Teaching and Understanding Sikhism

1. Teaching About
the Sikhs and
their
Contributions to
the World
Sean C.D. Colber t -Lewis, Sr. ,
Ph.D. , NBCT
As s t . Profes sor o f Hi s tor y a n d Mi d dle
Gr ades /Secondar y So c ial St udi es E d .
No r th Ca rol ina Cent ral Un i ver s i t y

2. LEARNER OUTCOMES
 Par ticipants wi l l explore the relevance of learning about Sikhism
and i ts global fol lowers, the Sikhs.
 Par ticipants wi l l highl ight the key phi losophies of the rel igion
Sikhism.
 Par ticipants wi l l ident i fy impor tant f igures associated with the
history of Sikhism.
 Par ticipants wi l l l ink the global role that Sikhs had in leading to
the promot ion of the American Civi l Rights Movement.
 Par ticipants wi l l address cur rent misconceptions regarding the
Sikhs and examples of t ragic events to stem out of them.
 Par ticipants wi l l examine methods to change misconcept ions
about the Sikhs.

3. Sikh Basics

4. Khanda
the official religious
emblem of Sikhism.
God
(The Waheguru)
is all powerful!

5. Khanda
Chakra
Kirpan
Kirpan
The Khanda consists of four
symbols. The emblem gets its
name from the centerpiece
symbol, the double-edged
sword known as a khanda.
The Khanda represents God
as all powerful.
Chakra: The circular
emblem surrounding the
khanda symbol that
represents the idea of God
being without beginning or
end.
Kirpan: The two smaller
swords on each side of the
Khanda. They represent
fighting for justice!

6. THE GURUDWARA—THE TEMPLE OF WORSHIP
FOR SIKHS
The Sikh
Gurudwara of
North Carolina

7. WHAT IS A SIKH?
 A Sikh is a fol lower of the rel igion of Sikhism.
 S i k h ism i s t h e wo r l d’ s fi f t h l a r g e st r e l i g io n a n d t h e wo r l d ’ s
four th largest monotheistic rel igion.
 Sikh is a word from the Punjabi language that means
“ s ome o ne wh o l e a r ns” o r “ s t u d ent . ”

8. MAJOR IDEAS PRACTICED…
 Fol low the teachings of the 10 gurus.
 The 10th guru is the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib
 Pray dai ly.
 Women and Men are equal .
 No rel igion has dominance over another and respect for
other rel igions and their fol lowers.
 Education leading to excellence and service (sewa) to the
community and donating to charity.
 Abstinence before marriage.
 No alcoholic beverages or tobacco ever.
 No caste system in the community.
 No cutting of hair (Kesh).
 Have pride in your Sikh bel iefs and defend them as
peaceful ly as possible.
 Protect and defend the oppressed.

9. THE HARMINDAR SAHIB (THE ABODE OF
GOD) IN AMRITSAR, INDIA
Located in Amritsar, Punjab, India, Sikhs consider the gurudwara
as their holiest Sikh temple. Amritsar is the holiest city in the Sikh
religion. The original Guru Granth Sahib is housed within its doors!

10. Amritsar

12. How did
Sikhism
begin?
Guru = teacher
GURU NANEK
(1469-1539)
There is neither
Hindu nor
Muslim!

13. GURU NANAK, CONTINUED….
Born to Hindu parents.
Witnessed religious tensions between Hindus
and Muslims
Hated the violence and death that took place.
The supernatural encounter with God while
bathing in the Bein River
Followed his supernatural encounter with a
determination to create his new religion that
ended caste systems, promoted equality, and
peace.

14. OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
8 other gurus
followed Nanek.
The tenth and final
guru is the official
religious holy book,
“the Guru Granth
Sahib.”
The holy book
consists of melodic
versus written in
Punjabi.
When reaching
adulthood, devoted
Sikhs engage in the
coming of age
baptismal ritual
known as the
Khalsa.

15. THE KHALSA
 This ritual takes place in Apri l on the festival of Vaisakhi ,
which is a celebration of the first five Sikhs to ever achieve
the status of Khalsa…
 To achieve Khalsa, one must make a l ifelong commitment to
a d h er e to t h e d i c t a tes o f t h e f a i t h…
 A khalsa Sikh wi l l always show faith through the wearing or
the showing of five distinct i tems. (shown on the next sl ide)

16. Kesh: Long, uncut hair.
Most male and some female
Sikhs wear turbans to cover
their kesh.
Kirpan: short sword that
symbolizes fighting evil.
Kangha: small wooden
comb to help keep hair fixed.
Kara: a steel bracelet
worn to remind Sikhs
that there is one God
and one truth without
beginning or end.
Kachhehra: short
pants/underwear.
Represents changing of new
way, chastity, and flexibility in
battle.

