Myth and Leyend Inuit

What is dream? What is reality? A dream is the representation of a crazy reality?

In this case, what is myth? What is legend? We have an explanation for these questions that we compile in our research about the myth and legend of the Inuit people from Canada.

Myth is a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events. (Oxford Dictionary)

Legend is a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated: the legend of King Arthur according to legend he banished all the snakes from Ireland. (Oxford Dictionary)

After these definitions, we need to establish a difference, which is in our opinion the sacred sense of Myth related to the Creation and the feature based on heroes of the Legend like the example of the last quotation.





Myths of Canada

We can ask ourselves, where does the need to create so many stories being in most cases irrational? Well, the necessity is because all in this world must have an origin, a creation or a purpose, so the man seeks to explain all of this questions creating an story to give a reason of why something exist.

Canada is a country rich in mythology above everything in cryptozoology (a pseudoscience involving the search for animals whose existence has not been proven) because we can see that in several myths created to people, the mean characters in these stories are strange animals that have not seen or unproven their existence. We may assume that due to a strong influence from United States, aboriginal people as the Inuit and the proximity to the North Pole, the country in that sense, share a rich culture from several places.

Several characters in the mythology of Canada come from the countries abovementioned, for instance, we have the case of “Sasquatch” or “Big Foot”, it is an apelike creature that lives in forest between United States and Canada and the creation of this story comes from aboriginal culture who said have seen this phenomenon. Other example is “Nanabozo”, it is a hero with forms of raven, coyote or hare and he represented the cycles of the life including the creation of animals and plants that served as food to aboriginal people, specifically Inuit people.

In that sense, Canada has a lot of myths from Inuit, being this culture the main of this country and as every culture, focusing on deities who live among more icy waters or who live in heaven, and who can intervene in celestial phenomena. Thus, they provide many stories such as origin of the world, origin of the man, the animals, the death, etc. and there is a point very interesting about their myths. Besides of those topics, they also could explain through their myths how eclipses occur and for this there is an incredible myth about that. They believed that the goddess of the moon and the good of the sun fell in love although they were but they felt the need for love, and for this reason they show their love every time there is an eclipse. Focusing on the origin of the man we can see that there is a similarity with what the bible says, because in the myth of Inuit they says, about the origin, that on the world there were only a man and only a woman, without animals, so they asked to Kaila (the god of the sky) that populate the earth. This is repeated in the myth of the death because they believe that one part of the soul from the person who died; go to heaven or to the hell. Incredibly they also believe that years ago there was a great flood that covered the whole earth and this would be the reason why there is ice and snow in the Arctic. There is not a specific reason about why they beliefs are like our beliefs, if we are Christian people, about the origin but we realize that their myths try to explain, equal like us, the origin of the whole world through stories, in this case myths, created by people that only think in give to their generations something to believe.




Legends

Is it real? The legend in part is based in real life, about people who live in a tribe and carry out their normal activities. And another stories with a bit of supernatural interventions like animals which can speak; an example is “The Blind boy and the Loon” where a loon save a boy of a terrible destiny, because his mother had left blind with a plants.

Continue with characteristics of legend, if the Myth is the sacred, the legend is wisdom. Why? The proud of people are in their legends about heroes, whose stories had been served of motivation and inspiration for poets and writers, but also it teaches to the people about the history of the tribe and it gives an advice.

As in many cultures the Inuit has a several histories about characters, which move in several scenes of problems that after a decision she/he gets over, or in other cases they could not get over and it stories finished with a sad final. In this case, the stories have a purpose of making someone feel like the character and he/she does not make the same mistake of this character quoted in the legend.

In the legends of the Lost Brothers, A Blind Son, etc. a story of with problems and after something, generally a change of attitude, the situation change to favor of the protagonist.

