Indigenous Religious Traditions in 5 Minutes

Molly Bassett is Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Religious Studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. Natalie Avalos is an Assistant Professor in the Ethnic Studies department at University of Colorado Boulder.

• Table of ContentsPreface xiii, Molly H. Bassett and Natalie AvalosIndigeneity and Religion1. Why does the title of this book use the phrase “Indigenous religious traditions” rather than “Indigenous religions”? 3, Tisa Wenger2. What makes a religion an “Indigenous religion”? 6, Graham Harvey3. Were all religions at one time “Indigenous”? 9, Tyler M. Tully4. What does “Indigenous” mean for the study of religion? 12, Tyler M. Tully5. Are Indigenous religions only those practiced by Indigenous people? 15, Angela Puca6. How can spiritual traditions create Indigenous traditions in new places? 18, Ras Michael Brown7. Why do some Indigenous people insist that what they practice is not religion? 22,  Chris Jocks8. Why is “religion” a problematic category for understanding indigenous traditions? 25, Philip P. Arnold9. Why is it sometimes risky to present Indigenous traditions as religious? 28, Bjørn Ola Tafjord10. Is “tradition” a useful category? 31, Greg Johnson11. What skill sets do students and scholars use to understand Indigenous religious traditions? 34, Molly H. Bassett12. Why study Indigenous religious traditions? 37, Graham Harvey13. What is the origin of common stereotypes of Native American religious life? 40, Sarah Dees14. How do ideas about race shape understandings of Native American religious life? 43,  Sarah Dees15. Why are Indigenous African and Afrodiasporic religions relevant to you? 46,  Ayodeji Ogunnaike and Oludamini Ogunnaike16. What makes Vodou an Indigenous tradition? 49, James Padilioni Jr.17. What is the difference between Vodou, Voudou, and Voodoo? 52, Emily Suzanne Clark 18. Is Vodou (Voodoo) a religion? 55, James Padilioni Jr.19. Is Voudou an American religion or an Indigenous religion? 58, Emily Suzanne Clark20. Is Adivasi religion the same as Hinduism? 61, William Elison21. Is Adivasi religion different from Hinduism? 64, William Elison22. Is Shinto an Indigenous religion? 67, Emily B. Simpson23. Do Chicanos practice Indigenous religious traditions? 70, Rudy Busto24. Is Neo-Paganism an Indigenous religious tradition? 73, Abel R. Gomez25. Are Indigenous people who adapt or alter their rituals and traditions (either by choice or by historical necessity) less authentic than their ancestors? 76, Kelsey Dayle John26. Can I convert to or practice an Indigenous religious tradition if I am not an Indigenous person? 79, Donnie Begay27. Can non-Indigenous religious traditions become Indigenous? 82, Bjørn Ola TafjordThe Study of Indigenous Religious Traditions28. What moral responsibilities do scholars and students have in studying Indigenous religions? 87, Afe Adogame29. Why is repatriation a religious issue for many Native communities? 91, Greg Johnson30. Is an academic approach to Indigenous religions innately colonizing? 94, Afe Adogame31. Can we still use the term “shamanism”? 98, Emily B. Simpson32. Do Native peoples have shamans? 101, Edward Anthony Polanco33. What is animism? 104, Graham Harvey34. Why does it matter how we translate religious concepts in Indigenous traditions? 107,  Josefrayn Sánchez-Perry35. How do archaeologists study religion in the Indigenous past? 110, Mallory E. Matsumoto36. Why reconstruct precolonial Indigenous religions in the Americas? 113, Yanitsa Buendía de Llaca37. Are Aztec dancers practicing a religion? 117, Yanitsa Buendía de Llaca38. What is the deal with cultural appropriation? 120,  Gregory D. Alles39. Was the Washington R*dskins cultural appropriation? 123, Matt Sheedy40. What is decolonization, and what does it have to do with Indigenous religious traditions? 126, Natalie AvalosIndigenous Religious Traditions41. What is a land-based religious tradition? 