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北美印第安宗教

北美洲原住民的宗教信仰和社会风俗他们的信仰特徵是,确信这世界上所有的东西(包括有生命和无生命的)都是受神灵所驱动,而他们的生活则与鬼魂密切联系在一起。他们不但在动物、植物和树木这些自然生物中发现灵魂,就连高山、湖泊和云朵这些自然景物中也是如此。由於北美洲宗教已经高度本土化,而他们的信仰也有了大幅度的改变,因此要界定这些宗教存在的数量是不可能的。在易洛魁族(Iroquois)长老的心目中,造物主是一位良善又有智慧的宇宙设计者,而科宇刚族(Koyukon)则把造物主想像成一位强盗、骗子,而且只是众多能力非凡的神明之一。至於纳瓦荷人(Navajo)的宗教仪式,所代表的几乎都是个人特殊的需求,而培布罗人(Pueblo)的仪式则是根据自然的周期,以整个群体通过特定的程序来举行。不过,所有的北美洲的本土宗教都有一些共同的特点:祖先的土地和当地的圣地,都具有非凡的重要性;想获得某些特定的知识,必须先经过入会的仪式;对亲属的义务是信仰的中心;他们的口述传统中,都有一些记录人类与非人类力量之间互动的故事;慷慨是一种虔诚的表现。在他们与欧洲人接触之後,又发展出一些新的宗教活动,包括「鬼舞」(Ghost Dance)传统和「美国原住民教会」。亦请参阅Mesoamerican religions。

American Indian religions, North

Religious beliefs and practices of the indigenous peoples of North America. They are characterized by a conviction that spirit moves through all things, animate and inanimate, and that the living are intimately connected with the souls of the dead. They discover recognizable beings in the natural world of animals, plants, and trees, as well as in natural features such as mountains, lakes, and clouds. Because North American religions were so highly localized, it is impossible to determine how many have existed, and their beliefs have varied widely. Whereas Iroquois elders speak of a perfectly wise and good Creator who planned the universe, the Koyukon envision the creator as Raven, a trickster god who is only one of many powerful spirits. Whereas nearly all Navajo ceremonies are performed on behalf of individuals in response to specific needs, most Pueblo ceremonies are performed communally and scheduled according to the cycles of nature. However, all native North American religions share certain features: ancestral lands and locally sacred spots are important; access to some knowledge is restricted, and initiation is required to acquire it; kinship obligations are central; the oral tradition includes narratives that record human interaction with nonhuman powers; and generosity is a religious act. Contact with Europeans led to development of new religious movements, including the Ghost Dance tradition and the Native American Church. See also Mesoamerican religions.