There are nearly 7,000 religions in the world and most of these do not have a specific name as they are an integral part of an ethnic or tribal group. These religions are generally designated as primal,ethnic, or folk religions. In general, ethnic religions are not based on written documents or books; there is little emphasis on creed or belief; and they integrate their communities through ceremonies. In these religious traditions there is no such thing as proselytizing: these are religious traditions that people are born into. The traditional American Indian religions are considered ethnic, folk, or primal religions.
It is not uncommon for some researchers to designate religions which are based on indigenous culture as “primal religions.” In his book Religions, Philip Wilkinson writes:
“These religions developed before their adherents were literate, so their beliefs and traditions have been handed down by word of mouth, in some cases over thousands of years or scores of generations.”
With regard to religious traditions found among indigenous peoples, Stephen Prothero, in his book God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World—And Why Their Differences Matter, writes:
“Books on the world’s religions often include a chapter on ‘primitive,’ ‘preliterate,’ or ‘primal’ religions, as if they were one and the same. All these religions really share, however, is a stubborn refusal to be crammed into the boxes constructed to fit more ‘advanced’ religions.”
Some scholars use the term folk religion when describing the ethnic religions of American Indians. In his book Breaking the Spell: Religion and Natural Phenomenon, Daniel Dennett writes:
“…folk religion, the sorts of religion that have no written creeds, no theologians, no hierarchy of officials.”
In other words, they lack many of the things that are important in European religions.
Looking at American Indian religious traditions prior to the Christian invasion of the Americas, we would find that the question “What is your religion?” would have been meaningless as there was no distinct category of life which could be labelled as “religion” nor, in most cases, was there a word in the Native languages for “religion.” Daniel Dennett writes:
“…those who practice a folk religion don’t think of themselves as practicing a religion at all. Their ‘religious’ practices are a seamless part of their practical lives, alongside their hunting and gathering or tilling and harvesting.”
In his book Masked Gods: Navaho and Pueblo Ceremonialism, Frank Waters puts it this way:
“From the Indian point of view religion is the way of life.”
In his book The Winnebago Tribe, Paul Radin writes:
“The Indian does not interpret life in terms of religion, but religion in terms of life.”
It should be stressed that there is no single American Indian religion. While there was, and continues to be, a great deal of borrowing of religious ideas and ceremonies among the hundreds of North American First Nations, there are few, if any, universal concepts, beliefs, mythologies, or ceremonies. In his book The World We Used to Live In: Remembering the Powers of the Medicine Men, Vine Deloria writes:
“Every Indian tribe has a spiritual heritage that distinguishes them from all other people.”
Concerning the idea of “the Indian religion” (singular), Sam Gill, in his book Mother Earth: An American Story, writes:
“I have found no basis for conceiving of the religious traditions of the hundreds of tribes native to North America as a single, homogeneous tradition.”
The common stereotype of American Indians envisions them as horse-mounted, nomadic, buffalo hunters living in tipis in a male dominated world. Many of the popular books on American Indian religion stem from this stereotype. Anthropologists have long known that religion is an integral part of culture and therefore the religious practices and beliefs of hunting and gathering people are very different from those of farming people. In reality, prior to the European invasion, most Indian people lived in sedentary farming villages and their religions reflected the importance of agricultural crops.
From the Plains Indian stereotype, some of the popular books on American Indian religion imply a number of universals which are not, in fact, found in many Native traditions. These include the ceremonial use of the pipe, usually described as having a T-shaped or L-shaped stone bowl with a wooden stem; the sweat lodge; the vision quest; ceremonies honoring the four cardinal directions (east, south, west, and north); and spiritual leadership roles (medicine men, shamans) which are restricted to men.
In his introduction to Native American Spirituality: A Critical Reader, Lee Irwin writes:
“Native religions are remarkably diverse and grounded in very specific languages, places, lifeway rites, and communal relationships embedded in a unique history often overshadowed by the more pervasive history of religious and political suppression.”
An understanding of Native religions requires some understanding of the cultures and histories in which these religions are embedded.
Indians 101
Twice each week this series presents various American Indian topics. More about tribal religions from this series:
Indians 201: A very short overview of Kiowa religion
Indians 101: Kwakiutl supernatural beings
Indians 101: Ceremonies of the Great Basin Indian Nations
Indians 101: A very short overview of the Northern Plains Sun Dance
Indians 201: Sacred Places in the Great Basin
Indians 101: A brief overview of Pawnee spirituality
Indians 101: A Brief Description of Caddo Religion
Indians 101: Spirituality and Jimsonweed among California Indians
Note: this essay is from my book Sacred Things: American Indian Religions
