Reincarnation Beliefs of North American Indians: Soul Journey, Metamorphosis, and Near Death Experience
Warren Jefferson has meticulously documented North American reincarnation beliefs, legends, and stories in this engaging and authoritative account of a worldview that somehow survived the European invasion and continues to impact many contemporary tribal groups. This book is a fascinating description of how a spiritual paradigm played (and still plays) a vital role in the daily life of its believers, revitalizing and energizing the individual, the family, and the community. --Stanley Krippner, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Saybrook Graduate School co-editor, Varieties of Anomalous ExperienceReincarnation Beliefs of North American Indians by Warren Jefferson presents a fascinating assortment of meticulously documented spiritual legends, beliefs, stories and experiences of near death, soul travel, metamorphosis, and reincarnation held by different North American Indians. These stories and examples are taken from primary sources of information, anthropological records, and traditional belief origins. Jefferson asserts that such beliefs have much of value to offer today because of their purity of pre-existence, or pre-modern religious insight capacity. Accounts include a Hopi story of A Journey to the Skeleton House, Ohiyesa's (Charles Eastman's) story, the Ghost Dance Religion of the Lakota, the Gitxan Reincarnation Case of Rhonda Mead, and many more. Authentic, historic, sepia or black and white photographs of North American Indians are interspersed lavishly throughout the chapters. A list of references and resources is indexed at the end of the book. Altogether, Reincarnation Beliefs of North American Indians presents a new compilation of ancient knowledge that is most precious to modern humans, for it is key to the ever recurring questions, "Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where do we go when we die?" (p. 191) --Nancy Lorraine, Midwest Book ReviewThis very interesting volume is a compilation of reincarnation beliefs, experiences, movements, and stories among North American Indians, including near-death experiences, soul travel, and metamorphoses. The accounts were taken largely from two sources: the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology publications and The Internet Sacred Text Archive... (CH, May'03, 40-5172). Most range in date from the 19th to the early 20th century. Many different North American groups are represented, including the Inuit of the North, the Kwakiutl of the Northwest Coast, the Hopi of the Southwest, the Winnebago of the Great Lakes, the Cherokee of the Southeast, and the Sioux of the Plains. The collection is preceded by a chapter with an overview of North American Indian religious beliefs. The final two chapters offer a brief comparison of North American Indian reincarnation beliefs and experiences with those from Greek and Roman history and from the world's great religions, pointing to the commonalities among all premodern peoples. Black-and-white photos appear throughout, largely taken from Edward Curtis's 20-volume set The North American Indian (1907-30). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. --M. R. Dittemore, Smithsonian Institution Libraries --CHOICE Magazine, Sept. 2009Warren Jefferson introduces after-life beliefs and after-life experiences from a variety of Indian tribes in the United States and Canada. In his well-written collection of anecdotes, folktales, and first-hand accounts, Jefferson finds a recurring belief in reincarnation. Like Hinduism and Buddhism, these reincarnation accounts describe an intermediate state that exists between death and re-birth. Interestingly, Jefferson also includes an important contrast between the North American and Eastern views: Where the ultimate goal of Eastern religions is to escape the cycle of death and re-birth, the American Indian stories illustrate their eagerness to be reincarnated, especially within one s own tribe or family.  Jefferson draws parallels with the religions of the world, including accounts of paradise and punishment, as well as reunions with dead loved-ones and stories which resemble the Orpheus myth.  In gathering this material from a diverse collection of tribes, Jefferson has made a rare and valuable contribution to the fields of comparative religion, afterlife research, and religious experience. --Houston Community College NorthwestThis very interesting volume is a compilation of reincarnation beliefs, experiences, movements, and stories among North American Indians, including near-death experiences, soul travel, and metamorphoses. The accounts were taken largely from two sources: the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology publications and The Internet Sacred Text Archive... (CH, May'03, 40-5172). Most range in date from the 19th to the early 20th century. Many different North American groups are represented, including the Inuit of the North, the Kwakiutl of the Northwest Coast, the Hopi of the Southwest, the Winnebago of the Great Lakes, the Cherokee of the Southeast, and the Sioux of the Plains. The collection is preceded by a chapter with an overview of North American Indian religious beliefs. The final two chapters offer a brief comparison of North American Indian reincarnation beliefs and experiences with those from Greek and Roman history and from the world's great religions, pointing to the commonalities among all premodern peoples. Black-and-white photos appear throughout, largely taken from Edward Curtis's 20-volume set The North American Indian (1907-30). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. --M. R. Dittemore, Smithsonian Institution Libraries --CHOICE Magazine, Sept. 2009