APTN National News
A pipe ceremony is causing a controversy at the University of Saskatchewan.
The ceremony was criticized by a professor for discriminating against women.
But the ceremony’s organizers disagree.
APTN’s Chris Stewart has the story.
I rarely comment, but as a young Anishinaabikwe, I thought it would be appropriate.
We Anishinaabe women have separated ourselves from men when we menstruate since time immemorial. Many scientists now believe that women secrete pheromones during menstruation which agitate and even physically influence men and non-menstruating women. Menstruating women are powerful because their bodies purify themselves and are preparing to become fertile again. The fact that women can create and nourish new life is most sacred and honored deeply. Insinuating that we are sexist is laughable. Hello! We were feminists when white women were not afforded autonomy by their own kin.
I never really understood either. I am a First Nations Woman and I never really got a lot of the teaching yet. No matter how many times I ask and listen. I heard them say that she is very powerful at “Moon time”. and that she could render his prayers useless. Maybe we should be teaching the woman to do the ceremony and especially on her “Moon time” so that it is “Powerful”. I feel that these ceremonies could turn the world around when it is at its most powerful. Instead she is excluded because it puts the mans ceremony to harm? Sounding to me like she should not be trusted because she is powerful.
Women on their ‘moon time’ are more powerful than at any other time because they have the power to create life (during their moon time they can get pregnant). In our culture, woman at that time of month had to be careful with her power. We girls were taught to never step over a man’s legs because we could weaken them and they would not have a good hunt. The Native culture sees women as very powerful, life creating and to be cherished. They are not excluding women, they are asking the women that are at a more powerful point of their lives to be considerate of others that are weaker in power.
That’s the best I can explain it with what I have been taught.
I am glad the students took the time to have a Teach-In to discuss this professor’s commentary and opinion in the Campus News, it allows themselves to renew a very special part of womanhood that we hold sacred. However, am not happy with the VP of Student Affairs who wrote to all indigenous faculty, staff, and students that they were in no position to carry on a campus consult because he believes they (natives) are not in a frame to engage fully in the consultation meeting. Exact words, I believe the Saskatoon Star Phoenix has this very letter in last week’s columns. Very patronizing to say the least, when he is among colleagues who seem rational enough to obtain PhD’s, Masters Degrees, and undergraduate status. Am certain they were fit enough to engage in a normal state of mind. – Darlene R. Okemaysim-Sicotte
I don’t really understand why women are being excluded, two different people in the video tried to explain it, but I didn’t really get what they were trying to say.
Why do these ceremonies have to be exclusionary to certain women?