The native Americans were referred to as “savages” by the Englishmen who first explored the Albemarle and Pamlico Sound region in the 1580s and attempted to establish a permanent colony on Roanoke Island. Sir Walter Ralegh's envoy found the Indians to be “most lovely, loving, and faithful, devoid of all deceit treachery, and such as live after the way of the golden era,” according to their own descriptions.
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This seeming inconsistency could be explained by the fact that, while the Indians were highly religious, they worshipped idols and paid reverence to multiple gods, making them heathens by English standards.
After spending over a year in the area, Thomas Harriot penned extensive accounts of coastal North Carolina and the native Indians, and made a concerted effort to convert them to Christianity. “They already have some faith,” he confessed, “and while it may be far from the truth, there is hope that it may be the easier and faster rectified.”
The Indians believed in “one sole chief and mighty God, who has been from all eternity,” but when he decided to construct the world, he began by creating small gods, “to be utilized in the creation and government to follow,” according to Harriot. He created one of these tiny gods in the guise of the sun, another in the form of the moon, and still another in the form of stars. Following that, the petty gods created water, after which they proceeded to create “all diversity of visible and unseen creatures.” “They say a woman was made first, who, by the activity of one of the gods, conceived and brought forth children,” says one of the gods.
All of the gods were portrayed by the Indians “by images in the shape of men, which they refer to as Kewasowok,” with a single god known as a Kewas.
Then they place them in suitable dwellings or temples, which they refer to as Machicomuck, where they worship, pray, sing, and make numerous offerings to them.” Harriot stated that he had observed temples or Machicomuck with only a single Kewas, as well as temples with two or three. A circular edifice with a pagoda-like top, “clad with skinne mattes,” was one of the temples depicted in an etching of John White's “Towne of Pomeiooc.”
“They also believe in the soul's immortality,” Harriot explained. “After this life, the soul is either carried to heaven, the home of the gods, where it will enjoy eternal bliss and happiness, or to a great pit or hole, which they believe to be in the farthest parts of their part of the world toward the sunset, where it will burn incessantly, depending on the work it has done. Popogusso is the name given to this location.”
The Indians took great care in producing and curing uppowoc, a herb they smoked in clay pipes, especially on important occasions. This was tobacco, of course, and Harriot wrote that it was held in such high regard among the people that “their gods are fabulously thrilled with it,” and that they offered it to the gods as a particular tribute. “They sometimes build sacred flames and sacrifice some of the powder in them. In the midst of a storm on the seas, they tossed some up into the air and into the ocean to appease their gods. So they threw some fish into a weare (a net) for fish that had just been set up. They also flung some into the air after escaping danger, but with weird motions, stamping, occasionally dancing, clapping, raising up hands, and staring up towards the skies, uttering cries, and muttering strange words and noises.”
“In every towne whither I came…I made declaration of the contents of the Bible, that therein was set forth the true and only God,” Harriot declared in an attempt to convert these “savages.” However, there is no evidence that Harriot's missionary activity resulted in any native Americans quitting smoking.
What is the main Native American religion?
Native American Church, commonly known as Peyotism or Peyote Religion, is the most widely practiced indigenous religious movement among North American Indians and one of Pan-most Indianism's important forms.
Do Indians believe in God?
The overall pattern of religious group share stability is accompanied by little net change from movement into or out of the majority of religious groupings. For example, among Hindus, any conversion out of the group is followed by a conversion back into the community: 0.7 percent of respondents claim they were raised Hindu but now identify as something else, whereas 0.8 percent claim they were not raised Hindu but now identify as Hindu. However, there are certain net benefits to conversion for Christians: Former Hindus who now identify as Christians make up 0.4 percent of survey respondents, whereas 0.1 percent were reared Christian but have since abandoned their faith.
