THE EMBODIMENT OF BLACKFOOT PRAYER AS WELLNESS ANGELA GRIER BA, University of ...

293 Pages·2014·0.95 MB·English

AISTIMATOOM: THE EMBODIMENT OF BLACKFOOT PRAYER AS
WELLNESS
ANGELA GRIER
B.A., University of Lethbridge, 2003
A Thesis
Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies
of the University of Lethbridge
in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF EDUCATION
(COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY)
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA
June 2014
AISTIMATOOM: THE EMBODIMENT OF BLACKFOOT PRAYER AS WELLNESS
ANGELA GRIER
Date of Defence: May 30, 2014

Dr. Cynthia Chambers Professor Emeritus Ph.D.
Thesis Supervisor

Dr. Leroy Little Bear Professor Emeritus Ph.D.
Thesis Committee Member

Dr. Gary Tzu Associate Professor Ph.D.
Thesis Committee Member
Dr. Dwayne Donald Associate Professor Ph.D.
External Examiner
University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta

Professor Linda Many Guns Assistant Professor Ph.D.
Chair, Thesis Oral Examination
Committee
Dedication
This work is dedicated to my mother, Sandra Big Bull Grier, Iikstonanatsis (Thin
Needles). May you find the peace that you have always deserved in the heavens,
alongside your family who now can be in peace there with you, if not here on earth.

iii
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis was to identify culturally appropriate means of engaging with
Blackfoot and Indigenous clients seeking counselling. Blackfoot prayer is symbolic of the
entire sacred worldview and universe of the Blackfoot people. This research intended for
a holistic understanding of wellness to emerge from the study of Aatsimoiskaan (Prayer).
This thesis employed an Indigenous research paradigm to ensure that the methodology
was culturally appropriate. The research question was, “What does prayer say about
wellbeing?” The researcher interviewed four members of sacred societies within the
Blackfoot Confederacy. The interviews were qualitative and interpreted hermeneutically.
The research identified five aspects of Blackfoot wellness to guide clients towards living
a meaningful Indigenous life. Prayer provides practitioners with: 1) key ingredients of
Blackfoot citizenry; 2) co-creation and autonomy in self healing; 3) decolonization of
identity, self, and life; 4) conscious purpose; and 5) healthy identity formation. The
findings of this research have practical use for counsellors who work directly with
Indigenous clients. Any changes in practice and program delivery, which include these
findings, will result in better outcomes for Indigenous, specifically Blackfoot, people
seeking counsel.
Keywords: wellness, prayer, Aboriginal worldview

iv
Acknowledgements
This thesis acknowledges my mother’s lifetime. I thank those who never gave up
on being Nitsitpi, the real people. I thank the efforts of people, like my mother, who stood
for something and did not fall for everything. They paved the paths for my generation to
forge through and make amends within and then externally. I thank my children for
putting up with me through this lengthy and tyrannical process at times. I promise you, it
will all pay off.
I thank Dr. Leroy Little Bear and his beautiful wife, Amethyst First Rider, for the
mentorship and the love they have given my family and me over the years. I thank my
thesis supervisor, Dr. Cynthia Chambers, for her dedication and strength through the last
stretch of my thesis; you have been amazing and scrupulous right to the end; no
compromising. I thank my committee member, Dr. Gary Tzu, for his support, now and in
the past.
I humbly thank my participants and all those with whom knowledge you carry. I
have had so many transformations and actualizations that are still shifting energies within
me.
I thank the staff at the University of Lethbridge for their continued support
through the duration of my graduate degree.
I extend my sincere gratitude to my transcribers: Paula Smith, Rita Morning Bull,
and Chantel Bad Eagle. I would also like to thank my gracious editor, Marlene Lacey, for
her outstanding contributions and her "shifting.”

