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This essay was written by my (sixteen year old) daughter Zainab for an Aboriginal studies University class she took with Professor Georges Sioui, a very unique and knowledgeable First Nations teacher and a dignified and compassionate man. The directions in which he took the class (mixing spirituality and history) meshed beautifully with independent readings on Islamic history and traditional Islamic spirituality that my daughter and I undertook together. The understanding that emerged from her Islamic readings flowed naturally into a beginning grasp of traditional First Nations societies - those within which metaphysical/mythological consciousness flowed like a lifeblood that informed and affected all aspects of those societies. The spiritual roots that nourished traditional societies have undergone devastating damage in modern times and this essay, although it speaks specifically about art in the Amerindian context, applies generally to all traditional societies.

Spirituality in Art in Aboriginal societies (Zainab Hussain)

Aboriginal art arises from and is connected to the natural and supernatural world through its form and content. It is therefore an art permeated with the spiritual meanings which traditional Amerindian societies associated with the natural world and the importance which they placed upon it. This art, as it existed in traditional societies, was not an art designed only for museums or for the creation of decorative objects but it was art that was embedded into everyday functional objects that were in use by that society. Living in a world where everything was connected to both natural and spiritual domains, their art was imbued with meaning, and this created an atmosphere which encouraged a society to remain constantly connected to both natural and spiritual worlds.

It was assumed by the Europeans that the Indians, before they (the Europeans) arrived, did not have the leisure time necessary to make art, because they were too busy simply trying to survive. They assumed that the only time the Indians made art was for major events, such as births, deaths, events related to food supplies (such as the harvest or the hunt), and other things associated with survival. This was because the Europeans did not, and possibly could not, understand the Amerindian way of life and because they could not recognize an art that was dramatically different from European art.

The Amerindian way of life was one in which their well-being was linked with the earth, and in which they were intimately interconnected with everything in the natural world, and their art reflected this. While Europeans may have believed that they had no art or at best a primitive art, in fact the exact opposite was true. “…Evidence exists that the first peoples of this continent spent a great deal of time fancying up virtually every item of their cultural repertoire, primarily because they believed that every item, no matter how ordinary, was a gift from the Creator and somehow interconnected.”(1) Beautifying the object was a form of spiritual recognition, or worship, to show their appreciation for gifts received. Aboriginals never created art for the sake of art itself, unconnected to life, it always had a deeper meaning, usually spiritual. It was also simultaneously functional, whether it was a decorated pair of moccasins, a bowl, a weapon, or a tool - it had a practical function but it was also constructed in such a way as to remind the people of deeper connections.

Aboriginal art is different in a number of ways from non-traditional art forms. First, it is very old art - its roots possibly go back (according to recent estimates) between 25,000 to 40,000 years. It is a form of art that focused on primarily natural themes. The materials the Native artists used were strictly natural - they used components gathered from animals, minerals, and plants to create their artwork and the use of these materials in conjunction with the respectful and careful manner in which they were utilized emphasized the strong connection between what they created and the natural world. Finally indigenous art was almost always an expression of spiritual affinity, whether it was in weaponry, clothing, or housing, a spiritual obligation to the creator and all creation was inherent in the work itself and in the methods used to create the art.

Though there were many significant differences among the various Indigenous peoples, at base their beliefs had a degree of unanimity. Aboriginal people fundamentally believed in one all powerful being, the Creator or Great Spirit who created everything and who is engaged in a continual and perpetual act of creating and re-creating. The universe, the earth, and all of nature were perceived as gifts from the Creator, and therefore they had to show sincere appreciation and thanks for these gifts. They also believed that everything had a spirit and so deserved some level of respect. At this level they saw little difference between humans and animals, living and non-living, material and non-material, all were connected, essential to one another, and therefore to be respected. They believed that through their interconnectedness with creation they had a spiritual responsibility for the thoughts and actions that emerged from them. They had a profound regard for the earth as they saw it as a sustainer. Also they believed that, since each thing is complexly interconnected with the rest of creation, the world belongs to everyone and everything, including to the generations yet to come. Therefore they had a duty to keep the earth just as beautiful and useful for the generations yet to come as it was for them. For the Amerindians there was no separation between spirituality, culture, and everyday life. “The reality of the sacred circle of life, wherein all beings, material and immaterial, are equal and interdependent, permeates the entire Amerindian vision of life and the universe.”(2)

