We Are All Related: Life Lessons From Native American Wisdom

1. INTRODUCTION

Why?

Why read a book about traditional Native American values? Why should anyone care about what Native Americans thought and did hundreds of years ago? Why think about this subject at all? The answers to these questions, I suggest, are these:

1. First and foremost, to become motivated to examine and more sharply define the personal values, virtues and principles by which we choose to live our lives; to reflect on the meaning and purpose of our lives and the destiny of humankind.

At a time when the people of our country are sharply torn, and the sides actively combative about issues of race, gender, ethics, morality and the environment, it appears that our culture is sorely in need of more life sustaining and life enhancing values, purpose and direction.

It is my hope that, by considering the values and principles espoused and practiced by traditional Native Americans, we can learn something about ourselves and how we should live our lives.

2. Secondly, to dispel the erroneous perceptions and stereotypes about Native Americans by which we have been indoctrinated by literature and movies, and to enhance our understanding and appreciation of their culture.

The White invaders of this continent thought of, and treated, Native Americans as ignorant savages. In the early 1500s, there were documented debates in Europe as to whether these creatures were in fact human, or some kind of wild beast. The attitude of some was the only good indian is a dead indian. Some, more benevolent types, believed that it was the White Man’s responsibility to: first civilize them (teach them to dress, talk, act and think like Whites), and then, save their souls by teaching them the one true religion. In fact, most of the Indigenous People were intelligent, aware, self-sufficient, moral and deeply spiritual human beings who had much to teach Whites. But the Whites, convinced of their own superiority, would not listen.

Perhaps there is value in listening now. Perhaps by examining the traditional values and philosophies of these Indigenous Peoples we can learn how to make our lives more meaningful, less stressful, more satisfying, maybe even more spiritual.

In our search for useful and meaningful values and principles, one could do worse than to look at those basic to the cultures of those peoples indigenous to this continent. Our culture tends to see differences as a threat. If we can get over that hurdle, understand and appreciate the value of what the Indigenous People had to share, our perspectives may become more life-affirming.

Context

A word about context: I will be focusing on values and virtues developed from the time before Columbus stumbled upon this continent, and the early period of interaction between the two cultures. In discussing culture and spirituality, I will most often use the past tense to emphasize that the views on which I want to focus are those considered traditional, i.e. those held before the influence of White culture. Some, (a minority of), modern Native Americans attempt to honor these old ways today.

What we know about these subjects we have learned from modern era descendants who were entrusted with keeping alive the traditions, values and philosophies from that period, as handed down from generation to generation. The descriptions herein should not be construed to represent the views of all modern Native Americans. Geographically, I will focus on North America. I will refer to the pre-contact inhabitants of North America as Native Americans, Indigenous Peoples, or simply as The People. (None of the names by which we refer to the Native American tribes are names they called themselves. Many of the names by which they referred to themselves translated into English as The People, or some version thereof). I will refer to the Europeans and their descendants who later occupied the territory as Whites. When speaking of spirituality, I will focus on how religion affects how one lives one’s life, not on creeds, nor on the appropriateness of rites and rituals.

Background – Some Factual, Some Conjecture.

There is much we do not know about these early American Cultures. Our perceptions are informed by the sharing of oral traditions and the studies of archeologists and anthropologists.

A majority, but not all, of the scientists who study these things contend that the Indigenous People came to North America from Siberia, across the Bering Strait. Recent DNA and language studies tend to support this conjecture. Archeological evidence indicates that this migration started at least 13,000 years ago, and quite possibly earlier.

I have read estimates by experts that put the 1492 Indigenous population of North America as low as 2 million and as high as 100 million. In any case, the continent was not empty. There seems to be more unanimity in the estimates that indicate that, at that time, there were approximately 500 distinct tribes speaking at least 300 different languages.

The conventional wisdom of most White Americans and Europeans is that the few primitives that were here in 1492, amounted to nothing more than a few small clusters of nomads. According to a Dr. Barnhart and other anthropologists, this assumption is grossly inaccurate:

…but nothing could be further from the truth. Centuries before European contact, large parts of North America had cities of thousands of people living in finely built houses, with palaces, temples and wide public plazas. There were road systems connecting cities across hundreds of miles. There were kings and councils, architects and astronomers, great artists and musicians – virtually every yard-stick the Western World uses to define civilization.

Edwin Barnhart, PhD, Ancient Civilizations of North America. p 3.

By 1500 BCE, Poverty Point in Northwestern Louisiana, considered to be the first city in North America, had 4,000 to 5,000 residents, living in a planned community of approximately 910 acres. By 950 to 1,000 CE, there were 10,000 to 20,000 residents of Cahokia, in Illinois, making it larger than London and Paris at that time.

Because of the absence of religious trappings familiar to Europeans, the view of early White observers was that these few, near naked, ignorant savages had no religion at all. Christopher Columbus, in his report to the King and Queen of Spain wrote:

… they have no creeds, no religion, but are not idolaters. – C. Columbus.

A few years later, Amerigo Vespucci, for whom the continents were named, used almost the same words:

… they have no churches, no religion, but are not idolaters. - A. Vespucci

Religion, Culture and Values

It is important to understand that for most Native Americans there was no distinction between things spiritual and things cultural. Their social and cultural structure was infused with a spirituality that could not be separated from the rest of daily life. They viewed the world through spiritual lenses. Thus, we should not dismiss a virtue or value as being merely custom or secular. To the Native American, every act, every event, was sacred. In the three hundred languages, there was no word for religion. It was not viewed as a separate part of life, but as life itself.