In this essay we give to know about the Myth and legend of Inuit people, the most know tribe in Canada and for our, it is the most important among the tribes from this country. In short, the Inuit myth has a connection with supernatural animals or humans with the capacity of change their body in an animal which help the people in their life, the myth of Nanabozo a hero that brought the fire to the people when they had not anything to heat up, also this character is attributed the creation of animal and plants. No exist doubt about the connection with the nature.

About the legend, there are many legends with different topics and situations, the legends mentioned before was extract of an interesting book “Inuit Legend” by Mark Kalluak –that shows a compilation of stories in English and in Inuil language. Just like Myth, the presence of animals with supernatural abilities is very common in these stories like in the “the Blind Boy and the Loon”.

The Inuit people is a tribe mark by legends and myths that explain many situations in the tribe and the same time teaching the people about the risk of feeling certain emotions and doing certain acts.

Bibliography

Gadacz R., Nanabozo. Retrieved from the Canadian Encyclopedia © 2012 Historica-Dominion
Mitología Canadiense. Bestiario internacional, sábado, 2 de junio de 2012.
Houston J., Inuit myth and legend. The Canadian Encyclopedia © 2012 Historica-Dominion
The blind boy and the loon, Virtual Museum. Retrieved from http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/exhibitions/holman/english/storytelling/blind_boy.php3
Myth, Oxford Dictionary. Retrieved from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/myth?region=us&q=myth
Legend, Oxford Dictionary. Retrieved from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/legend?region=us&q=legend

Traditions and Customs in Canada

What is the difference between Tradition and Custom?

“Tradition is the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation.” (Oxford Dictionary, 2012)
“Custom, traditional and widely accepted way of behaving or doing something that is specific to a particular society, place, or time.” (Oxford Dictionary, 2012)

We begin our essay with a question because sometimes is very difficult to establish a difference between them and because our essay going to center in special topics that we found interesting when searched information about the Traditions and Customs of Canada, also we believed that people who could read this essay understand these points are part of Canadian culture.

Our essay begins with the following topic;




Religion and National holidays

Each religion in the world has rituals, a higher power and prayers for instance, the Christianity, which is the main religion in Canada with a 90% of population. But it should say that in Christianity we found as either Roman Catholic or Protestant religion. But, who is the dominance? All throughout history is can see the strong influence from French settlers that inculcated this prominent religion in all Europe to the aboriginal people from generation to generation.

Besides this important religion which has most faithful in the world, a very important reason to be established in Canada, we found other religions as Judaism Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism and Islam, being the same as the Christianity an influence inculcated by immigrants. It should be pointed out that all of these religions can be freely expressed in the country, although there is one more important than another. For this reason many of the traditions established in Canada follows the lifestyle manifested in religions.

Some of these demonstrations of devotion are specifically in each religion mentioned before. It would be good highlighting some specific traditions of each one, as is the case of Hinduism that celebrating the festival of their New Year, according to luni-solar calendar system. It is related with calculate the cycles of the sun and the moon. Another case is the Islam where their festival is to celebrating the Feast of sacrifice ending in Mecca and consists in several rites of animal sacrifices to praise to Abraham and his son Ishmael. However, is we have to talk about festivals that move the whole world we must mention to Christianity, and in Canada also are celebrated, like in all countries where this religion is practiced, Christmas on December 25 according to the Gregorian calendar and Easter in April, considering that these celebrations are celebrated both Catholicism and Protestantism.

Another important theme is National Holidays that are respected in the country, not only days that are related with religion as we saw, but also New Year’s Day on January 1 and patriotic days which are celebrated with the same emotion than religious days. One of the most important patriotic days, if we can say the only, is the VICTORIA DAY (also known as May 24th, the Queen’s Birthday, Empire Day or Commonwealth Day) being a national holiday since 1901. Moreover, Canada Days is celebrated on July 1, and commemorates the existence of Canadian confederation in 1867. Now, exist also the labour day as in the whole world, but the difference with other countries is that is celebrated on the first Monday in September and the special is that people organize parades and picnics that day, having also a long weekend. Finally, an another important celebration of this country is REMEMBRANCE DAY, celebrated on November 11, and represent the end of Great War in 1918, starting the day by a moment of silence at 11 am and having gatherings and parades of people that was to the world wars in that time.

