Native American Stories of the Sacred

Description

The wisdom from these stories can become a
companion on your own spiritual journey.

Native American stories of the sacredare intended for more than entertainment: they are teaching tales containing elegantly simple illustrations of time-honored truths. From tales of Creation to “Why?” stories that help explain the natural world around us, these stories highlight the sacredness of all life and affirm that we are each an integral part of all that is holy.

Drawn from tribes across North America, these are careful retellings of traditional stories such as Son of Light’s quest to win back his captured wife from the monstrous Man-Eagle; humble Muskrat’s noble self-sacrifice to establish solid land so other beings might live; Water Spider’s creative solution for retrieving fire for all the animals; and White Buffalo Calf Woman’s profound gift of the sacred pipe to the people. Each of the compelling stories in this collection illustrates principles that can guide you on your own spiritual quest.

Now you can experience the wisdom of these teaching tales even if you have no previous knowledge of Native American traditions. SkyLight Illuminations provides insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that explains the cultural and spiritual significance of the seemingly mundane objects found in these stories—tobacco, gambling, even the exploits of mischievous tricksters such as Coyote and Weasel—while gracefully drawing comparisons to Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions, among others. Whatever your spiritual heritage, these Native American stories of the sacred are sure to delight and inspire you with the sacredness of all Creation, and remind you that the earth does not belong to us—we belong to the earth.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Native American religion
• Spirituality
• Native Americans in the United States
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 29 juin 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781594733666
• Langue: English