v
Table of Contents
Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iii
Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iv
Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................v
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi
Chapter 1: Kiitaa Kiitsa Niikii, Setting the Context ............................................................1
Chapter 2: Ahp Pahk Skoo Kinaan, Colonization ................................................................7
Colliding Worldviews & State Dependency ............................................................9
Current Mental Health & Clinical Issues ...............................................................14
Post-Colonial Interventions & Historical Trauma .................................................18
Internalized Oppression .........................................................................................20
Chapter 3: Aa pata potok kimaan, Decolonization ............................................................24
Indigenous Renaissance & Decolonization ...........................................................24
Chapter 4: Tsanii Kinispa, Methodology ...........................................................................29
Methodology: Indigenous Research ......................................................................29
Indigenous Research Paradigm ..............................................................................31
Sources ...................................................................................................................32
Qualifiers................................................................................................................33
Ontology ................................................................................................................34
Axiology ................................................................................................................36
Epistemology .........................................................................................................38
Methodology ..........................................................................................................38
Thesis Methodology...................................................................................39
Limitations ................................................................................................42
Participants .............................................................................................................43
Participant A ..............................................................................................44
Andrew Blackwater ...................................................................................45
Carol Murray ..............................................................................................45
Allan Pard ..................................................................................................45
vi
Location of Study ...................................................................................................46
Research Design .....................................................................................................47
Archiving information ...........................................................................................49
Interpretation ..........................................................................................................49
Chapter 5: Aatsimoiskaan, Learning of One’s Spirituality & Psychological Well-being .49
Ritual and Ceremony .............................................................................................50
Approaching Blackfoot Spirituality & Psychotherapy ..........................................53
Spiritually Sensitive Counselling & Indigenous Psychology ................................55
Blackfoot Vows and Well-being ............................................................................61
Stoowapii: Cultural Confidence .............................................................................66
Ingredients for life ..................................................................................................69
Chapter 6: Nitsitapi, Identity..............................................................................................71
Culturally Blank .....................................................................................................76
Combating Cultural Confusion ..............................................................................81
Restructuring Blackfoot Identity............................................................................83
Blackfoot Names ....................................................................................................84
Gender and Identity ................................................................................................85
Lifelong Learning ..................................................................................................87
Kinship ...................................................................................................................90
Chapter 7: Aistomatoom, The Indigenous Paradigm .........................................................92
Understanding the Indigenous Paradigm through Values .....................................92
Values ....................................................................................................................93
The Indigenous Paradigm ......................................................................................95
Akwatapiio: Constant Flux .....................................................................................96
Api: Energy Waves ................................................................................................97
Tsookowakapii: Interrelatedness ............................................................................98
Aitahk Tsis Too Sispah: Renewal .........................................................................100
Tsako: Space as Reference ...................................................................................101
Blackfoot Prayers as the Indigenous Paradigm ...................................................102
Chapter 8: Discussion ......................................................................................................104
vii
Counsellor Recommendations .............................................................................107
Ethics....................................................................................................................108
Conclusion ...........................................................................................................109
References ........................................................................................................................112
Appendices .......................................................................................................................119
A: Participant A ...................................................................................................119
B: Andrew Blackwater .........................................................................................128
C: Carol Murray ...................................................................................................142
D: Allan Pard .......................................................................................................254
E: Personal Communication Reference List ........................................................284

viii
1
Chapter 1: Kiitaa Kiitsa Niikii, Setting the Context
In the Blackfoot culture, inapuntsii refers to “profess one’s successes” (A. Pard,
personal communication, October, 2011). Whether it takes place in a public domain or a
more intimate setting, this act of revelation refers to sharing with others the individual’s
fortunate incidences and to revealing what the person has overcome, their challenges, the
overcoming of barriers or what they have been doing with their life. Pard explains that
these reference the person’s character and that the person is entitled to speak on certain
aspects of life. The methodology section of this thesis describes Indigenous worldview; a
worldview that respects an integrated way of being that is congruent with the way this
research was conducted. Therefore, Blackfoot custom is relevant as this Indigenous
researcher “confesses” or kiitaa kiitsa niikii, tells a story.
To tell a story is to provide the reader with an understanding as to how the thesis
was manifested. As the Blackfoot culture stipulates, one must have a relationship and
authority to speak to issues on behalf of others. To conduct arbitrary research or decision
making, is to breach this relational protocol. I would like to demonstrate how I have the
right to tell this story.
When I am asked about the topic of my study, it often catches Blackfoot people
off guard because our sacred societal knowledge is protected. I am then obligated as a
Blackfoot person to demonstrate how I came to this topic. Indigenous methodology states
that a research topic must be practical for people it studies (Wilson, 2008) so this
discussion also must include what I plan to do with the findings.
2
Indigenous cultures around the world have survived because the Indigenous
research done in their communities was practical and useful to the communities in which
it was done. The transmission of knowledge in oral cultures is purposeful through the
active engagement in its world, therefore the research must actively engage with the
people it is to benefit.
The thesis evolved from my subjective experience as an academic and
professional. My professional history includes psychology and healing, thus my entry
into the discipline of counselling psychology. Throughout the succession of this writing, I
will interject aspects of my life and subjectivity and spirit to this writing.
In Blackfoot, kiitaa kiitsa nikii refers to recalling coup stories, which are stories of
triumphs or successes. The focus on the positive is a dominant theme in the thesis,
derived from the participant discussions. Therefore, I will recall my coups and how I
came to be able to talk about these things.
To begin, my goal in understanding colonialism was to identify its impacts on the
Indigenous psyches; this has been a focus of my study for over a decade. As a
practitioner can appreciate, one needs to understand what they are dealing with to
understand paths of reconciliation thereafter. I was educated personally, professionally
and academically to appreciate the impacts of colonization and its correlation with these
maladaptive behaviours; however these behaviours do not define the culture and
worldview of the Indigenous people. My experiences were fairly typical of other
Indigenous experiences; the similarities thus allow me not go too far beyond family for
references and examples.