Colors Of The Wind : Polynesian Style

Black son, white mother. Living in Brooklyn, which is a predominantly black neighborhood, during the 1950’s. Just by analyzing the two main characters and the setting we can conclude that a recurring theme in James McBride’s The Color of Water is racial prejudice and injustice. Racial prejudice and injustice are still present in today’s society. All you have to do to see it is turn on the news.

When most western people think about Native American or African religions there is a certain stigma that comes with the topic. This is in part because there is a lot of misinformation in the world about Native American and African religions. When most westerners think of African religions they think of voodoo and black magic. Likewise, the view of Native American religions is still looked at through the lens of the pilgrims who wrote about Native Americans as being savages and less than human. These stereotypes were all formed from a lack of accurate information. African and Native American religions are very similar. It is difficult to find a lot of accurate information on African and Native American indigenous religions because of the lack of written history but there is a lot of oral history that has been passed down from generation to generation. From this information, it is clear that Native American and African religions have many more similarities than they do differences. Three of these similarities will be discussed in this paper. The first topic of discussion is the similarity between African and Native American people when it comes to their perception of the spirit world. Following this topic are the similarities between Native American and African views on the afterlife and finally, the diversity of beliefs within African and Native American religions.

In the nonfiction book “The Red Headed Hawaiian” by Chris McKinney and Rudy Puana, M.D. A character named Rudy Puana grew up in Kahaluu. Kahaluu has it’s share of poverty, drugs, domestic violence, and high unemployment. He was a Hawaiian boy, who didn’t look the part, and while his high school and college days were involved with bad grades and regretful decisions, he decides to turn his life around and yearns for a profession as a doctor. From then on he sacrifices everything to achieve his ultimate goal, but has to face having to leave the place he loves the most. Rudy hardly graduated high school, but he successfully became one of the youngest associate directors in MD Anderson history. This book shows when you are going through a bump in

In 400 C.E. the Hawaiian islands were settled by Polynesian voyagers.They had each island ruled by different chief’s and conflict was normal for them.At the same time they still had law’s and a class system not influenced by foreigners until captain cook arrived at Kealakekua Bay,hawaii in January,18,1778.But the most important person in Hawaiian history is king Kahmehameha he concord all the islands and became ruler of the whole island chain.Also he was an expert leader, politician,intelligent and caring about his subjects.

All books are classified by genre. Red Kayak is considered as realistic fiction because it has things like real settings in the story. Considering plot events in Red Kayak there is death, hiding from consequences, and the main character’s friends going to a camp where they just work for nine months. This could happen in real life making it realistic fiction. Other than that there is believable dialogue, true-to-life themes, and again real settings.

The Kamilaroi nation’s kinship is based a lot around totems, that link between the spiritual world, creation and the living world (“A Nations Identity Totems”, n.d; para 1). Totems are a system that looks at the community, how people work as a team, and the value of individual skill. (Totems, 2016). In a way totems provide people with a sense of belonging in relationships between a person and group. In Kamilaroi, totems allow individuals to understand their connection to the scared land. (“A nations Identity Totems, n.d; para 2)

Souls, spirits, and their purpose regarding humans and life influences different Hmong cultural traditions, such as the Seed Ceremony, the String-Tying ritual, and a Hmong funeral (PBS:1). Each tradition involves souls and their connections to the human body, which establishes the importance of souls in the Hmong culture as they are a continuing theme and belief in many traditions and rituals (PBS:1). The Hmong and this connections to the soul is an example of habitus, unconscious actions and activities individuals in a group do often. The people are believing in spirits and their connection to souls. It is an unconscious and unquestionable belief shared by the Hmong people; therefore, categorizing the active thought and belief in spirits as habitus. Considering the Hmong’s viewpoint on souls in traditional rituals as habitus is critical to understand because it establishes that these views are common and important to the Hmong, thus establishing this view as an ordinary detail of their life. Spirits and their healing powers have a much greater value in Hmong culture over other healing methods, such as western medicine. Due to their large faith and belief in healing with spirits, other practices are not taken as seriously, as evident by Lia’s parents and not following the medication’s directions. There was a language and cultural barrier that also influenced their

The priests lived within the heiau, temples made of lava rock. Priests of various gods and goddesses were the only ones allowed in to the kapu or inner court. A Hawaiian priest had the power of declaring kapu, forbidden acts or land. Hawaiian priests also had the power of choosing victims for human sacrifices. The priests of the gods and goddesses passed down prayers and beliefs through an oral tradition. Often each priest was responsible for flawlessly reciting a certain part of a ceremony.

