This time of the year, roughly around December, large populations of the world focus their attention on Christmas and other holiday celebrations born from different religious and cultural traditions. However, within the Native American communities, there is a much deeper sense of winter in their culture that has spanned centuries through practices and connections with nature. This season has been used for storytelling, spiritual ceremonies and community gatherings. Listed are some ways different Native nations have celebrated and honored winter:
Winter is a period of spiritual introspection among the Iroquois Confederacy. One of the important ceremonies, the Midwinter Ceremony, is usually celebrated during the month of January. It is the time of purification and giving thanks, a time of renewal and being grateful combined into one. The Iroquois give thanks to the Great Spirit, praying for the strength of the people and celebrating the upcoming spring season through renewal of the mind, and spirit of harmony and peace among members in the community.Â
Among the Plains tribes, which include Lakota and Dakota, the Winter Solstice is observed as the holiest of the times when the sun moves back, renewing its powers and giving fresh beginnings in building up to Sun Dance Ceremonies of summer. This season falls solely with fasting, prayers and returning oneself towards the attachments with Earth and Society.Â
In the Pacific Northwest, the Indigenous groups include the Haida and Kwakwaka’wakw, who hold a Potlatch Ceremony in winter. This ceremony marks life events and reinforces community relationships by demonstrating wealth and generosity, drawing on social cohesion and respect for tradition.Â
Winter is also a time of storytelling among many Native nations in the Great Plains, including the Lakota, who keep a Winter Count, or pictorial calendar, to record important events. Elders use this season to pass down wisdom, uphold tradition and instill a sense of identity in the younger generation.Â
Among the Navajo, the Night Chant Ceremony is an essential curative rite of winter to reestablish balance and to effect cures. Such a ceremony would include prayers, songs and dances linking the individual to the natural world, the ancestors and the cosmic forces.Â
Living in the western part of the hemisphere, especially in the United States and Canada, it’s crucial to remember that Native American traditions should be embraced all year round, whether it is through education or forms of cultural observance, because this was, and always will be, Native land.