When Chakotay was younger he lacked his fathers passion for his peoples heritage, chakotay at 15 years old resented his father taking his on an expodition to central America to find their ancestry and this laft a gap between the two, especially when Chakotay with out his fathers concent joined the Starfleet accadamy.
Dispite his rebelion while on his fathers expodition it was chakotay who saw the first sign of the "Rubber Tree People" it was a blessing given to the land known as a "CHAH-mooz-ee" shortly after this the party found the Rubber Tree People, and Kolopak allowed his head to be marked with a ceremonial pattern, which Chakotay refussed.
Years later Kolopak died defending his home from the Cardassians, which forced Chakotay to question his own beliefs, and as a sign of respect he placed the same mark on his forhead that his father had worn, and went on a Vision Quest to vist his father. His fathers death was what made Chakotay rediscover his heritage. After this Chakotay joined the Maquis in the fight against the Cardassians.
As a member of the Marquis Chakotay quickly found his place, as a leader who inspired confidence and devotion, and implicitly trusted those under his command. This is what allowed Tuvok (a Starfleet Spy) and Seska (a Cardassian Spy) to infiltrate his Marquis Cell.
After the adbuction of both his ship "Zola" and the Star Ship Voyager to the Delta quodrant. Chakotay agrees and work with Janeway to get Harry and B'Elanna back from an alien called the Caretaker, and after sacraficing his ship for Voyager Janeway and Chakotay agree to join as one crew a Starfleet crew and together he helps her handle the hybrid crew of Maquis and Starfleet, on their journey back to the Alpha quodrant.
Healing Rituals & Spiritual Pathways
Chakotay's tribel beliefs have often been used to help him and the crew, the Medicine Wheel is one of the things B'Elanna was shown how to use in case Chakotay was ever lost and in one episode Chakotay falls into a coma and B'Elanna performs the healing ritual.
Drawn on an animal skin and decorated with carefully placed stones, the medicine wheel is a symbol of both inner and outter worlds. when a person is sleeping or on a vision quest chakotays people say they are 'walking the wheel'but if they fall into a coma they are said to have lost their way the medicine wheel when decorated helps them to find their way again.
Animal Guides are also apart of Chakotays tribel beliefs, each person is said to have an animal guide to help them in times of confussion or pain, but to speek a guides name to another person will offend the guide. Chakotay helps Kathryn to find her guide when she grows concerned that there is no counseler on board.
to help him Chakotay has a Medicine Bundle, containing a blackbird's wing, a stone from a river marked with the CHAH-mooz-ee, and an Akoon-ah, a device created by Native Americans to replace natural psychoactive herbs once used.
to find her guide Chakotay instructs Kathryn to place one hand on the Akoon-ah and focus on the stone, breathing deeply and visulising a light, from here she lets her self go to a place she once felt safe, and her animal guide will be the first animal she sees.
Chakotays people are told to respect everything living from the land to all creatures even insects, to hear the voice of the hawk and make friends with all of nature.
Chakotay has come to see the value of the gift passed down to his people by the inheritors: a curiosity to explore the unknown, a reverence for the land, and a commitment to his heritage. because he rejected it as a child he has learned to value his root all the more now as an adult.
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