religion

Describes the life of Oglala Lakota visionary and healer Nicholas Black Elk (1863-1950) and that of his people during the late nineteenth century, with his visions of the unity of humanity and Earth, and his spiritual testament as conveyed by poet, writer, and critic John G. Neihardt, who met Black Elk in 1930 on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

"The daughter of an Algonquin mother and an Iroquois father, Catherine/Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680) has become known over the centuries as a Catholic convert so holy that, almost immediately upon her death, she became the object of a cult. Today she is revered as a patron saint by Native Americans and the patroness of ecology and the environment by Catholics more generally, the first Native North American proposed for sainthood." "Tekakwitha was born at a time of cataclysmic change, as Native Americans of the northeast experienced the effects of European contact and colonization. A convert to Catholicism in the 1670s, she embarked on a physically and mentally grueling program of self-denial, aiming to capture the spiritual power of the newcomers from across the sea. Her story intersects with that of Claude Chauchetiere, a French Jesuit of mystical tendencies who came to America hoping to rescue savages from sin and paganism. But it was Claude himself who needed help to face down his own despair. He became convinced that Tekakwitha was a genuine saint and that conviction gave meaning to his life. Though she lived until just 24, Tekakwitha's severe penances and vivid visions were so pronounced that Chauchetiere wrote an elegiac hagiography shortly after her death.".

Takes a lighthearted look at what life may have been like for an Inca ruler, including mummification after death.

"Despite their many differences, all Native Americans share a profound appreciation of the cycles of nature and a belief in the cosmic interconnectedness of all things. Professor Larry J. Zimmerman tells the tragic tale of their conquest and dispossession, followed by their survival against the odds and the renewal of pride in a distinctive cultural heritage. Learn about American Indian traditions and the history behind them that create a unique Native American identity. Their crafts and their reverence for the land are also both described in detail - inspiring us to turn our thoughts to the natural world and our own place in it"--Amazon.com.

Provides a comprehensive overview of the various practices and beliefs of animism--the acceptance of the idea that souls exist in animals, plants, and other objects.

Presents two Thanksgiving stories, including "Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message," a tribute to the natural world; and "The Pilgrims of Plimoth," which chronicles the arrival and daily activities of the Pilgrims in the New World.

In this sweeping book, Joe Jackson provides the definitive biographical account of a figure whose dramatic life converged with some of the most momentous events in the history of the American West. Born in an era of rising violence between the Sioux, white settlers, and U.S. government troops, Black Elk killed his first man at the Little Bighorn, witnessed the death of his second cousin Crazy Horse, and traveled to Europe with Buffalo Bill?s Wild West show. Upon his return, he was swept up in the traditionalist Ghost Dance movement and shaken by the Massacre at Wounded Knee. But Black Elk was not a warrior, instead accepting the path of a healer and holy man, motivated by a powerful prophetic vision that he struggled to understand. Although Black Elk embraced Catholicism in his later years, he continued to practice the old ways clandestinely and never refrained from seeking meaning in the visions that both haunted and inspired him.

Recounts the myths of Russia and the Slavs and explains how those myths reflect the environment, way of life, and religion of the region's people.

Presents several Native American myths with explanations regarding their relationship to tribal life.