Sacred

One of the things I hear a lot of comments on, or get a lot of questions about is, "how can Indigenous Peoples view everything as sacred"? Some people can be quite racist when they ask this, and others are genuinely curious about how we see the world around us.

I thought today I would address this as I was taught. It ties to my last post about respect and how we as Indigenous People see ourselves as Caretakers of the land, and how we are also a part of something bigger. We don't see ourselves as "owners" of the land and the animals and plants that are here, rather as a people who are privileged enough to have access to those things that we need, in order to survive. We are Caretakers of the Land and the plants and animals that live here. We were taught to take only what we need, no excessive amounts. If our families needed help, we could hunt or gather more for them to help through a season, but we were not meant to store up excess. We trusted that there would be enough for later. Most of the time, this held true. We understood that there was a limit to what could be provided to a Nation. We moved around during the seasons; we replanted berries and plants when we noticed a lack in an area. We didn't waste what we had; everything was used. When we noticed a depleted number of animals, we would stop hunting them for a time, in an area. We ventured further out to allow herds to recover. When there was a scarcity, we often ended up fighting each other for more.

We held Ceremonies to pray to the Creator to help bring back the populations, to heal them from sicknesses and diseases so we could continue to hunt and gather as we needed. Ceremonies were held during times of harvest and prayers were given to the Spirit of the animal or plant, to acknowledge the gift of life that we were given. When we needed something, we asked for it, we asked for permission to take what we needed.

Believing we needed permission and giving prayers of thanks for permission to harvest plants, animals and medicines kept a balance between us and the world we live in. We ask permission to take what we need, we give thanks when we get it, and we recognize that when we die, we will become part of the circle that feeds the things around us as we return to Nature. So yes, much of that around us is seen as sacred because it too has a life force that is to be respected.