2008
Native Voices
Reincarnation is a subject that, though seemingly rarely touched on, goes as far back as many of the world’s oldest religions and perhaps even farther. Neanderthals from the Last Glacial period are understood to have buried their dead in the fetal position so that their dead might be reborn. Likewise, the concept of reincarnation among American Indian cultures was widespread and centered on the traditional belief that all life moves in a circular motion; continuous and interconnected. Reincarnation itself is an interesting subject and most likely doesn’t need much embellishment to capture the attention of anyone interested in American Indian spirituality or the subject of after-life. Presenting an entire book of rebirth stories and traditions told in the words of American Indians would probably have enough credence on the subject without any need of input from scholars. Warren Jefferson may have been aiming for a similar idea with his book,
Reincarnation beliefs of North American Indians: soul journeys, metamorphoses, and near-death experiences. His book is a collection of stories and commentary on various aspects of traditional and even modern spirituality from different North American Indian cultures. The excerpts he includes are often stories from American Indians and their personal or tribal understandings of the subject. While the spirituality and traditions of American Indians are often referred to in the past tense, there are beliefs that have managed to carry on despite the influence and infiltration of Western society within individuals and cultures alike. Having been published in 2008, Jefferson manages to include several modern day reincarnation stories in his book from American Indians, which helps to illuminate the notion that other beliefs are still in practice today and therefore relevant.
Warren Jefferson touches on many traditions, beliefs, and rituals that relate to the American Indian reincarnation experience. Included in his book are Shaman and Medicine Men initiations and ceremonies, stories of people who have gone into the afterlife and returned, as well as reincarnation beliefs within other religions of the world. While all of the information Jefferson provides is meant to help the reader see how the concept of rebirth is interlaced within the spiritual framework, it is a lot to cover and is usually only briefly assessed. Jefferson’s rationale for writing this book seems to be propelled by his observation of how limited the available written material on the subject is. In response to this,
Reincarnation beliefs of North American Indians is meant to be a gathering of various materials for the convenience of the reader and for a comparative look at the different ways in which tribal cultures viewed death, after-life, and regeneration.
The first chapter takes the reader through classical science and New Physics theories that is presented in a way to encourage us to “think outside the box.” The chapter itself does little to enhance the subject of the book since in some ways it is the most difficult of the text to get through. One would benefit in having prior knowledge of the scientific theories mentioned. Jefferson’s purpose for the addition is basically a longwinded disclaimer meant to tell people they should keep an open mind about what is possible. After this chapter however, the reader is continually taken through tribal and individual stories and second-hand commentary which are the foundation of the book until the last few chapters, which very concisely touch on the world’s great religions and other ancient cultures.
Reincarnation beliefs of North American Indians reads very much like a scholarly study of rebirth and the various American Indian traditions and viewpoints that surround it. The way the preface started out with explanations and reasoning for Warren Jefferson’s terminology choices would remind any college student of many scholarly research studies referenced in analysis. The need to be very careful and precise with your terminology so that your audience has a clear understanding of what you’re talking about is highly stressed in scholarly work. Jefferson’s book relies heavily on excerpts from his sources and although the reader could benefit from being given more information and insight on where these selections are coming from, the fact that he uses a lot of narratives from American Indians themselves makes the book stand out a little more from others in a good way. Many times American Indian history is told by non-Natives which can lead to misunderstandings and often times the way it is explained can leave out vital mindsets or cultural differences that don’t transition so well into Western society. The stories in this book have usually been reworded, translated, or recorded by non-Natives, but the words essentially seem to stay true to the beliefs and the American Indians they represent. However, one thing that seems unscholarly about Jefferson’s writing is that he does not take the time to unpack or explain the quotes, stories, and passages he uses within the text. This can lead to confusion about what the reader was supposed to have gotten from the material or how it relates back to the main subject of the book. Without talking about the excerpts and information, it feels like the reader is forced to move on to the next bit of information provided and not given any insight into what the author had in mind or his purpose for including that particular piece of information within the text. An example of how a good introduction or background information on an excerpt can lead to a better and clearer understanding of the material is on pages 152-155 where he talks a bit about the history of the Sioux, the author he is quoting (in this case James Walker), and how significant the author’s research on the Sioux was. The foreword does acknowledge that this book is a collection of writings and the beginning of chapter two starts off by explaining the book is a general overview of beliefs meant to put the “concepts about the soul and reincarnation into their spiritual context” (pg. 29), but Jefferson could have enhanced the pieces by linking them to some background information or to other excerpts in order to create more cohesive narratives.
The material in Warren Jefferson’s book also could have gained from better organization. Jefferson has collected from an assortment of great resources to complete this book, but the chapters seem to lump them into broad categories that do not always flow very smoothly. Jefferson tries to combat this a little by having subcategories within the chapters but the transitions are still lacking throughout the book. Page 101 is a good example of this where he takes the reader from a brief overview on the Indian Shaker Religion to a couple Cherokee and Inuit stories about how death came to humans. There may be a correlation between the two subjects, but it is slight and the transition is so abrupt it might leave a reader wondering why Jefferson organized them this way. His choice of sources is noticeably the hub and objective of the book but the execution of the resource material used should be connected and structured. The author does do the reader the favor by sharing his most valuable sources and even makes suggestions for further reading on page 4.
In all, the information shared within this collection is exceptional and extremely valuable. Warren Jefferson acknowledges that many times, American Indians keep their personal and cultural beliefs private due to the imposition of Western world views yet a stripping away of cultural differences shows “universal human experiences shared by people of all cultures since the beginning of time, even into the present” (pg. 9). Since American Indian spirituality was so entwined into everyday life and most tribes did not even have a word for the concept of religion, it is often difficult to cover one aspect of their cultures without stepping slightly into other topics as well. Jefferson’s
Reincarnation beliefs of North American Indians: soul journeys, metamorphoses, and near-death experiences is able to offer the reader a glimpse into the complex belief systems of different American Indian cultures and people, but this book should not be used for a better understanding of how or why they held these beliefs, nor how reincarnation relates back to the larger lifestyle of tribes and cultures en masse. Scholars and educators would benefit best from this book as supplemental material to either refer back to or to extract examples from. With this book, Jefferson certainly accomplishes what he set out to do and even though the way in which the collection is prepared is sometimes ineffectual, the compilation of stories and annotations is a worthwhile addition to written work on reincarnation within American Indian beliefs and spirituality.
Reviewed by Jennifer Fairbanks, Independent Scholar
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