Native Sacred Ways•Everything is alive•Indigenous peoples•Circle of right relationships•Native mystical

experiences•We are caretakers of the

earth•Contemporary issues

“Everything is alive.”

Indigenous spirituality is a particular approach to life, not a separate experience like going to church.

Indigenous Peoples

•The original inhabitants of the land•This is 4% of the world’s population•Kept hidden in the Americas for the

past 500 years since the conquistadores

•Went underground 200 years by Aboriginals when Christian missionaries appeared in Australia

Going way back….Archaeological discoveries show that methods used by shamans have been around for at least 20,000 years.

Tenochtitlan in 1500s – now lies beneath Mexico City

500 years ago in Mexico…

Circle - symbol of unity

Relationship with Spirit

•Supreme Being is “Wakan Tanka” or “Great Spirit” to the Sioux

•African phrases are “the one who is met everywhere” and as “the one who exists by himself

In Africa…

“Our ancestors are our saints. Christian missionaries who came here wanted us to pray to their saints, their dead people. But what about our saints?”

“How you might feel toward a human being that you love is how you might feel toward a dry leaf on the ground and how you might feel toward the rain in the forest and the wind.”Hawaiian Kahuna

Mystical Experience by Early Americans

“…everything is light. Everything is vibrating with very small signals, like waves of music, very smooth. Everything shines with a blue light. And you feel a sweetness. Everything is covered with a sweetness, and there is peace. It is a sensation like an orgasm, but it can last a long time.”

Tlakaelel, of the Toltecs of Mexico

Nigerian Creation Story

“When time began, where the earth now exists there was only a vast watery area, with a dim and misty atmosphere, the domain of Olokun. The other Orisa lived in an upper world of light until Obatala decided to go down to see if some solid land could be created…”

African slaves brought to the Americas lost their individual and group identity. Kwanzaa has been created to re-establish those identities by celebrating the first fruits of the harvest.

Santeria now…African Voodoo plus

Catholicism

Popular in the Caribbean with approximately 50,000 followers in the United States today.

Boarding schools tried to stop the native sacred ways

•“Kill the Indian and save the man.”

•The American Indians•The Alaska Indians•The Australian Indians•The Mexican Indians

Leonard Crow DogLakota Medicine Man

“Life is holiness and everyday humdrum, sadness and laughter, the mind and the belly all mixed together. The Great Spirit doesn’t want us to sort them out neatly.”

Mother Earth

“In contrast to the industrial world’s attempts to use and dominate the earth, native people say they consider themselves caretakers of their mother, the earth.”

Your Comments…

Winona LaDuke, of the Anishinaabe

LaDuke says that we “…need to consider an amendment to the U.S. Constitution in which all decisions made today would be considered in light of the impact on the seventh generation from now.”

Native Ways Summary

•Everything is sacred•Circle of right relationships•Native mystical experiences•We are caretakers of the earth•We should consider our

actions in light of seven generations into the future

NotesThese slides are designed to accompany an oral

presentation that compliments the book “Living Religions” written by Mary Pat Fisher and published by Prentice-Hall.

The serious student would benefit greatly by using this book as an excellent additional source of information.

Anyone duplicating this free presentation by One World Insight should be aware of copyright laws protecting some of the pictures and perform due diligence to make sure of

their appropriate use.