61st Annual Meeting

October 18 - 25, 2014

Media Theatre 8 (open)

Kiviuq: The Inuit Shaman: The Healing Power of Story

Embedded within cultural rituals are implicit lessons about how life is lived in that culture. The 2007 film, Kiviuq, is one of a series of six films John Houston created to help facilitate the continuation of Inuit cultural traditions. It is a creation story, but also the story of an epic journey where a young boy learns about relationships. Kiviuq provides an opportunity to discuss culture, the universal purpose of stories and ritual within different cultures, common life themes, developmental stages and transitions, emotions, and relationships.

Attendees are reminded that each culture has diverse mechanisms for facilitating healing and developmental growth, and become aware of the importance of an early understanding of the specific cultural mechanisms involved with each patient and family. The potential for healing that films that may provide by intertwining storytelling and normal developmental steps, and depicting those steps in a culture different from one's own, is explored.