In order to maintain the knowledge of traditional healing, it has to be practiced since it is a tool that most indigenous groups use to fulfill the resurgence journey for their cultural belief. In Northern America, cultural resurgence of indigenous communities pertains to engaging in numerous traditional identifications which leads to a belief of national healing. The elements of healings are championed by sports, traditional dancing styles, musical arrangements, arts, and writing styles (Forte, 2006). More importantly, the traditional knowledge on the indigenous group of people is mostly maintained and renewed depending on the ancestral lands and traditional beliefs about the origins. Indigenous lands and attires have been reckoned as the major points of references to the practice of traditional healings and resurgence. In practice, indigenous traditional resurgence healing is a process that allows for a practical indigenous knowledge application and spiritualism belief (Phillips, 2003).
Case of the Aboriginal People
During early centuries, Aboriginal people had the ability and power to determine their traditional ways of living without hindrance. They were able to organize their cultural, political affiliations, economic, religious, and education setup. However, colonization led to painful genocide of the Aboriginal people culture since most of education set-up during and after colonization dismantled the way the Aboriginal people used to live. Colonialists thought to have brought a modern way of education in Canada, Australia, and North America, but the result led to trauma in terms of events that unfolded including sexual harassments on teenagers, physical abuse, spiritual segregations, and loss of cultural teachings (Monchalin, 2016). Stripping native Aboriginal people of their cultural belief has also led to loss of how people used to communicate and behave. These sad behaviors have made it impossible to reclaim the original cultural and belief of the Aboriginal people.
Most of the cultures of the Aboriginal people were deeply embedded in ecological ethical standards which are currently destroyed in totality. Powerful western colonialists have made lives of the Aboriginal people more disgraced and lost in despair since the tribe of Aboriginal now lives in the reserved lands of government as settlements with urban centers invaded by non locals. Many of the Aboriginal people have either forgotten or disowned the traditional ceremonies that used to bring the community together since present modern culture has made them find ways that suit them. Change in the Aboriginal culture is very brutal and heartless in nature such that history of the origin of Aboriginal people has become invalid to many young generation of the tribe (Goodall, 2008). It is very painful to neglect the original traditional culture of life that taught you who you are only to learn about a new culture that disowned the good cultural ways of living. The tragedy and challenge of being Aboriginal living in the modern epoch has led to a psychological and traumatic torture for the people of Aboriginal. Even though the loss in cultural practices is great, there have been different events that bring the community together to celebrate and adore the traditional lifestyle.
Indigenous Sports
The purpose of the sports was to bring cohesion between communities thus leading to reconciliation purposes. The communities valued lacrosse game with full respect since they believed that it was bestowed on them by God. Use of lacrosse sporting event as a way of bringing unity amongst people has been welcomed as a major positive step in reconciling the lost culture with current young generation. Lacrosse sport is one of the traditional sports that have been used to ease tension between the Aboriginal people and the colonialists. The traditional game of lacrosse was familiar with the people of Kanienkahaka and Haudenosaunee communities who were always happy playing the same game always (Henhawk, 2009). Playing lacrosse was fun since both sides of the team were allowed to select an unequal size of players and carry the ball with a stick and make sure that the ball is landed in the opposition territory. The field was equivalent to a span of a kilometer in length and the game was of stamina where weak people could not be allowed to play.
Today, traditional lacrosse game has no value with the people of Aboriginal due to the lost culture. But still, the people of Aboriginal continue to dearly like the game given its cultural importance to the community. Currently, lacrosse game has not reflected the historical stories that the people of Aboriginal possessed but it remains as just like any other story that explains the culture of Aboriginal people ((Henhawk, 2009). Given the understanding of the game of lacrosse that the Aboriginal people possess, sports have been used to shape the uniqueness of the Aboriginal people in terms of togetherness and culture diversification.
Education and Storytelling
The indigenous people of Aboriginal have been taught and made aware through oral transference of the traditional set-up that promoted the true foundation of original family settings in terms of culture. To promote cultural-based curriculum, the community has championed for the culturally relevant learning items including storytelling to help recall the importance of culture within the Aboriginal set-up (Crooks et al., 2009). Storytelling helps to regulate multi-cultural effects within the colonial school set-up where the true identity of the tribe of Aboriginal has been fading away. To promote the resurgence of cultural promotion, revitalizing the original language of the tribe of Aboriginal people through the description of the cultural set-up, historical ceremonies, and songs have been seen as the best way to champion for the originality of the culture reliance on the people of Aboriginal. Storytelling that has been supplemented by contemporary knowledge enhancement is the major tool in sustaining and regaining the true identity of the Aboriginal people.
