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Impact of Land- Based Fitness Practices on Happiness

Tisha Maria Mendes

Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo

ARTS 140: Information and Analysis

Dr. Megan McCarthy

November 14, 2023

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Impact of Land Based Fitness Practices on Happiness

The First Nations Communities in Canada have contributed greatly to our history and

culture. They are a community that is close-knit and fiercely protective of their culture and

way of life. During my experiment, I found that as a community, most of their happiness and

joy come from being able to be a part of spiritual Powwow dance ceremonies. It is a way for

them to connect spiritually with their ancestors and overcome trauma or even celebrate the

life of a loved one who passed away. It is a time when families come together and participate

in the Pow Wow dances which strengthens the familial bond.

A culture helps people to find their identity and feel more centred. Research has shown

that for people to forget their past trauma and have an improved sense of well-being, they

need to find ways of doing things closely rooted in their culture, which can help them feel

healthy and happy( Yoshitaka Iwasaki et. al. 2011 ). Statistically, it has been proven that First

Nation people tend to have a higher rate of obesity than Latina people in North America.

I am passionate about land based fitness practices rooted in Indigenous Culture. The

First Nations people in Ohio who came up with this innovative program called Powwow

sweats. In Indigenous culture, Powwow Dancing is connected with deep levels of spirituality

so each feather in the regalia has its own spirit and to be a guardian of that feather is a great

honour. Hence, it is recommended never to pick up feathers when attending a Powwow.

(Whitney Fear, 2023) This made me choose to study the correlation of land based fitness

programs like Pow Wow Sweats and Happiness for my Community Project.

Literature Review

Dancing Community: Pow Wow and Pan Indianism In North America

Historically Pow wows were gatherings for medicine men and or Spiritual leaders

where they held a curing ceremony. Over time, Powwows became more of a social
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interacting event where people could display their culture, celebrate the life of deceased

family members, meet elders, and engage in courtships through dance. Pow wows provide

context for the First Nations communities in terms of their culture and heritage. Each piece of

their regalia has a history handed down through the generations. A regalia is the traditional

clothing, ornaments and feathers First Nations people wear which basically gives them their

cultural identity. Thus, in a way, Powwows are a way of maintaining familial bonds between

generations. Pow wows are a form of expression of the Indigenous identity. Under the Indian

Act in the 1950s, Pow Wow dancing was banned in any shape and form on the reserves. It

was by the mid-1950s that Pow Wow Dancing became a symbol of resistance against the

reigning government. Many First Nations groups performed Powwows in defiance of the

Indian Act. In Canada, Powwows spread much later owing to the isolation of First Nations

peoples and the presence of a pass system which prevented the intermingling of First Nations

tribes from different reserves. ( Anita Herle, 1994 ) Powwow dancing has been a form of

expression and social bonding. It can be hypothesised that coming together and expressing all

your bottled-up feelings inside you can make you feel much happier and relaxed.

The one who makes people happy through her dancing

There was a fantastic documentary that I watched which inspired me greatly on the

concept of Pow Wow Dancing and happiness. The Documentary is about the life of an Urban

First Nation girl Kate Claremont who has been attending Powwows since childhood. She also

has a keen interest in competitive Pow Wow dancing. She holds the First Nation princess title

of “one who makes people happy through her dancing.” The sheer joy on her face when she

dances during the Powwows proves that cultural activities can be a great source of happiness.

Her family members rise to the occasion by tailoring a new regalia for each of her Powwow

dances with excitement and enthusiasm. It is clearly evident that when you do things

alongside your family, it can bring great joy. She is one of a kind as she effectively maintains

an equilibrium between her regular world and her First Nation roots through Powwow
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dancing. Thus, we can hypothesise that Pow Wow dancing strengthens familial bonds and

brings a sense of happiness to people.

