Indigenous Religions

The word indigenous refers to anything that is native to a particular geographical region. This includes people, cultures, languages, or species of plants or animals. The Aborigines of Australia, for example, are an indigenous people, in contrast to the European settlers who arrived on the continent long after. Similarly, American Indians are the indigenous peoples of North America. A synonym often used for indigenous is "native," but the word native in connection with peoples and their cultures is potentially offensive. It could be considered a stereotype, suggesting that they are primitive or backward.
Scholars (those who research and study a subject in-depth) often distinguish between two types of indigenous religions. One type has been practiced by tribes of people that have lived in the same region of the world for perhaps thousands of years. These religions would be indigenous to that region of the world. The other type includes indigenous religions that were carried by people to other regions of the world. People continue to practice those religions, often in combination with more dominant religions such as Christianity, but they are not indigenous to their new homes. These religions are formed from a synthesis, or combination, of indigenous and nonindigenous beliefs.
Examples of synthetic religions can be found in the Caribbean. During the time of the slave trade, Africans were transported to these regions, bringing their religious beliefs with them. At the same time, Spanish colonists and slave merchants carried Catholicism to the New World, where it became the dominant religion. The interaction between African religions and Christianity gave rise to at least two new religions: Vodou, which is dominant in Haiti, and Santería, which is widely practiced in Cuba. Strictly speaking, these religions are not "indigenous" to either Cuba or Haiti, but they have many of the characteristics of an indigenous religion and are based on indigenous practices in Africa.

WORDS TO KNOW

animism:

The worship of trees, rocks, mountains, and such, which are believed to have supernatural power.

Bon:

An indigenous religion of Tibet.

Candomblé:

A South American religion with many similarities to Santería, often used synonymously with Santería.

Ha-ne-go-ate-geh:

The "Evil-Minded," the evil spirit of the Iroquois nation.

Ha-wen-ne-yu:

The Great Spirit of the Iroquois nation.

Ho-no-che-no-keh:

The Invisible Agents, or lesser spirits, of the Iroquois.

indigenous:

A word that describes a people, culture, or religion that is native to a particular geographical region.

Olódùmarè:

The name of the supreme god in Santería.

orishas:

Name given to the lesser gods of Santería.

Regla de Ocha:

The formal name for the Santerían religion.

Santería:

The "way of the saints"; an African-based religion practiced primarily in Cuba and other Central and South American countries.

Santero:

A practitioner of Santería.

shaman:

A priestlike person in an indigenous religion who is thought to have special powers to communicate with the spirit world; often used as a synonym for a traditional healer.

shamanism:

A term used generally to refer to indigenous religions that believe in an unseen spirit world that influences human affairs.

supernatural:

That which is beyond the observable world, including things relating to God or spirits.

Vodou:

An African-based religion practiced primarily in Haiti and in other Central and South American countries.

Vodouisant:

An uninitiated practitioner of Vodou.

Wakan tanka:

The world's motivating force for the Sioux.

Wakan:

The incomprehensibility of life and death for the Sioux.

The number of indigenous religions in the world, as well as the number of their practitioners, is nearly impossible to calculate. Even asking the question "How many?" implies that an indigenous religion exists as a formal, defined institution whose members can be counted with some degree of accuracy. The reality is that indigenous religions, rather than being formal institutions, tend to be an undefined part of everyday life. Many indigenous cultures do not even have a word for "religion." Many of these religious systems do not have a name other than the name attached to the tribal group itself.
The best estimate of the number of practitioners of indigenous religious beliefs is about 300 million. If that figure is accurate, it would make this group, taken together, the seventh-largest religious group in the world. In all likelihood, however, this number is inexact, in part because the lines between indigenous and imported religions are not always distinct. In Tibet, many people who are officially Buddhist continue to practice the folk religion called Bon. A folk religion is a system of beliefs shared by the common population. In Africa many people practice a blend of indigenous religious beliefs and more widespread religions, such as Christianity and Islam. When asked, these people very often identify themselves as Christians or Muslims or Buddhists, though they continue to practice indigenous beliefs.

Characteristics of indigenous religions

While the world's indigenous religions show remarkable variety, they also tend to show important similarities. These similarities appear not in the specifics of the belief system but rather in its overall nature. Some features that characterize indigenous religions include the following: geographic location, the use of ritual and artifacts, community participation, a fluid structure, and belief in a supreme God or other divinities (gods).
An indigenous religious group tends to live within a specific bioregion, or a region with a relatively uniform environment and ecology (mountain, desert, rainforest, or plains). Because of characteristics of this environment (for example, a short growing season in mountainous regions, drought in a desert, heavy rains in a rainforest region, and so on), indigenous religions develop explanations of the world and its origins based on the characteristics of their region. Most such religions have strong ecological beliefs as people try to live in harmony with the natural order.
Indigenous religions rarely have written sacred texts. Rather, their beliefs focus on dances, costumes, masks, ritual traditions, and sacred artifacts (material objects). These practices are part of a people's cultural identity and help them forge a sense of connection with their world. Indigenous religions transmit wisdom, cultural values, and history, not through formal education but through myths, storytelling, drama, and art.
They tend not to rely on silent meditation or individualized experiences but on ritual activities that bind people to the community. Many of these rituals mark important occasions, such as planting or gathering a harvest. Yet in many indigenous religious traditions, people seek wisdom of their own through vision quests and similar private rituals. …