The Iron Finger of God:Spiritual Perspectives of the Native American's

As an ethnic group that embodies as its core value the interrelatedness of nature as an integral component of the human spirit, the Native American culture is reflective of a gentle, all encompassing spiritual perspective which has precipitated undeniable strife when viewed in contrast to more traditional, Judeo Christian beliefs. These beliefs, written by the proverbial iron finger of God upon inflexible stone tables as described by Chief Seattle, is understandably a source of existential conflict as he states “your God is not my God. He loves your people and hates mine. He folds his strong and compassionate arms lovingly about the paleface and leads him by the hand as a father leads his infant son-but he has forsaken his red children-if they really are his.” Although this acknowledgement is indicative of a perceived racial disparity that extended into the theological realm, I maintain that Chief Seattle did not believe that Native Americans were controlled by the white man’s God.

The concept of God as father is recorded in innumerable places within the Bible, in which we are reminded, for example, in Psalm 139:14 that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” created as we were in his likeness and image. If we assume that this likeness and image encompasses all races as would befit a just and holy God, then Chief Seattle’s observations to the contrary are illustrative not of resignation, but rather of recognition of the hypocrisy inherent in the white man’s beliefs. Matthew 5:44-45 further entreats us to “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you, that you may be sons of your father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” If these Bible passages are representative of the professed faith of that same Christian collective who defrauded the Native American population of their human rights, essentially denying that the red man was created in the likeness and image of their God as evidenced by their oppressive acts, then these white men were truly the ones in need of absolution to ensure that they became “sons of their father in heaven” themselves.

The Native American culture, by contrast, is comprised of pantheistic views that recognize the divinity inherent in nature, which promotes a deep respect for life regardless of form. In this global perspective, the polytheistic gods of the elements conspire not to condemn or cause division, but to unite one and all under the watchful eye of the Great Spirit. The wind, the sun, the water, and the darkness of night itself fall under the jurisdiction of this spirit, who imparts wisdom to those who seek it by recognizing that life is but a passing shadow as well as a gift. Chief Seattle eloquently observes that “our religion is the tradition of our ancestors-the dreams of our old men, given them in the solemn hours of night by the Great Spirit, and it is written on the hearts of our people,” and it is within these hearts that the Great Spirit prevails even in the face of loss and injustice. Far from relinquishing the faith that sustained the Native American people to submit to control to the white mans God, Chief Seattle steadfastly maintained that in spite of the acquisitiveness and greed that deprived his people of their rightful heritage, “every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. The very dust upon which you now stand responds more lovingly to their footsteps than to yours, because it is rich with the blood of ancestors and our bare feet are conscious of the sympathetic touch.”

It is this self professed “sympathetic touch” that illustrates the wisdom of the Native American culture. While appearing to acquiesce to the theft of their land and the denial of their human rights, for example, the Native Americans realized that it is not the land in and of itself that was of such tremendous value, but rather the significance of the events that occurred upon it that ascribed its true meaning. This perspective is evidence of a deep and all abiding sense of integrity, a strength of character that far superseded any need by Chief Seattle to submit to control of the white man’s God as representative of the Native American people. To the contrary, he wisely concedes to no more than an anticipated eternal presence visited upon the white man by the spirits of his ancestors as he observes “at night when the streets of your cities and villages are silent and you think them deserted, they will throng with the returning hosts that once filled and still love this beautiful land. The white man will never be alone.” This simple profession of faith in and of itself clearly indicates that Chief Seattle did not believe that he was controlled by the white man’s God, but that rather he was controlled by no more than the Great Spirit itself.

As a woman of Native American descent raised within the theological framework of traditional Judeo Christian beliefs, I profess to be a Christian but find the acts visited upon the Native American people deplorable. These acts are of particular offense when considered within the context of the professed faith of their oppressors, and the despair perpetrated in the name of an almighty God must have been considerable. In spite of these offences, however, Chief Seattle reflects peaceably when regarding the fate of his people, his pronouncements relevant to the triumph of the human spirit brave and ennobling. Controlled by no more than a resolute faith in the continuum of an eternal life where energy cannot be destroyed, Chief Seattle wisely observed “there is no death, only a change of worlds.”
I have no doubt that his personal integrity would ensure him a place of honor in the eternal realm, whether beside the proverbial Great Spirit or an almighty God who finally embraced him as his son.