The Native American Culture

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The Native American spirituality differs greatly from the other religions practiced in this time throughout the world; they have contrasting values, host ceremonies, and believe in a spirit instead of a God. Their culture has been dwindling since the Europeans traveled throughout North America because the Europeans opposed their faith. The remaining natives have preserved many of their beliefs because of their ancestors relaying the important traditions. Throughout time several themes have remained in this spirituality including nature, relationships, power, and a needed paradigm shift for others. These themes are relevant through events in today’s time, as well as, in the past. Nature has an imperative role is the Native American culture …show more content…

They take relationships with each other and the creatures around them very seriously. In the documentary Two Rivers, Glen Schmekel introduces John GrosVenor as his friend to a group of people. GrosVenor takes this word to heart and expresses to Schmekel how much that means to him. In the Native American culture, words are not thrown around like they are in today’s generations. For example, I will call someone I have a class with a “friend” even if I do not view them that way. Native Americans only speak from their hearts and they know how to listen when others are talking so they are seen as quiet people (Two Rivers). The relationships natives form reach out into the land as well. The Creator’s spirit ties everything together because it splits itself among the children of Mother Earth, so all creatures have a kinship to one another. They see themselves as guardians to the land so they help ensure that a balance is kept (Ties That Bind). This consciousness of a relationship helps the natives realize how they are impacting the world and what they can do to leave a smaller footprint. People today crave competition and need to prove they are different than anyone else; usually people try to outdo someone else, which does not help make a smaller mark (I am). This relationship to others is not what the natives or Mother Earth want because it leads to things like …show more content…

The Creator holds all the power in Native American beliefs because power is too strong to be manifested in the form of a man. Everyone is created equal by the spirit, even the animals, since we are all small pieces of the Creator itself (The Wisdom of the Native Americans). However, in current time, countries tirelessly fight for power because we feel the need to control others. People with the most money or are famous or seem to have the most material items are placed on a higher pedestal than the average man because that is what people value nowadays. Wealth is also materialistic now. Due to industrialization and the economic system, people are able to segregate one another based on the money they have. The natives see wealth as the resources the Creator sends as gifts to us and as the “things that make life worthwhile” (The Meaning of Wealth, Anielski). This can come from relationships, seeing beauty, feeling happy, or just playing around. Wealth is not the success of the country’s military is or cutting down forests or a larger budget; these are all focused on money, not genuine happiness like the natives see it. Wealth is really about the good feelings you get, rather than the items owned. Power and wealth both come from the Creator and involve feelings more than material items that could easily be

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