Quest for Harmony: Native American Spiritual Traditions

433 Pages·2001·4.55 MB·English

by  William A. Young

Quest for Harmony

Quest for Harmony
Native American Spiritual Traditions
William A. Young
Westminster College
Seven Bridges Press
135Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010–7101
Copyright © 2001by Seven Bridges Press, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a re-
trieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, me-
chanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission
of the publisher.
Publisher: Ted Bolen
Managing Editor: Katharine Miller
Production Assistant: Jessica Maruri
Composition: Rachel Hegarty Publishing Freelance
Cover design: Stefan Killen Design
Cover art: PhotoDisc, Inc., 2000
Printing and Binding: Victor Graphics, Inc.
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Young, William A., 1945–
Quest for harmony : Native American spiritual traditions / by William
A. Young.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1–889119–50–4
1. Indians of North America—Religion. I. Title.
E98.R3Y682001
299’.7—dc21
00–011463
Manufactured in the United States of America
10987654321
Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
Part I: Establishing a Context
1. Native America: A Historical Overview 9
“American Indian History”: A Threefold Dilemma, 10
Before There Was History: Origins of the Peoples, 13
Historical Overview, 16
Conclusion: Genocide? 58
Part II: The Spiritual Traditions of
Four Native American Nations
2. The Lenape (Delaware): The Grandfather Nation 61
Who Are the Lenape? 62
Lenape Creation Legends, 63
Historical Overview, 66
Traditional Lenape Spirituality, 89
The Lenape Today, 102
3. The Ani’-Yun’-wiya(Cherokee): Keeping the Eternal Fire Burning 105
Who Are the Cherokee? 106
Ani’-Yun’-wiyaCreation Legends, 107
Historical Overview, 109
Traditional Ani’-Yun’-wiyaSpirituality, 130
The Ani’-Yun’-wiyaToday, 152
VI quest for harmony
4. The Lakota (Sioux): The Way of the Sacred Pipe 155
Who Are the Lakota? 156
Traditional Social Organization, 158
Lakota Creation Legends, 161
Historical Overview, 163
Traditional Lakota Spirituality, 184
The Renewal of Lakota Spirituality, 213
The Lakota Today, 216
5. The Diné (Navajo): Walking in Beauty 221
Who Are the Diné? 222
Traditional Social Organization, 223
Diné Creation Legends, 224
Historical Overview, 228
Traditional Diné Spirituality, 246
The Diné Today, 269
Part III: Pannational Movements and Other Issues
6. The Ghost Dance: The Coming of a New World 273
Historical Overview, 274
The Ghost Dance Myth and Ritual, 286
Interpretations of the Ghost Dance, 292
Conclusion, 298
7. The Native American Church: Peyote and Pannationalism 301
Historical Overview, 303
Peyote Myths, Rituals, and Beliefs, 313
The Native American Church and Peyotism Today, 324
Conclusion: Peyote and Pannationalism, 328
8. The Ecocrisis and Native American Spiritual Traditions 329
Native Americans as “Ecological Saints”: A New Stereotype? 331
A Case Study: The Transformation of Chief Seal’th’s Speech, 335
Ecological Themes in Native American Spiritual Traditions, 337
A Collision of Ecological Perspectives, 348
The Impact of Native American Ecological Teachings, 350
Native American Ecological Activism, 354
Cooperation in the Ecological Struggle, 359
Conclusion, 361
contents VII
Part IV: Epilogue
9. Native America in the Twenty-First Century: Looking to the Future with
Hope 363
Native American Population: An Amazing Resurgence, 364
Healing the People: Health and Health Care, 365
Educating the People: The Role of the Tribal Colleges, 366
Naming the World: Keeping Languages Alive, 369
Bringing the People Together: The Powwow Movement, 370
Providing for All the People: Economic Empowerment, 372
Defending the People: Treaty Rights and Other Legal Issues, 375
Inspiring the People: The Renewal of Native American Art and Literature, 377
Naming the People: Challenging the Stereotyping of Native Americans, 377
The Quest for Harmony: The Renewal of Traditional Spirituality, 378
The Emergence of a Common “Native American Spirituality,” 384
Conclusion, 385
Bibliography 387
Index 413

Preface
If there were an “endangered religions list,” the spiritual traditions of Native
American nations would be on it. As the twenty-first century begins, the survival
of the traditional lifeways of American Indian nations and other indigenous peo-
ples around the world is at risk. Why? The reasons include loss of ancestral lands,
disappearance of indigenous languages, leveling of cultural differences as a result of
spreading consumerism and technologies, attacks on traditional beliefs and prac-
tices by missionaries and native converts, and exploitation and trivialization of in-
digenous spiritual traditions by others.
If a losing battle for survival were the full story, Quest for Harmony would be
little more than a sad eulogy for a few of the spiritual traditions of the more than
500Native American nations. Indeed, many books on the lifeways of American In-
dians are written in the past tense, creating the impression that their traditional
cultures have already died. Fortunately, despite the incredible pressures under
which Native Americans today struggle to preserve and renew their spiritual tradi-
tions, reports of their demise are greatly exaggerated.
As the following pages make clear, not only are Native American spiritual tra-
ditions still very much alive, they are in the midst of a dramatic revival. The four
nations on which this work focuses—the Lenape (Delaware), Ani’-Yun’-wiya
(Cherokee), Lakota (Sioux), and Diné (Navajo)—each bear witness to the reality
of Native American cultural and spiritual renewal and continuity amidst change.
In addition, pannational spiritual movements, especially the Native American
Church, remain strong and are growing stronger. The impact of Native American
spiritual traditions beyond their own nations is also deepening, as is evident when
we consider their important role in confronting the environmental crisis.
Should a nonnative author attempt to write a book about Native American
spiritual traditions? That is an appropriate and important question, and the intro-
duction will address it, providing both an account of the personal journey that has
led me to write this book and an overview of the book’s contents.
Although they appear at the beginning, these words are the last I am writing as
I complete Quest for Harmony. As I do, I am very aware of all those who have in-
spired me to share the results of my research and reflection on Native American spir-
itual traditions with you, the reader. I think of my great-great-grandparents, Isaac