The Gospel of the Redman (Library of Perennial Philosophy) - Softcover

Ernest Thompson Seton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0941532763 ISBN 13: 9780941532761

Publisher: World Wisdom, 2005

Synopsis

This commemorative edition contains for the first time Seton's drawings of American Indian motifs, a selection of photographs illustrating his life, information about his role as founder of the Boys Scouts of America.

About this title

About the Author

Co-founder of the Boy Scouts of America, naturalist, author, and painter Ernest Thompson Seton, was born in England in 1860. His stories and paintings of wildlife are standard works on nature study and wood lore for boys and girls that continue to be used today. Together, with Lord Baden-Powell, Seton created the Boy Scouts of America as an organization that would respects nature's gifts. Seton was especially concerned with the plight of American Indians as well as the environment which is throughout his writing. Author of over 50 books, Mr. Seton's message that nature is a very good thing is more relevant than before today. He died in 1946. Currently, the Ernest Thompson Seton Institute in Los Angeles, CA is dedicated to preserving Seton's art and writings.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1: There is no Indian Bible written by an Indian, just as there was no Pentateuch written by Moses, no Tripitika by Buddha, no Dialogues by Socrates, no Gospels written by Christ. All these records were made long after by those who knew their Master in his lifetime, or at least received the traditions of his teachings from those who were privileged to hear his voice. I have never yet had an Indian tell me fully and frankly the details of his faith; but by respectfully questioning the old men, by assembling their traditions, by noting their customs, by observing their lives, by gathering the records of their prophets, by consulting living White men who knew the Indian in primitive days, and especially by conferring with Indians who were educated as Whites after spending their youth in the ancient way of their people, we have achieved something like a comprehension of the Indian s creed, of his unwritten laws, of his sense of relationship and duty to the Great Oversoul, the Creator and Ruler, as well as to his neighbor and to himself. In a Continent of this size, with hundreds of different Tribes and variants of culture, there are very different details of established thought. Among these, I have selected the highest and best that were native; and, as a whole, adhered to the philosophies of the great Tribes such as the Sioux, the Cheyenne, the Ojibway, the Iroquois, the Shawnees, the Pueblos, the Navahos, the Aztecs, and the Mayans. Naturally, I have followed the leaders of thought in these Tribes, attaching especial value to the teachings of Wabasha, Kanukuk, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Wovoka, and the magnificent Tecumseh. My watchword is, "The best things of the best Indians" just as we ourselves hope to be represented by our best brains and kindest lives, not by the ruffians and outlaws that form so large a part of our population. The Indian teachings in the fields of art, handicraft, woodcraft, agriculture, social life, health, and joy, need no argument beyond presentation; they speak for themselves. ! They are what we need; and in offering them here, I do so realizing that the Redman is the apostle of outdoor life, his example and precept are what the world needs today above any other ethical teaching of which I have knowledge. But his spiritual message is more important, and less understood.

Edition details

• Publisher: World Wisdom
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0941532763
• ISBN 13: 9780941532761
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 176