Using First Nations Ceremonies to Promote Bonding and Attachment
Posted by Melanie Ferris, Aboriginal Health Promotion Consultant
Part 2 of 2
Singing played a part of my second workshop at the Best Start conference, Using First Nations Teachings and Ceremonies to Promote Bonding and Attachment Between Parents and Babies.
This time I was happy to have about 35 women from across Ontario. Some of them had been with me for the entire day before. I told them I was honoured to have all that time with them and I meant it. I especially thank the people who came and hugged me or gave me their cards after the workshops!
To help service providers understand how attachment and our cultures connect, I shared some of my own personal growth as a mother. Similar to other Aboriginal moms, I’m an inter-generational survivor of residential school. This means that I have a lot of healing to do, to make sure that any lingering effects of discriminatory racial-based policies are not going to be passed to my son.
Reclaiming cultural practices, such as a baby welcoming ceremony or carrying your baby in a tikinagan (that’s the Algonquin word for “cradleboard”), helps many new parents to learn how to raise their children in a way that is sacred and beautiful.
I wanted to share some of the things I have learned.
Preparing sage for a smudge
Once again, I opened the circle with a smudge and some teachings about our four sacred medicines, tobacco, sage, cedar, and sweetgrass. Everyone had a chance to smell the sweetgrass, which is our babies’ medicine.
My six-year-old friend Thelan was at this session to help me teach. How does a young boy do that? First, he helps to do the smudge for participants. Thelan took the bowl around and I told people to think about how awesome it is to see a little boy doing the ceremonies he is meant to be doing. Attachment and ceremony can help all young boys grow into respectful and balanced men, something we need more of in this world!
I asked participants for some ideas and images they have when they think about attachment.
• Love,
• nurturing,
• security,
• safety,
• closeness…
Those are the kinds of words they gave to me. I wrote them on a big paper and told them to think about them for the entire session while we discussed various ceremonies and strategies for using to promote attachment between moms, dads, and babies but also bonds between the whole community.
We discussed the importance of the drum. We talked about how singing can be healing. I invited everyone into a circle to learn some songs. We only had a few drums, but we had percussion sticks and our voices to help make us loud and strong. I asked Thelan and his mom Elaine to lead us in a song. We did two songs, including the Strong Woman Song.
Thanks to all the women who tried singing, even if they were shy. It’s great to see such bravery come out in one short workshop.
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Free resources
• Anishnawbe Health Toronto, cultural brochures.
• Huntinghawk Communications. PDF powerpoint file on promoting Attachment and play.
• Minwaashin Lodge in Ottawa