As we have seen, the traditions in Canada are strongly influenced by immigrants that have inculcated their traditions to the Canadian culture, and holding it from generations. And both religion and national holidays go hand in hand to allow a moment of enjoyment for people promoting a lifestyle.

Celebrations

We are going to talk about celebrations or festivals in Canada that are part of traditions and customs of this country. In special, we will talk about Winter Festivals, because they are a special type of celebrations, due to in their majority these celebrations were created for entertainment or distraction for people, who could not get entertainment in outdoors and suffered of boring during the winter by the snow and very cold temperatures that can low until 25° Celsius.

During the last century, the festivals became very famous and appreciated as a recreation.

Like the Québec winter carnival is the oldest festival in Canada, was celebrated by first time in February of 1894, since this year and every year at the same date, only years that the festival was not celebrated during the first and second war. In details, this celebration during seventeen days and you can appreciate more than three hundred shows and activities, also with two parades and an ice palace.

The following year, the festival will be since 1st to 17th of February.

Another festival is the “Festival on the Canal” that is located in the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, when the river is freeze by the low temperatures –that can low until 25°Celcious— and is converted in a skate way.

Also, the activities that involve the “Festival on the Canal” are the music, snow sculpture competitions, ice carving, igloo buildings workshops and sport of winter.

“Winter Light Festivals”, this festival is celebrated in all country and all of the festivals are accompanied by lights of different colours; a famous use of this is the festival of lights in the Niagara Falls in Ontario, where more than 120 lights are used in the show.

Not forget the “Aboriginal Celebration”, since time immemorial the aboriginal tribes had practiced the festivals like a form to entertainment their people. But since 1970, is celebrated the Arctic Winter Games that met all tribes of Canada.

The activities of this meeting are several sports of the current time and others that practiced in the past time the Inuit and other tribes from Yukon, Alaska and Yellowknife.

Part of the aboriginal celebrations is the Powwow, because is a par of traditions among tribes in North America (United State and Canada). It is a competition between them and the winner tribe carry the pride for its people.

The Powwow is separated in two parts the dancers and the singers, but the most interesting is the dance. Because the dance of Powwow is something estrange for someone that not known the traditions since my point of view is very colourful because of the use of feathers in their suit and the movements that imitating a turkey in curve movements.

The movements are according to the sound of drums that represents the heartbeat of the Mother Earth.

In conclusion, the mixture of the activities in Canada is great because the zone where is located and the cultural mixture give an especial result. The low temperatures make possible the presence of carnivals for entertainment and the presence of different cultures the holydays and other festivities.

As a little comment, religion is part of the traditions because is passed of generation to generation, the same with traditional dances in tribes of North America. The practice of Festivals is part of the customs because is accepted by people although is recent.


Bibliography

Coward H. and Chagnon R, Slater P, Religion. The Canadian Encyclopedia © 2012 Historica-Dominion. Retrieved from; http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/religion
David J. Goa, Religious Festivals. The Canadian Encyclopedia © 2012 Historica-Dominion. Retrieved from; http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/religious-festivals
Granatstein J.L, National Holidays. The Canadian Encyclopedia © 2012 Historica-Dominion. Retrieved from; http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/national-holidays
Bingham R. Winter Festivals, the Canadian Encyclopedia © 2012 Historica-Dominion.. Retrieved from; http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/winter-festivals
Arctic Winter Games, the Canadian Encyclopedia © 2012 Historica-Dominion.. Retrieved from; http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/arctic-winter-games
Hoefnagels A. Powwow, the Canadian Encyclopedia © 2012 Historica-Dominion.. Retrieved from; http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/powwow

Education in Canada

Education would be defined, according to The Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences (from Canada), as "the progressive development of the individual in all his faculties, physical and intellectual, aesthetic and moral." However, education is a lot of thing more, this being influenced for traditions, learning, custom, instructions, experiences, etc. belonging to a society in common.


