Native American Spirituality and Christianity

Inter-religious dialogue has often been restricted to participants from the so-called major “world religions”: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The inclusion of native, aboriginal, tribal or “traditional religions” in such dialogue, though still limited, is nonetheless highly significant because it includes also many Native persons who have become Christian without abandoning their traditional beliefs. This chapter examines how this unique situation affects both the future of aboriginal spirituality and Christianity in the North American context with a particular focus on the First Nations peoples in Canada. The author's reflections on this topic are inspired by personal initiation into the traditional spirituality of the Cree people in Northern Alberta and by regular meetings with aboriginal persons in the Anishinabe Spiritual Centre in Anderson Lake, Ontario. The chapter first presents a brief picture of aboriginal spirituality and then reflects on the different types of dialogue between traditional spirituality and Christianity.