"This audiobook explores Native American mythologies to view the relationships between humans and animals.
Traditional Native Americans view animals as elder brothers who embody the knowledge sets necessary for survival on this Earth. This vantage point facilitates openness within humans to learn from animals. Animals play the roles of tutelary spirits, helpers, and guides, and sometimes shapeshift from Holy Person to animal or back. This emphasizes the fluidity between the worlds of spirit and matter and highlights animals as oriented toward being helpful to humanity in various ways. As expressed through language and ritual, respect details preserve the relationship between the community, the animals, and the natural landscape.
Animals push human beings into interiority. The spirits choose a person and then utilize animals to communicate and transmit spiritual understandings and abilities. It is then up to the individual to bring this vision to usefulness on Earth."
"The Psychological Impact of Historical Trauma on Native American People Native American historical trauma is similar to other massive generational group traumas. Past examples include the Jewish holocaust, the slavery of the African people in the United States, and the treatment of Japanese Americans in the U.S. during World War II. Understanding the history of Native Americans allows for the design of culturally specific preventative and therapeutic interventions. Contrary to what is taught in modern history books, Native Americans were an advanced culture deeply immersed in their environments. From the invasion by the Spanish in the 1400s to the scorched earth extermination policies of the United States in the 1800s, Native Americans endured attempted genocide, forced relocation and confinement to reservations, and forced assimilation. Historical trauma is generational and dwells deep in the souls of Native American individuals and communities across the United States. For any healing to occur, one must take a close look at the root cause of historical trauma for the Native American people. The focus of this book is to explore and develop ideas that will assist Native Americans in accessing which old ways are too biologically ingrained to do away with and what new ways must be taken on to come to terms with such a massively different environment.
It is essential to understand the environment in which Native American people live, know their history, and see how this history has shaped them. It is equally important to understand and respect their worldview, which describes the thought process of a people or a culture. Native Americans were displaced from their traditional lands, their sacred sites were excavated, and their sacred objects were placed in private collections and museums. Their dead were exhumed from traditional burial sites to make room for ranching and industry. Their artwork was never seen as separate from their culture. It was commercially reproduce"
"A traditional Cheyenne saying still holds true for many Native Americans today: 'A nation is not conquered until the hearts of its women are on the ground.' While Native American women have taken a beating—literally and figuratively—since the European conquest of Native America, the women's hearts are still beating. Although Native American tribes and nations vary historically and contemporarily, traditional Native American women's perspectives can be generalized to an extent. Native American women typically value being mothers, caretakers, and social transmitters of cultural knowledge. A Native American woman's identity is generally rooted in her spirituality, extended family, and tribe.
In fulfilling their traditional roles as leaders in their communities, American Indian women are often at the core of American Indian resistance and struggle for liberation. Native women have a long history of assuming leadership positions within their particular tribes. Their struggles share many of the characteristics of women's struggles associated with feminism in the larger society, yet many Native American women explicitly reject the label of feminism.
This book considers the historical oppression of Native peoples and the relative exclusion of Native women in the existing feminist research.
What became apparent despite their more central position in their societies, traditional Native women tend not to view themselves as feminists.
An important theme running through the book was although Native women, in general, do not have equality of opportunity within larger American society in terms of economic resources, employment, education, health care, etc., and in many cases, are solely responsible for the survival of their families. Native women do not view their struggles for more power within their communities and the larger society as incompatible with home and family priorities."
"This audiobook explores Native American mythologies to view the relationships between humans and animals.
Traditional Native Americans view animals as elder brothers who embody the knowledge sets necessary for survival on this Earth. This vantage point facilitates openness within the human to learn from the animals. Animals play the roles of tutelary spirits, helpers, and guides, and at times shapeshift from Holy Person to animal or back again. This emphasizes the fluidity between the worlds of spirit and matter and highlights animals as oriented toward being helpful to humanity in a wide variety of ways. As expressed through language and ritual, respect details preserve the relationship between the community, the animals, and the natural landscape.
Animals push human beings into interiority. The spirits choose a person and then utilize animals to communicate and transmit spiritual understandings and abilities. It is then up to the individual to bring this vision to usefulness on Earth."
