Pictured above is the calumet or ceremonial pipe used by the Sac and Fox chief, Black Hawk.[/caption]Caroline Andler, the former tribal genealogist of the Brothertown Indian Nation of Wisconsin, has created some pages on genealogy.com, related to the Brothertown people.
These pages include "The Spirituality of the New England Indians pre Samson Occom's Conversion to Chritianity," an article in which Andler quotes Rudi Ottery. Ottery, Andler tells us, wrote a Master's thesis on "the spirituality of early New England Indians and their conversion to Christianity." I'm going to try to get access to that thesis if possible, but the quotes that Andler provides in her article will do just fine for this blogpost.
Andler starts off by asserting that "Our ancient ancestors used the pipe and tobacco to pray to their gods."
Then she introduces Rudi Ottery and the following quote comes from Ottery:
...a belief in spiritual forces and a powerful religion ordered Indian lives...
...the Indians percieved all of life as a series of interactions with spiritual powers and they were conscious of these forces regulating their daily lives. All of nature was sacred, created by a spirit... There was no desire to subdue or dominate any living thing.
What are your thoughts?
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