I love to study different cultures- each has something special to offer! I have a Japanese Aunt- by marriage. She lives far away and though I never had a chance to know Aunt Rumiko very deeply, she taught me about honor. The few times we were able to visit her home, she met us at the door, welcomed us warmly into a house filled with candlelight & soft Japanese music. We had pleasant conversation and she served us a wonderful meal! She would bow and say, "I wish to honor you at my table". She would stand at the door, watching us leave as if she already missed us. She had a way of making you feel special. We can learn a lot about honor from oriental culture. When was the last time any of us bowed, stood up- or even smiled to acknowledge someone's presence?? The US has an interesting past and a colorful heritage. Native Americans were not the ignorant, heathen savages that cheap Hollywood films make them out to be. (I enjoyed the more accurate portrayal of ''Dances with Wolves') American Indian culture was based on respect. True, they dressed differently and had some unique customs, but that made them no less human than you or I. In a Native American Book of Wisdom full of profound thoughts, simply spoken, I learned that Indians valued silence. When 2 braves would meet, they stood for a time without saying a word- just to honor each other's presence. They were often misunderstood by the European settlers as being "aloof" because of this. Most Natives were deeply spiritual people and very family oriented. True, there were some parts of their lifestyle that were distasteful- drinking warm deer blood for instance, but overall these were beautiful people who honored the Great Spirit, mother earth and all her creatures. Men who considered themselves "civilized"- some with good intention, others with selfish ambition, virtually wiped some tribes off the face of the earth and thought themselves honorable for doing so. This saddens me and the native blood will not go unaccounted for on judgement day...Men & women used to protect and defend their honor and that of their families. Today, few of us even know what honor is. It means respecting others- even if they look different or don't agree with our personal philosophies. Honor means giving someone the right to say "Yes" or "No", to form their own opinions. It means being humane & civil to each other. Drawing cartoons that make fun of Islam is disrespectful. I wouldn't like to see cartoons making fun of Jesus or the Dalai Lama. On the flip side, we need to honor each others lives enough not to be willing to kill over a silly sketch on paper- so it goes both ways. Often, one act of dishonor leads to many others and the cycle repeats in acts of retaliation. I wish to honor and live in peace with ALL people.
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Dear Trailady,
You have a beautiful spirit and your world seems more untouched by severe disappointment than mine, but God makes all things new, so.....
I have to interject regarding Native Americans. I have NATIVE AMERICAN blood, which I see in my great connection to earth. However, I also have had "ancenstral bondage" broken off me with great results. The ancestral sins that I see as more serious are those of my English and scandinavian ancestors in their pagan state, to be sure.
But, the N.A. culture was primarily pagan, bringing with it all the baggage of pagan life.
Their worship of things, like corn, because it gave them so much, instead of God who gave the corn, brought them a spiritual darkness that you probably have little knowledge of.
One person pointed out that the "great spirit" was more likely the devil, because as the god of the world, his influence was seen and respected.
That they had little knowledge of the real God is clear. They also had terrible, barbaric practices. Some were cruel to animals and some to humans, and too cruel to mention!
But our treatment of them as pagans because we are CIVILIZED IS NEVERTHELESS RIDICULOUS. Yes, Indians helped us as in Lewis and Clark's expedition and then in turn Americans sacked them.
In other places in the world, our Christian forefathers only saw fit to send missionaries to bring light and the love of God to pagans. Why then in the case of North America was it differnt? it's because of the desperate desire but also need for the land, to create a new world. Impatience. American impatience made it "necessary" to clear the land for the new world.
Unfortunately, we have a curse on us because of our murky beginnings that must be broken! The best book ever on how to do that is "blessing or Curse" by Derek Prince.
Its hard to explain why intelligent people of all races have done what they have to one another. No doubt bigotry was involved. Jesus and the true spirit of Christ in Paul and a few others since would certainly have done things differently. George Washington was torn between his friendships with the Iroquois chiefs and his vision for the American (English) people. He made promises to the indigenous Americans that he knew would fail not many years down the road. Who can blame their hatred of us for losing their homeland which they had kept like a Garden of Eden for us to reap and ravage for money, and world power and prestige.
It was two races competing for the last real estate in the world. I believe God had the United States in His plans, for His plans always work out. But the butchery that made it all happen wasn't in God's plan. Its a hard issue to resolve.
Hi Gabrielle, Thank you for your kind words! I have known my share of disappointments. My parents divorced when I was 7, remarried when I was 11, divorced again when I was 14. Within a year, they were both remarried and I didn't feel wanted anymore so I lived at school & summer camp year round. I've had 2 miscarriages & 4 C-sections. My beloved Mother-in-law died of breast cancer 6 yrs ago while I sat beside her stroking her forehead. Grandpa died gasping for breath last year. I have NO idea what you have been through, but whatever it is, I wish you hope & healing. Life is hard, but God is good. :o)
I am part Cheyenne. The Great Spirit for us was not the devil. The Great Spirit in most native lore was creator of all living things. Not sure where gabrielle got her information on that, but it wouldnt be accurate for my tribe and many others. I also enjoyed the Dances with Wolves movie.
Early missionaries were a political force more so than a religous force. Non-violent takeover of a country, if they converted and listened to "THE MESSAGE" then no war. Conquistadors held a high rank in the church and were intolerably cruel. One friar who actually read the bible and formed his own oppinions about the actions of the church chronicled much of the mistreatment of the N.A. society. He wrote that conquistadors would often bury native americans up to their necks in the dirt and see who could pull the heads off the victims while on horseback it was a GAME. And how would anyone know if the Great Spirit is the Devil or not, after all christianty has spawned far more attrocious acts than "pagan" religion. The brutal Crusades being one fine example, the bible says that the devil will diguise himself as an angel of light, maybe most christian orginizations follw him!!
That is a fact, Royce! Cruelty will NEVER truly win a convert to any form of belief. Using fear & guilt are not good ways to convert. If we don't respect a person's God-given right to reject what we believe, then we have NO business ever talking to them about God. Sadly many missionaries had NO respect for culture. We have lost a lot of world culture because well-meaning missionaries wanted to make the natives carbon-copies of themselves. However, in other cases, Missionaries have ended up blending themselves permanently into the culture they are working with. This, I feel is respectful of God and culture.
Trailady, I just joined Cyberspace only in August of 2005. I have mainly been struggling through setbacks - I had wireless in my home but lost it, I have been on the road and have to find wireless out there - so, I've shifted through blogs only a little cuz I haven't had much time or opportunity. Yours is the first of a type I've been searching for. What a huge blessing.
Keep up the good work. In answer to your question - I've been to hell, but God is so good, and I've begun a life of victory - that was about two years ago. Yes, I thought somewhere I added - "I didn't mean to say you had no pain," which you have...but don't see that here. My life hasn't been painful as much as painfully weird. It would take volumes. Blessings.
sloopy - it was only speculation, that pagan cultures, just like the celts of England, etc., mistook God for the devil - it goes into stuff too deep for this little space. We all are still mistaking things that are satan for God, you see.
I am part Native American and my family tried to cover it up - but I was so exited when I found out. There is no shame in what I was saying.
As with every culture and tribe, there is so much beauty in Native Americans, one of the most prominent being their love of nature.
I have to be concerned about the spiritual darkness that separates us from the true God - what our Christian forebears were supposed to be thinking about when they encountered the Amer. Indians.
Peace.
Gabrielle, thank you for visiting and posting. Come anytime! :o)
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