THE SPIRIT WORLD, The American Indians - Hardcover

Thomas H. Flaherty

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0809497417 ISBN 13: 9780809497416

Publisher: Time-Life Books, 1992

Synopsis

THE SPIRIT WORLD invites you to experience the harmony of nature and the essence of its creatures, to trace the many paths to spiritual insight and inner awareness taken by the American Indians. From the Tlingit of the Pacific Northwest to the Navajo of New Mexico and Delaware in the East, you will discover a spirituality integrated into the smallest details of daily life. As an Osage explained, "Even the commonest sticks and stones have a spiritual essence that must be reverenced as a manifestation of the all-pervading mysterious power that fills the Universe." The gods of the first Americans are universal forces: Sila speaks to the Inuit of Canada through the language of great storms and of calm seas and sunlight; Orenda controls the universe of the Iroquois; manitou signifies the "power of nature" for the Algonquian; and Wakan Tanka (the "Great Mystery") bestows the life force for the Sioux. ... THE SPIRIT WORLD, a guided journey into sacred and often undiscovered realms of Native American belief, reveals a people's shared vision of nature as a mysterious source of truth and power--a vision that continues as an integral part of living cultures. For the first time, one volume captures the meaning of Indian religions in a framework that respects the Indians' own beliefs and their view of the world.

About this edition

• Publisher: Time-Life Books
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0809497417
• ISBN 13: 9780809497416
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176
• Editor: Time-Life Books