In today’s environment of corporate greed and global domination where humanity consumes most of the world’s natural resources for gain and profit with little consideration for indigenous people sacred ways of life, a connection to the earth and its inhabitants is lost. A loss that could potentially result in humanities self destruction as the ecosystem is compromised and right relationships as a whole are not maintained. Indigenous sacred ways seek to re-connect and maintain right relationships with the universe and its inhabitants both seen and unseen through rituals, symbols, and myths that enables the ecosystem as well as indigenous communities cultural system to sustain itself through their beliefs and practices. Indigenous beliefs and practices that vary from the industrial and modernized world view of religion, relationships, and maintaining valuable resources.
Indigenous Beliefs and Practices Indigenous beliefs and practices are symbolic as they relate to the material life and the next life. …show more content…
Their beliefs are all encompassing as a whole regarding the universe, the earth, and its inhabitants which sustains all life. In indigenous cultures, there is no word for religion or spirituality. (Fisher, 2014, p.35) Fisher maintains that religion is re-connecting or tying people back to something behind the surface of life-a greater reality, which lies beyond. (Fisher, 2014, p.2) Indigenous sacred beliefs is a connection to what is seen and unseen as well as what is alive and what has passed all of which is interconnect and dependent upon each other exhibited through their practices. There are varying indigenous practices among indigenous people. “In libration rituals, food and drink are offered to the ancestors, acknowledging that they are still in a sense living and engaged with the people’s lives.” To not pay respect to the ancestors who have passed can bring about misfortune. (Fisher, 2014, p.41) “In African religions, members of secret societies periodically appear as impersonators of animal spirits or of dead ancestors, demonstrating that the dead are still watching the living, warning transgressors, and protecting the village.” (Fisher, 2014, p.50) Indians smoked a peace pipe to connect to the spirit world, the earth, and the sky. Further demonstrating how everything is connected and dependant upon everything else. These scared practices allowed indigenous people to maintain the right relationships with the present and the past as a way of keeping a harmonious balance. Indigenous people have a profound connection to all life. Life for many indigenous people includes the rocks in the stream, to the plants that provide healing, and to the animals that provide spiritual guidance or nourishment. All of which indigenous people maintain relationships with to keep them in balance. It’s an understanding of the circle of life. “To maintain the natural balance of the circles of existence, most indigenous peoples have traditionally been taught that they must develop right relationships with everything that is. Their relatives include the unseen world of spirits, the land and weather, the people and creatures, and the power within.” (Fisher, 2014, p.40) Hawaiian kahuna, Kahu Kawai’i maintains, “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.” (Fisher, 2014, p.45) Indigenous people and their sacred ways preserve the earth as its care givers not reckless consumers. “Trees, animals, insect, and plants are all to be approached with caution and consideration. If one must cut down a tree or kill an animal, one must first explain one’s intentions and ask forgiveness. Those who harm nature may themselves be harmed in return.” (Fisher, 2014, p. 45) Although indigenous sacred beliefs may see harm as being toward themselves or their family, the harm caused to earth’s ecological system may result in humanities destruction. That concern has prompted change in preserving indigenous land and their way of life although there is little preservation left as large corporations take their land for personal gain upsetting the delicate balance of the earth’s ecological system and making is impossible to maintain the right relationship with all life including indigenous communities. Community is vital to indigenous people. Not
Indigenous Beliefs and Practices Indigenous beliefs and practices are symbolic as they relate to the material life and the next life. …show more content…
Their beliefs are all encompassing as a whole regarding the universe, the earth, and its inhabitants which sustains all life. In indigenous cultures, there is no word for religion or spirituality. (Fisher, 2014, p.35) Fisher maintains that religion is re-connecting or tying people back to something behind the surface of life-a greater reality, which lies beyond. (Fisher, 2014, p.2) Indigenous sacred beliefs is a connection to what is seen and unseen as well as what is alive and what has passed all of which is interconnect and dependent upon each other exhibited through their practices. There are varying indigenous practices among indigenous people. “In libration rituals, food and drink are offered to the ancestors, acknowledging that they are still in a sense living and engaged with the people’s lives.” To not pay respect to the ancestors who have passed can bring about misfortune. (Fisher, 2014, p.41) “In African religions, members of secret societies periodically appear as impersonators of animal spirits or of dead ancestors, demonstrating that the dead are still watching the living, warning transgressors, and protecting the village.” (Fisher, 2014, p.50) Indians smoked a peace pipe to connect to the spirit world, the earth, and the sky. Further demonstrating how everything is connected and dependant upon everything else. These scared practices allowed indigenous people to maintain the right relationships with the present and the past as a way of keeping a harmonious balance. Indigenous people have a profound connection to all life. Life for many indigenous people includes the rocks in the stream, to the plants that provide healing, and to the animals that provide spiritual guidance or nourishment. All of which indigenous people maintain relationships with to keep them in balance. It’s an understanding of the circle of life. “To maintain the natural balance of the circles of existence, most indigenous peoples have traditionally been taught that they must develop right relationships with everything that is. Their relatives include the unseen world of spirits, the land and weather, the people and creatures, and the power within.” (Fisher, 2014, p.40) Hawaiian kahuna, Kahu Kawai’i maintains, “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.” (Fisher, 2014, p.45) Indigenous people and their sacred ways preserve the earth as its care givers not reckless consumers. “Trees, animals, insect, and plants are all to be approached with caution and consideration. If one must cut down a tree or kill an animal, one must first explain one’s intentions and ask forgiveness. Those who harm nature may themselves be harmed in return.” (Fisher, 2014, p. 45) Although indigenous sacred beliefs may see harm as being toward themselves or their family, the harm caused to earth’s ecological system may result in humanities destruction. That concern has prompted change in preserving indigenous land and their way of life although there is little preservation left as large corporations take their land for personal gain upsetting the delicate balance of the earth’s ecological system and making is impossible to maintain the right relationship with all life including indigenous communities. Community is vital to indigenous people. Not