Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Much has been recorded on Indigenous North American consciousness from an academic, ethnological, anthropological, and archeological perspective. Some documentation has illuminated curious minds about a lost people on the land in which they live, while others have misrepresented Indigenous peoples and their communities by perpetuating stigma and stereotypical ideologies fed by the researcher’s culturally ignorant biases. However, there have also been researchers that have sincerely attempted to understand the Indigenous people of the North American new world. The materials left in archives from the passionate interests and research of such academics have benefitted contemporary Indigenous North Americans by supporting the re-cultivation of Indigenous cultures and identities. This paper attempts to create a bridge of understanding between cultures from an Indigenous perspective on the Indigenous narrative and consciousness. This perspective entails an examination of the protocols, principles, and values for conveying Indigenous spirituality and lifeways, as well as an appropriate study within the contemporary context of planetary concerns caused by colonization.