The Social Structure of the Northern Plains’ Indians
The Structure of the Sub-personalities of Man
Today the whole concept of these various circles, which is the social structure, has been disrupted by the influence of the Europeans. The Indian indigenous male influenced by the social position of European man has placed himself also in the center of the circle so that the whole family of life revolves around him. So, we’ve lost many of those original concepts of indigenous social structures.
In the old days all the elders’ needs were taken care of by the tribe, but today we place our old people in nursing homes and retirement homes and their knowledge and wisdom isn’t being utilized to benefit the younger generations, with the result that many elders of today lose their sense of purpose and feel very neglected.
Amongst the Cree there existed some very elaborate ways of raising children. Before a child was conceived, elders lectured the parents. The lecturing was held in a teepee and done in the form of a ritual or ceremony. Each elder spoke of the very specific phases of raising a child, emphasizing the importance of teaching the children while they were still being carried in the womb.
Also, having been born in a teepee, with the mother being the primary caretaker of the child, the teepee symbolized the school. The child received his first education within that teepee. Every time a baby was being born, there was ceremony and celebration. Every time the child did something new, even just moving its head to recognize something or speaking its first word, there would be a ceremony to celebrate that first time or first step. Everything was acknowledged and celebrated like this.
Commentary by Almine:
In the indigenous tribal community, a living psychological organism was formed that lived in balance within itself. In a very large part this was the contributing factor leading to the successful longevity of tribal communities. This tribal, psychological structure finds a replica within the individual – it is, therefore, based on Cosmic principles.
For the individual living on his or her own, the secret to successfully dealing with either solitude or relationships lies within balancing the inner personality components, much the same as Native American society.
Personalities in the Four Directions
1. The South: In the south we have the Nurturer. The nurturer takes the place of the women within society. This inner functional nurturer only nourishes, comforts, and guides without judgment. However, the dysfunctional nurturer becomes the harsh parent and falls into two categories:
a. The critical parent who berates with its inner voice, sees our value only in our work and may often be an inherited voice from judgmental parents during upbringing.
b. The dysfunctional nurturer who forsakes the self and nurtures only others until it values itself less than others.
2. The West: In the west is the Inner Child. Although many inner child groups are forming that are of benefit, a crucial part is overlooked in that the inner nurturer must first be whole and functioning. If the inner nurturer isn’t there to intercede on behalf of the needs of the inner child, the child has to deal with the adult. The adult’s function is not to nurture and be considerate, but to strategize interaction of the individual with its world. When functioning properly, the inner child is our source of spontaneity, humor, and playfulness, which brings an enthusiasm to life. It is also a source of energy for the individual.
The inner child with unmet needs becomes manipulative and schemes for its nurturing and attention – often the cause of difficulties in personal relationships. This needy inner child might be so overpowering in its neediness and demands for attention that he might dictate many of the actions of another. One assumes he or she is having a relationship with an adult, when in fact the inner child is controlling things.
3. The North: In the north is the Inner Warrior. The functional warrior protects two things: first, it guards the borders of the organism, which in this case is the individual; second, it guards the individual from any insidious or eroding influence within. In these ways, the functional warrior makes sure that we have healthy boundaries and diligently guards our thoughts, making certain that we think only the most empowering and conscious thoughts possible.
The dysfunctional warrior, however, either turns upon itself or battles outside circumstances. In turning upon itself, it frequently self-sabotages the individual’s progress. An example of this can be seen within indigenous groups where backstabbing and undermining of one another is very prevalent. For thousands of years, the warriors of the indigenous societies have been highly developed. Having no place to express causes the inner warrior to become dysfunctional and hostile competitiveness results.
In battling outside circumstances the dysfunctional inner warrior drains energy and causes an individual to be out of balance. The law of the universe is: We strengthen that which we oppose. A dysfunctional warrior violates such a law in fighting external circumstances.
4. The East: In the east is the Inner Elder or Sage. This personality piece has the dual function of being the wisdom keeper of the unit and evaluating and interpreting experience to formulate insights. The sage is also the link for wisdom from the unseen realms.
When the elder becomes dysfunctional, it judges its way of accessing truth as the only way. Instead of gathering the highest wisdom from all people, it excludes rather than discerns. It forms a downward spiral that brings eventual death to either the society or the individual.
The inner elder’s wisdom should insure the functional roles of all sub-personalities. When the inner nurturer judges, the sage needs to correct it by reminding it that discernment is for the elders. When the inner child is needy, the sage gently redirects the child to take its proper place, allowing the adult to make decisions based upon the wisdom of the inner elder. The sage also reminds the nurturer that the child is in need of expression and nurturing, and directs the warrior when it becomes dysfunctional in fighting outer events. Warriors, when functional, are what the Lakota call Otipemsiwal, “those who own themselves”.
5. The Above: The direction of above has been the arena in which the Interpretive Dancer, representing the direction of below, dances her dance of potential (she’s pregnant with potential). During the ascension that began in February 2005 (see The Ring of Truth), the function of the direction of above changed. Instead of holding the boundaries for the instinctual nature, it became the masculine instinctual: the hunter and adventurer; the explorer of the world.
6. The Below – As in Native Culture, the Woman of Below, pregnant with potential, carries sacred, new beginnings. She must be given much consideration. As her needs are met, as we allow the instinctual promptings to come forth, the unknowable from the Divine – the direction of within is born. She explores with her senses and expresses the wildish places of the soul.
7. The Within – The Inner Babe in total silence of the mind, birthed by total surrender to life, comes forth as we live in the moment. It does not speak in words, but in flashes of knowing. It marvels at its world. It does not know limitation or concern, but simply experiences with full attention to the moment.