Native American wisdom and spirituality
According to the vast majority of anthropologists, Native Americans first inhabited the North American continent between 30,000–60,000 years ago. It is believed that many of them walked across the land mass now submerged in the Bering Strait. As the populations spread out and tribes formed, a large number of individual belief systems developed. While virtually all are different, most are related to each other by commonalities often found amongst nomadic hunters and gatherers.
For instance, native spirituality focused largely on the natural world; objects, animals, and even geographical places located within a tribe’s home region were given supernatural meaning. Shamanism was very common, and almost all native spiritual practices relied heavily on rituals, ceremonies, the concept of good and evil spirits, hunting, and cultural taboos. Other shared tendencies of native spirituality sometimes included a primary deity that created the Earth, and an adversary or trickster who plagued man to a greater or lesser degree.
Due to disease and the near-genocidal practices that were visited upon Native Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries, matters of spirituality were frequently diluted or rendered extinct.
“The tragedy of life is not death but what we let die inside of us while we live.”
It is very investing to know that abut 30,000 Native Americans live in North Dakota and make up about 5% of the whole North Dakota Population. Those tribes could be with different origins, from Mandan and Hidatsa, via Sisseton and Hunkpapa to the Dakota and Cree but they all share the common belief and great respect for this Earth and harmony with wildlife. The name Dakota itself means friend or ally in local Lakota language and that tells us all we need to know about rich Native American spiritual heritage and warm hospitality.
The Native spirit is so strong and powerful and if I can choose where I belong, I will always and forever pick up Native Americans since their hearts match with mine. This is not only because of my special links with the nature but because of my sensible feeling for others too. I don’t need religion to tell me that I have to be good person because otherwise God will punish me. The spirituality is my choice on the dusty road of human failure. I don’t believe in heaven or hell but in great spirits that makes us escape the traps of primitive minds and dark hearts.
Lakota Prayer:
”Wakan Tanka, Great Mystery, Teach me how to trust My heart, My mind, My intuition, My inner knowing, The senses of my body, The blessings of my spirit. Teach me to trust these things So that I may enter my Sacred Space And love beyond my fear, And thus Walk in Balance With the passing of each glorious Sun.”
Chief Tecumseh (Crouching Tiger) Shawnee Nation said once again inspirational words about being alive:”
So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; Respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, Even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools And robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled With the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep And pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”
Ponca Chief White Eagle gave a lovely advice to his folks:
“When you are in doubt, be still, and wait; When doubt no longer exists for you, then go forward with courage. So long as mists envelop you, be still; Be still until the sunlight pours through and dispels the mists, as it surely will. Then act with courage.”
Some spiritual leaders of Indian tribes have talked about gross national happiness and noted that the progress of mankind is not how tall the buildings are but how much people are compassionate with the nature and each others. Unfortunately, we see that fellow men replaced their empathy with materialistic pleasure and short-term interest. Isn’t that a significant indicator of global unhappiness ? We run away to earn money so we can buy things we don’t need and pretend we use the time we have already lost.
Native American spirituality can guide us to reconnect with nature, the world and our spiritual side. Many people feel they have lost touch with themselves.
Native American beliefs are both spiritual and cultural. Therefore, only those who have grown up or been taught within the culture can have a true understanding of them.
However, there are some lessons we can learn from Native American spirituality. We can use these ideas to help us find deeper truths in our own lives.
Taking care of the earth
An important part of Native American Spirituality is to honor the earth. Native American beliefs include a true reverence for all of nature. They live closely connected to the cycles of life. They can see that they depend on nature for everything.
We are also dependent on nature for our very existence. However, the connection seems more distant. We mostly buy our food from stores and are detached from the cycles of growth. We can easily forget that the earth sustains us. If we reconnected more closely with the natural world, then we might develop a true respect for mother earth and learn to take care of her once more.
Spiritual medicine
The practices of a medicine man or woman or a shaman are sacred. They arise from a strong cultural belief system and should never be used as a quick fix for our problems.
However, with our dependence on one kind of physical medicine in the west, we may have lost the concept of spiritual medicine. Medicine people are responsible not only for the illness of individuals but of the whole community. In our individualistic society, this sense of community-mindedness is sorely lacking.
It is not always appropriate to copy the spiritual ideas of others without a deep understanding of the culture in which they evolved. However, we can learn many lessons from other cultures and belief systems.
The beliefs of Native American spirituality may help us reconnect with a spiritual life many of us in the West have lost because of the dominant materialistic worldview.
Indigenous Peoples Literature 