Oki

For the Huron, the Oki are disincarnated spiritual entities. These include animals, the powerful spirits of earth, rivers, lakes, and rocks. Oki are contacted during dreams where they transfer Arendi, special powers of healing, war, and insight, to the dreamers.

Related Terms

Huron > Arendiwane, Oki

Indigenous Spiritualities

Indigenous Spiritualities > Huron

Notes

Contacted in dreams, a precursor of which was Fasting. For additional notes on Huron dreaming, see Fasting

"Dreaming was regarded as a fundamental medium of communication through which the various mythic beings, or oki, shared their power and knowledge with the Huron."

"Sacred power, or arendi, given by the oki, was manifested as any unusual or extraordinary ability or as the power to heal through the use of rituals and sacred objects obtained in dreams or visions. "

"oki often appeared as a specific animal which was identified as the familiar spirit, many of which were associated with birds and the celestial powers of the sky, others with more diverse forms such as flames, ghosts or serpents. Still others were seen as manifestations of various sacred locations or objects that might teach techniques for healing and other shamanistic acts (JR 13:227-233). Through dreams, contact could be established with any of the sacred powers, even those of the highest standing "

Oki were believed to be accessible to any individual through dreaming and visionary experience.

Jesuits cast the Oki as evil devils "The majority of Jesuit writers constantly denied any positive aspects to the central concept of the oki in Huron religion and thereby refused to recognize the primary sources of Huron empowerment through dreaming."

"The oki had life and identity which might inhabit any aspect of the physical environment, thus creating a living network through which those powers could communicate with human beings. Certain large rocks, rivers and lakes were believed to be inhabited by those powers and prayers and offerings were made to them for success and health.26 Apart from those physical aspects of the environment which were regarded as living beings, the oki also had existence as powerful mythic beings. Each animal species had an "elder brother"; which watched over all the members of its family and who communicated through dreams and visions. The highest and most powerful of the oki, those who had created the world and watched over it, could also communicate with individual dreamers. In response to the contents of these various "journeys of the soul"; by which knowledge was obtained from the oki, the dreamer would make prayer and tobacco offerings as a way of maintaining reciprocity with the powers."

Footnotes

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