The Way of the Pipe: Aboriginal Spirituality and Symbolic Healing in Canadian Prisons

Marilyn Mardiros is an associate professor of health sciences at the
University of Ottawa.

Based on interviews with male aboriginal inmates in correctional
facilities in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, as well as with Elders and
aboriginal liaison personnel who work with the inmates, this book
documents the growth of Native spirituality within the Canadian prison
system and demonstrates the efficacy of symbolic healing as a form of
therapy.

For many inmates, the prison experience is their first encounter with
the therapeutic healing inherent in Native spirituality. For these men
there is a reclaiming of Native heritage that gives a new or different
meaning to life. The Way of the Pipe documents the symbol of the
pipe’s service as a way of transformation and of healing.

Before discussing the positive effects of sweet grass, sweat lodges,
and the sacred circle, however, the author examines the historical and
socioeconomic factors that have resulted in the overrepresentation of
aboriginal men in the prison system.

This accessible study will be of interest to both general readers and
those involved in the correctional system.