Native American Cosmologies

NATIVE AMERICAN COSMOLOGIES, CREATION, AND BEING HUMAN

Jan 10–Mar 18, 2022

(Winter Session Online)

Instructor: Dr. Lisa Dellinger (she/ her)

Tinker Visiting Professor, Iliff School of Theology

E-mail: ldellinger@Iliff.edu

Phone: (918) 270-6443 or (918) 510-0160

Office Hours: By scheduled video appointment

Prerequisite: none

Course Description:

This course is a survey of Native American cosmologies/spiritualities as compared with the US culturally christian worldview. Native American Studies resources, giving special emphasis to Indigenous women’s writings, are placed in conversation with texts regarding euro-american christian history and theologies. The human being’s relationship with nature is interrogated by analyzing concepts like theological anthropology, interdependence, creation, reciprocity, commodification, exploitation, and salvation. Within these divergent worldviews, the students will reflect on and interrogate the question: How does intellectual theory impact our embodied reality?

Class Goals:

“Native American Cosmologies, Creation, and what it Means to be Human” considers Native American theory and literatures in relation to explicating Indigenous Cosmological themes found throughout Turtle Island/North America. This class examines themes occurring within a wide range of Native American epistemologies concerning being human, interdependence, relationality, creation. In addition to introducing these cosmologies, the class places Indigenous epistemologies within and investigates the impact of settler colonialism, cultural christianity, and capitalism on the contemporary interpretations of Native American World views and lived realities.

Student Learning Objectives:

• Identify and explicate the classic some of the common themes and/or elements found within North American Indigenous cosmologies/epistemologies.

• Analyse and discuss how these concepts interact with one another in constructing a world view, which speaks to an overall framework for being human, i.e., reflection and action within an embodied reality.
• Identify and discuss how culturally christian settler colonialism’s historical, socio-political, and theological narratives are deployed to deform of Native American cosmologies and communities to serve its goals of nationalism.
• Clarify, through discussion and assignments, how Indigenous cosmologies functioned to create meaningful resistance to US imperialism for Indigenous Peoples.
• Identify and explicate the scholarship of Indigenous academics and activists in relationship to their historical and socio-political contexts.

Asynchronous Class Format and Attendance Policy:

• New weekly materials (lectures, audio recordings, videos, and/or educational materials) and/or feedback will be opened in a new section on Canvas by Thursday at noon for the following week. You will utilize the days between Thursday and the following Wednesday to read, view, listen to, and complete all assignments and/or discussion postings.

• Attendance is measured through class participation is measured by active engagement in all assignments. These assignments include but are not limited to Canvas posts and responses, quizzes, video/audio presentations and/or discussions. Each assignment asks for specific written and oral reflections/responses that are based on close readings of the assigned texts for that week.

• Expect to dedicate at least two-three hours of reading for each hour of class, i.e., six-nine hours of reading per week, not counting work on papers and presentations. The class presupposes the readings and builds on them. Reading thoughtfully requires time to think about what you have read.

• Three optional Check-in Zoom meetings with Instructor and other class members are available for questions of clarification and or discussion. Dates and times to be posted to Canvas.

Measures for Evaluation:

1. Class Participation/weekly assignments to include but are not limited to Canvas discussion responses, research and reflection essays, class presentations, projects, class readings, outlines and/or quizzes. Please, note the attendance and online courses at Iliff Participation is mandatory. If a student fails to participate in Canvas activities for two or more weeks (whether consecutive or not), they will be automatically dropped from the course. (25% of grade)
2. Midterm Paper: Compose a midterm paper select and Indigenous scholar/theorist from the list provided by the instructor. At least 3 additional articles and/or chapters authored by your selected Indigenous scholar must be cited. These additional articles or chapters CANNOT be taken from a reading/text already assigned by your instructor. The content of this midterm must discuss the historical context of and themes surrounding your chosen scholar’s oeuvre and the question(s) that drive their work. How does their work differ from a christian, western euro-american world view? How does their work draw on or differ from the work of Deloria and Mann? This paper will be 10 pages in length and follow the style guide for research papers at Iliff School of Theology. (25% of grade)
3. Final paper/project: Create a final paper providing a critical analysis of a one of the themes discussed in Indigenous Cosmologies relating to the human being’s relationship with concepts like theological anthropology, interdependence, appropriation, creation, reciprocity, commodification, exploitation, and salvation. Your chosen theme does not have to be on this brief list. You may choose a topic that interests you and arises directly from your participation in this class. All students must have their chosen theme/topic approved by and in consultation with the instructor. Your research sources must utilize all required course texts and at least 3 other outside articles, texts, or chapters from Indigenous scholars and/or Native American studies scholars. These additional articles or chapters CANNOT be taken from the selected readings list already assigned by your instructor. Content of this paper should include how your interest in this theme became your primary subject for inquiry. What does your research tell you about the Indigenous philosophical and embodied understanding of this topic? What is the North American settler colonial interpretation/definition and response related to this topic to this topic? How do Native American and settler colonial interpretations and embodied reactions empower or destabilize the mechanisms of Empire? Given your research into this topic, how has this comparison impacted your interpretation of your spiritual/theological, embodied, and vocational context? This paper must be 15 pages in length and follow the style guide for research papers at Iliff School of Theology. (50% of grade)
4. Doctoral students must confer with the instructor on a topic related to differing cosmologies and 2 outside texts selected for research and presenting via video to class with a summary for the instructor and 3 open-ended, thought-provoking questions for class discussion. This is in addition to all the assignments above and is counted toward the 25% of your class participation grade.

