The Great Spirit has at times been conceptualized as an " anthropomorphic celestial deity," a god of creation, history and eternity, who also takes a personal interest in world affairs and might regularly intervene in the lives of human beings. ĭue to perceived similarities between the Great Spirit and the Christian concept of God, colonial European missionaries frequently used such existing beliefs as a means of introducing indigenous Americans to Christianity and encouraging conversion. According to Lakota activist Russell Means, a more semantically accurate translation of Wakan Tanka is the Great Mystery. While the concept is common to a number of indigenous cultures in the United States and Canada, it is not shared by all cultures, or necessarily interpreted in the same way. The Great Spirit is the concept of a life force, a Supreme Being or god known more specifically as Wakan Tanka in Lakota, Gitche Manitou in Algonquian, and by other, specific names in a number of Native American and First Nations cultures.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |