Notes on NA Spirituality

Absorption of Native beliefs and practices into other spiritual paths: Many Native people (some would say all traditional Natives) object to others incorporating Aboriginal beliefs, practices, rituals, tools, and traditions into their own spiritual paths. They find this assimilation to be particularly offensive when it is motivated by a desire for profit. It is seen as a horrendous desecration.  In a "Declaration of war against exploiters of Lakota Spirituality," three traditional Lakota spiritual leaders condemned: "...having our most precious Lakota ceremonies and spiritual practices desecrated, mocked and abused by non-Indian 'wannabes,' hucksters, cultists, commercial profiteers and self-styled 'New Age shamans' and their followers." Having their precious Sacred Pipe sold openly at flea markets, New Age stores, etc. Profit-making groups holding sweatlodges, sundances, shaminism, and  vision quest programs for the public. Inaccurate and negative portrayal of Indian people in movies and TV. Efforts to create syncretistic religions by combining Native rituals and beliefs with New Age and Neopagan spiritual paths. 14,15 Recognition of native tribes: The Virginia Indian Tribal Alliance for Life (VITAL) is a non-profit organization, which supports the needs of six Indian Tribes of Virginia: the Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Monacan, Upper Mattaponi, Nansemond and Rappahannock. "The Commonwealth of Virginia formally recognizes eight tribes, whose ancestors and cultural connections can be traced directly to groups documented to have been living in Virginia in 1607 at the time of initial English colonization." However, although the U.S. federal government has recognized hundreds of tribes in the U.S., not one is from present-day Virginia. A major activity of VITAL is to seek this recognition. 17 References: Vine Deloria, "Red Earth, White Lies: Native Americans and the Myth of Scientific Fact," Fulcrum Pub (1997). Ward Churchill, "A Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas, 1492 to the Present," City Lights Books, (1998). Ward Churchill et. al., "Agents of Repression: the FBI's Secret Wars Against the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement." South End Press, (1988).  Native American Sites contains an index of Native sites, media, powwows, Native enterprises, etc. See: http://info.pitt.edu/~lmitten/indians.html Native Web contains links dealing with Native news, events, enterprises etc. See: http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/nativeweb/ The Index of Native American Resources on the Internet has an immense number of links to Native resources on culture, history, education, language, health, indigenous knowledge, government programs, art and much more. See: http://hanksville.phast.umass.edu/misc/NAresources.html Native American Tribes: Information Virtually Everywhere has links to tribal information, media, Native studies etc. See: http://www.afn.org/~native/ The National Indian Policy Center has links to maps, native events, grant sources, museums etc. See: http://gwis.circ.gwu.edu/~nipc/ T.D. Dillehay, "Monte Verde: A late Pleistocene settlement in Chile: The archeological context and interpretation," Smithsonian Institution Press, (1997). . This is not an inexpensive book! The Native American Embassy  and Native American Holocaust Museum share a web site at: www.nativeamericanembassy.net J.N. Wilford, "New answers to an old question: Who got here first?" New York Times, 1999-NOV-9 Wilmer Stampede Mesteth, et al., "Declaration of war against exploiters of Lakota Spirituality," at: http://puffin.creighton.edu/lakota/war.html  "Responses to the Declaration: War against exploiters of Lakota Spirituality," at: http://puffin.creighton.edu/lakota/war_resp.html  "Low Bridge, Everybody Cross," a chapter in Vine Deloria Jr.'s book: "Red Earth, White Lies," The Virginia Indian Tribal Alliance for Life (VITAL) has a home page at: http://www.virginiaindians.homestead.com/ Shannon Thunderbird, "Turtle Island's Native Cultures," at: http://www.shannonthunderbird.com/ <NOBR>Witchway_Pawnee</NOBR> Sent: 3/22/2006 9:22 PM Forgot to add that Vine Deloria's book, Red Earth, White Lies is a must read... I also recommend his book, Custer died for your sins...