Holiday Traditions of Indigenous People

    A regular follower of my blog reminded me that I had not included the ways in which those earliest people to occupy the Northen Hemisphere celebrated the holiday season.  Having been made aware of that omission, I will add to my earlier post some of the interesting traditions celebrated by Indigenous People. as they too celebrated the Solstice with their own traditions. 

    Many of their celebrations are similar to those I described in my earlier blog.  Feasting is common, although the contents of the feasts vary. Dancing is also common, just as that is in many cultures.  However, there are wonderful traditions that are not practiced elsewhere.  

    While elderly relatives may be common guests in other cultures, it seems that Indigenous people regard the presence of elderly guests in a particularly respectful way.  The San Carlos in Arizona might invite an older man to visit, share a meal, and then tell stories most of the night.

    The Ojibwe Minnesota Chippewa Tribe also enjoy story telling.  A Storyteller is regarded as a gift.  As a matter of courtesy, the traditional stories including animals are told only in winter, when animals are less active, so they are less likely to hear stories about themselves being told.  

    The Syilx in Washington State and British Columbia have dance ceremonies, prayers for the new year to come, and songs, dancing, feasting, and a give-away. 

    In doing this research, I learned that while some of the traditions are similar to our own, other traditions are far less common to our own. In particular, we Americans seem to devote particular attention to children, while many of the Indigenous People focus more respectfully on the elderly.  Story telling is very common among most tribes.  In the Acoma Pueblo of New Mexico there is story telling of the coyote and other animals.  Also, there is more emphasis on the sharing of knowledge.

    As is true in many cultures, spiritual sensing and prayer, sometimes singing, and the lighting of sage, sweetgrass, or cedar, as other cultures light candles, are common.  Just as the elderly are important to the holiday traditions, some Indigenous people honor those who have passed.  

    In summary, some of our traditions are similar to traditions of Indigenous people, but in doing the research for this blog, I learned of other lovely traditions that they practice.  Perhaps as the New Year arrives, we all might choose to pause to remember those who are no longer with us to share the new year.  Thank you, my friend, for reminding that I had overlooked the Holiday and New Year traditions of Indigenous people.