Similarities Between African And Native American Religion

The three distinct similarities between European views of Africans and views of Native Americans were that they believed both Native Americans and Africans were a simple unsophisticated society, uncivilized savages, pagan who needed Christian teaching. Early North American travel literature portrayed the Native Americans as savage, hostile,“halfmen”, without law, religion, rulers, immortality of the soul and private property (Nash, 2007, p.42). Europeans considered themselves’ civilized compared to Native Americans due to the differences they had concerning their religious or lack of religious beliefs, their opposing view of property and the function of women in the family. Native Americans honored nature and the relationship they had with

It may well be asked why Native Americans, who numbered in the millions in the New World, were not subject to enslavement. The fact is that on occasion they were forced to work on plantations, although this seemed to happen most often after a skirmish or a battle between settlers and Indians (Jordan, 1968). However, there were fundamental reasons why Native Americans were treated differently than Africans.

It establishes principles for correspondence between religions, exploring the ways in which they are similar and in which they are different.” For modern Americans who seek a meaningful spirituality yet are aware that many religious traditions exist and offer rewards to their practitioners, Santeria may seem at once a unique tradition with specific beliefs and rituals and a reconciliation of several different religious views. The stories of the orishas from Africa, the correlation of orishas with Roman Catholic saints, and the applicability of the roles and domains of the orishas to modern life in America make Santeria an inclusive and rich tradition.

Like in any religion the people have certain beliefs. In the african religions there is no single religion. Researchers try to identify similarities in world views and ritual processes across the african boundaries. African Religions are polytheistic; which means they believe in more than one god. They believe in one overall god, but also ancestral spirits. Most African religion’s creation story reveal the creation of humans more than

As charters for the exploration of the New World were granted more frequently, the exposure of Christianity to the Native Americans increased. There were many motivations for colonists to head over to the Americas, but none was more popular than the reason of religion. People were escaping oppression through a population valve to America either fleeing oppression as a Protestant or as a Catholic depending on which nation they were coming from. Over time the colonists began to oppress the natives by gradually eliminating their culture. As noted by Virginia Colony Promoter in the 1600’s, William Herbert, “Colonies degenerate assuredly when the colonists imitate and embrace the habits, customs, and practices of the natives. There is no better

The Mandans were a Native American tribe located in North Dakota plainlands. They endured hot summers and cold winters and had many resources available to them.

“How shall we know when to believe, being so often deceived by the white people?” said by the Seneca Chief, Red Jacket. The faith in the colonist was lost, but what occurred between these groups that led to their differences? The history between the early Europeans and the Native Americans had different conflicts as in religion, manners, way of life, and inequality.

There can be no truly universal experiences or perceptions of the supernatural among African-Americans, due to the incredible diversity within the community. Individual differences will also inform different worldviews related to paranormal and the occult. In fact, historical evidence reveals a rich and varied spiritual expression, which was not tied down to or by any one religion. At the same time, archaeological evidence reveals a palpable spiritual unity, "a coherent, transatlantic belief system," ("Conjuring in the Big House Kitchen" 1). African syncretic traditions blended seamlessly with life in antebellum America, and would later be fused with African-American life also after emancipation. White perceptions of Black spirituality are bound to be problematic, as are any white perceptions of the Other. Projections of idealized exoticism and fantasies of powerful voodoo-men paralleled white fears of Black power. This was especially true after emancipation, as whites for the first time contended with the real possibility of coexisting on equal footing with African-Americans. One of the ways to contend with and conceptualize African-American power was through exoticism, which works much like Orientalism. It is a self-serving endeavor to project exotic power onto the Other, either for entertainment purposes or existential titillation. Another way to contend with African-American power was to presume that such power was primarily used as a vessel to benefit whites.

Another characteristic of an indigenous religion deals with the emphasis placed on the spiritual specialists. The general consensus is that anyone can have personal or direct access to spirits or that which is unseen, yet felt (democratized shamanism). There is no special requirement in most indigenous systems that stipulate ‘who’ can commune or interact with spirits, however, as a general rule, many feel that it is best to leave interactions with spirits to those that have been taught or trained through ritual or purification of some sort. Most indigenous religions are not written down, but based on oral

Humans have adapted to different belief systems that allow them to express their religions in cultures in different ways. Over historical colonialism, Christianity and Catholic religions have arisen as the “dominant” religions, and indigenous people have suffered from trying to be converted to these religions and becoming Europeanized. Natives, however, have had an entirely different mindset and belief of how life and the world work. Their culture and religion believe that The Great Spirit has created this universe, which they seem to acknowledge as being very powerful and something that is invisible. This belief system is much different than the things that are taught in Catholicism and practiced in European countries.

The Native American medicine man, also known as a shaman (modern term), priest, healer, and even a “Star Being” were known to be the spiritual leaders of Native American cultures. Each medicine man was unique in his own way simply because each Native American tribe had their own origin of spirituality and religious beliefs. Each medicine man had their own theory on how to rid people of their troubles and ease their pain when they were ill or in some sort of distress. In this research paper I will be examining different medicine man practices and beliefs from the Native American tribes of the Cheyenne, Iroquois, and the Sioux Indians. I will be discussing

Indian, African and Near East Religions Jeff Clark HIS 103: World Civilizations Lawrence Vellucci January 20, 2017 Indian, African and Near East Religions Ever since the beginning of civilizations, there has been many different religions or beliefs. Just like religions in present time, there are different religions practiced in several regions of the world. There are also instances where certain religions and beliefs are practiced in a single region or area. Also a lot like today, Religion was a major part of life and created a lot of power for the rulers of the Empires in Ancient India, Africa and The Near East.

The Native African Religions were monotheistic, one God. The African believe that this God was a far off God. People would only appeal to this God in times of dire need, as when a danger was threatening the very existence of the whole tribe. God created their world, visible and invisible. The invisible world is inhabited by all sorts beings: spirits, (gentle or evil), ancestors who passed to the invisible world after their death. The beings in the invisible world could be called upon for assistance. The ordinary life of the visible world was entrusted to the invisible world beings by God. Therefore Africans would invoke them, pray to them, offer sacrifices to them. Carved wooden figures often represent the homes of the gods who rule the tribesmen. An African who has a carved figure (fetish) may address the spirit that lives in it. He believed that the spirit would protect him. It is believed that the earliest forms of spiritual art work were wood carvings. These wood carvings did not survive due to weather conditions and termites that are prevalent in the region. The earliest surviving religious

The driving theme of this book is healing in the context of religious practices, but not only in the way one would assume---the restoration of physical or spiritual health--- it includes more than just that. Rather, it encompasses the building of a community and the preservation of the African culture in the Americas.

There are over four thousand religions across the vast world we live in. Each shaping people’s beliefs on what they either choose or what their born into. For example, two completely separate religions, Hinduism and Judaism, are each from a different region on Earth, yet have many correspondent similarities. Their many exclusive traits can also widely vary depending on each religion’s history, culture, and fate. Some included topics are the history, beliefs, and  common similarities. Therefore, making these religions, as well as every other, specially distinctive.