(When you see a specific reference to a page number, point and click on that reference to go to that specific page.)

Welcome to my attempt at a coherent, rational website about a class I just took at Central Washington University. My disclaimer is this ... if there are mistakes they are mine exclusively... if there is anything good, please give credit to my teacher, Doctor Sharron Connor (right), my American Indian Spirituality teacher, who is a proud member of the Colville tribe. Thank you for an interesting and challenging class, Dr. Connor.

When I started this class I had no expectations whatsoever. I knew I wanted to learn something about Native American spirituality - beyond that - we would have to wait and see.

This class piqued my interest enough that I spent an inordinate amount of time on the internet and in the library. One thing I find interesting, though; it seems I spend an awful lot of time figuring out if the authors are on the “up-and-up.” One of the first areas Ms. Connor had us read about was the proliferation of what is called “plastic shamans.” I found through this reading that non-Indians ought to be aware of these entities. You will find a great website about how to evaluate other websites that purport to be authentic American Indian sites on page 7.

From what I am learning and reading, spirituality is not religion to American Indians. It is not an Indian concept; it is a non-Indian word. Native people do not ask “what religion” another Indian is, because they already know the answer. To Native people, spirituality is about the Creator, period!

A non-Indian cannot try to learn about American Indian religion just because they want to become a part of it. American Indian spirituality is not evangelistic. It is private and entirely cultural. I can no more convert to “Native American” any more than I can convert to African-American or Korean or any other cultural identity. I would need to be raised in the tribe to understand this concept.

There are seven pages that follow this one. I hope you will enjoy them. I have placed these pages on my personal website because I expect to continue to learn more about the spirituality and culture of many different tribes of Native American Indians. Therefore, this will be an ongoing endeavor.

Pages two through eight will consist of the following information:

• Page 1 - If you haven’t figured it out - you are already there (here)!
• Page 2 will have a brief overview of Native Religion in general
• Page 3 will have general information about Washington tribes and a link to specific information about those tribes
• Page 4 is a “letter of apology” from religious leaders in the Pacific Northwest
• Page 5 will be about the Native American Church
• Page 6 will be about the Indian Shaker Church
• Page 7 is an excerpt of a great website (with links) of how to evaluate other websites that purport to be “authentic”
• Page 8 contains 28 of the documents that our teacher posted for us to peruse. They are in PDF format. This means when you open them you can read, download, or print them. Right-click and follow the instructions.