Journey to the Spirit World
Indigenous Worldview (Interview With the Elders):
Amongst the Cree, the latter part of life was known as “buffalo days” or “pre-contact days”, when people passed on to the other world after living very long lives that were very spiritually fulfilling. In their circle of life, with one’s birth, honor was paid to the South. In youth, which was the second phase, honor was given to the West. An adult looked to the North. As one began to weaken, have less strength, and the body became smaller, spiritual awareness focused on the East.
As an old person began to show signs of aging, with white hair, baldness, or becoming childlike, this was a sign that they were preparing to finish their cycle here on earth and return to the spirit world. This completion of a cycle of life was welcomed and viewed as a new beginning as the individual prepared for return to the spirit world from whence they came. Old age was a natural progression, a fulfillment of purpose that gave them the status of 'elder'.
An elder is still obliged to keep themselves as fit as possible so that they may be of benefit to the younger generation and transmit the ancient knowledge to them. Spiritually gifted elders would know when this time was near and make certain preparations, welcoming their change of worlds. In many indigenous cultures, death is seen both as a time of sadness and celebration.
The crying of the child entering our world is seen as the tears of one who weeps in sadness at having left the presence of the Creator. The tears of sadness transform into tears of happiness, joyful in the prospect of a new time in this world. Just as the concept of entering our world is a time of sadness and a time of joy for a child, so is this true for an elder, celebrating achievements of this lifetime and sorrow for having to depart from loved ones. People come together at this time to recount the accomplishments and good deeds of one who has contributed to helping his fellow man.
After a person passes on, there is a period of four days in which time it is believed the person’s loved ones are in a state of sacredness. Special songs are sung at that time to acknowledge this sacredness of death, to bring forth comfort to the ones who are mourning, and also to prepare the deceased for his journey into the spirit world and return to the Creator.
Drums and song are used at this time and are believed to be heard throughout the high heavens by the forefathers and ancestors. They are aware that a person is about to make their journey into the spirit world and return to join them. With open arms the ancestors are believed to be waiting for this person, to welcome him and look forward to being in his presence.
Unseen things are happening at this time and they are acknowledged when the elders come together to pray. Many things are also observed during the four days of mourning. If the Northern Lights appear during this time, it is a good sign and believed that the ancestors are dancing and preparing to welcome him. It is also a sign that the person will have a great journey.
Great care is taken to prepare the clothing to be worn by the one who has passed. Sacred objects are gathered and considered at this time. With the Cree, the most sacred possession, the pipe, is not buried with the deceased. Usually instructions are given as to who should receive this sacred pipe.
Other preparations are made to help the deceased on his journey. Moccasins should be worn to symbolize the indigenous path of the Indian. In some cases special designs and sacred paint are painted on the face of the deceased to assist them and so that they may be recognized when they make their journey. A lot of elaborate ceremonies are associated with passing on to the next world.
It was believed that the hair was strongly connected to the spirit of the person. This is why amongst the Cree, sacred bundles were made. The hair of a relative who passed on was cut and kept in a bundle. As the family traveled, they would have feasts around this bundle to acknowledge their relative who had passed on to the other world.
When an enemy was killed and traveled back into the spirit world he would announce to the ancestors of the various nations and tribes on the other side that his life had been terminated by the warrior who survived the battle and lived to tell about it. So when a warrior who had been brave in battle died, and the time came for him to enter the spirit world, the warriors on the other side would welcome him as a great warrior. This was the code of the warrior.
Certain natural laws came into play, such as defending the homelands of the Indian nation or defending the women and children. This was considered an honorable act of bravery. In a society with a warrior culture, a lot more is involved than just being a fighter. One form of warriorship was spiritual warriorship. This internal warriorship involved practices of self-disciplined mastery.
Women frequently produced shrill cries to give courage to a man, uplifting his spirit. They did this as well when there was a funeral and people gathered to mourn. The women of the Cree nation have a very unique sound of wailing and crying that cannot be found in any other nation in the world. It is done in unison and harmonized. It is very special and powerful including sadness and joy at the same time.
All Plains Indians took great effort in honoring their deceased. They would build scaffolds on the high point of hills and mountains, orienting the body of the deceased in a certain direction. If a warrior died, often his horse would be killed as well and the horse’s head and tail tied to the scaffold with the person. Elevating the scaffold brought the deceased closer to the heavens, shortening his journey. The scaffold containing the body would be up for a few days depending upon how long the family wished to mourn. This ceremony symbolized the connection between Heaven and the Earth. A spirit could travel more freely when high above the earth and they were honored in this manner.
In some societies, the body would either be left on the scaffold for its remains to return to Mother Earth or taken down and placed in a teepee as a symbol. Natural forces of nature, such as the rain, would cause the physical body to mix back again with the plants and grass and become one with the earth. Special caves were also used as burial sites.
Commentary by Almine: When Death Existed as a Reality
In shamanic traditions death has been called the “tumbler” and throughout the ages was understood to be a tumbling force that rolled against the energy fields of man. Each life form’s energy field resembles different shapes. Man’s energy field is in the shape of an egg. The trials and tribulations of life were used by the tumbler as allies to bring wear and tear to the luminous cocoon or egg surrounding the body of the human being, which contains the life force.
As seen within the lifestyles of indigenous peoples, man uses the interrelationship of all life as his allies. He gathers his spiritual strength from the mountains, his fluidity from the rivers, his honesty, integrity, and uprightness from the straight growth of the trees, and balance, nurturing and health from the soil.
In acknowledging the interrelatedness of all life, man became no longer at the mercy of the tumbler who used adversity as his ally. He stood strong, not as an isolated being, but as part of all Creation. In the warrior societies, he took the gift of misfortune a step further, and used hardships as his allies, stealing them away from death. He did this by realizing that adversity is but a challenge in disguise, and that a challenge is but an insight in disguise. Insight, once gained, released to him its power.
Once he learned to wrestle away from death the gift of challenges, the crystallized power held within was unleashed. Many warriors become addicted to challenge, inviting it into their lives for the sake of gaining the power that the insights yield. When this was accomplished, death could no longer use the challenges of life to wear down the warrior’s luminous cocoon.
Eventually, death itself became the warrior’s ally instead of his enemy. Realizing that death stalked him mercilessly every day of his life, he used it as an instrument to sharpen his senses and to live his life as if every day were his last. In this way, he was never found wanting for courage, heroism, honesty, or service to his tribe.
He went forth each day reminding himself that it was a “good day to die.” When viewed from an outside perspective, these words might seem morbid and obsessed with death. The secret behind them, however, was that his statement held a love of life valuing each moment as though it were the last.