The Tsimshian of the Pacific Northwest Coast-Group #4: Religion

Geographic Information

Thousands of years ago the Tsimshian lived on the upper reaches of the Skeena River near present-day Hazelton BC. However, a series of disasters occurred and some of the Tsimshian, led by a prince, had to migrate away to the coast, where they founded Kitkatla, one the oldest continually inhabited communities on Earth. Later on, other Tsimshian chiefs then migrated down the river and began to occupy all the lands of the lower Skeena valley. Now, the Tsimshian communities are located in multiple places such as: British Columbia and Alaska, around Terrace and Prince Rupert and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island.

Background Information

Over the course of migrating, the Tsimshian established a new dialect and distinctively considered themselves as a population, all while sharing the customs/rights of their kin from the upper Skeena. The approximation of the number of Tsimshian people back then were around 10,000. In 1862, the smallpox epidemic hit the Tsimshian people and annihilated many of them, as well as a few future epidemics. A while later, the head chiefs led the process of assimilation to become what the White colonists are, and so they adopted the culture, religion and language. However, the Tsimishian did go back to their tradition in the 1970s. A century before that, the people requested a settlement, but then later became a reservation in Alaska, under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which still goes on today.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Religion

  The Tsimshian religion is based around one “Lord of Heaven”. This deity aided those who were in need. The Lord would send mystical servants to earth to help whoever was in despair. These servants would come in many different forms (such as natural objects) but were mostly young children, bolts of lightning and animals. The God is worshiped through offerings, prayer, and smoke rings from a fire. Those that do not follow the rules of heaven and commit acts such as murder, adultery, and those that generally don't believe in or speak poorly of him are thought of to be hated by him. Acts that are in the Tsimshian's best interest include simple acts of humanity like being nice to the poor, not being greedy, and treating the Sun and Moon (God's messengers) with respect.

     It was believed that the path to being in good standing with God, as well as in the afterlife, was opened through charity and purification of the body. Purification was achieved through physical cleanliness or fasting. Cleanliness involved bathing and washing their whole bodies (especially before prayer) and many induced vomiting for a mostly empty stomach. Another method of obtaining the best possible outcome of prayer is to abstain from being intimate with their loved ones. Prayer was not necessarily given directly to God, but to his helpers. The afterlife was thought of to be very similar to the life of the living; there were fish that they gathered for food, and many other animals that were always readily available. The only main difference was that the seasons were switched.

     After being partially assimilated into the culture of the white colonists that migrated to North America, the Tsimshian started to adopt English Protestant religious views. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that the Tsimshian returned to their original ideals and started teaching religion in school.

Alaska Tsimshian Tribe. Electronic Document.

2006. http://alaskannature.com/tsimshian.htm

1 comment:

UnknownApril 14, 2014 at 6:14 PM
Hunter,
I am glad to see you posting on the blog. Religion is always an interesting topic, but it is a bit brief, and you have no REFLECTIVE POST. Everything you do, keep it consistent with your other group members. Also, following the AAA Style Guide, you need to add when you accessed the electronic document to your reference. Now, concentrate on your delivery for tomorrow, and tomorrow you have all day to work on these additions. Thanks for posting. Like I say, this looks very promising. You can make it a really great post.
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