Storytelling is a major tool in promoting culture belief since it allows the people to practice, dance, sing, and speak ideologies that promote and shape cultural set-ups. Promotion of cultural values needs continuous learning through storytelling that explains implicitly the relationship between culture and the environment. However, teachings of stories were mainly vested with elders who understood the history and cultural values of the Aboriginal people. Elders were regarded as very important people in the community given their skilled and talented ways of expounding the reality about the cultural values. Stories were providing much more knowledge to the young and continued generation through the transfer of historical knowledge on land possession and spiritual guidance. The resurgence of Aboriginal culture is currently accepted through various courses in lower education level where History of the Aboriginal people is taught and practiced (Cairns, 2011). The native language of the tribe of Aboriginal people is also spoken independently without intimidation. More importantly, to continue preserving the cultural beliefs and practices of the Aboriginal people, Federal government needs to value and appreciate the diversification of the indigenous group cultures in promoting national cohesion.
Indigenous Songs
Songs are vital tools in promoting cultural values and beliefs of the indigenous groups in Australia, Canada, and North America. Songs are considered to be one of the replicas of lost cultures within the Aboriginal people. For instance, an Innu band known as Kashtin was used to promote the cultural values of the Innu people in North America through traditional songs. The band partially acted as a way of identifying the importance of the Innu people's cultural way of living and practices. Today, the Innu language is widely spoken within the local communities because of its identity to the songs that implicitly acted as an intermediary between a lost culture and the current generation (Blue, Darou & Ruano, 2015). The local language of Innu people has been able to build a strong foundation for the hopeless generation of Innu youths who never expected a positive response to the traditional struggling for identity.
Aboriginal people of Australian culture have always described songs as one of the best connecting tools to the real world in relation to historical injustices that they have experienced. Songs can also be used to influence others to believe in the culture since it elaborates on the importance of togetherness. Given the injustices that indigenous groups mostly face due to lack of recognition, songs play a major role in reconstructing a cohesive environment for a non-violent community. The use of songs to promote cultural resurgence plays a major role in reinforcing the collective identity of the indigenous people without posing any violent threat to colonialists who mistreated them (King, 2015). The impact of songs that are non-violent combined with traditional lyrics affects people both psychologically, emotionally, and intellectually. Psychologically, listening to the indigenous historical songs that elaborates on the cultural roots has been helpful in encouraging current generations to practice national cohesion, peace, and liberty which have always been the root champion for the Aboriginal people in Canada, Australia, and North America.
Songs swirl the emotions of those who listen to them through exposing a person and changing the listener to become something new from historical experience. The spirit and lyrics within the songs have led to people having close contact with new generations from the old one without losing the cultural identity. It has also led to the honoring of ancestral connection to the current generation through appealing to people's minds through experience (King, 2015). Ghost Dance philosophy among the Aboriginal people has been used to promote a non-violent community. The song is of traditional importance to the Aboriginal people since it reminds them of the importance of economic empowerment rather than war and revenge with the colonialists.
Indigenous Arts
Indigenous arts also played a major role in reshaping the cultural dimension of the indigenous people around the globe. Arts such as dot painting that is used to decorate walls help to illustrate the cultural values of the Aboriginal people in Australia. However, a lack of understanding for the stories and information portrayed by such arts has led to many young and current generations to believe that the country is in the midst of culture versus historical war. Arts can play a significant role in ensuring that indigenous people's cultural background is well articulated and respected by non-indigenous and the current generation of the community (Martin, 2013). To understand the significance of the art used to promote the indigenous people of Aboriginal, each and every person should accept the role played by these arts in promoting socio-economic and political changes among the indigenous groups.
Arts move people emotionally whenever one thinks of the lost culture of the indigenous group. Artists are also attached to the images they craft since they feel changed and enthused every time they make the arts images. The reason why arts encourage compact culture resurgence is because of its close look at historical images about the origin of the indigenous people (Martin, 2013). Aboriginal people use arts to illustrate decolonial activism that they possess since it emerges from a cultural collision. One major cultural art form that promotes Aboriginal lifestyle is the making of a shell necklace which promotes a close tie between the Tasmanian Aboriginal women's hard work and the traditional lifestyle.
Conclusion and Recommendation
In promoting indigenous people's cultures, there needs to be policies that encourage close national and historical ties between indigenous populations and the cultural belief that defines their origins. In Canada, Australia, and North America, the traditional healing process for the resurgence of culture practices has been encouraged to familiarize the indigenous people with their past and present ways of living. Different aspects of cultural enhancement which include storytelling, music, education style, and cultural art promotion should be encouraged to promote indigenous group's cultural resurgence. It is becoming increasingly important that the indigenous people's value and culture is far from being stuck but rather represents a massive of diversified opinions of people that need to be preserved and globalized. The indigenous people's culture is rooted in rich historical beliefs thus supporting their existence among the people will always encourage a diversified community.
Reference
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Martin, B. (2013). Immaterial land and indigenous ideology: refiguring Australian art and culture (No. Ph. D). Deakin University.
Monchalin, L. (2016). The colonial problem: An Indigenous perspective on crime and injustice in Canada. University of Toronto Press.
Phillips, G. (2003). Addictions and healing in Aboriginal country. Aboriginal Studies Press.
