Theology of Place: A Native American Perspective
Learning from Kidwell, Noley, and Tinker
Let me start with an acknowledgement: I am not Native. I cannot speak for one Native people, let alone all of them. I acknowledge there is a risk of Native worldviews being corrupted by my communication, but I press forward because I think it is vital that we learn from the voices of our sisters and brothers who have vastly different experiences. The quotes below are pulled from A Native American Theology by Kidwell, Noley, and Tinker.1
The earth is sacred:
“For many Native American tribes, the earth is sacred…the source of physical and spiritual sustenance for the people. The earth was a gift of the Creator for the care of creation.”
God is seen in the physical landscape:
“In the cyclical patterns of time in Indian communities, human beings are simply part of the ongoing process of repetition of events…People are constantly reminded of the presence of deity as they pass by certain rock formations, or rivers, or groves of trees. Thus space, rather than time, becomes the evidence of God’s presence in the world in an immediate manner…
All parts of creation are persons, and humans are merely part of a whole:
It is the “Indian sense that all of the created world—including every tree and rock—is just as alive and sentient as human beings are, and…that we are related to all of these sentient persons in creation…In American Indian cultures, human beings are not so privileged in the scheme of things; neither are humans considered external to the rest of the world and its functions. To the contrary, humans are seen as part of the whole, rather than apart from it and free to use it up…
Particular land matters:
Indian notions of creation and Indian existence are deeply rooted in our attachment to the land and to specific territories in particular. Each nation has some understanding that they were placed into a relationship with a particular territory by spiritual forces outside of themselves and thus have an enduring responsibility for that territory just as the earth, especially the earth in that particular place, has a filial responsibility toward the people who live there.”
“Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished.”
— A screenwriter in 1972 expressing Chief Seattle, capturing a “spirit that is true to traditional Native beliefs.”
These worldviews might be new to you and may feel uncomfortable and discordant. Can you sit with that discomfort? What can you learn from it? Which parts are not challenging? Which bring you to a greater appreciation of the beauty of creation?
Additionally, I suggest you research the history of the land on which you live:
Who has been there before you? Who is there today?
What plants and animals are native to it? Which are there now?
How can you interact with and respect your place?
A Native American Theology. Clara Sue Kidwell, Homer Noley, and George E. Tinker. 2001.
Hi Sara Mahlum, my name is Sarah Mahlum