Wanuskewin.

Cree Tipi Raising

Cree Tipi Pole Representations/Teachings

November 15, 2012:

 

Our Place-Based Pedagogies class had the opportunity to visit the Wanuskewin Heritage Park, a national historic site that honors the First Nation's people in Saskatchewan: Saulteaux, Cree, Dene, Dakota, Nakota, Lakota, and Blackfoot. It has preserved some of the traditions, beliefs and artifacts of the Northern Plains Indians, such as a Buffalo Jump, tipis, trails, a Medicine Wheel, hunting gear, buffalo remains, etc. Wanuskewin offers an interpretive centre, art gallery, meeting rooms, a restaurant, theatre, educational programming, guided trail walks, overnight tipi stays, and even a tipi raising.

 

The tipi-raising our class was involved in was specific to the Cree's traditional way. We were guided through the interactive activity by Laura, an educational programmer for the Wanuskewin Heritage Park, and she taught us the meanings of the various poles that were reponsible for holding up the tipi. As with most things in First Nations' culture, it consisted of four different sets of poles, although all were shaped and sized similarly, which each respresented a different stage in life:  Childhood, Adolescent, Adulthood, and Elder. Under each of these categories were three poles, each which held a lesson or teaching that you were to learn during that particular stage of your life.

 

In Childhood, there were obviously three poles. The first represented obedience. Obedience was taken to mean speak when it is appropriate to do so, and if not, remain silent. Honor the wishes of those older than you, and do as you are told. The second teaching was respect. It is an important lesson to learn during your childhood, to have respect for your elders, your family, friends, the animals, the land- everything that the Creator has provided you are to respect. Especially because the belief that there is no hierarchy of importance in the nature of the Cree lifestyle. The last pole in Childhood is humility, to be humble. It is to understand that there is no being greater or less than yourself, and that you are a small entity in this vast creation, to just remain "grounded".

 

In Adolescence the first pole is the teaching of Happiness. They understood that there will be hardships faced by absolutely everyone throughout their life, but the best way to endure them is to remain positive and optimistic. It sets a great example. The second pole is one of Love. It represents a general loving of yourself and others around you. This ideology will create a balance and harmony among your people and nature. The last pole in Adolescence is Faith. It is the teaching that there is a greater being, a Creator, who has provided for you and nourished you and every other thing on the Earth. They believed that you should not only worship one day of the week, but every minute of every day you should be thankful and respect your Faith.

 

Adulthood begins with a lesson on Kinship. It teaches to respect and love your immediate and extended families, and all of their children, and children's children. They provide you with a sense of grounding and community, a foundation of support and encouragement. The second pole representation is Cleanliness. As much as hygiene and personal cleanliness is important, more valued to Cree peoples was the idea of Spiritual Cleanliness. To have a clean mind, clean thoughts, and a sense of peace creates this balance of harmony withing your life. As well, to keep your insides clean by eating well and exercising. The last teaching in Adulthood is one of Thankfulness. It is pretty self-explanatory, and just stresses the importance of giving thanks to the Creator and to those around us who assist and aid us.

 

The fourth and final stage of an individuals life is the Elder years. It begins with a lesson on what it means to Share. As a tight-knit community that does not depend on monetary values, you must learn the importance of and how to Share. If you are a hunter, but are not a good cook, you rely on others to prepare your game as a meal. You must Share your skills for the good of the groups, and would expect others to do the same, especially to strive as a community. The second pole represents Strength, and specifically Spiritual Strength. When enduring harships, struggles, and especially harsh winter conditions, you must have the strength to persist. As an Elder, your Strength in this sense sets a positive example for those who look up to you, and aspire to follow in your footsteps. The final lesson is Good Child Rearing. As much as you would expect this to be in the latter Adolescent/early Adulthood years, it actually becomes much more significant as an Elder. Due to the adult men and women predominantly providing, the Elders must step in to fulfill the nurturing of the children; intelectually, spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

 

I found these traditional teachings incredibly valuable, even to when I was growing up. I am not of First Nations heritage, but these lessons are for the most part universal, and something that I believe every individual should be grounded on.