Extrait

Selected Books in the SkyLight Illuminations Series
The Art of War-Spirituality for Conflict: Annotated & Explained
Bhagavad Gita: Annotated & Explained
The Book of Mormon: Selections Annotated & Explained
Celtic Christian Spirituality: Essential Writings-Annotated & Explained
Chuang-tzu: The Tao of Perfect Happiness-Selections Annotated & Explained
Confucius, the Analects : The Path of the Sage-Selections Annotated & Explained
Dhammapada: Annotated & Explained
The Divine Feminine in Biblical Wisdom Literature: Selections Annotated & Explained
Ecclesiastes: Annotated & Explained
The End of Days: Essential Selections from Apocalyptic Texts-Annotated & Explained
Ethics of the Sages: Pirke Avot -Annotated & Explained,
Ghazali on the Principles of Islamic Spirituality: Selections from Forty Foundations of Religion -Annotated & Explained
Gnostic Writings on the Soul: Annotated & Explained
The Gospel of Philip: Annotated & Explained
The Gospel of Thomas: Annotated & Explained
Hasidic Tales: Annotated & Explained
The Hebrew Prophets: Selections Annotated & Explained
The Hidden Gospel of Matthew: Annotated & Explained
The Infancy Gospels of Jesus: Apocryphal Tales from the Childhoods of Mary and Jesus-Annotated & Explained
John and Charles Wesley: Selections from Their Writings and Hymns-Annotated & Explained
The Lost Sayings of Jesus: Teachings from Ancient Christian, Jewish, Gnostic, and Islamic Sources-Annotated & Explained
Maimonides-Essential Teachings On Jewish Faith and Ethics: The Book of Knowledge and the Thirteen Principles of Faith-Annotated & Explained
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated & Explained
Native American Stories of the Sacred: Annotated & Explained
Philokalia: The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts-Annotated & Explained
Proverbs: Annotated & Explained
The Qur an and Sayings of Prophet Muhammad: Selections Annotated & Explained
Rumi and Islam: Selections from His Stories, Poems, and Discourses-Annotated & Explained
The Sacred Writings of Paul: Selections Annotated & Explained
Saint Augustine of Hippo: Selections from Confessions and Other Essential Writings-Annotated & Explained
The Secret Book of John: The Gnostic Gospel-Annotated & Explained
Selections from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna: Annotated & Explained
Sex Texts from the Bible: Selections Annotated & Explained
Spiritual Writings on Mary: Annotated & Explained
St. Ignatius Loyola-The Spiritual Writings: Selections Annotated & Explained
Tanya , the Masterpiece of Hasidic Wisdom: Selections Annotated & Explained
Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained
The Way of a Pilgrim: The Jesus Prayer Journey-Annotated & Explained
Zohar: Annotated & Explained
Native American Stories of the Sacred: Annotated & Explained
2008 Quality Paperback Edition, Second Printing
2005 Quality Paperback Edition, First Printing
Texts, annotation, and introductory material © 2005 by Evan T. Pritchard
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or reprinted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information regarding permission to reprint material from this book, please mail or fax your request to SkyLight Paths Publishing, Permissions Department, at the address / fax number listed below, or e-mail your request to [e-mail] .
Notes constitute a continuation of this copyright page.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pritchard, Evan T., 1955–
Native American stories of the sacred : annotated & explained : retold, annotated & explained / by Evan T. Pritchard.
p. cm. - (SkyLight illuminations)
Includes bibliographical references. (p. ).
ISBN-13: 978-1-59473-112-9 (pbk.)
ISBN-10: 1-59473-112-8 (pbk.)
1. Indians of North America-Folklore. 2. Indian mythology-North America. I. Title. II. Series.
E98.F6P75 2005
398 .41 08997-dc22
2005016943
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cover design: Walter C. Bumford III
SkyLight Paths Publishing is creating a place where people of different spiritual traditions come together for challenge and inspiration, a place where we can help each other understand the mystery that lies at the heart of our existence.
SkyLight Paths sees both believers and seekers as a community that increasingly transcends traditional boundaries of religion and denomination-people wanting to learn from each other, walking together, finding the way.
Cover art: Jason Stitt
Interior art: Joanne Plamondon
SkyLight Paths, Walking Together, Finding the Way, and colophon are trademarks of LongHill Partners, Inc., registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Walking Together, Finding the Way
Published by SkyLight Paths Publishing
A Division of LongHill Partners, Inc.
Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, P.O. Box 237
Woodstock, VT 05091
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
www.skylightpaths.com
Contents
Preface
Introduction
1. Creation Stories
The Mud Diver Story: Munsee
Annotations
The Making of the World: Huron
Annotations
2. The Wager for the World
The Chickadee Story: Mi kmaq
Annotations
The Adoption of the Human Race: Natchez
Annotations
Co-No, the World s Greatest Gambler: Winnebago
Annotations
3. The Origins of Fire
The First Fire: Cherokee
Annotations
Fire-Stealing Fox: Jicarilla-Apache
Annotations
4. The Sacred Pipe
White Buffalo Calf Woman: Lakota
Annotations
5. Why? Stories
How Deer Got His Horns: Cherokee
Annotations
Why Deer s Teeth Are Blunt: Cherokee
Annotations
Why the Blackfeet Never Kill Mice: Blackfeet/Ojibway
Annotations
6. The Sacred Hero
Son of Light Defeats the Monster: Hopi
Annotations
Agulabemu, the Great Bullfrog: Mi kmaq
Annotations
7. The Return of the Sun
Chipmunk Asks for the Light: Seneca
Annotations
Little Brother Gets Mad at the Sun: Winnebago
Annotations
Raven: Tlingit/Salish
Annotations
8. Coyotes and Other Tricksters
Deer and Blue Jay: Klamath
Annotations
Coyote and Wren: Klamath
Annotations
Coyote and the Salmon: Klamath
Annotations
9. Nature Spirits, Landkeepers, and Tribal Guardians
The Meesang, or Water Babies: Washo
Annotations
The Great Bird Ong: Washo
Annotations
10. The Spiritual Journey
The Stone Canoe: Ojibway/Anishinabi
Annotations
Notes
Acknowledgments
About SkyLight Paths
Preface
I would like to begin this book of sacred journeys with the first words of The Mud Diver Story : Gutakameo laawatay , which is Munsee for One day, a long time ago … It is a great way to begin a story and, perhaps, an entire world. This book contains a number of Native American stories-those that have spiritual significance to me and, to some extent, to the world at large. They are meant to be enjoyed and shared. Stories cross over cultural borders quicker than carrier pigeons, and this is as true now as it has been for centuries. This fact helps unite all of us, even as we retain our individual traditions and beliefs.
These are not sacred stories per se, intended only for the sweat lodge, high ceremony, or for retelling only within certain lodges. Many of those stories go on for four days and would not make sense to most readers even with annotations. These stories of the sacred, if we can call them that, are wisdom tales for children and adults that contain elegantly simple illustrations of time-tested teachings that refer to that which is sacred. Most of these insights are so universal and eternal that they have been noticed and preserved in stories worldwide. However, each story contains cultural references that need to be explained for the full meaning to emerge, and each has an unmistakable Native American flavor, which needs no explanation at all.
Although I am a person of Native American and Celtic ancestry, and consider myself to have been raised more or less in the values and beliefs of the Mi kmaq traditions, I have always been keenly interested in how people around the world perceive God and themselves spiritually. This book, perhaps more than my previous publications on Native American culture, reflects that interest, which has been an unwavering passion for me since early childhood.
I learned from an early age that all human beings are our relations, as are the animals, plants, fish, moon, and stars. I also understood that any of these-a bird, a child, an old man-could become a messenger to us at a certain moment, and so I listened to people of all denominations and kept praying for good messages and for good visions. It is not surprising, then, that I soon came into contact with organized religion.
Although I grew up within walking distance of my spiritual temple-the woods and hills of Maryland-I was also not far from a world cultural center, Washington, D.C., which in the 1960s was filled with a wide variety of spiritual activities. Religious leaders of all stripes and colors came to visit Washington and speak out on what was wrong with America. Before I drove a car-the modern-day coming of age initiation for urban Indians-I d already had the opportunity to meet and ask questions of Martin Buber, the Talmudic philosopher; the Reverend David Eaton, a black minister, talk show host, and friend of Martin Luther King Jr.; Isaac Bashevis Singer, the Jewish storyteller; Sri Chin Moy, the Pakistani poet and yogi; Brahmachari Keith, a disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda; and Dr. Mael Melvin, an astrophysicist at Temple University and one of the founders of the Transcendental Meditation movement. I also learned a lot from the monks at Catholic University, where I studied religion and philosophy as part of the regular curriculum, and from street people who had earned divine insight from hard suffering on the front lines of life.
It was a wonderful way to spend o