Limited research has been conducted into First Nations' healing, particularly in the area of First Nations' spiritual connection. First Nations' spiritual connection is perceived to be important from a counselling perspective. The intent of this study was to construct a fairly comprehensive guide of what helps and what hinders spiritual connection among members of British Columbia's (BC's) First Nations, through a First Nations' voice. Eleven adult members of First Nations living in BC were interviewed to obtain information in the form of critical incidents regarding what helps or what hinders spiritual connection. From these interviews, 29 categories were described as what helped or hindered spiritual connection. These are: ceremonial activities, Elder's teachings/guidance, establishing a connection with nature, prayer, family connection, changing thinking, spiritual beliefs, supernatural experiences, residential school, helping others, seeking help, dreams, role model, spiritual practices, self awareness/self acceptance, receiving your name, cultural preservation/ reclamation, sacred object, First Nations' traditional beliefs, alcoholism and drug recovery, visions, establishing social connection, creative activity, philosophy of life, joining organized religion, teachings/guidance, cultural connection/cultural awareness, relationship to the Creator, speaking a traditional First Nations' language. The findings of this study contribute to the field of counselling psychology by providing a reasonably comprehensive scheme of categories and themes that describe, from a First Nations' perspective what facilitates spiritual connection.

Limited research has been conducted into First Nations' healing, particularly in the area of First Nations' spiritual connection. First Nations' spiritual connection is perceived to be important from a counselling perspective. The intent of this study was to construct a fairly comprehensive guide of what helps and what hinders spiritual connection among members of British Columbia's (BC's) First Nations, through a First Nations' voice. Eleven adult members of First Nations living in BC were interviewed to obtain information in the form of critical incidents regarding what helps or what hinders spiritual connection. From these interviews, 29 categories were described as what helped or hindered spiritual connection. These are: ceremonial activities, Elder's teachings/guidance, establishing a connection with nature, prayer, family connection, changing thinking, spiritual beliefs, supernatural experiences, residential school, helping others, seeking help, dreams, role model, spiritual practices, self awareness/self acceptance, receiving your name, cultural preservation/ reclamation, sacred object, First Nations' traditional beliefs, alcoholism and drug recovery, visions, establishing social connection, creative activity, philosophy of life, joining organized religion, teachings/guidance, cultural connection/cultural awareness, relationship to the Creator, speaking a traditional First Nations' language. The findings of this study contribute to the field of counselling psychology by providing a reasonably comprehensive scheme of categories and themes that describe, from a First Nations' perspective what facilitates spiritual connection. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Cet ouvrage examina une cérémonie particulière aux Kwagul de Colombie Britannique: le rituel d'initiation hamatsa. Basée sur une recherche effectuée en pays kwagul et enrichie de nombreuses données ethnographiques, la thèse s'appuie au niveau théorique : sur des travaux récents de Lévi-Strauss et de Turner. Afin d'atteindre la structure du rituel per se, nous, l'expurgeons de ses gloses et exégèses. Ses mythologies implicite, et explicite sont analysées. La première réfère à la vision du monde kwagul et à son ethos. L'éthos kwagul est constitué d'un ensemble de thèmes rituels qui tous relèvent du principe de transformation de la mort en la vie. La vision du monde kwagul est à l'image d'un monde zoo ou anthropomorphique doté d'une unique cavité appelée par les kwagul, la bouche. C'est par l'intermédiaire de celle-ci que les transformations s'opèrent. L'analyse des codes culinaires déployés dans les mythes et les rites dévoile que la mort et la Création sont exprimées par des métaphores orales. La mythologie explicite composée du paradigme mythique Baxbakwalanuxsiwae est analysée sur une période d'un siècle, confirmant certaines caractéristiques de l'évolution des mythes. Le mythe exprime une exogamie démesurée à laquelle s'oppose sa limite inférieure; le rapprochement trop étroit d'un frère et d'une soeur que les Bella Bella et les Kwagul illustrent dans la phase finale de leurs mythes et de leurs rites. La métaphore cannibalique est analysée sous l'angle de la parenté; elle circonscrit le champ de l'alliance acceptable par la culture. La femme est perçue alors comme le médiateur entre les humains et les ogres surnaturels. Evoquant le thème de la grande naissance, les différentes séquences du rituel hamatsa sont analysées chronologiquement. Au cours de son initiation, afin de surpasser sa "mort", l'initié devait manger la "mort". A la mort symbolique du novice correspond une naissance symbolique suivie d'une socialisation réelle. La comparaison mythe/rite permet finalement de conclure que la démarche rituelle ne répète pas systématiquement la démarche de la pensée mythique, mais au contraire l'inverse. Cette inversion est due à l'emploi du morcellement et de la répétition qui fait que le rite remonte le mythe à contresens. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate