On the Origins and Spread of Pan-Indian Spirituality in Canada

Abstract

Since the 1960s, often in an urban setting and alongside the Friendship Centre movement, emerged a form of pan-Indian spirituality often used to connect urban Aboriginal people living far from their home communities and provide a safe cultural meeting place, a harbour for political protest, and an opportunity to embark on healing journeys. This paper will provide an introduction into some of the characteristics of pan-Indian spirituality mainly as expressed through the Healing Movement in particular, the social contexts in which it is emerging, and its national and international reach. The example of the Healing Movement, I argue, demonstrates the complexities of pan-Indian Spirituality, since it is developing through an interplay with localized Indigenous traditions and increasing levels of cross-tribal cultural and spiritual sharing, the encounter of Anglo-European and Indigenous cultures in the development of an ideology of pan-Indian spirituality, and the opportunities and challenges of the significant urbanized nature of Canadian First Nations’ lives.