| Part of a series on |
| Philosophy |
|---|
 |
Indigenous American philosophy is thephilosophy of theIndigenous peoples of the Americas. AnIndigenous philosopher is an Indigenous American person who practices philosophy and draws upon the history, culture, language, and traditions of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Many different traditions of philosophy exist in the Americas, and have from Precolumbian times.
Indigenous-American philosophical thought consists of a wide variety of beliefs and traditions among different American cultures. Among some ofU.S. Native American communities, there is a belief in a metaphysical principle called the 'Great Spirit' (Siouan:wakȟáŋ tȟáŋka;Algonquian:gitche manitou). Another widely shared concept was that oforenda ('spiritual power'). According to Whiteley (1998), for the Native Americans, "mind is critically informed by transcendental experience (dreams, visions and so on) as well as by reason."[1] The practices to access these transcendental experiences are termedshamanism. Another feature of the Indigenous American worldviews was their extension of ethics to non-human animals and plants.[1][2]
The study of knowledge, belief, and the ways in which people acquire and process information (akaepistemology) in Indigenous cultures can be somewhat different than in mainstream Western philosophy.Vine Deloria Jr. often demonstrates in his work how Native American epistemology is found in ceremonies, community traditions and observation of nature and natural symbolism, in addition to more common academic approaches.[3] Emphasis on Indigenous language and culture is a vital component of Native American epistemology, with language seen as essential to understanding psychology and different states of consciousness.[4]
Hester and Cheney have written about the strong link between nature and the interpretation of knowledge within Native American cultures. They believe that the mind interacts with the environment in a very active, conscious way.[5]
Anne Waters has described a "nondiscreteontology of being" in the context of gender.[6]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(October 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In North America, Indigenous groups North of Mesoamerica often lack pre-colonial written histories. However, some oral traditions survived colonization. A common symbol for these groups were the six directions. Many considered the directions east, west, north, south, up, and down to be sacred to their understanding of the world. Some believe that this symbol cements a sense of place among the Indigenous groups who share it.[7]
Among theHopi, there is a concept known ashopivotskwani, translating roughly to "the Hopi path of life". It entails behaving with a peaceful disposition, cooperation, humility, and respect. Hopi philosophy teaches that life is a journey, to be lived in harmony with the natural world. Thus, the Hopi believe that followinghopivotskwani will lead to positive outcomes not only in interpersonal relationships, but also in interactions with nature, for example ensuring sufficient rainfall and a good harvest.[8][better source needed]
As a rule, contemporaryPueblo peoples are very reluctant to share their traditional philosophical and spiritual worldviews with outsiders. This can be attributed to several factors, among them abuse of trust by early anthropologists and colonial Spanish intolerance for traditional Puebloan religions.[citation needed]
Perhaps the best documented philosophical tradition of the Precolumbian and early colonial era is that of the Aztecs, aNahuatl-speaking people who established a large and sophisticated empire in central Mexico prior to being conquered by the Spanish. Mesoamerican thought and philosophy is notable for its extensive usage of metaphor to explain abstract concepts.[9][page needed]
The Aztecs thought of philosophy in more or less pragmatic and practical terms. A central feature of Aztec philosophy was the concept ofteotl, aNahuatl term for the animating force of the cosmos and an ever-acting and dynamic mover.Teotl in theological terms could also symbolize a type ofpantheism.[10]
Nahua philosophy was an intellectual tradition developed by individuals calledtlamatini ('those who know something')[11] and its ideas are preserved in variousAztec codices and fragmentary texts. Some of these philosophers are known by name, such asNezahualcoyotl,Aquiauhtzin,Xayacamach,Tochihuitzin coyolchiuhqui and Cuauhtencoztli.[12][13] These authors were also poets and some of their work has survived in the originalNahuatl.[12][13]
Aztec philosophers developed theories of metaphysics, epistemology, values, and aesthetics. Aztec ethics was focused on seekingtlamatiliztli ('knowledge', 'wisdom') which was based on moderation and balance in all actions as in theNahua proverb "the middle good is necessary".[14] The Nahua worldview posited the concept of an ultimate universal energy or force calledŌmeteōtl ('Dual Cosmic Energy') which sought a way to live in balance with a constantly changing, "slippery" world. The theory ofTeotl can be seen as a form ofPantheism.[14] According to James Maffie, Nahua metaphysics posited that teotl is "a single, vital, dynamic, vivifying, eternally self-generating and self-conceiving as well as self-regenerating and self-reconceiving sacred energy or force".[13] This force was seen as the all-encompassing life force of the universe and as the universe itself.[13]
TheInca civilization also had an elite class of philosopher-scholars termed theamawtakuna oramautas who were important in theInca education system as teachers of philosophy, theology, astronomy, poetry, law, music, morality and history.[15][16] Young Inca nobles were educated in these disciplines at the state college of Yacha-huasi inCuzco, where they also learned the art of thequipu.[15] Incan philosophy (as well as the broader category of Andean thought) held that the universe is animated by a single dynamic life force (sometimes termedcamaquen orcamac, as well asupani andamaya).[17] This singular force also arises as a set of dual complementary yet opposite forces.[17] These "complementary opposites" are calledyanantin andmasintin. They are expressed as various polarities or dualities (such as male–female, dark–light, life and death, above and below) which interdependently contribute to the harmonious whole that is the universe through the process of reciprocity and mutual exchange calledayni.[18][17] The Inca worldview also included the belief in acreator God (Viracocha) andreincarnation.[16]
Academic Brian Yazzie Burkhart shares this story ofCoyote:
Coyote is wandering around in his usual way when he comes upon a prairie dog town. The prairie dogs laugh and curse at him. Coyote gets angry and wants revenge. The sun is high in the sky. Coyote decides that he wants clouds to come. He is starting to hate the prairie dogs and so thinks about rain. Just then a cloud appears.
Coyote says, "I wish it would rain on me." And that is what happened.
Coyote says, "I wish there were rain at my feet." And that is what happened.
"I want the rain up to my knees," Coyote says. And that is what happened.
"I want the rain up to my waist," he then says. And that is what happened.[19]
Eventually, the entire land is flooded. Coyote's mistake is not letting what is right guide his actions, but instead acting entirely on his own motivations. This is a reminder that one must be careful about what one desires, and must keep in mind the things around us and how we relate to them. Burkhart terms this the principle of relatedness.[20]
| Pre-history | .svg) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mythology/Religion |
| ||||||||||
| Culture |
| ||||||||||
| European colonization | |||||||||||
| Modern groups by country |
| ||||||||||
| Related topics | |||||||||||
