Valuable list of Native American beliefs

Doing something different this time. Here, I list some common philosophical beliefs of many Native Americans and how they perceive the world. The list is from the book "How it is: the Native American philosophy of V.F. Cordova." edited by Kathleen Dean Moore, Kurt Peters, Ted Jojola, and Amber Lucy. 

In contrast to Western views, Native Americans believe that the universe is infinite and that we all come from one particular force. They perceive the Earth as a living organism, in which humans are dependent upon. For them, the past and the future are social constructs since the present is shaping the future and is, in turn supported by the past. Motion is equal to life.

1.      “Human beings are a part of a whole that is greater than the individual. A human is not something apart from the Earth and the rest of its creations, including rocks, trees, water, and air; he is a natural part of the Earth” (Moore et al. p.151).

2.      “A human is first and foremost a ‘herd being.’ He is such even more so than other beings by virtue of the bonding “mechanism” of a common language that allows for shared traditions, rituals, and histories. No other life forms have an equally strong bonding mechanism. The individual has value because of his uniqueness…and because of the potential gifts he brings to the group. But the group is preeminent. The sense of “we” dominates the sense of “I.” (Moore et al. p 151).

3.      Human beings are not alone in having “intelligence”-all life forms are understood to have intelligence in one form or another. However, humans differ from other life forms in that they have a greater capacity for memory. This larger memory capacity allows humans to understand the consequences of their actions. Wisdom, or intelligence, consists of being able to see how our actions and their consequences affect the greater whole, not just the group but also the world around them.” (Moore et al. p. 151).

4.      “Human beings, unlike, say, bears, have the capacity to change their behavior. They do not, in other words, act only from instinct.” (Moore et al. p. 151).

5.      “Humans are not “fallen” creatures; they are what the Earth intended. Most of all, they “fit” in this world because they are products of it. A sense of alienation from the world and its many beings would not, in this context, be seen as the common malady of individuals but as a psychotic disruption, an illness” (Moore et al. 151).

6.      “A human is both spirit and nonspirit, mind and body, matter and energy at the same time and requires both to exist in unison in order to be” (Moore et al. 151-152).

7.      “Humans are not superior to other life forms. They are simply different. The difference is natural in a world that displays a vast variety of diverse life forms. Humans are one among many others, and all are “equal” in the sense that they all depend on some very specific conditions of the planet Earth in order to survive. All of the diversity, together, forms a complete whole that is what the Earth is. …Moreover, no group of humans is “superior” to another. They are produced to fill a certain ecological niche and are therefore each different.” (Moore et al. p. 152).

8.      “Humans are an integral part of the whole.”

9.      “Humans are born “humanoid,” that is with the capacity to become “fully human” through the exercise of all of their faculties.” (Moore et al. p. 152).

10.  “Humans, as part of a greater whole, become part of an ever-changing and ongoing process that is the Universe in process of being. We have the capacity to change the course of that whole-for good or evil-through our actions.” (Moore et al. p. 153).

Moore, Kathleen Dean, Peters, Kurt, Jojola, Ted and Lacy, Amber, editors. How It Is: The Native American Philosophy of V.F. Cordava. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 2007.