My background is mostly European, but I have a few native ancestors from the Southeast (definitely some Cherokee and maybe some Muskogean, but not really sure, pretty far removed in time and culture). I have been interested in religion since I can remember, though at first from a skeptical position, now from a more open perspective.
I have recently come to understand that the phenomenon we call “civilization” has either caused or exacerbated the vast majority of problems that people recognize. Many indigenous peoples from around the world are part of the anti-civilization movement, and I have come to realize the importance of their cultural memory beyond the colonial mindset of the anthropologist. Indigenous peoples have been the primary resistors to civilization, but I am heartened that more and more people that once identified with civilization are realizing it's true nature. I feel that the alliance between those that preserve the traditions of authentic human societies and those whose ancestors have been trapped in the machine for generations is imperative to free the Earth and all beings upon it from civilization's death-grip.
The challenge for indigenous peoples is to maintain and pass on to younger generations their traditions in spite of the all-consuming force of civilization. The challenge for those raised in the colonial mindset is to overcome this way of thinking and being in the world. This is where cultural appropriation comes into play. On the one hand there are colonials that do not resist their colonization and may imitate and commodify native ways for their own profit or “personal growth”. Then there are those of us resisting our colonial upbringing. For many that see the evils of civilization, the dipolar manner of thinking (also a product of civilization, I believe) leads them to imitate native ways to undo their conditioning and to try to live in a healthy way. Neither form of appropriation is justifiable, I feel. Though their hearts may be in the right place, their actions are still those of a colonist; taking without asking and often not even expressing gratitude. Native peoples are under no obligation to help us to decolonize ourselves, but many do, and for that I am thankful.
Religion (or spirituality, if you will) is a major part of decolonizing. Both Christianity and scientistic materialism are two harmful civilized religions in my view. Resisting civilization necessarily means resisting the religions of civilization and following a spiritual path that affirms life. I cannot say I am yet following such a path, but I hope I will find my way. This, I believe, is the proper method for escapees of colonialism. We cannot identify with the colonizers, but we must also not steal from the colonized. We may gratefully accept guidance, spiritual or otherwise, from native peoples and ally ourselves with them, but ultimately ours is a different path and not one that is easily discernible nor well trod.