131, Dana Lloyd42. What is the relationship between Indigenous religion and land or territory? 134, Chris Jocks43. What does it mean for an Indigenous religion to be “place based”? 137, Abel R. Gomez44. If Native American religious traditions are place based, how do “urban Indians” practice their religion? 140, Dennis Kelley45. Do Indigenous peoples believe plants, animals, and waters have personhood? 143,  Meaghan Weatherdon46. What does it mean when Indigenous peoples say animals are sacred? 146, Kelsey Dayle John47. What role does pilgrimage play in Indigenous religious life? 149, Paul L. Gareau and Jeanine LeBlanc48. Are Indigenous peoples inherently environmentalists? 152, Dennis Kelley49. What is the Idle No More movement, and what’s a round dance? 155, Matt Sheedy50. How does resource extraction impact Native American religious practices? 158, Richard J. Callahan Jr.51. Was the #NoDAPL occupation at Standing Rock “spiritual” or “religious”? 161, Richard J. Callahan Jr.52. Do Hawaiian religious practices have any political significance? 165, Marie Alohalani Brown53. Why is the public expression of Indigenous religion political? 168, Stacie Swain54. Why were Native American religious traditions outlawed? 171, Jennifer Graber55. Is Indigenous law religious? 174, Dana Lloyd56. Do Indigenous people have churches? 177, Pamela E. Klassen and Roxanne L. Korpan57. What is the Native American Church? 181, Pamela E. Klassen and Roxanne L. Korpan58. Is peyote a medicine or a drug? 184, Jennifer Graber59. What are Native American foodways, and how are they religious? 187, Andrea McComb Sanchez60. What is a sweat lodge? 190, Suzanne Owen61. What role does healing play in Native American and Indigenous religious traditions? Or, What’s religious about health and healing in Indigenous religious traditions? 193, Suzanne Crawford O’Brien62. Is Voudou dangerous? 196, Emily Suzanne Clark63. Why is distinguishing a Native American world view from a eurochristian one important? 199, George “Tink” E. Tinker64. Do Indigenous peoples have “gods”? 202, Patrisia Gonzales65. What do Indigenous religious traditions in the Americas have in common? 205, Inés Hernández-Ávila66. What is a nagual/nahual/nawal? 208, Mallory E. Matsumoto67. What are sacred bundles, and why are they important in Indigenous cultures in the Americas? 211, Molly H. Bassett68. What motivates Nahuas to practice their religion of el costumbre? 214, Abelardo de la Cruz69. What are ancestor spirits, and what role do they play in Hawaiian religious life? 217, Marie Alohalani Brown70. Do all Indigenous peoples in North America practice the same ceremonies as one another? 220, Meaghan Weatherdon71. What is the Ghost Dance? 223, Tiffany Hale72. How are Indigenous narratives and oral traditions like “texts”? 226,  Dennis Kelley73. What do trickster tales tell us about human beings, and why are they important in Indigenous cultures? 229,  Davíd Carrasco74. Why do so many Indigenous religions include trickster figures or ceremonial clowns? 232 Chris Jocks75. What is the Popol Vuh (and why is it not a Maya bible)? 235,  Mallory E. Matsumoto76. Did colonial missions destroy Indigenous religions? 238, Brandon Bayne77. Why would Indigenous people venerate Roman Catholic saints? 242, Daniel E. Nourry Burgos78. How might we talk about Indigeneity and Catholicism in the Andes? 246, Sierra L. Lawson79. Did Indigenous children lose their religion in US residential boarding schools? 250, Zara Surratt 80. How do Indigenous religions approach disability? 253, Zara Surratt81. Are Indigenous religious traditions patriarchal? 256, Donnie Begay82. Did Indigenous people really honor LGBT/two-spirit people? 259,  Lisa Poirier83. What is the relationship between Indigenous religion and sovereignty? 262, Stacie SwainIndigenous Futurity84. Indigenous futurism . . . is that like science fiction? 269, Matt SheedyIndex