Teaching Spirits: Understanding Native American Religious Traditions

by Joseph Epes Brown

Teaching Spirits offers a thematic approach to Native American religious traditions. Through years of living with and learning about Native traditions across the continent, Joseph Epes Brown learned firsthand of the great diversity of the North American Indian cultures. Yet within this great multiplicity, he also noticed certain common themes that resonate within many Native traditions. These themes include a shared sense of time as cyclical rather than linear, a belief that landscapes are inhabited by spirits, a rich oral tradition, visual arts that emphasize the process of creation, a reciprocal relationship with the natural world, and the rituals that tie these themes together. Brown illustrates each of these themes with in-depth explorations of specific native cultures including Lakota, Navajo, Apache, Koyukon, and Ojibwe.
Brown was one of the first scholars to recognize that Native religions-rather than being relics of the past-are vital traditions that tribal members shape and adapt to meet both timeless and contemporary needs. Teaching Spirits reflects this view, using examples from the present as well as the past. For instance, when writing about Plains rituals, he describes not only building an impromptu sweat lodge in a Denver hotel room with Black Elk in the 1940s, but also the struggles of present-day Crow tribal members to balance Sun Dances and vision quests with nine-to-five jobs.
In this groundbreaking work, Brown suggests that Native American traditions demonstrate how all components of a culture can be interconnected-how the presence of the sacred can permeate all lifeways to such a degree that what we call religion is integrated into all of life's activities. Throughout the book, Brown draws on his extensive personal experience with Black Elk, who came to symbolize for many the richness of the imperiled native cultures. This volume brings to life the themes that resonate at the heart of Native American religious traditions.

Genres: Religion, Spirituality, Native American, Nonfiction, Anthropology

168 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Christopher Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teaching Spirits is somewhat reductive in its approach, in that it assumes too much similarity across native religions and flattens some of the differences. Brown is best on Lakota, Navajo, and Eskimo traditions, while neglecting most others. I also think he sometimes over-interprets his sources, especially when he talks about cyclical time. Or at least, I didn't find his cited evidence that natives have a cyclical view of time to be all that persuasive.

There's also a fair amount of romanticization here, as natives are pretty uncritically presented as environmentalists and as models for how to live in harmony with nature. He's aware enough of the "noble savage" stereotype to want to avoid it, but I don't think he succeeds.

Brown does make a real effort to address concerns about cultural appropriation, so he deserves some credit for that. He's no powwow guru trying to get white people to take peyote. And his native informants want white people to change their behavior toward nature too, so he's more listening to them than appropriating from them.

Overall, this is not the academic treatment of the subject I was hoping for, but it contains some good food for thought and may serve as a useful short, popular introduction to major themes in the religions of the native peoples of the United States.

[Veronika Pohl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teaching Spirits: Understanding Native American Religious Traditions by Joseph Epes Brown is a solid, informative read that I liked. As required reading for my Native American Religions class in college, it provided a comprehensive overview of various Native American spiritual practices and beliefs. Brown’s academic approach offers valuable insights into these traditions, though the presentation can feel somewhat dry at times. While it’s an essential resource for understanding the subject matter from an educational perspective, it may not be as engaging for casual readers. Overall, it’s a worthwhile book for those studying Native American religions but might not resonate as strongly on a personal level.

[Kelly Kress · Rating 5 out of 5]

God… you know the question “If you could invite anyone to dinner who would it be?”. My answer will now and likely forever always be Brown. Absolutely incredible writing, I could spend years picking his brain!

[Randy Watz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, as always Joseph Eps Brown delivers.

[Elliott Schubert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way to textbook. Did not like

[Renate · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is probably the best book I've about american Indian religion. Actually, I'm not done, but I'm so impressed, I had to submit a review.

[Davoud Taghavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief but beautifully done survey of the inner dimensions of the Native American way of life, psychology, with an exploration of their mystical ecology among other things. Not specifically written by Brown, but a collection of notes from his lectures during his days of professorship at the University of Montana.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful so far...