Animism
...rder to recruit their aid in hunting, gathering, cultivating, and even war. Indians sometimes thought that a dream could be more powerful and real than actually being awake. Fasting and seclusion helped in triggering dream sequences. The best Indian visionaries were called shamans. They served as the person in the middle, between the human and the other power or spirit. Shamans held rituals about hunting, harvesting crops, and protection in war. Even the most skilled shamans could not always influence the spiritual beings. Looked upon as primitive to the Europeans, the natives thought of themselves as smarter and more practical. The Indians knew a great deal about their surroundings because of their constant interaction with nature. They understood the different types of edible vegetations and healing life forms in both the forests and waters. They were knowledgeable of the best times and techniques for finding and harvesting wild plants and animals. For this reason, the Indians saw the Europeans as being too preoccupied with making their metals and clothes. To the natives, the Europeans appeared that they did not understand nor appreciate nature for what it was worth. The European’s Christian faith taught the Europeans to view nature differently and more commercially than the Indians. For example, in harvesting all the resources that they wanted from nature, they did not think they were offending any spirits. Unlike the Native Americans, the Europeans saw animals and wild plants as prospective merchandise. Nature was full of items that could be harvested and so...