4 Powerful Indigenous Wisdom Values to Reclaim Authentic Hope
Rise out of despair with traditional native teachings
The indigenous people have both timeless and timely wisdom to offer the world.
Why Now? The state of humanity and the earth is troubling for anyone who is even loosely paying attention. Our fellow humans are experiencing mass chaos and disease (dis-ease).
One worldwide pandemic aside, our social, environmental, moral, political, economic, psychological, spiritual, and physical wellbeing are all suffering the weight of the imbalanced systems we have created.
In more pessimistic moods, I look around and wonder if we have become the cancer cells on the body of this larger being called earth.
I struggle with the aching feelings of anxiety and despair when I see the realities of mass deforestation, pollution, human trafficking (slavery), and the staggering inequalities in the spheres of financial, social, race, and political influence. I worry about the future of my nephew, my extended family’s children, the world’s children, and the generations following them.
To reclaim our hope and our birthright as sovereign beings on our shared home, we must change.
The real question is, are there ways to do so with the interest of the entire planet and all beings who inhabit it?
The indigenous people have long offered their teachings to those who were open to receiving them.
An Important Modern Indigenous Leader
Sherri Mitchell is a person you should know.
Sherri is a lawyer, social rights activist, author, teacher, and trusted keeper of the ancient ways of her people.
In her book, Sacred Instructions, Mitchell generously and urgently shares her life stories and the traditional wisdom teachings and stories of her people- the Penawahpskek Tribe.
I will share four indigenous core values from Mitchell’s book that feel particularly relevant to our present time.
- “All My Relations”
“The two-legged, the four-legged, the winged, the beings that crawl and slide along the ground, the plants, the trees, and the living Earth, are all our relatives. Everything is interconnected and interdependent; the well-being of the whole determines the well-being of any individual part (Mitchell, 2018, p, 188).”
Living from interconnectedness is a way of being in the world that holds the key to significantly reducing the massive division, conflict, and misunderstanding between communities, governments, and the greater global population.
By not acknowledging our inherent interdependence, we have slowly normalized the destruction that is apparent in every aspect of life.
2. “We All Have Enough.”
“Ensuring that everyone has enough to live with dignity, and a sense of security, and that the community has enough to thrive… Yet, if we take more than we need, we are depriving others of the ability to meet their own needs” (Mitchell, 2018, p.189).
This community-oriented attitude is a rarity in many modern societies. It builds upon the first core value of being interconnected. If one node in the web of life becomes too heavy, it begins pulling other threads toward it. As a result, the nodes out on the fringes begin to fray and tear.
Psychologically, we see examples of this regularly. As Maslow wrote about, if we do not have our basic needs met, we cannot explore our full human potential. We can only be concerned with our survival.
On the other hand, those who hoard resources, or have been born into generational wealth, may feel hollow and empty inside. Knowing their basic needs will be met without a doubt allows a sense of apathy or complacency to set in.
3. “Harmony With the Natural World.”
This teaches us that are part of one living system. We cannot see ourselves as having dominion over the land, water, or the animals. We can’t even see ourselves as being stewards of the Earth. This understanding is very different than the belief that human beings are chosen above all others. That view creates countless distortions that not only elevate man inappropriately but also diminish the rest of creation. The world is one unified system. It cannot be separated into fragmented” (Mitchell, 2018, p.191).
The relationship to our natural world is one of the most radical differences that modern civilization has with the indigenous worldview. Martha Beck initially said, “The way you do anything is the way you do everything.”
Industrialization and monolithic corporate entities have operated in ways that prioritized unsustainable financial gains over social and environmental concerns for many years. The expected costs of doing business are atrocities like the exploitation of humans, animals, and the earth.
Those involved in these systems are well-meaning folks just trying to make a living. However, we are unconsciously propping up the very structures and ideologies that continue the cycle of ignorance, abuse, neglect, suffering, illness, and destruction.
4. Harmony
“ ‘Harmony,’ This is about maintaining an inner equanimity and, trusting that the world is balanced even when it seems out of control… I was taught that every difficulty that we face in life is directly proportionate to the amount of strength that it can provide us. The more painful the experience, the more love it can open within us; the uglier the situation, the greater the beauty that it brings forth; the deeper darkness, the more expansive the light” (p.190, Mitchell, 2018).
I saved this one for last because it has a redemptive quality.
In musical composition, ‘harmony’ means two or more separate sonic frequencies (sounds) played together; their differences being complementary, and they create a richer listening experience.
We can trust in knowing that through these global hardships, social injustices, and public health issues, that we are cultivating greater resilience and love for ourselves and all others.
When you can be centered within yourself, your perspective changes.
From this view, we can re-envision the blazing fires, the tidal waves, the hurricanes, and the earthquakes of life as the very ingredients that are necessary for profound growth.
You now have a greater capacity to open your heart to experiences beyond your wildest imaginings.
References:
Mitchell, S. L. (2018). Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-based Change. North Atlantic Books.