Impact of land-based Physical Activity Interventions on Self Reported health and well

being of Indigenous Adults

Land-based activities have been an integral part of health and well-being for First

Nations people. One of the factors involved in well-being and mental health is the spiritual

concept of connection between internal and external factors. Over the years and with

colonisation, there was a disconnect between the external and internal factors coupled with

the fact that there was little to no exposure to traditional practices. This led to a rise in mental

health and cardiovascular diseases. Today, it is widely understood that cultural practices,

identity and lifestyle of the Indigenous are deeply rooted to the land and to their well-being.

(Fatima Ahmed et. al. 2021) Therefore, Powwow dancing helps one to maintain that

connection between your internal and the external self. The more you Pow Wow dance the

happier you feel. Therefore, you may be dancing externally, but it is impacting the well-

being and internal state of your mind and helps you feel that happiness and relaxation that

you need.

Promoting Identities and Mental Health via Cultural/Community Activities Among

Racially/Ethnically Mixed Urban American Indians.

This study showed the implications of First Nations people who intermarried with

other cultures. They lived completely disconnected from their culture in neighbourhoods

dominated by their spouses' culture. As they lived away from the reserve amongst their

spouses' community, they found it hard to identify with themselves and their culture. The

major findings of the study was that living in urbanised settings and having a mixed ancestry

of First Nations and other races forced people to deny their native heritage and to identify

with the other cultures in their blood quantum composition. This was because other cultures

were not accepting of First Nations culture. In order to live the culture, one must be able to
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be part of the community. Therefore, Powwows were viewed as therapeutic and empowering.

They served as a tool that could help First Nations people find a sense of self-identity. It

enabled them to connect to their cultural roots. Powwows promote a sense of empowerment,

healing, spirituality and well-being. Therefore, Powwow dancing is an integral way of

improving mental health and well-being through connectedness with culture. Therefore, it

can be hypothesised that Powwow dancing does have an impact on how we feel and on our

levels of happiness. ( Yoshitaka Iwasaki et. al. 2011 )

Method

Community

The community I picked for my research project is my immediate family. There were

three participants and they were between the ages of 33 to 65. I selected this community

because I love doing new and innovative things with my family. As the weather chills,

finding things to do at home in terms of fitness for the family is important.

Procedure

The research was done over a period of a week. My family and I did the activity for

an hour each day. We picked a Pow Wow Sweat video from a playlist I created. Before each

session of activity, participants were asked about their state of mental well-being and the

results were noted. Feelings were rated on a scale of 1-5 for each session. We started with a

warm up session and then engaged in the main activity followed by a cool down session.

There are many ways to experience happiness, and I feel fitness is one of them.

Fitness gives you that sense of well being and lifts your mood. When fitness is combined

with culture it helps a community build a sense of cultural self identity and boosts self-

esteem. Culture is something inherent in the human soul, therefore, when we engage in

activities aligned with our culture, it brings us pure joy and happiness as you look back on

past years where you have experienced the same activities together as a family. (Leah

Ferguson et. al. 2015 )The sheer euphoria and excitement of the whole experience is another
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way in which we experience those beautiful positive emotions of happiness. It is known that

happiness is contagious. Therefore when a community comes together to do something they

love it spreads happiness to everyone around you.

Results and Reflections

I believed that Pow wow sweats would increase the happiness quotient of my family.

Across the week, it made a substantial impact on our happiness levels. My mother and I are

generally relaxed and positive people, but still felt happier, calmer and more relaxed after

doing the Pow Wow dancing sessions. My husband, who was relatively cranky before the

whole session because he had not eaten his snack yet, felt much happier and had a big smile

on his face after every session. On the whole Pow Dancing made us much happier, relaxed

and refreshed over the week. ( for graphs consult Appendix A)

I also found that during the sessions all three of us smiled a lot more and the shackles

of our daily lives were broken down. We had a rather good time doing the activities, making

funny comments about how our neighbours below might think a First Nations family has

moved into our unit. It enabled us to have more conversations and simply spend some quality

time relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

The dancing videos are very easy to do for all age groups and are very accessible. The

leader does add in modified routines for elderly participants, which makes it a great activity

for all age groups. I also love the beautiful colours of the regalia and the various feathers in it.