The Hawaiian Islands are well known for their beauty, tranquility, and unique culture that have shaped this state into what we see today. The special bond that the natives have formed between themselves and nature is not exactly one of a kind, but it is something that can truly be admired. Around approximately 300 AD, Hawaii was discovered by Polynesians who arrived by canoe from Tahiti. These migrants brought their polytheistic spirituality and formed a large intricate society with hierarchies consisting of many chiefs. Alongside the ruling of the chiefs, the newborn Hawaiians followed a strict belief system known as Kapu akua otherwise known as the “law of the gods”. The Kapu was a strict set of rules and restraints that dictated all

Spiritualism is a form of worship that believes in both a world of matter and material things, such as people, animals, etc., and a world of spirits or metaphysical beings and happenings. The religion of Hawaii was partially spiritualism and also polytheistic. Polytheism is the belief in many gods. (Imagine) Their gods ruled over the natural occurrences of the world such as the seas, volcanoes, earth, and sky. (Got Religion) One major volcano that was particularly precious to them was Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea was believed to be the place where the sky god met the god of earth; also it was where the other deities met. Basically, Mauna Kea was the Hawaiian Mount Olympus. James "Kimo" Kealii Pihana, a Mauna Kea Ranger mentions that Hawaiians go

After the sandalwood taxes catastrophe, the Hawaiians started to lose their religion because too many men and

Hawaiian is unique among the fifty states, especially in regards to its native music form, which is still preformed, and captivates audiences even today. Hawaiian chanting, music, and dance are not only key parts of life on the island, but have also become cultural icons as well as profound symbols of nature and religion in Hawaii. Hawaii has a rich history, beginning with the early settlers from Polynesia who brought their traditions and religions to Hawaii. Over the years, the inhabitants took those traditions and adapted them to their new home, creating the definitive culture that, even with Western influences, still is a captivating force within the society.

Indigenous religions exist in every climate around the world and exhibit a wide range of differences in their stories, language, customs, and views of the afterlife. Within indigenous communities, religion, social behavior, art, and music are so intertwined that their religion is a significant part of their culture and virtually inseparable from it. These religions originally developed and thrived in isolation from one another and are some of the earliest examples of religious practice and belief. The modern world; however, has taken its toll on these groups and many of their stories, customs, and beliefs have been lost to, or replaced by, those brought in as a result of popular culture and the missionary work of Christians and Muslims.

Nature, spirits, and life’s existence are important to the Shinto religion. The way in which spirits existed towards humans can be seen as follows: “In their world myriad spirits shone like fireflies and every tree and bush could speak”. Religion had manifested itself into the Shinto religion. Nature was the main religious symbol of the religion. The kami, or religious Gods and spirits could be found everywhere in the Shinto life and religion.

The people also believed in a supernatural being that they referred to as Kalunga, Nzambi. This supernatural being was believed to be the creator of the world and all mankind. The Chokwe people had certain figures and objects that represented their ancestors, for example, a mask, which was used when inaugurating the king. The figures and objects such as masks and certain carvings represented the beauty of the Chokwe people and some also served as role models. The figures were believed to have a connection with the ancestors and therefore they protected the people from evil and other supernatural enemies. Chokwe’s spiritual religion was based on their connection with nature in some manner. For example, the sand, which they used in drawing, was seen as an intermediary between the people and the divine powers. The masks and other objects represented the inner feeling of the people and their relationship with their God.