In this case the commission includes specifically terms for divide education in socializing agencies such as the family, the church, the government and community. In Canada there are many factors that are included in this agencies established in this society.


According to the Commission one of them is the family, it has an important value in the Canada’s culture because is considered most powerful of all educational institutions and, why? It is because is known that the education is obtained firstly at home. Is essential that our family, being kids, inculcate us the good manners and principle. Second we have also the schooling, and it is all of knowledge given in a school, we learning all of the instruction from the teacher and this is very important to have in the future a stable life such economically as emotionally.


The ideology of Canadian people about schooling is choose a school where their children can development a environment of competition that in the future help them to make their own decisions. This thought is obvious in any society for the development of a community. Thirdly, the media have had a heavy influence in the Canadian society because television, radio and internet have been since earliest years in the life of people, that is in the children, providing information political, cultural, social, and economic, enriching the education of this country including also the newspaper and books that are important instrument of education.


The immigrants are considered other important factor as influence, that if long before than areas previously mentioned because since the late 19th and early 20th centuries a large number of immigrants came to Canada producing a multiculturalism that have influenced with their own traditions to the behavior of a society. For this reason, all of this factors being some of the most important and influential in the education of Canada have contributed to the growth of this.


A society formed over time but governed by a commission which the only thing that matters is welfare of the country and as opinion can be said that is important to organize the ways of provide education, taking care always that this is good for a constant growth in Canadian society.


Finally and as a additional information, is important to emphasize a historic event in the history of education in Canada as “the first teachers in Canada”, they were four priests that came to Canada in 1616 bringing the formal education established that period in the country producing the foundation, few centuries later specifically in the 19th century, the Canadian educational system that can be found in the present-day.







Social science


In Canada was produced a slow development in the higher education between 1663 and 1960 but, why the change was so slow? Well, only in the 1950s the change in this discipline could arise. History, economics, political science and psychology could advance because had more emphasis than geography, anthropology and sociology that remains of the same way that in a beginning.


So, the interest that was produced by the social science arises of motivation by Canadian scientist of the need to resolve the related with the complexity of Canada and institutions. And, why this need arises? Because was seen the need to expand the public and private services, all of this, thinking in the people, and mainly the development of the country. It is necessary that the institutions were studied to improve conditions provided in that period, so, a better future would be ensured.


Other important contribute given by social science were the formation of co-operatives, credit unions, workers' syndicates and other institutions, something unheard of at the time, because only had some institutions responsible of the good common of people, especially, for workers and customers.


As we can see, there was a tremendous shift in the policy set in that time. It was the consolidation of social science in Canada bringing earnings, from 1945 to the early 1960s. Besides the great contribution provided by social sciences, the social scientist give reasons about why social sciences are so difficult? So, scientists in this area are related with researches that not reach a wide audience reflecting uncertainties of human life and society.


The growth of the social sciences in Canada can be seen in the number of associations and journals established since 1952 with 10 associations and less of 7 journals, being different in 1995 where there were 45 associations and 45 journals belonging to the social-science community. This is a clear example about the advance that gave this branch, allowing an increase in society of a country with an amazing history. However yet remains to be done in that further open doors to present more precisely what are the social sciences, because in this context we can see clearly the great contributions provided by this area that have been central to this country, contributing to the development of partnerships that at one point looked distant for the public good but over time could turn around and contribute to the welfare of the people both publicly and privately.


Finally with the establishment of the Canada Council in 1957, was and is produced a support from government to the social sciences and humanities, whose functions are promote the interests of the social-science community, the public and the state.



Bibliography

Patterson R.S. and Kach N. Education. The Canadian Encyclopedia 2012. Retrieved from http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/education.


Vallee F., Science Social. The Canadian Encyclopedia 2012. Retrieved from http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/social-science.