17. FAMOUS MEMBERS OF THE GLOBAL SIKH
COMMUNITY
Dr. Manmohan Singh—Oxford Universi ty educated, cur rent
pr ime minister of India. He is the f i rst fol lower of Sikhism
t o e v e r h o l d t h e o f f i c e . I n d i a i s t h e wo r l d ’ s s e c o n d mo s t -
populated nat ion and has nuclear weapons capabi l i ty.
Mrs. Nikki Haley (Nimrata Nikki Randhawa) —cur rent ,
incumbent Republ ican governor of the state of South
Carol ina. As an Indian-Amer ican chi ld she was raised Sikh
and at tended gurdwara, but she conver ted fol lowing her
mar r iage to her Methodist Chr ist ian husband. She st i l l
at tends gurudwara services on occasion in honor of her
fami ly roots.

18. FAMOUS MEMBERS OF THE SIKH
COMMUNIT Y, CONTINUED…
Nuvraj Singh Bassi—first Sikh Canadian
Football player ever.
Amrit Kaur and Rabindra Kaur—
contemporary British artists known
internationally for their Indian miniature
paintings.

19. A LITTLE KNOWN BUT POWERFUL SIKH
CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD!
 Fol lowing the April 13,1919, Amritsar Massacre (on the
rel igious hol iday Vaisakhi ) by the mi l itary of the United
Kingdom, the Sikhs became the first to sol idify their al l iance
with Mohandas K. Gandhi and his non-violence movement that
led to Indian and Pakistani independence.
Pbs.org

20. THE DREAM FOR ALL AMERICANS AS WELL AS ALL
INDIANS STARTED WITH THE SAME DREAM THE GURU
HAD… A N E N D T O O P P R E S S I O N , P R OMO T I O N O F E Q U A L I T Y,
AND NEEDLESS VIOLENCE!

21. TROUBLING MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SIKHS
(ESPECIALLY THOSE OF INDIAN ETHNICITY)
 Member of the Arabic/Bedouin ethnic group.
 Sikhism is an of fshoot of Islam
 Sikhism is an of fshoot of Hinduism
 Violent radicals
 Terrorists or Terrorist-sympathizers

22. THE GRAVE CONSEQUENCES TO STEM OUT OF
MISCONCEPTIONS
 The first week alone fol lowing the terrorist attacks on Sept.
1 1 , 2 0 01 , “ Si khs . org” re p or ted a tot al of 141 hate crimes
stretching from Washington state to Washington, D.C.
 Balbir Singh Bodhi (1949-2001)—September 11, 2001
“I stand for America
all the way! … I’m
an American. I am
a patriot.”
• 49 year-old father of
three.
• Gas station owner
shot as he was
planted flowers.
• Community leader
who gave children
candy when they
visited his gas
station store.
“I’m going to go out and shoot
some towelheads!”

23. GRAVE CONSEQUENCES, CONTINUED…
 Sterling Heights (Detroit), Michigan—gurudwara
under construction vandalized—February 6, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdDDF1fmPbg
 The massacre at The Sikh Temple of Wisconsin (Oak
Creek, Wisconsin)—August 5, 2012
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestof tv/2012/08
/10/pkg-rowlands-inside-sikh-temple.cnn

24. WHAT WILL YOU DO TO PROMOTE MORE
LEARNING OF THE SIKH COMMUNITY AND END
MISCONCEPTIONS?

25.  (1988). Gibson, Margaret A. , Accommodat ion Without
Assimi lat ion. Ithaca, NY: Cornel l Universi ty Press.
 (1989). McLeod, W.H. , The Sikhs: History, Religion, and Society.
New York: Columbia Universi ty Press.
 (1990). Grewal , J.S., Sikhs of the Punjab, revised edi tion.
Cambridge, U.K. : Cambridge Universi ty Press.
 (1997). Bowker, John., World Religions. New York: DK Publ ishing.
 (2001). Penney, Sue. , Sikhism. Chicago: Heinemann
Library/Reed Educational & Professional Publ ishing.
 (2005). Bul ler, Laura. A Faith Like Mine. New York: DK
Publ ishing.
REFERENCES