Final Project Abstract

I am going to be researching eco-spiritualism in the context of indigenous cultures. I will most likely be looking into Amazonian indigenous cultures. As we have discussed in class, there are many ways to go about understanding the environment. We can look at it scientifically, preservationally, conservationally, economically, philosophically, sociologically, etc.. Although there are many different lenses to view environmentalism through, indigenous cultures arguably have a very unique approach to this understanding. Or at least unique to the dominant western worldview. I would also argue that indigenous cultures have a closer and more truthful relationship with nature, seeing as their civilizations depend on the natural world and its processes more so than developed western society. Indigenous cultures seem to be more in touch with the spirituality and natural flow of nature, and I hope to develop a further understanding to that notion rather than just the assumption that I currently hold.
I will research indigenous cultures and their relationships to nature via ritual, mythology, medical practice, and social makeup. I hope to come to an understanding of nature through an indigenous culture’s view. I will contrast that with the understanding of nature from the western world view and hopefully come to a conclusion as to which one is more accurate. I assume I will come to the conclusion that certain aspects will be more accurate, while others more warped.