Suwh-ts'eghedudinh: the Tsinlhqut'in niminh spiritual path
Date
2008-05-01T15:23:26Z
Authors
Smith, Linda R.
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Abstract
As Tsìnlhqút’ín one’s connectedness comes through the ancient stories, influencing one’s interactions with others in the community, respect for ancestors, and sustainable interaction with environment. The most powerful of these stories is the “the Bear Who Married a Woman” and the concept of nímính is central to its theme. Told by one Tsìnlhqút’ín elder, the story is full of the richness of ancient words, terms from the bear’s language, and vivid illustrations of ancient ways. This period, set out originally by mammals and fish to ensure that people continue to prosper and maintain respect for all life forms, is preserved in the term súwh-t@’éghèdúdính. This documentation sets out to partially shed light on the Tsìnlhqút’ín concept of an energy called nímính which manifests within individuals at the onset of a life transition (namely at birth, puberty, and death) lingering for varying durations from one week to an entire lifetime, and influencing subsistence items, places, and vegetation. Maintaining balance amidst a web of other lifeforms is an ancient lifeway which now seems a complex undertaking.
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the woman who married a bear, respect for all lifeforms, life transitions, maintaining balance