Native Spirituality
"Spirituality is not religion to Indians. Religion is not an Indian
concept, it is a non Indian word, with implications of things that end
badly, like wars in the name of individuals God's and so on. Indians do
not ask what religion another Indian is, because they already know the
answer. To an Indian, spirituality is about the Creator and it is
personal."
Seeking knowledge is a good thing - if it is done for the right reasons
and in the right way. For those seeking knowledge of Native American
Spirituality, it is not something you can do casually or occasionally.
That is the white man's way - to go to church on Sunday and forget about
it the rest of the week. Native American spirituality is not a religion.
It is a way of life. You live this way 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52
weeks a year.
Native American Spirituality comes from within. The white man has many
ways of justifying the things he does against his religion. He can even
quote out of his holy book reasons for doing it - but he does so
selectively and creatively when it is for his own ends. Native Americans
can not do such. Our spirituality comes from within and we can not
forget it or pretend it is anything other than what it is.
If a white man tells you he is a Christian, chances are pretty good he
isn't. I have known a few white people who didn't have to tell me they
were Christians. Their life spoke for them. There are not many, but
there are a few. There are a great many who will tell us their life
speaks for them but it doesn't.
If someone wants to charge money for "teaching" you Native American
Spirituality, they are not true teachers, they are not of our people.
Like the land, the knowledge of the people can not be owned, can not be
bought and sold. It is the way of the White Man to own what is not his
to own, to sell what is not his to sell, to corrupt it. It is not the
way of the people.
It is customary to offer a gift of the earth or the hands to a teacher.
If someone tells you "Native Americans believe this . . ." they are not
of the People. The Chahta believe one thing, the Lakota another and the
Dine another. There are many common threads woven into the fabric of our
spirituality, but each is different just as our cultures are different.
Our spirituality is based upon the Earth, the world in which we live.
The Chahta, the Lakota and Dine each live in a place very different than
the other.
I have nothing against people who practice shamanism, paganism, wicca or
new age things. If it is what they sincerely believe and it works for
them and they can live their beliefs, then good for them. But do not
identify it in anyway as being Native American Spirituality. It isn't.
You can not be just a little Native American or New Age-Native American.
It is false. Native American Spirituality is a way of life. It can not
be redefined at the whim of some wannabe whose spirit can not touch the
Earth, can not hear the ancestors. Like so many Christians, you will
find yourself having to tell people what you are because they will not
recognize it.
One can not become "Native American". You are what you are. You can
become spiritual in the way of Native Americans. It requires some
guidance, much introspection and much observation. It is hard work to
get there but the way is open to all who have the will to travel it. For
me, I would have it no other way. I was taught by my grandfather and
uncles to respect the ancestors and to listen to them, to touch the
earth and listen to her, to respect my elders and their knowledge.
You will have some of your cultural mores challenged. You can not just
walk in and say "Here I am. Teach me to be Native American." For one
thing, when I say I am Native American, that is like someone saying they
are European. It is a very broad, general term. That is why I always say
that I am of the Chahta Nation. Beliefs and practices will vary from
tribe to tribe. Even within a tribe, there may be some differences
between clans, villages or groups. For instance, the Chahta have six
distinct groups. The Oklahoma Chahta, the Mississippi Chahta, 2
different groups in Alabama, another in Florida and yet another that
went into Mexico via Texas.
If you are one of those who have the romanticized, anglicized vision of
the Native American, then you must either be able to let go of it or
walk away. That is not what we are. I see the "art" of what is supposed
to be a Native American woman by those who have this romanticized view
of us. It would be appropriate for the cover of what my wife calls
"horny romance novels". It may or not be good art. I do not know. I am
not an art critic. Such pictures are not representative of the way of
the Native Americans.
Thanks to Bear Warrior who shared this information.
Contents
April 2007 Reports
Last updated on April 26, 2007