The Human Soul

Nisga'a believe that every person has a soul. They also believed that there is a special place inside the body for the soul. Nisga'a believe it is important for a person's soul to be in that place. If a person's sould is not in the right place he or she will get sick.

The way to make sure the soul is in the right place is to be in harmony. To be in harmony, Nisga'a need to have peaceful relations with everyone and everything. They need to be respectful of themselves, of everyone else and all of nature. When a Nisga'a is at peace with himself then his soul is in the right place and he is healthy.

Nisga'a believe that if a person's soul is out of place the person becomes "unblanced" and ill. When a peron becomes very ill it might even mean the soul has left the body. To cure that person a healer has to find the missing soul and put it back in the right place.

When is a cupcake like a soul?

Imagine that you are holding a large plate in the palm of your hand. A cupcake sits on the plate. As long as the cupcake is in the middle of the plate, the plate will stay in your palm. If the cupcake moves off to one side the plate will become unbalanced and the cake will fall.

Nisga'a believe that as long a person's soul is in the right place the person is "balanced" and healthy. If the soul was out of place the person is unblanced and sick.

Halayt

Picture to be inserted

Canadian Musuem of Civilation

PN #69622

Frank Bolton is showing how an Halayt cured a person who had become ill. He is holding a raven rattle and chanting. The name of the "ill" person is Wii Xha'a. Kincolith, 1927

If someone's soul was out of place or missing one or more "Halayt" were called. Halayt were people with training to be both doctors and priests. Halayt could look inside a sick person. They could see if the person's soul was out of place. If the soul was out of place they could put it back where it belonged. When the soul was back in place the sick person got better.

If the Halyayt could not find the patients's soul that person was daawihl anddoosda'a, gone to the other side.

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Royal B.C. Musuem PN #9620

If a soul was missing from the body, the Halayt had to find it and bring it back. Every Halayt had a special tool he used to bring back missing souls. This tool was called a soul catcher. The soul catcher in this photograph came from the Nass Valley

An Halayt's Tools

Like other professionals, the halayt needed a variety of tools to help him do his work. Here are a few photographs:

1. Soul catcher Picture to be inserted
2. Raven rattle Picture to be inserted
3. Bone charm Picture to be inserted
4. Bone charm Picture to be inserted