Term paper

“American Indian Religion”

I’d like to begin by saying it would be hard to announce an American Indian religion for the same argument as stated above. To suggest there is a religion that is the same or at least very common between the over 560 tribes in the U.S. would be misleading. Some elders I speak with have said, “we don’t have a religion, we have a “Way of Life”. Before I go further, please take a look at that statement and consider what that might mean. Is there a difference between the two?

- Religion and way of life -

· What are your first thoughts? Do you think they might be the same? Different? How? Does this statement perhaps make you feel like one is posing as being better than the other?

I believe the consideration to be made is very similar to the argument about how to define the terms. When a language has a word that best describes what is being mentioned, it is limited to the cultural understanding. In other words, each culture has a way of understanding. The way a culture understands the world may differ than the way another culture understands theirs. This is often because of the differences in their environment and history. The term ontology may be a word to use when referring to the way a culture understands their world. By the way, when I say culture, I mean it as any group that has similarities in the way they as a whole practice their way of life (ethnic, religious, or social). So, all this being said, when looking back at the religion and way of life statement, here’s what has been said by a Native elder. The way of life is that prayer is all day, every day. From the time we are born to the time we die, from the time we wake, to the time we sleep, everything is prayer. I think what they are trying to describe is a daily practice of recognizing everything as being part of what has been created by a Creator. Each tribe/nation has a different understanding of what this means. It usually doesn’t mean something or someone that can be described physically. Sometimes the term “Great Mystery” has been used after translation sometime in history, and then became a popular notion for all Indians. The Creator is better to be understood as a supernatural phenomenon that cannot be fathomed as something we can describe with physical features. It is that which cannot be described or labeled.

The idea of animism comes to mind. Animism is often considered to be the first idea of spirituality around the world. This comes from places like anthropology.

Getting back to our statement, should we think that religion cannot do the same as what is described by the way of life notion? Perhaps, anyone can be filled with a commitment to the practice of prayer or something similar such as respecting everything and everyone as a creation from a Creator. If so, then a person can possibly believe in something or someone great, and have the same sense of that way of life where prayer is all day, everyday. So then, what is prayer?

- What is prayer? -

· How do you choose to define or describe prayer? I would like to ask to consider prayer for Native people (I know I am generalizing here), not as saying or reciting words. What then could prayer mean for Native people?

What if prayer for a group of people simply means a thought and feeling that is in conscious recognition and reflection of the world. Perhaps a thought and feeling that has the best intentions for themselves and more importantly for the world. Maybe prayer for a group of people begins as positivity and reflexivity in relation to their environment. Some elders, Native and non-Native, have said prayer may not only include the recital of words, but more so the celebration of all that exists. This can include those things that make us happy and those things that bring challenges to our being. Maybe a form of prayer can be like the saying, “attitudes are contagious”; share your best and the most positive, and the world will be better.

Of course, there is the need to answer to those challenges. This may include natural disaster, birth, death, seasons, hunger, and so on. A community comes together to build emotional and maybe a spiritual strength. A ceremony may be designed to assure the community that all be fine and that these may occur again and again. But again I’ll ask a question, what then can be a ceremony?

- What is ceremony? -

· How specific does a ceremony have to be? How old does a ceremony have to be? Who can design or conduct a ceremony?

These questions can have various answers for the many cultures that exist around the world. Sometimes these have very simple or complex answers. Sometimes they come from a long existing practice that has come to be a tradition. Once a ceremony becomes tradition, can changes be made? I imagine it depends.

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As we go through this semester, being introduced to the American Indian world of religion/philosophy, we can explore the content with questions, find some answers, and take a closer look at the various tribal perspectives. My aim is to guide us to know what it is that some tribes or nations have created as their understanding of their world. With this knowledge and understanding my goal is to give you an opportunity to apply this knowledge to how you view the world.