The vast majority of Indians believe in God and consider religion to be extremely essential in their lives. Nearly all Indians (97 percent) say they believe in God, and around 80% of people in most religious organizations say they are positive God exists. Buddhists are the primary exception, with one-third claiming they do not believe in God. (In Buddhist teachings, belief in God is not central.)
Most Hindus believe in one God with multiple manifestations, but Muslims and Christians are more inclined to assert simply, “there is only one God.” However, the vast majority of Indians say religion is very important in their lives, and considerable percentages of each religious group pray daily and participate in a variety of religious ceremonies.
Is indigenous spirituality a religion?
On Jan. 8, Justice Douglas Thompson decided that the ritual, which involved fanning smoke on the walls and furnishings to purge the classroom of negative energy, was purely a cultural presentation that did not impose any spirituality or religion on the children.
Servatius and other parents received a letter from the principal of John Howitt Elementary School in Port Alberni, B.C., in September 2015, informing them of a possible suspension “A member of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation of Vancouver Island will perform a “cleansing” of the students and the classroom. Smudging, a spiritual ceremony that uses smoke from the burning of a sacred plant, would “cleanse” the classroom of bad “energy” and cleanse the “spirits” of the students, according to the letter, because “everything has a spirit” and “everything has a spirit” and “everything has a spirit” and “everything has a spirit” and “everything has a spirit” and “everything has a spirit” and “e “Everything is connected, everything is one.”
No “The letter suggested a “opt-out” clause. At least one instructor at the school did not bother to send the letter home to parents, saying in court in November 2019 that parental agreement was not required.
The letter claimed that unless the classroom and even the furniture were cleansed, they would harbor negative “energy,” and that the classroom would not be safe until the “energy” was removed “released” as a result of the smudging.
When Servatius went to the school to learn more about the cleansing process, she was informed that her children had already participated in the ceremony, which involved sage smoke being blown over the walls and furniture of her children's classrooms. A few months later, an Aboriginal prayer was offered to a Native American “At a mandatory school assembly, children were compelled to say “god.”
Servatius maintained that because her children were compelled to be present in the room throughout the purification process, they were not simply “observing” or “learning about” Aboriginal smudging; they were actively engaging in a religious rite. The smudging was religious because it was a spiritual cleansing rite that was inextricably linked to religious beliefs about spirits and energies in the hereafter.
The Servatius family unsuccessfully contended that being forced to be present in a space that is being spiritually cleansed is equivalent to being forced to participate in a spiritual rite.
Other court judgements have prohibited schools from having students repeat the Christian prayer known as the Lord's Prayer. Justice Thompson's opinion contradicts such rulings. The Supreme Court of Canada has declared that religious freedom includes both the right to practice one's beliefs and the right not to have one's faith or religious practices imposed on them. Even if the school gives an opportunity for children to recite the Lord's Prayer, requiring them to do so in school amounts to imposing a religious exercise “For children whose parents oppose, such as atheists, Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others, there is a “opt-out” option.
Thompson disregarded the Supreme Court of Canada's 2016 judgement in Ktunaxa Nation v. British Columbia, which said that Aboriginal spiritual beliefs are protected under the law “The Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects “religion.” Smudging is a ritual that fits under the Charter's provisions for freedom of religion, according to other courts and tribunals. Thompson also determined that the school did not violate the government's religious neutrality responsibility by hosting the spiritual cleansing service. Other court verdicts accuse the government of favoring one religion over another by requiring students to recite the Lord's Prayer in school.
The testimony of Nuu-chah-nulth education worker Sheri Cook, who prepared the letter to parents and was present in the classrooms during the cleansing ceremonies, is selectively ignored in the ruling. Cook stated that the cleanse was held particularly to clear energy from a known case of bullying in one classroom and a personal injury case in another. According to her, this negative energy dwells in the unseen world and is purged by the ceremony. Cook stated that the sage smoke cleared the walls, doors, and area of the classroom itself of evil energy, and that it was vital to remove the bad energy. She claimed that the smoke was strong at times and that it reached all of the children, even though it wasn't waved over each child individually. The objective of the ceremony, according to Cook, was to wash negative energy from classrooms, and the cleaning had a positive impact on the pupils.
