Indigenous Spirituality
Brazilians march for Eshu, an Afro-Brazilian deity, to protest Christian intolerance
By Eduardo Campos Lima — August 27, 2024
SÃO PAULO, Brazil (RNS) — A march in honor of the orisha Eshu drew some 150,000 people in São Paulo recently, considered a rebuke to the rise of evangelical Christians’ political power.
Judge blocks Arizona lithium drilling that tribe says is threat to sacred lands
By Scott Sonner — August 26, 2024
Apache Christ icon controversy sparks debate over Indigenous Catholic faith practices
By Deepa Bharath — July 29, 2024
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Kamala Harris’ heritage draws attention to Hinduism’s complex history in Caribbean
By Richa Karmarkar — July 24, 2024
(RNS) — For many who claim Indo-Caribbean heritage, Vice President Kamala Harris’ spotlight is the perfect chance to dive into the community’s lesser-known past: where indigenous faiths and cultural traditions found more in common than not.
Safeguarding the heartbeat: Native Americans in Upper Midwest protect their drumming tradition
By Giovanna Dell'orto — July 24, 2024
RNS - Bans on Native drum ceremonies bring up resonant histories of forced repression and trauma for Native communities today.
Solstices brought Mayan communities together, using monuments shaped by science and religion – and kingly ambitions, too
By Gerardo Aldana — June 25, 2024
(The Conversation) — Structures aligned with solar events served various purposes: science, farming, religion and even politics.
How Indigenous peoples are reclaiming their celebrations of the summer solstice − and using them to resist
By Jason E. Ybarra — June 24, 2024
(The Conversation) — A historian of astronomy writes about the role of astronomical events in Indigenous cultures − and also the exploitation of their sacred traditions in present times.
US Catholic bishops approve outreach to Native Americans and acknowledge boarding school ‘traumas’
By Holly Meyer — June 14, 2024
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Through praying, listening and seeking healing and reconciliation, the bishops, in the new draft, are committing to revitalizing their Native Catholic ministry.
AP PHOTOS: Cambodian village prays for good fortune, prosperity, and rain in ‘He Neak Ta’ ritual
By Sopheng Cheang — June 11, 2024
PHUM BOEUNG, Cambodia (AP) — This ancient ritual ceremony has been celebrated annually for several hundred years by Phum Boeung villagers during the beginning of rainy season. Though marked in almost every village throughout the country in ancient times, the ceremony has become rarer.
Shunned for centuries, Vodou grows powerful as Haitians seek solace from unrelenting gang violence
By DÁnica Coto — May 10, 2024
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Shunned publicly by politicians and intellectuals for centuries, Vodou is transforming into a more powerful and accepted religion across Haiti, where its believers were once persecuted.
For the ancient Maya, cracked mirrors were a path to the world beyond
By James L. Fitzsimmons — May 1, 2024
(The Conversation) — Broken mirrors can be associated with bad luck, but for the ancient Maya, a cracked mirror was often desirable.
On Good Friday, Guatemalan sawdust carpets bring together Maya community
By Aleja Hertzler-McCain — March 30, 2024
WASHINGTON (RNS) — 'The painstaking art of the creative work of the group Guate-Maya is a tremendous blessing every Good Friday,' the Rev. Emilio Biosca Agüero said.
Man pleads guilty in eagle ‘killing spree’ on reservation to sell feathers on black market
By Matthew Brown and Amy Beth Hanson — March 20, 2024
(AP) – Branson and a second defendant, Simon Paul, killed approximately 3,600 birds, including eagles on the Flathead reservation and elsewhere, according to the indictment.
Indigenous people rejoice after city of Berkeley votes to return sacred Native land to Ohlone
By Janie Har and Olga R. Rodriguez — March 14, 2024
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Before Spanish colonizers arrived in the region, the area held a village and a massive shellmound with a height of 20 feet and the length and width of a football field that was a ceremonial and burial site.
Man to plead guilty in ‘killing spree’ of eagles and other birds for feathers prized by tribes
By Matthew Brown — February 28, 2024
(AP) — Federal officials have not said how many eagles were killed or what other kinds of birds were involved in the scheme, which they say began in 2015 and continued until 2021.
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