CITADEL HIGH SCHOOL Mik’maq Studies 10
Social Studies Department J. Montgomery
October 23, 2007.
NAME: ______
OUTCOMES: S1-S4
Section A: Significant Concepts
Define/explain and give the significance of each of the following concepts as they directly relate to the course content.
Value: 4 points per concept (2 point for definition/2 point for significance) = 20 points
Suggested time: 15-20 minutes
- Spirit Guides
- Sacred Circle
- Peace Pipe
- Matrilineal
- Sweats
Section B: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question. Only select one answer for each question.
Value: 1 point per question = 10 points
Suggested Time: 7-10 minutes
1. Which of the following is not one of the four elements present in the sweat lodge:a. Earth / b. Fire
c. Air / d. Trees
2. The four colours present in the Mi’kmaq Sacred Circle are:
a. Red, Blue, Black, Yellow / b. Red, White, Black, Blue
c. Red, White, Yellow, Black / d. Red, Yellow, Black, Green
3. When speaking of the sweat lodge, the “grandfathers” are:
a. The male elders, who are to be respected / b. The trees used every year to build the lodge
c. The stones heated in the fire to make steam / d. The spirits that are prayed to
4. “Msit No’kmaq” is a M’kmaq term meaning:
a. All my relations / b. All my elders
c. Respect thy mother / d. Save our land
5. The Pipe Carrier is selected by:
a. An election / b. The Medicine woman
c. Interviews / d. Heredity
6. According to the Mi’kmaw people, the Eagle father is sacred because:
a. They are rare and almost extinct / b. he has touched the face of god
c. They are regal and represent sophistication / d. he is able to fly, unlike humans
7. Terri Jean states that Native American Spirituality is often confused with:
a. New Age / b. Aboriginal Spirituality
c. Voo Doo / d. Self-Help
8. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Native people were not allowed to have dances because:
a. It was seen as inappropriate to celebrate during a time of such discrimination. / b. they were seen as a protest against federal government forces.
c. It was a violation of the Indian Act / d. They were not permitted in local dance halls
9. Which commitment are the participants in a Naming Ceremony NOT asked to agree to:
a. Abstain from sexual intercourse until marriage / b. Abstain from recreational drugs
c. Limit or abstain from alcohol abuse. / d. promise to do everything in their power to guide people away from having abortions
10. Terri Jean asserts that “Genuine spiritual leaders would not set out to…”:
a. Share their teaching with non-Natives / b. become politically active
c. demonstrate their spiritual abilities in public / d. make a profit
Section C: Fill in the Blank
Fill in the blanks with the word or term that best fits its concept.
Value: 1 point per blank = 25 points
Suggested Time: 10-15 minutes
1. ______may be conducted as a preliminary to other activities, such as a fast.
2. In the center of the lodge is a fire pit , into which the ______are placed by the ______.
3. The bowl of the sacred pipe, with its hole for accepting the pipe stem, represents the ______; the stem, then, represents the ______. Joining the pipe symbolizes a union and a balance between these two aspects of the world.
4. Spirit Guides are ______spirits, such as ______the Bear.
5. Your spiritual colour is actually the colour of your ______.
6. Clans are identified by animals, like the turtle or moose, and are of ______lineage.
7. The sacred pipe is often mistakenly referred to as the ______pipe.
8. Because the circular shape, of the Medicine Wheel, represents the passage of the sun and the seasons, discussion of the Wheel usually starts in the ______direction.
9. ______the sun; the giver of life, light and heat, which travels in a circle and owes its existence to Creator.
10. The highest honour that can be bestowed on anyone is the presentation of the ______. It is presented to someone who has given themselves unselfishly in order to benefit the community.
11. ______is a sacred herb which has the property to bring the positive energies of love.
12. Referred to as ______, the ______ceremony serves as the opening process for prayer circles, gatherings as well as higher ceremonies
13. Represents the center of all life – the heart.
14. Native people believe that the ______and the ______share the same purpose and responsibility – providing life through its beat.
15. Popular ______are the dog, ______, ______, ______, ______.
16. ______was responsible for the creation of all things.
17. ______, or Creator; the one who made everything. Sometimes referred to as Kji Niskam (Jee nis-gam), or the Great Spirit.
Section D: Spiritual Symbols
Complete the table below regarding MI’kmaq Spirituality.
Value: 1 point per cell = 10 points
Suggested Time: 10 minutes
Item / Definition/use / Spiritual significanceFeathers
Sacred Pipe
Sweet Grass
Sweat Lodge
Drums
Section E: Short Answer.
On looseleaf, discuss TWO (2) of the following questions with regards to Mi’kmaq Spirituality.
Value: 10 points per answer =20 points
Suggested Time: 20 minutes
1. Describe and define the seven directions of the Medicine Wheel as well as what they represent (give examples).
2. Based on what you have learned about Mi’kmaq spirituality, discuss, using examples, how this quote is representative of Mi’kmaq spirituality:
“So this is what we truly believe. This is what reinforces our spiritualities: that no being is greater than the next, that we are part and parcel, we are equal, and that each one of us has a responsibility to the balance of the system”.
- Albert Marshall, Mi'kmaq Elder, from an interview in Taking Charge of the Bras d'Or: Ecological Politics in the 'Land of Fog'
3. Read the poem below. Explain how the poem relates to the spirituality of the Mi’kmaq people. Be sure to use direct examples from the curriculum.
THE SACRED CIRCLE
“You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in
a circle, and that is because the power of the world always
works in circles, and everything tries to be round. In the old days all
our power came to us from the sacred hoop of the nation and so long
as the hoop was unbroken the people flourished. The flowering tree was
the living center of the hoop, and the circle of the four quarters nourished it.
The east gave peace and light, the south gave warmth, the west gave rain and the
north with its cold and mighty wind gave strength and endurance. This knowledge came to
us from the outer world with our religion. Everything the power of the world does is
done in a circle. The sky is round and I have heard that the earth is round like a
ball and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds
make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The
sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon
does the same and both are round. Even the seasons
form a great circle in their changing and
always come back again to
where they were.”
- Black Elk