Loss of Indigenous Eden and the Fall of Spirituality
by Blair Stonechild
Published by University of Regina Press
Review by Shelley A. Leedahl
$32.95聽 ISBN 9-780889-776999
Blair Stonechild鈥檚 made a name for himself as the skilled writer of numerous nonfiction books, and as a professor of Indigenous Studies at Regina鈥檚 First Nations University of Canada. Stonechild鈥檚 led an interesting life. He attended Residential School, obtained his doctorate and became an academic and historian, and he鈥檚 worked closely with First Nations Elders for more than forty years. He鈥檚 supremely well qualified to write on Indigenous spirituality, and that鈥檚 precisely what he鈥檚 mastered in his latest book.聽
In this ten-chaptered new title, Stonechild discusses how 鈥渢he Indigenous world preceded that of modern civilization, that it contained values vital to human survival, and that the significance of ancient beliefs needs to be re-explained for today鈥檚 world鈥�. The author鈥檚 travelled globally to visit other Indigenous communities, and writes that 鈥渨e all share incredibly strong beliefs about the transcendent鈥�.聽聽聽
So why, according to Indigenous spirituality, are we here? 鈥淭o be the servant of the creator,鈥� in the physical bodies we鈥檙e given, and, as Musqua professed, 鈥減hysical life is intended to be a challenge鈥�. Spiritual tools consist of Seven Disciplines: 鈥渇asting, sharing, parenting, learning, teaching, praying, and meditating鈥�. (I know something of this: my brother, Ron Meetoos (RIP), a Cree from Thunderchild First Nation, was an Elder. I鈥檒l never forget his dedication to his culture: he participated in a Sun Dance 鈥� I saw the wounds on his chest.)聽
One need only consider the current Covid-19 pandemic to feel great despair for our world, but perhaps if more of us 鈥渕aintain[ed] a strong belief in the cyclical nature of all created things,鈥� as Indigenous Elders do, hope would supersede fear, and we鈥檇 all enjoy this journey on Earth far more.
