Native American Religious Beliefs and Practices (working paper CITE WITH AUTHOR's PERMISSION) By Robin M Wright

https://www.academia.edu/1634129/Native_American_Religious_Beliefs_and_Practices_working_paper_CITE_WITH_AUTHORs_PERMISSION_?rhid=37247827742&swp=rr-rw-wc-69186687&nav_from=04a0b706-010b-4e23-ab10-c96581e778b2 This chapter discusses some of the key issues and concerns expressed in the contemporary religions of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. By "indigenous peoples of the Americas" we refer to the descendants of the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North, Central, and South America. The task of this chapter is daunting if we take the universe of study to include the millions of native peoples who inhabited the vast terrain from the Arctic Circle to the Tierra del Fuego and the time frame, if it is to summarize what is known of the most ancient manifestations of Native American religions to the present. However problematic it may be to take such a broad, sweeping perspective, I believe it is necessary to show the historical and contemporary connectedness of the spiritual traditions among indigenous peoples throughout the Americas. ...