Forms of Communication

Contemporary Aboriginal Voices

Narratives and Stories

• Since time immemorial, kinship with the land,

water, universe, and other life forms served as

inspiration for a variety of narratives for First

Nations and Inuit peoples.

• Stories from the Metis peoples combine ancient

knowledge with European structures, characters,

or themes.

• Some stories are told to offer an explanation for

the creation of plant and animal life that

otherwise cannot be explained, such as why the

skunk has a white stripe or why the leaves of a

maple tree turn red.

Secular and Sacred

Narratives

• Some stories are sacred narratives about events

that took place long before, and during, the

creation of the Earth, animals, and people. They

usually have non-human characters as the main

characters.

• Some stories are considered to be true

narratives set in a recognizable world. In these,

the main characters tend to be human and are

usually considered secular rather than sacred.

Trickster Stories

• Some stories are

fictional stories used

to teach a lesson or a

moral. Characters

are either animals or

humans.

• Most of these stories

take place in vague or

mysterious settings.

Trickster stories are

told to teach lessons

about human nature.

Winter Months

• All stories were told

during the colder and

darker parts of the

year to help pass time

and serve as means

of entertainment.

Threshold Stories

• Threshold stories

involve characters

who transition from

one state of being into

another. They pass

from child to

adolescence, from life

into death, or from

their human form into

an animal form.

Family Dramas

• These stories focus on

various needs and

conflicts using the

structure of the family

• For example, the

importance of learning

from Elders, overcoming

sibling rivalry, or

understanding roles and

responsibilities for

obtaining food or

providing protection for

the whole community.

• The telling of family drama stories and threshold

stories helped listeners learn about their Nation

and the First Nations way of life.

• First Nations also told local stories created to

explain their particular landscape, seasons, or

natural occurrences such as tornadoes or

floods.

• Although comparable stories with similar themes

or lessons were told by differing Aboriginal

societies, different cultural communities told

stories that belong exclusively to them.

Oral Historians

• Oral Historians were very exact in recounting

their peoples’ histories which were passed down

through generations.

• The stories do not change owning to the very

specific role and responsibility of the orator to

maintain the history of the Nation.

• The Supreme Court of Canada now recognizes

First Nations’ oral tradition as veritable accounts

when examining legal issues.

Elders, Wisdom Keepers,

Traditional Teachers

Characteristics of Elders

• An Elder is both wise person and teacher, either

male or female—not necessarily a senior

citizen—who commits to respecting the

Creator’s Teachings, which celebrate a holistic

approach to life.

• The Elder is recognized as a spiritual leader by

members of his or her respective community and

Nation. The Elder’s role is to pass along

traditional knowledge of beliefs, spirituality,

ceremony, and other practices.

Racial Tensions

• Due to racial tensions at the workplace, Indian

and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC—now

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development of

Canada AANDC) decided in 1990 to contract

Aboriginal Elders to provide guidance and

counselling services to Aboriginal and non-

Aboriginal employees.

• The Council of Elders was established and

Elders’ Lodges are found within AANDC offices

across the country. The Council of Elders is to

stimulate a greater understanding and

appreciation of Aboriginal cultures, philosophies,

and practices among all departmental

employees.

Teachings and

Responsibilities

• The knowledge of Elders is found in the

teachings and responsibilities associated with

sacred entities such as the pipe, wampum, the

drum, the sweat lodge, and medicine pipe.

• Traditionally, an Elder does not self-proclaim his

or her status as a respected spiritual leader.

Elders reach this status by observations of their

behaviour by their community members or their

own Elder mentors.