The invention of god in indigenous societies
By: James L. Cox
Publisher: Acumen
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Durham
Language: eng
Number of pages: 182
ISBN-13: 9781844657544; 9781844657551
Subjects: Religion; Gottesverehrung; Indigenes Volk; Indigenous peoples; God; Religionsausübung
Description: "Indigenous societies around the world have been historically disparaged by European explorers, colonial officials and Christian missionaries. Nowhere was this more evident than in early descriptions of indigenous religions as savage, primitive, superstitious and fetishistic. Later both indigenous and colonial liberal intellectuals argued that, before indigenous peoples ever encountered Europeans, they all believed in a Supreme Being. The Invention of God in Indigenous socieities refutes both approaches. The books argues that the interests of indigenous societies are best served by carefully describing their religious beliefs and practices using historical and phenomenological methods, just as would be done in the study of many world religions. The discussion is illustrated with a wealth of case material from indigenous peoples in North America, Africa and Australiasia : the Shona of Zimbabwe, the "Rainbow Spirit Theology " in Australia, the Yupiit of Alaska, and the Māori of New Zealand."--Back jacket cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 167-175) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : definitions, terminology and the "invention of tradition"; title: The "God controversy" in pre-Christian indigenous religions; title: The debate over Io as the pre-Christian Māori supreme being; title: Making Mwari Christian : the case of the Shona of Zimbabwe; title: The rainbow-serpent in the Rainbow Spirit Theology; title: Alaska : Ellam Yua, the person of the universe; title: Invention as cultural hybridity.