Dancing Under
The Paddle Ceremony
Honoring Our Women
In Ceremony
Ḵáwaan Sangáa
Woodrow
(Woody)
Morrison
- Vancouver
Traditional Haida
Historian &
Storyteller
This Ceremony I am preparing to do a second time, was done in 1940 by my Grandfather, in secret because it was against the law. Even now, I’ve been very reluctant to say anything about it because of some of the attitudes expressed by some of our own Indigenous people. I know how it felt to keep things secret because of fear of Government and I feel some of that same Wariness about doing it now.
The ceremony itself is very simple but it has a very long history attached - I will give you the abbreviated version.
To Begin: At the Beginning when the First Human was brought into Being by SangsG̱aanuwaay (Big Spirit in the Atmosphere) it was shaped from earth and water. it was perfect. So when the breath of life was put into it, it is called Ts’uswii (Spitting sound - puffs of air were put into this new Being (CPR - like) and it started breathing on it own, it was in harmony with the Universe.
This new Being was Female and it was perfect except for one problem, nothing is ever made with only one side. So this New Being, which was Female, was divided into two parts, the second part is the Male. When a woman gives birth to a child, the moment it makes its first cry it is in Harmony with the Universe - Jaataay Ts’uswii (The Woman’s Gift of Harmony). Thus the Children belong to the Woman’s side. WE are not Mankind, we are Humankind. The first requirement for being human is to be born of a woman.
With this Ceremony we rekindle the beginning of returning to Balance, or Sgaagaastluu (slack-tide). In the Ceremony the men make 4 promises - I will always protect you, I will always Provide for you, I will always walk beside you and, I will never interfere in your search for your own special place (in the Universe). Women need to return to internalizing "I am human and I will accept no treatment that is less than being treated as human). The men, "... not only will i stop abuse but will look on the world with a Soft Mind.
To explain a bit more: The women dancers. Each must be aware that this is not about her yet it is everything about her. Each represents the First Woman. What is she bringing into the world? Anger, Hurt, Guilt, etc. or for this short moment, the awareness of being Human, carrying not only the seeds of human survival but also the mind-set that will instill in us and those yet to come a sense of completeness, of happiness, trust, sharing and the knowledge that all of Creation are our relatives and not simply objects of commerce. All Humans share a Beginning in common; none is superior.
Men's responsibility to Women
He has an absolute responsibility to Protect which also includes to Provide For, and to Walk beside her through a world often fraught with danger. Each Human is a Unique Creation and must be treated as such: the woman has feelings, hopes, aspirations, dreams and as Human deserves to be treated as such. As she walks through this life she has dreams, needs, wishes, etc. and it is my responsibility to not interfere in her search for her own Special Place and, to ensure others do not interfere in that Quest.
Haw'aa for the support from First People's Cultural Council: BC Language Initiatve and the collaboration of Strathcona Community Center with the Vancouver Haida Elder Collective 2019.
Haw'aa for the support from First People's Cultural Council: BC Language Initiatve and the collaboration of Strathcona Community Center with the Vancouver Haida Elder Collective 2019.
