Preview

Essay On Indigenous Religions

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
435 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay On Indigenous Religions
Traits of Indigenous Religions If you are familiar with the term “indigenous” you would know to define that as anything native to a certain area. Indigenous religions are religions native to a particular geographic region. These religions have been studied for many years, and have been thought to be profound due to their distinctive practices. However, most people, westerners for example, may have a skewed view of these religions, and may find them to be more aboriginal rather than developed. The most common traits of indigenous religions are lack of writings and scripture, sense of unity, and belief in higher powers. Many scholars may find it difficult to study these religions because of their lack of scriptures and …show more content…
The natives believe that everything on Earth is here for a reason, and no living thing is higher than the other. Trees play an important role in their lives, as they are considered “standing people” in some communities. Indigenous people want to live in a harmonic and peaceful way. They believe that living life in a completely spiritual way is the formula to a perfect balanced life. From eating to speaking, everything must have a spiritual purpose. They could consider themselves a leaf in the wind, or even a drop in the ocean. Everything is absolutely related to them. The belief in higher powers plays an important role in an indigenous native’s life. If there is a spiritual imbalance within the community (meaning they are lacking to stay harmonic and true to nature) it is believed that certain deities will cause misfortune around them. There are also spirits who are responsible for many other things, for almost every event or action there is divinity behind it. To conclude, even though indigenous religions may seem under developed to some, it is clear that indigenous communities do a lot to keep the religion active. They also hold morals and beliefs like any other religion. Their practices, however, is what keeps them distinctive from different religions in different parts of the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Indigenous Religions Dq 4

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages

    DQ 1: Find two Web sites dealing with indigenous cultures or religions. Discuss how modern civilization has affected the spiritual lives of the indigenous peoples you explored. Are indigenous religions still practiced today? If so, how have the practices changed over time?…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Powers, William K., James Garrett, and Kathleen J. Martin. "Lakota Religious Traditions." Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. Vol. 8. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 5295-5298. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 29 October, 2012.…

    • 1517 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Aboriginal people’s inextricable connection to the Land and the natural world provides a link between the people and the Dreaming. This untieable connection dictates their way of life, their Laws, their beliefs, their values and the way in which they treat others individually. This connection has lived and grown within every Aboriginal of different tribes for 40 000 years and are known to have the longest cultural history in the world.…

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Religion as defined by Merriam-Webster is, “the belief in a god or in a group of gods; an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods; an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group” ("Religion," 2014, p. 1). However, throughout history different people have had different views and influences that have shape their definition of religion. Most religions have leaders, organized practices, holy places, and holy books or scriptures that are followed. Religions can also include mythology, dance, festivals, death ceremonies, gods, goddesses, idols, and prayer.…

    • 787 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    and taught them how to live. He gave them the laws that are handed down from…

    • 3580 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Aboriginal Spirituality

    • 7876 Words
    • 32 Pages

    All clans believed in an ancestral creative spirit who created all aspects of the world through his/her travels…

    • 7876 Words
    • 32 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    For some 40,000 years the framework for Australian Aboriginal spirituality is their belief that all objects are living and share the same soul or spirit that Aboriginals share. The basic Aboriginal spiritual belief is invariably about the land Aboriginal people live on. ‘This belief is ‘geosophical’ (earth-centered) and not ‘theosophical’ (God-centered)’ ("What is Aboriginal spirituality? - Creative Spirits", n.d., p.1). This means that Aboriginal spirituality is inextricably linked to the land on earth, they say “it’s like picking up a piece of dirt and saying this is where I started and this is where I’ll go”. (S knight, page 1 – www.creativespirits.com) The land is the means of everything, their food, their culture, their spirit and identity. They do not own the land of this earth, the land owns them. ‘The land is their mother, their mother is the land. Land is the starting point to where everything began’ . (S knight, page 1 – www.creativespirits.com) Aboriginal people make no distinction between the secular and spiritual life. Aboriginal spirituality is a total way of life, with their total regard and respect of the land as the centre point of their spiritual existence.…

    • 1474 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Native American Religions

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Native American Religions have also been known as American Indians, Amerindians, Amerinds, Aboriginal, Indians, Indigenous, Original Americans, Red Indians, or Red Men. Native Americans religions are polytheistic. Native American Religions are remarkably free of priesthood. Native Americans are very personal in that they encourage…

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Indigenous Religions

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Indigenous religions are those that are not mobile, came into being in certain areas and have not expanded beyond that area. These were also more tribal based, with mostly oral histories. I find animism very interesting and it is a strong belief in many indigenous religions. Animism to me symbolizes the closeness that indigenous people had with nature. Respecting their surroundings was a path to sustainable survival. Animism capturers my imagination, because in today’s world there is very little connection to nature and I feel modern society suffers for that loss. Another aspect is magic, I had known that indigenous people performed dances and rituals, but I had never thought of it in the terms of magic. Imitative magic makes a lot of sense…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What Is Called Animism

    • 89 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Inuits believed in what is called Animism. Animism is a belief that all things-biotic and abiotic-have a spirit. In this religion, it was said that if a spirit died, it continued its life in the Spirit World. Only the leaders, called the Shamans, could communicate to the Spirit World. During the rituals to speak with the spirits, the Shamans would were carved masks. The leaders would summon the spirits was by charms and dancing. The Shamans would request good things such as an successful hunt or good weather.…

    • 89 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    aboriginal spirituality

    • 505 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The statement, ‘Aboriginal spirituality is as diverse and complex as the people themselves’, relates Aboriginal people to their culture and beliefs.…

    • 505 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    World Religion

    • 5930 Words
    • 24 Pages

    Where are some places where indigenous religions are located? What accounts for the extensive variety found in these religions?…

    • 5930 Words
    • 24 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Before deeply examines the definition of indigenous knowledge, first, it needs to be understand that indigenous literally means local. Therefore, derived from the basic definition, indigenous knowledge means the knowledge that local community passes through generations in specific environment. The word ‘knowledge’ in indigenous knowledge covers all forms of it, such as: skills, practices, technologies, medication, and belief. Related to the fact that different society has uniquely different culture, the different society also has different indigenous knowledge. Indigenous knowledge differs from every society because it originated from local experiences and also history of people who live in the communities.…

    • 1345 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    MUN policy paper

    • 617 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Indigenous people are a significant and are an important part of humanity. Their heritage, their ways of life, their stewardship of this planet, and their solar insights are an invaluable treasure house for us all. In every region of the world,…

    • 617 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Indigenous people understand traditional knowledge to be various things. It includes the teachings and experiences passed on from generation to generation. It covers knowledge of the environment they live in. It is traditional healing…

    • 2090 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays