, this peoples ancestors where first to settle down in the