The Dogma of the Land

The Dogma of the Land

The Native American tradition of spirituality differs significantly from that of the European tradition. The reason for this disparity can be in part attributed to the origin of each group's particular belief system. The focal point of the Native American's culture and spirituality revolves around the centrality of the land, where dogma often tends to lie at the heart of European and Western religions.

Native American religious traditions tend to be more nature-oriented stressing the importance of the land, which aides in the feeding and sheltering of their people, or in other words supports the existence of an entire culture. European religious traditions, or more specifically Judeo-Christian traditions however, tend to be focused more on theological rhetoric.

In N. Scott Momaday's, and most Native American authors' writings, it is easy to find textual examples that illustrate the importance of nature to their people. There is often a fine line between nature and religion in Native American culture as Momaday validates here in The Way to Rainy Mountain:

They [the Kiowas] began a long migration from the headwaters of the Yellowstone River eastward to the Black Hills and south to the Wichita Mountains. Along the way they acquired horses, the religion of the Plains, a love and possession of the open land" (Heath 2709).

This example shows how the Native American faith is inextricably bound to the use of land. The site-specific nature of Native American religious practice derives from their perception that "the land itself is a sacred and living being." The Native Americans modest and sensible idea of the world around them kept them in a state of harmony with nature, where they held their surroun...

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...t of the European tradition. The reason for this disparity, as I have addressed, can be in part attributed to the origin of each group's particular belief system. Where Native American spirituality is deeply rooted in their relationship with the land, and the importance of nature to their people. The effects of the Native American belief system can be most notably seen in their concept of time and in their ability to adapt to the environment around them. However, since the arrival of the Europeans to the North American continent in the fifteenth century there has been a steady decline in the Native American populace. This diminishing population may very well correspond to decay in their spirituality as the United States government takes more and more land away from them; in a sense they are losing an essential part of their culture and who they are as a people.