Ancient Hawaaians

Native American

Medicine Wheel

Inuit (Eskimo)

Aborigines-Austrailia

Maori of New Zealand

African Religions

Obstacles of Appreciation Aaappreciation

scholars concentrated on written texts

stories, rituals, ceremonies, sandpaintings, songs

prayers, dance, masks, wood sculpture

permanence vs. impermanence

Modern recovery of indigenous religions

Efforts of scholars in anthropology - experience

Ecological movement-David Suzuki, Wisdom of the Elders, insightful lessons of human/nature relationship

Ecologist-Paul Ehrlich-quasireligious approach

Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson proposes biophilia, a love of life “We must rediscover our kin, the other animals and plants with whom we share the planet.”

learning from patterns

Human Relationship With the Natural World

Sacred Time and Sacred Space

Respect for Origins, Gods, and Ancestors

Human relationship with nature

Respectful relationship with nature

Animism-everything is alive

Life force is in every-thing--trees, plants, animals, humans

One reality-wakan

Sacred Time

Time of eternity; dream time (Aboringenes); distant time (Koyukon-Arctic)

Sacred time is cyclical, returning to origins for renewal-ancestors and myths

Sacred space

Doorway to the other world of gods, ancestors, wisdom, strength and power

May encompass a great mountain, volcano, valley, lake, forest, single large tree

respect for origins, gods, ancestors

ORIGINS-cosmic tales of origins

GODS-in stories and nature; altars and imagery dedicated to deity are not common

ANCESTORS-com-munication w/ dead

Sacred Practices in Indigenous Religions

• Rituals are basic way to live in harmony with each other and nature

• Life Cycle Ceremonies

• Taboo and Sacrifice

• Shamanism, Trance, and Spiritual Powers

Threats to Indigenous Religions Today

• Global spread of popular culture

• Loss of natural lands and environments

• Loss of native languages

• Conversion to other religions

Resolution of Apology to Native People

• The Faith & Politics Institute and the National Congress of American Indians, reps from six tribes

• acknowledged the wrongdoing of the Federal Government

• signed by President Obama, January 2009

President Obama Signs Tribal Law and Order Act

of 2010• end rape and sexual

assault of Native and Alaska women

• more than 1 in 3 Native women will be raped; 86% by non-native perpetrators

• restores authority, resources, and info to Tribal governments

Indigenous Communities Held Hostage in Brazil

• In 2009 the Guarani Kalowa Y’poi was violently evicted from ancestral land

• kidnapping/murder

• In April 2010 the tribe members managed to reoccupy land, but immediately deprived of movement - gun threats