Dr. Mark Ruml has spent the past 25 years learning about the Aboriginal religious traditions of the Dakota, Ojibwe and Cree; “living traditions that have been here since time-immemorial.” Recently, Dr. Ruml has been engaged in a Social Sciences and Humanities research project related to the development of “respectful methodologies”: ethical and procedural guidelines for research related to Aboriginal Spirituality, grounded in Aboriginal language and worldview concepts. His project involves interviewing Elders and community members to gain an understanding of the Dakota concept of mitakuye owasin (“all my relations”) and the Ojibwe concept of gagige inakonige (“eternal natural law”); fundamental worldview concepts essential for those conducting Aboriginal research to understand. Sensitive to recent scholarship related to “decolonizing methodologies” and out of respect for Indigenous knowledge, Dr. Ruml designed the project to provide an opportunity for Aboriginal community members and graduate students (also Aboriginal) to take ownership of research related to Aboriginal spirituality, a very sensitive area of research. As Dr. Ruml explains, “Aboriginal spirituality must be explored with sensitivity due to the sacred nature of the subject matter and the colonial history of Canada. Some people feel that publishing or recording spiritual teachings is a violation of traditional protocols for the transmission of sacred teachings. Others feel that some of the secrecy regarding the sharing of traditional knowledge is a result of the persecution that First Nations people were subjected to when their ceremonies were outlawed. They believe that it is important today to make Aboriginal spiritual teachings as accessible as possible to the young people who are seeking a better understanding of their spiritual heritage.”

In the future, Dr. Ruml looks forward to continue working with Aboriginal Elders, community members, and students to respectfully communicate an understanding of the profound spiritual traditions of Aboriginal people in Manitoba. He also hopes to pursue a collaborative research project with a colleague in Korea exploring comparisons between the spiritual experiences of Korean shamans and Aboriginal traditional healers, as both groups of people continue the transition from times of cultural oppression to today’s global community.

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