Native American Spirituality, A Lecture with E.B. Eislelein

Sponsored by Humanities Montana

Among American Indians 500 years ago there was no separation of spirituality from daily life: religion was not something that had a name (in fact, in many Indian languages there is no word for religion). There was no separation between the natural and the supernatural. Spirituality was associated with community. There were at least 500 distinct tribes in what is now the United States, and therefore there were at least 500 distinct spiritual traditions. Recognizing that there were many different spiritual traditions, this presentation focuses on the common factors found among most of these traditions.

E. B. Eiselein teaches anthropology and comparative religion at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell. Writing under his Indian name, Speaks Lightning, he has produced 20 books focusing on aspects of Indian culture, history, and spirituality. His books about Indian spirituality include Native American Spirituality, Suppressing Native American Spirituality, and Celebrating Indian Culture and History. He has a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Arizona. He is of Canadian Anishinabe descent.