Thompson dismissed the school's letter to parents, which plainly states the religious or spiritual character of the cleansing, as a mere coincidence, in addition to ignoring portions of Cook's proof “Misrepresentation.”
What would Thompson have done if a Catholic or Orthodox priest lit incense in a public school classroom, exposing all of the students to the smoke? What if the priest had prayed against Satan's and other bad spirits' negative energy and called for the Christian God's blessings to descend on the classroom? What if the school had written a letter to parents explaining that the prayers and incense were being used to “purify” the classrooms as well as the children's “spirits”?
Would Thompson have said this was just a coincidence? “Is there a “demonstration” of Canada's traditional Christian culture that does not force religion on children? Would the court have brushed aside the objections of atheist, Jewish, or Sikh parents who objected to their children being in a school while a priest prayed and burned incense?
These are hypothetical questions. Nobody can deny that the courts have a clear double standard when it comes to the imposition of Aboriginal spirituality versus the imposition of other religions. Justice Thompson made numerous references to the “In the historical context,” he says, referring to the tragedy of the residential schools. This appears to be a partial justification for the double standard.
However, two wrongs do not equal a right. When it comes to religious rituals or spiritual ceremonies held in public schools, one norm should apply to all.
What is the Native American word for spirit?
In Native American theology, Manitou (), related to the Iroquois orenda, is the spiritual and essential life force among Algonquian people. It is ubiquitous and reveals itself in species, the environment, and events, among other things. “Good spirit” is aashaa monetoo, while “bad spirit” is otshee monetoo. When the earth was founded, Aasha Monetoo, the Great Spirit, handed the territory to the original peoples, particularly the Shawnee.
Are there native American Bibles?
A selection of biblical scriptures in North American indigenous languages are included in the Harrison Collection of American Bibles. These Native American Bibles were printed during the seventeenth and twentieth centuries for missionary work with tribes around the United States.
What was the name of the God of natives?
In a number of Native American and First Nations traditions, the Great Spirit is a concept of a life force, a Supreme Being or god known more explicitly as Wakan Tanka in Lakota, Gitche Manitou in Algonquian, and by other, unique names. While the concept is shared by a number of indigenous nations in the United States and Canada, it is not shared or interpreted in the same way by all communities. The Great Mystery, according to Lakota activist Russell Means, is a more semantically accurate translation of Wakan Tanka.
Do Native Americans believe in reincarnation?
For thousands of years, reincarnation has been a part of spiritual belief systems in a wide range of societies around the world. The Indigenous Peoples of North America, which number over 500 tribes, are included in these cultures. While they are frequently lumped together culturally, each Native American tribe is distinct, having its own set of customs and beliefs. This is especially true when it comes to their beliefs about the afterlife, reincarnation, and the circle of life. Despite these differences, there are some surprising parallels to be found. In this essay, we'll look at the many perspectives on reincarnation held by Native American tribes, as well as some of the parallels.
What are some Native American values?
Interconnectedness is symbolized by circles. Violent or virtuous behavioral circles exist. Many American Indians are trapped in a vicious cycle of exclusion from the ostensibly positive aspects of Westernization, imprisonment in its negative aspects, and continuing erosion of their culture and hence identities. However, Native Americans, like many other indigenous peoples around the world, are clinging to traditional values. Spiritual orientations are part of indigenous knowledge systems, and they may give an alternative set of values for developing life-enhancing economic conduct in the midst of the social and environmental crises that humanity faces. The writers introduce managers to Native American principles in general and four traditional Lakota virtues in particular: bravery, generosity, fortitude, and wisdom. Respect for Native American principles as an equally acceptable alternative to prevailing management norms could help management education develop toward an inclusive, virtuous circle.