ebooks Explorations in Daoism: Medicine and Alchemy in Literature (Needham Research Institute) by Ho Peng Yoke in History

Description

In contemporary Indian Country; many of the people who identify as "American Indian" fall into the "urban Indian" category: away from traditional lands and communities; in cities and towns wherein the opportunities to live one's identity as Native can be restricted; and even more so for American Indian religious practice and activity. Tradition; Performance; and Religion in Native America: Ancestral Ways; Modern Selves explores a possible theoretical model for discussing the religious nature of urbanized Indians. It uses aspects of contemporary pantribal practices such as the inter-tribal pow wow; substance abuse recovery programs such as the Wellbriety Movement; and political involvement to provide insights into contemporary Native religious identity. Simply put; this book addresses the question what does it mean to be an Indigenous American in the 21st century; and how does one express that indigeneity religiously? It proposes that practices and ideologies appropriate to the pan-Indian context provide much of the foundation for maintaining a sense of aboriginal spiritual identity within modernity. Individuals and families who identify themselves as Native American can participate in activities associated with a broad network of other Native people; in effect performing their Indian identity and enacting the values that are connected to that identity.