It is also critical to realize that our understanding of traditional Native American spirituality is based largely upon oral tradition. There are no sacred texts. Principles and values were handed down from generation to generation through stories and customs, some mythical, some based on facts or actual events in the life of the tribe, some based on experience. This strictly oral basis complicates White understanding, because Native Americans were typically forbidden or reluctant to disclose the details and nuances of their religion to Whites. It was not until the twentieth century that elders and medicine men, fearing that the ancient ways, if not documented, would be lost forever, wrote about, and dictated to White authors, the foundations and nuances of Native American Spirituality and Culture. White perceptions are also affected by the fact that Native Americans valued more highly the truths and wisdom found in myths and stories, than do most modern White cultures, which tend to be more fact focused.

Scope

My intention is not to glamorize or glorify the Noble Redman, although I hope this work reflects the deep respect that I have developed for the culture, as a result of my studies. The Native American values and principles highlighted herein are not unique to Native Americans, but similar in many ways to the best in Christian and Eastern philosophies. Nor are they represented as being universal among Native Americans. Native Americans were humans with human foibles. Their cultures, I am confident, included scoundrels and deviants. Some were warlike. There undoubtedly were Native Americans who were cruel and dishonest. I, as Ernest Thompson Seton stated in his introduction to THE GOSPEL OF THE RED MAN, am writing about the best things of the best Indians.

The values and virtues cited are those espoused and exhibited by the thought and example of spiritual leaders of the Indigenous Peoples of North America. They are presented in a Native American context to refute the widely held contention that these people were ignorant savages, and to contend that if we would but listen we could learn much of value.

The Indigenous People’s approach to life encompassed an absorbing love for nature, a deep respect for life, a belief in the interconnectedness of all living things and faith in a Supreme and Mysterious Power. As the guidelines for human relationships, they embraced the principles of truth, integrity, compassion, generosity, justice, equity, and obligations to family and community.

This is a book about values and responsibility. My contention is that the crises in which we find ourselves; religious and political strife, hunger and poverty, racial, gender and sexual orientation discrimination, high crime rates, mass shootings, addiction to chemical substances, income and wealth inequality and the destruction of our environment, all have their roots in the erosion or abandonment of fundamental values, the failure of Individuals to accept responsibility for their selves and their actions, and in our lack of respect for one another and for the wonder and beauty of this earth we call home. Many Native Americans understood these values and responsibilities. The values and philosophies described here are not good because they are Native American, but because they make sense. They represent principles that have intrinsic worth, that humankind has, when practiced, found to be effective as the basis for living, dealing with personal relationships, building communities and finding meaning in life. It is not important whether or not they were always practiced by all Native Americans. It is not necessary that we adopt every aspect of Native American worldview or practice, to recognize that the values and virtues identified herein are worth evaluating and even emulating.

The book is written for people of other races and cultures, in the hope that it will encourage some to incorporate the examined values into their own lives, and in the hope of erasing long standing stereotypes and prejudices about, and generating respect for, a people and culture from which there is much to learn. If some Native Americans were to find in it reason to take pride in, and hold on to, the wisdom of their heritage, that would be a bonus.

2. CONCEPTS OF RELIGION

We will look first at the Native American concepts of religion, for their religion shaped their values.

Religion is a complex concept. As used herein, religion is defined as a set or system of beliefs, principles, and practices concerning:

•The existence of, and nature of, God (The Sacred, Creator, Supreme Power, Great Spirit).

•Humankind’s relationship with God.

•A moral and ethical framework for making decisions about how to live one’s life and how to relate to other humans.

•The creation and functioning of the universe.

A basic purpose of religion is to help one make sense of the world - to provide a lens through which to comprehend the universe and to help answer basic questions about: why am I here and the meaning of life.

Many believed that the Native Americans had no religion of any kind before being introduced to Christianity by missionaries. This understanding is not at all accurate, as noted by a scholar from England who came to America to study Native American culture in the 1930s:

Through what prophets we know not, but the evidence is beyond challenge that the Red Man, before the White Man came, had achieved a knowledge of the Creator of the universe, and was worshiping Him in a religion of spirituality, kindness and truth.

Canon J. S. Bezzant of Liverpool Cathedral England in an address at Columbia University, circa 1936.

We don’t know how, but these people knew of God, a Supreme Power, the Creator of the universe, and they worshiped that God, in their own ways, long before white missionaries entered their lives. For Native Americans, one’s spirituality was an expression of one’s humanity.

Long before I heard of Christ or saw a white man … I knew God. I perceived what goodness is. I saw and loved what is really beautiful. Civilization has not taught me anything better.

Ohiyesa – Santee Sioux

Those who made the effort to get to know Native Americans recognized their deep spirituality. A Captain Bonneville, who visited the Nez Perce before missionary contact, related his observations:

Simply to call these people religious would convey but a faint idea of the deep hue of piety and devotion which pervades their whole conduct. Their honesty is immaculate, and their purity of purpose and observation of the rites of their religion are most uniform and remarkable. They are certainly more like a nation of saints than a horde of savages.

Washington Irving, The Adventures of Captain Bonneville, 1837, p 200

John James, who lived for 60 years among the Choctaw tribe in Texas wrote:

I claim for the North American Indian the purest religion and the loftiest conceptions of the Great Creator, of any non-Christian religion that has ever been known in this old world…

John James, My Experience With Indians, p 67

George Catlin, the famous painter of Native Americans observed:

All of the Indian tribes, as before I have observed, are religious – are worshipful and many of them go to almost incredible lengths … in worshiping the Great Spirit.

Letters and Notes, p 156.

Integration of Culture and Religion

Native American spirituality is complex, with many subtleties.

Our religion is the last thing about us that a person of another race will ever understand.

Ohiyesa –Santee Sioux

For Native Americans, there was no compartmentalization of secular and sacred. There was no Separation of Church and State. Concepts of leadership and government included concern for the spiritual