Aboriginal culture not religion, B.C. First Nations group says

'Our way of life isn't a religion. It's our way of life,' says Nuu-chah-nulth leader

 By Megan Thomas, CBC News 

 

The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council's vice president Ken Watts (left) poses with the president, Debra Foxcroft (right). Watts says he hopes the disagreement over the smudging ceremony will provide an opportunity for people to learn more about Aboriginal culture. (Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council) 

 

   The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council on Vancouver Island says it is disappointed that a complaint over a traditional spiritual ceremony held in a Port Alberni, B.C., elementary school has ended up in court.
   A mother in the Vancouver Island community has taken School District 70 to court, alleging her children were forced to participate in a Nuu-chah-nulth ceremony that she considers religious in nature and inappropriate for the classroom.
   The case has sparked a debate over whether First Nations ceremonies should be considered religious or cultural. But a leader of the First Nations involved says there should be no debate...http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/nuu-chah-nulth-say-spiritual-ceremonies-cultural-1.3855725