Saskatchewan northern lights more than a light show for Indigenous peoples [Video]

The early fall season has been an entertaining time for northern lights viewing. Aurora Borealis, as it is also known, is a night sky phenomenon which can happen throughout the year.

For Indigenous peoples, there are many stories about the northern lights going back generations.

Joseph Naytowhow is a Nehiyaw storyteller, he said a common Indigenous belief of the northern lights is they are past ancestors moving in the sky, which they should be honoured.

Nehiyaw storyteller Joseph Naytowhow. (Mick Favel/CTV News)

“The ancestral connection, they are a part of that. What we understand as nîmihitocik, the ones who dance,” said Naytowhow.

He added that there are ceremonial actions and behaviours done during the northern lights which have been passed down through time.

The northern lights have been a common sight online, creating debate within Indigenous circles over whether it is appropriate to take pictures of the light displays.

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