Indigenous Religious Traditions in Five Minutes

Indigenous Religious Traditions in Five Minutes

Indigenous Religious Traditions in Five Minutes answers many of the questions that come to mind when we think about the religious lives of Native and Indigenous peoples of the world. Suitable for beginning students and the general reader, this book offers more than eighty brief essays about specific Indigenous religious traditions and the array of ideas, practices, and beliefs that many people associate with them. 

•Do Indigenous peoples have "gods"?

•What is shamanism? 

•What's the difference between Vodou, Voudou, and Voodoo? 

•Why do some Indigenous people insist that what they practice is not religion? 

•Is paganism considered an Indigenous religious tradition? 

•Do Indigenous peoples believe plants, animals, and waters have personhood? 

•Can I convert to or practice an Indigenous religious tradition if I am not an Indigenous person?

•How do Indigenous religions approach disability?

•Did Indigenous people really honor LGBT/two-spirit people? 

•What is the value of studying Indigenous religious traditions?

Specialists from a variety of fields respond to questions like these in easily accessible language and provide references for further exploration, making this volume ideal for classroom use or personal study.