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Native American Individualism

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The rise of witchcraft accusations are caused by a number of reasons and they can be solved by looking back at the indigenous people and their beliefs. Many indigenous tribes were inclined to believe in super naturalism or the idea that Gods work with spirits to cause the events in this world. According to “ “, “As a result, a person's identity was deeply embedded in the collective identity and fate of the group. The group lives on and the individual can stay connected to it, even after his or her own death.” Premodern indigenous groups thought that people live on even after death, which is similar to beliefs today, but unlike today, tribes did not practice extreme individualism. For instance, adolescents would be trained in survival skills, thus replacing their childhood with mature responsibilities. Individuals were not seen as special, but rather they were crucial to the sustainability of the tribe. The guidance of entities and their senses helped the indigenous populations to ward off disease and other plagues. For example, shamans were known to heal illnesses by using spirit flight, in which they connect this world and another in order to communicate with supernaturals. This was the way of life for many indigenous cultures, but it all changed due to colonialism. …show more content…

It caused their premodern religious traditions to be lost when genocides occurred and their land was taken away. Their religions were also fading away due to assimilation because these tribes had to assimilate in order to live in this new world. Furthermore, many indigenous cultures held on to their beliefs as well as practicing the colonial culture, which is known as syncretism or the intertwining of

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