It makes the activity so appealing and just adds another layer of positivity and happiness to

the experience. The music is also beautiful and very reflective of the rich culture and heritage

of the Indigenous People.

Discussion
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Pow Wow Dancing does help influence our happiness and mental health. While

researching on this topic, I found that not much research has been done in this field. I wish

more research was done in this field so that we could find more ways to incorporate land-

based practices into health and well-being plans for our First Nations Communities.

There are a few places such as the Wabano Centre for Indigenous Excellence, where

native people can access land-based healing programs and connect with elders, partake in

smudging ceremonies and sharing circles in urbanised settings. But my hope is that we

facilitate the development of more such centres like this one so that Indigenous people can

remain connected to their culture when they are not on the reserve.

Powwows which were once traditional have taken on a new role as a contest in which

First nation people participate in Powow contests to win money. This kind of commercialises

the once traditional and spiritual activity of the First Nations People. Powwow Sweats in a

way has also monetized these spiritual dances by promoting them on social media to gain a

large viewership. So modern living is even impacting rich traditions and commodifying them.

The First Nations people in Ohio who came up with this innovative program called

Pow Wow sweats left out the spiritual aspect of the whole tradition of Powwow dancing.

Spirituality plays an integral part in Powwow dancing as it helps them connect with their

ancestors who have gone on before them and also provides a sense of spiritual awakening.

Although there are a few limitations, I believe that this experiment showed some incredible

results and has proven to greatly improve levels of happiness and well-being in people.
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References

Life Promotion Toolkit. (n.d.). Wise Practices. Retrieved October 26, 2023,

from https://wisepractices.ca/life-promotion-toolkit/

The One Who Makes People Happy Through Her Dancing. (n.d.).

Www.youtube.com. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-sYCViynNU

Ferguson, L., & Philipenko, N. (2015). “I would love to blast some pow

music and just dance”: First Nations students’ experiences of

physical activity on a university campus. Qualitative Research in

Sport, Exercise and Health, 8(2), 180–193.

https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676x.2015.1099563

Herle, A. (1994). Dancing community: Powwow and Pan-Indianism in

North America. Cambridge Anthropology, 17(2), 57–83.

https://doi.org/10.2307/850883

‌Ahmed, F., Zuk, A. M., & Tsuji, L. J. S. (2021). The impact of land-based

physical activity interventions on self-reported health and well-being

of Indigenous adults: A systematic review. International Journal of

Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13), 7099.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18137099
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Iwasaki, Y., Byrd, N. G., & Onda, T. (2011). Promoting Identities and

Mental Health via Cultural/Community Activities Among

Racially/Ethnically Mixed Urban American Indians. Family and

Community Health, 34(3), 256–265.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/44953514.pdf?refreqid=fastly-

default

%3A86eac7d46a74f86c93ecc69e0e8aac60&ab_segments=&origin=

&initiator=&acceptTC=1

Why We Dance” Series: Isabelle Bailey. (n.d.). Anishinabek News.ca.

Retrieved October 26, 2023, from

https://anishinabeknews.ca/2020/07/24/why-we-dance-series-

isabelle-bailey/?amp=

Fear, W. (2023, May 8). Wayáčhi yačhíŋ ye? : A Guide to Area Pow Wows.

Fargo Mom. https://fargomom.com/guide-to-area-pow-wows

Powwow Seeks to Balance Tradition with Health and Wellness. (n.d.).

Www.newswise.com. https://www.newswise.com/articles/powwow-

seeks-to-balance-tradition-with-health-and-wellness

MacKay, C. (2022, August 29). Road to joy: Inspiring youth at the heart of

Panmure Island Pow Wow. CBC.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-panmure-

island-powwow-1.6558560
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NPR Choice page. (2019). Npr.org. 'Powwow Sweat' Promotes Fitness

Through Traditional Dance : Shots - Health News : NPR

Appendix A

The Regalia of The First Nation People

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Figure 1 : Happiness levels before and after Powwow dancing day 1

Figure 2 : Happiness levels before and after Powwow dancing over a period of seven days