“The Indians did not set out to create art for its own sake. In traditional Indian thinking, there is no separation between art and life or between what is beautiful and what is functional. Art, beauty, and spirituality are so firmly entwined in the routine of living that no words are needed, or allowed, to separate them.”(3) Amerindian art was not merely something pretty to be put on display and admired as was often the case with European art, it had a real function and a spiritual meaning in it - it had its own spirit. One way in which the Amerindians showed their respect to the spirits of the things they made was to decorate the item to give it meaning through the decoration. They saw the art as a way to express their respect, appreciation, and understanding of the spiritual mystery of the universe, and everything it contains. Symbolic designs on everyday items, such as moccasins, were placed so that they could be seen best by the wearer (rather than by others) as a reminder, to themselves, of deeper truths. This was also true of items such as birch bark dishes, wooden bowls, drums, and other seemingly ordinary articles. And by wearing or using these items they were linking themselves to both the spiritual and natural worlds. “Aboriginal religious rites and Aboriginal art symbolize certain realties and at the same time bring those realties about….they have an active religious role of their own.”(4) They created and decorated commonplace objects as a spiritual exercise, These objects were linked to the natural world through their origin and through the manner in which they were made. They were linked to the spiritual world through the meaningful symbols which were embedded in them and through the religious concentration, the time and thought given to produce an object with practical and spiritual utility. This increased the appreciation for that object. These objects, through their decorative aspects, and through what they were made of, and through the way in which they were made, linked the user to both spiritual and natural worlds.

“Anyone who has studied traditional art becomes aware of the presence of an impressive amount of science which makes such an art possible. Some of the science is of a technical character which nevertheless remains both amazing and mysterious.”(5) The way in which natural materials were both utilized and worked shows a deep knowledge of natural processes and an ability to use these processes in a non-disruptive manner. An example of this knowledge is their obsidian blades, which can have a sharper edge than that attainable with metal. “Obsidian is a type of naturally occurring glass… obsidian blade edges can reach almost molecular thinness….”(6) Obsidian was used for weapons, tools, and also in their art work. They had to have a depth of knowledge in this and other matters related to their traditional civilization and in what it created “…in as much as man must know the manner of operation of nature before being able to imitate it.”(7) A way of passing on that knowledge was to teach that form of art to the younger generation, an art which involved understanding many natural sciences and which incorporated a complete spiritual outlook - a spiritual science.

Through this art that was connected to the natural world because it was made of natural materials and had natural themes, and that was connected to the spiritual world through its subject matter and through the way it was created and used, a unique environment was created. When people are surrounded by the messages carried by a natural and spiritual art that is present in every aspect of life, it creates an atmosphere that allows and encourages a society to remain in continual contact with the natural and spiritual worlds. The ultimate aim of all this art was to make the human being into a piece of art (8) - one that fits into the beauty of the natural and spiritual world. “…all human beings are sacred because they are an expression of the will of the Great Mystery.”(9) Traditional aboriginal society guided them in this direction. Even if there were some who did not have much of an interest in this path, the society and the atmosphere within it kept them within a certain range of connectedness to nature. This opposed to our modern day society in which it is a struggle to have any kind of contact with nature at all, and in which spirituality and religion plays only a disconnected and small part in our lives, and art is mainly for museums. In traditional aboriginal societies art encompassed all areas of life and embodied a sacred knowledge which powerfully and intimately connected the Amerindian to nature and to the Creator, to natural and spiritual worlds.

Notes

John W. Friesen and Virginia L. Friesen, Canadian Aboriginal Art and Spirituality: A Vital Link, (Calgary, Alberta: Detselig Enterprises Ltd., 2006) 15.

Georges E. Sioui, For an Amerindian Autohistory, (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1995) 9.

Anna Lee Walters, The Spirit of Native American Beauty and Mysticism in American Indian Art, (San Francisco, California: Chronicle Books, 1989) 17.

Max Charlesworth, “The Religious Sources of Australian Aboriginal Art,” Aboriginal Art and Spirituality, ed. Rosemary Crumlin (North Blackburn, Victoria: Collins Dove, 1991) 111.

Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Knowledge and the Sacred, (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1989) 265.

“Obsidian,” Wikipedia, 21 Nov 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian> (23 Nov 2007).

Nasr, 264.

Nasr, 274.

Sioui, 9.

Bibliography
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Crumlin, Rosemary, ed. Aboriginal Art and Spirituality. North Blackburn, Victoria: Collins Dove,1991.

Dickason, Olive Patricia, Canada’s First Nations: A History of Founding Peoples from Earliest Times. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Feder, Norman. Two Hundred Years of North American Indian Art. New York: Praeger, 1971.

Friesen, John W., and Virginia L. Friesen. Canadian Aboriginal Art and Spirituality: A Vital Link. Calgary, Alberta: Detselig Enterprises Ltd., 2006.

Harvey, Graham, ed. Indigenous Religions. New York, NY: Cassel, 2000

Jenkins, Philip. Dream Catchers. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Lipsey, Roger. Coomaraswmy Vol. 1 Selected Papers Traditional Art and Symbolism. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1977.

Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Islamic Art and Spirituality. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1987.

—. Knowledge and the Sacred. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1989.

Patterson, Nacy-Lou. Canadian Native Art. Don Mills, Ontario: Collier-Macmillan Canada, Ltd., 1973.

Rajnovich, Grace. Reading Rock Art. Toronto, Ontario: Natural Heritage/Natural History Inc., 1994.

Sioui, Georges W. For an Amerindian Autohistory, Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press,1995.

Walters, Anna Lee. The Spirit of Native American Beauty and Mysticism in American Indian Art. San Francosco, CA: Chronicle Books, 1980.

Wikipedia, 21 Nov 2007, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian> (23 Nov 2007).