Evaluation/ Key Assignments:

Rubric for Any Weekly Assignments, Presentations, and/or Readings:

Instructions posted to Canvas in written or verbal form. Instructor available for questions of clarification via email and or by scheduled Zoom meeting, as necessary.

Rubric for Any Assigned Canvas Discussion Posts and Responses Writings :

• Any assigned discussion prompts will be available by noon on Thursday and will be due on or before the following Wednesday at 5pm. Unless otherwise indicated, the student must make at least one post regarding the prompt or question. Also, unless otherwise indicated, the student must respond to at least 2 other students in the discussion.

• All posts and responses must observe proper grammar and punctuation.

• All posts and responses must be academically rigorous by addressing the course content with thoughtful reflection. If you could have written your postings without having read the material, you are not being academically rigorous.

• Ten points awarded for first posts and ten points for the responses. Total points possible are 20/20 for each forum assigned.

• Word Count for postings – 250 minimum, no more than 350 unless otherwise indicated. Citation information is not included in the word count. Draft the posts in a Word document to keep track of the number of words. Then, copy and paste into forum.

• Word Count for responses is 100 words minimum, no more than 200 unless otherwise indicated. Citation information is not included in the word count.

• All answers must address the original questions asked by the instructor.

• First posts are enhanced by the accurate use of and citation of lectures and other materials.

• Use of inclusive language is always required.

Rubric for Midterm and Final Paper Expectations and Content:

Format/Style Expectations for Midterm and Final Papers-

Please note, that critical or formal writing differs from everyday writing or spoken English. For this Course us will use the Chicago citation style to footnote and format your paper with a bibliography. The instructor expects students to follow these guidelines. The following are my recommendations for formal assignments:

• Avoid 1st or 2nd person references (“I,” “we,” or “you”). Keep the written project objective and professional. The student must remember that imperative forms are second person. This rule does not apply to papers or sections of papers specified or designated as reflection writings.

• Never use contractions. For example, when writing use cannot, do not use can’t.

• Avoid passive voice construction (i.e., The student should write “Alice chose the White Rabbit” rather than “Alice has chosen the White Rabbit chosen by God.”). Some exceptions are necessary but limiting the use of passive voice is a good policy.

• Be sure that number and tense always agree (i.e., Do not write in one place that “Gumby argues . . .” and at another place “Gumby argued . . .”). Subject-verb agreement is imperative.

• Grammar check works as well! g. All pronouns should have clear antecedents. Avoiding “it is” and “there is” in the paper removes much of the ambiguity of pronoun usage.  I need to know who or what you are specifically referring to in your sentence.

• Every sentence must have a subject and a predicate.

Midterm Content Expectations-

• The midterm paper must begin with a reflection paragraph that describes your hermeneutical lens and why you chose this theologian/theorist.

• The midterm papers must chronicle the thinkers and theologians’ hermeneutical and historical contexts.

• Provide a detailed analysis of Indigenous theme/topic your theorist/theologian uses in or alludes to through their work.

• Provide a detailed comparison of your scholar’s work and that of Deloria and Mann.

• Explicate a comprehensive understanding of how the theme/topic intersects with or diverge from settler colonial and US christian theology’s themes and truth claims.

• Resources used must include at least 3 academically credible citations beyond the class required books and selected readings. These resources must add to the understanding of theological, social, historical, and cosmological points of intersection or divergence.

List of Native American Scholars as Options for Midterm Paper Selection:

• George E. Tinker
• Robert Warrior
• Ines Talamantez
• Winonna La Duke

• Craig S. Womack
• Joy Harjo
• Ward Churchill
• Clara Sue Kidwell
• Shari M. Huhndorf

• Audra Simpson
• K Tsianina Lomawaima
• Philip J. Deloria
• Mark Rifkin
• Jodi A. Byrd

• David E. Wilkins
• Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
• Henrietta Mann
• Taiaiake Alfred
• Joallyn Archambault

• Paula Gunn Allen

Final Paper Content Expectations:

• All students must have their chosen theme approved by and in consultation with the instructor.

• The Final paper must have an introduction and a conclusion with foot notes and a bibliography using the Chicago Manuel Style Guide.

• Provide your hermeneutical lens and why you chose this theme became your primary subject for inquiry.

• Name the interlocutors you selected in researching this theme/topic? Include why you specifically designated them?

• Explicate what your research tells you about the Indigenous philosophical and embodied understanding of this topic. Give examples of the link between cosmology and actions in life.

• Describe what the North American settler colonial interpretations/definitions and responses related to this topic. Give examples of the link between cosmology and actions in life.

• Analyze if and/or how Native American and settler colonial interpretations and embodied reactions empower or destabilize the mechanisms of U.S. Empire/ settler colonial nationalism?

