Full Description
Spirituality may be the most contentious and poorly understood dimension of Native American communities today. For generations the religious beliefs and practices of Native Americans have been the subject of public fascination and scholarly inquiry. Unfortunately, this ongoing interest has all too frequently been fueled by facile generalizations, inaccurate information, or inappropriate methods of investigation. Given the legacy of misrepresentation and mistrust, is it possible to fully appreciate the religious meanings and experiences of Native Americans? This volume offers a stimulating, multidisciplinary set of essays by noted Native and non-Native scholars that explore the problems and prospects of understanding and writing about Native American spirituality in the twenty-first century. Considerable attention is given to the appropriateness and value of different interpretive paradigms for Native religion, including both "traditional" religion and Native Christianity. The book also investigates the ethics of religious representation, issues of authenticity, the commodification of spirituality, and pedagogical practices. Of special interest is the role of dialogue in expressing and understanding Native American religious beliefs and practices. A final set of essays explores the power of and reactions to Native spirituality from a long-term, historical perspective.
Contents
PART ONE: THEORETICAL CONCERNS Mediations of the Spirit: Native American Religious Traditions and the Ethics of Representation Ines Hernandes-Avila Cultural Identity, Authenticity, and Community Survival: The Politics of Recognition in the Study of Native American Religions John A. Grim Spirituality for Sale: Sacred Knowledge in the Consumer Age. Christopher Ronwanien:te Jocks This May Be a Feud, But It's Not a War: An Electronic, Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Teaching Native Religions Ronald L. Grimes PART TWO: DIALOGICAL RELATIONS Voice, Representation and Dialogue: The Poetics of Native American Spiritual Traditions Robin Ridington Pimadaziwin: Contemporary Rituals in Odawa Community Melissa A. Pflug The Church of the Immaculate Conception: Inculturation and Identity among the Anishnaabeg of Manitoulin Island Theresa S. Smith Nahuas and National Culture: A Contest of Appropriations Richard Haly Knowledge, Negotiation and NAGPRA: Reconceptualizing Repatriation Discourses Pia Alteri PART THREE: HISTORICAL REFLECTIONS Repatriating the Past- Recreating Indian History Clara Sue Kidwell Purity and Pollution: Unearthing an Oppositional Paradigm in the Study of Cherokee Religious Traditions Mary C. Churchill Kiowa Religion in Historical Perspective Benjamin R. Kracht The Shaker Church and the Indian Way in Native Northwest California Thomas Buckley Intertribal Traditionalism and the Religious Roots of Red Power James Treat A Brief History of Native American Religious Resistance Lee Irwin
