The Weyekin in Nez Percé Tribe and Catholic Angels

Staff Writer

Table of Contents

This writing is to briefly identify and recognize some cultural values of the Nez Percé tribe, especially their belief in Weyekin, often described as a personal guiding angel. The concept of a guiding angel provokes Catholic teachings about angels and comparison with the Nez Percé Weyekin, as the guiding spirit. But that will be a new piece of writing for the future. There can be a cross-cultural gleaning of ideas from nature, beliefs, and interactions.    

The Nez Percé People

The term Nez Percé, meaning “pierced nose” is the French coinage to describe the Nimiipuu tribe. The term Nimiipuu, meaning “we, the people” is a name the tribe used for themselves and their language, a part of the Sahaptin family. Early contacts with the Europeans, especially French explorers made the name Nez Percé popular because they unfairly adopted the name Nez Percé and used it for the Nimiipuu and nearby Chinook. Other European settlers adopted the name and referred to Nimiipuu as Nez Percé.

The Nez Percé are indigenous people who dwelled on the Columbia River Plateau for about 11,500 years and considered their ancestral home to cover the Snake River, Grande Ronde River, Salmon Water, and Clearwater. In today’s United States, it can be said to cover Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho areas.  

In the Nez Percé tribe individuals have their personal guardian angels which they are associated with through personal submission and choice. The individual goes about in search of this spirit, Weyekin. But for the Christian, the angels belong to Christ.  

Catholic Teachings on Angels

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that there is the existence of spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls ‘angels’ as a truth accepted based on faith. It also claims that “The whole life of the church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of the angels … from its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.”

Further, the angels are said to belong to Christ because he is the centre of the angelic world and through him all things were made, visible, and invisible. Though pure spirits, angels have intelligence and will; they are personal and immortal and perfect creatures.

In a description of who the angels are, St Augustine says that: “‘Angel’ is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is ‘spirit’; if you seek the name of their office, it is ‘angel’: from what they are, ‘spirit’, from what they do, ‘angel’” (see: Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), Part One, Section 2, Chapter 1, Article 1, Pars 328-336).

Though reference is made to only Catholic tradition in the cross-cultural engagement about the idea of a guardian angel, one can argue that it is not exhaustive. But one idea that can be gleaned from the above citations is the ‘nature’ and ‘office’ of an angel. The same ‘nature’ and ‘office’ are implied while examining the Nez Percé idea of Weyekin.  

The argument here is not which cultural tradition is borrowed from the other. Of course, as noted above, the Nez Percé might be said to have existed before the Christian tradition and their idea of angels. The point here is to learn the complementarity of the two traditions.  

The Spirit, Weyekin in Nez Percé Tribe

The Nez Percé tribe seems to have a similar belief in supernatural helpers whom they identify as Weyekin. The Weyekin play mediatory roles to the people through different support systems, such as emissary, intercessory, and guardianship.

It is claimed that a Nez Percé child as a toddler learns about the best way to obtain their Weyekin. To achieve this, the child is instructed to have a sweat bath and cold plunge; and wash their mouth as far as into their throat and stomach with willow twigs. Then, unaccompanied, the child will go into the woods or walk along the rivers to interact with Nature until they can communicate either through a dream, vision, or normal way with an animal, bird, beast, or insect.

Any of the creatures mentioned above that communicate with the child becomes their assigned and agreed guiding spirit throughout their life. Such a guiding spirit is believed to be good, hence the Weyekin is there to protect, advise, comfort, and direct the individual in life, in war, in sickness, and when calamity strikes. The Weyekin always communicate with their owners, and nothing can prevent such communication, neither distance nor any other barrier.

There is a strong complementarity between the Nez Percé tribe’s understanding of Weyekin and the Catholic understanding and belief in angels. The found Weyekin is considered sacred and remains with the owner throughout their life. This similarity between the Catholic idea of angels and the Nez Percé Tribe is evidenced in St Augustine’s words: “If you seek the name of their nature, it is ‘spirit’; if you seek the name of their office, it is ‘angel.’” The ‘Weyekin’ can be said to be the name of their ‘nature’ and ‘angel’ to be the name of their ‘office.’ 

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