• Utilizing your research into Indigenous and colonial interpretations of this topic, reflect on if and/or how this comparison impacts your interpretation of your spiritual/theological, embodied, and vocational commitments and practices.

Required Texts:

Deloria, Vine. God is Red: A Native View of Religion 30th Anniversary Edition. Golden: Fulcrum Publishing, 2003.

ISBN-13: 978-1555914981 ISBN-10‏: ‎1555914985- Paperback $14.99 /Kindle $14.24 or Free with App

Barbara Alice Mann. Spirits of Blood, Spirits of Breath: The Twinned Cosmos of Indigenous America . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.

ISBN-13: 978-0199997190 ISBN-10: 0199997195- Paperback $38.95/ Kindle $28.49

Selected Readings Provided by Instructor on Canvas:

Allen, Paula Gunn. Grandmothers of the Light: A Medicine Woman’s Sourcebook . Boston: Beacon Press, 1991.

----------------------. The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions . Boston: Beacon Press, 1992.

Heinrich, Steve, Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry: Conversations on Creation, Land Justice, and Life Together. Waterloo: Herald Press, 2013.

LaDuke, Winona. All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life. Minneapolis: South End Press, 1999.

--------------------- Recovering the Scared: The Power of Naming and Claiming, Cambridge: South End Press, 2005.

Mander, Jerry and Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, editors. Paradigm Wars: Indigenous Peoples Resistance to Globalization. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 2006.

Mann, Barbara Alice. Iroquoian Women: The Gantowisas. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2004.

Pesantubbee, Michelene E. Choctaw Women in a Chaotic World: The Clash of Cultures in the Colonial Southeast . Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2005.

Simpson, Audra, and Andrea Smith. Theorizing Native Studies. Durham: Duke University Press, 2014.

Tinker, George E. American Indian Liberation: A Theology of Sovereignty . Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2008.

What to Accomplish in the Up Coming Weeks:

The following weekly schedule is intended as a guide to facilitate student learning. This syllabus’s proposed timeline is subject change at the instructor’s discretion in serving the learning goals and objectives of the class.

January 10, 2022

Read before Wednesday, January 12, 2022, to complete weekly assignments:

Deloria, God Is Red both forewords, Introduction, and Chapters 1-3.

Mann, Spirits of Blood, Spirits of Breath, Introduction and Chapter 1

Assignments: Complete a theological autobiography assignment- Detailed instructions posted to Canvas due on or before Thursday, January 20, 2022.

Doctoral students contact instructor by email to discuss dates and topics for your presentations.

January 20, 2022

Readings: Deloria, Chapters 4 &5, Mann, Chapter 2 &3

Canvas Selected Reading: Tinker, American Indian Liberation , Chapter 3.

Assignments: Canvas quiz over syllabus, discussion posts and responses over course readings.  Due on or before next Thursday.

January 27, 2022

Readings: Deloria, Chapter 6-9,

Canvas Selected Readings: Gunn Allen, Grandmothers of the Light , Medicine World and Cosmogyny -Mander, Paradigm Wars, Chapters 3&4 - Mann, Iroquoian Women: The Gantowisas, Introduction & Chapter 1

Assignments: All students email instructor your chosen Indigenous scholar midterm choice for approval. Begin research and reading. Discussions over readings, review the rubrics found on the syllabus.

February 3, 2022

Canvas Selected Readings: Gunn Allen, Recovering the Sacred Hoop, pp 11-42 Simpson, Theorizing Native Studies, Chapter 4

Assignments: View video presentations on Canvas and answer questions in discussion. Continue Research and writing for Midterm.

February 7-12 th Gathering Days:

No class. Take this time to work on final drafts of Midterms and Presentations as needed. Catch up with any readings if needed.

February 17, 2022

Readings: Mann, Chapters 4-7, Deloria, Chapters 10-12

Assignments: View video presentations on Canvas and answer questions in discussion.

Midterm papers due Feb. 17, 2022, before Midnight

February 24, 2022

Canvas Selected Readings- La Duke, All Our Relations , Introduction & Chapter 4- La Duke, Recovering the Sacred, Introduction & “Imperial Anthropology”

Assignments: View any presentations, lectures, or videos on Canvas and complete any related assignments or discussions. All students email instructor your chosen final paper topic choice with a brief projected outline of paper for approval. Begin research and reading. Canvas Quiz

March 3, 2022

Readings: Deloria 13-17

Canvas Selected Readings: Tinker, American Indian Liberation, Chapter 2 -

Pesantubbee, Choctaw Women in A Chaotic World , Chapter 5- Mann, Iroquoian Women: The Gantowisas, Chapter 2

Assignments: View video presentations on Canvas and answer questions in discussion or complete activities as directed. Continue to research and write for your final paper.

March 10, 2022

Canvas Selected Readings: Gunn Allen, Grandmothers of the Light , “Making Sacred, Making True”- Heinrich, Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry, Chapter 10.

Assignments: Finish writing and editing your final paper. View any presentations, lectures, or videos on Canvas and complete any related assignments or discussions.

March 18, 2022:

Final Papers Due before Midnight