It has been a very tough week, with yet another mass shooting in the United States. Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone impacted. I won’t even pretend to understand the pain of loss.
It is perfect timing to be evaluating wisdom from indigenous cultures. There is so much we can apply to our current situation.
A thriving civilization living, interacting, sacrificing, solving problems, celebrating success, and getting through loss and tragedy together is powerful.
A dying civilization is characterized by distrust, greed, anger, hostility, and hate. It is pretty safe to say, the United States of America fits the description of a dying civilization in many ways.
We need to look no further than the political reactions to the shooting in Texas. Ted Cruz’s solution to the gun violence-we need more guns in the schools. The Democrat solution ban guns. Will there be a middle ground compromise? I doubt it.
Both point blame and demonize each other. It’s pathetic. It will solve nothing.
It is time to take a serious look at the constant assault we wage against each other in our political and cultural wars.
Nothing is free. Every action, word, and attack against each other has repercussions…eventually.
Lesson Readings
Readings in Ethics: Moral Wisdom Past and Present. Chapter 4, pages 79-87
Introduction
These readings constitute such a fantastic chapter of the book! This chapter studies the stories and wisdom of some of the indigenous tribes in North America, Africa, and Australia.
These stories come from the original inheritors of their respective geographic regions. Their stories are fantastic as we look at their body of writings, tales, and fables. The stories are colorful, vibrant, and packed with ethics and wisdom, rivaling any tradition we have in the world today.
Like all these early moral teachings, the history of many tribally organized societies comes from oral traditions. I can't wait to dive into them with you together. So please read them and listen to the podcast lecture.
Let's get started!
Additional Resources
Free eBook: Memoirs of the American Folklore Society
Courtesy of the Internet Archive and The American Folklore Society, here is a free download of 345 pages of indigenous stories. But it does include both native stories we read. This goes far beyond the core stories from the book we are reading. Click HERE.
Free eBook: Aboriginal Religion in Australia Anthology
Courtesy of the University of Queensland, Australia, if you enjoyed the native aboriginal tale of Dangidjara and his incestuous relationship and want more. This book is loaded with native stories from this region. Click HERE.
Free eBook: African folktales
Courtesy of the Internet Archive and Schocken Books. If you enjoyed the African myths, including the story, The Greed of the Old Man and His Wife,” a tale from Masai tribe, click HERE.
Discussion Questions
Are the indigenous cultures' wisdom and morals any different from the moral wisdom contained in the sacred Scriptures of the three monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam that you are most familiar? Explain.
From the short samplings we have read, what story and life lesson are most important to you. Why?
The Wisdom in Indigenous Stories