An Age-Old Hate Crime

Many would say that a myth set or religion is essential to growing up with a strong set of values. How else can a child learn how to live without examples of what is right and wrong? A religion is what defines a person, cultural group, or country, so how can one be defined if they don't have one? The United States gets a lot of abuse from people thinking that with no specific religion, there are too many valueless Atheists. Maybe with a common myth set, this country would be better off. The more similarities within a nation, the more a people will unite. It is differences that cause violence.

The common myth set first known to be prevalent in the region now referred to as the United States was the Native American religion. Joseph Campbell states that there are four functions to religion, and Native Americans' religion was no exception. Campbell's first function was the "Mystical Function", seeing the wonder of the universe and to feel awe before this mystery. Native Americans definitely saw the wonder of the universe, and thus treated it with great respect. They, as a culture, were careful with their land. they took only what they needed and nothing more, for they knew that there would not be supplied another Earth and they would be living on it forever, along with their children and grandchildren. They knew that the mystery of their lives and homes could be gone if abused, so they treated the earth well.

The Scientific Function, the one which shows the shape of the universe and reveals the names and purposes of things in such a way that the mystery of the Mystical Function is preserved, is the second aspect of religion according to Campbell. I think the concept of cyclical time is one of the most detailed explanation of how the world works. Native Americans realize that when they die, they will live again with those who came both before and after them. The shape of the their lives was a circle, and they would be joined in that circle by those born to it afterward.

The third function is the Sociological Function which validates the social order within the religion. In The Earth Shall Weep, it was made clear that in Native American culture women have their place and men have theirs. It is commonly referred to as Matriarchal, but roles in the "tribes" were often equally important and relied upon tasks of the other gender. For instance, it was common practice to the Iroquois for the women to make weapons and tools which the men would use for hunting. Both sexes had very important, yet distinct, roles in society.

The last function, according to Campbell, is the teaching function. This function shows how to live a human life under any circumstances and how to be a "great" human under stress, fear, illness, power, etc. In Black Elk Speaks, Black Elk's role in his "tribe" was to retell his visions so that they could be used to aid his people. When under stress, illness, fear, and power struggle, the Native Americans' lives had to go on. People were dying, but others were left to live with that. There were still people who needed to stand up and, maybe not be successful, but great for their nation. It was more than lives that were at stake, so it was important that both people and their culture was saved. When there was no one to turn to, and nothing but lies coming from the opposition, they turned to their gods for guidance so they could get through the circumstances blocking their path. They lived their lives for their religion.

All of these functions help explain the Native American Religion, but they also define the European beliefs during that time period. Europeans were much less careful with their land, probably because they believed that they were never going to see it again after death. Christianity and science were at two completely separate ends of the spectrum; many scientists were thought to be anti-religious, and there was no common agreement between culture and religion about all of the facts of life. Similarly to Native Americans, there were gender roles in European culture as well. The similarities end there, though, because the role of women were very diminished in society and it was clear that European government and culture was Patriarchal. Concerning being great under difficult situations, European Christians turned to God to guide them through their troubles. Corrupted as the church was, it gave people hope.

Through the extremely one-sided comparison given, one can see that there aren't many likenesses between he two religions. With so many differences, is it really possible that these two peoples could livecopacetically on the same land without conflict? Their whole lives were different. They did not share religion, diet, immunities, or appearance. Though you could call all of these differences superficial, when there are differences, conflict in inevitable. Racism, sexism, homophobia, and religious prejudice cause conflict because there are differences in people, superficial or not. Accordingly, where there is conflict, there is violence. There is an entire crime for people who commit prejudicial acts of violence, known as hate crimes. If there is violence in the "civilized" world that we live in because of these differences, it's more than certain that violence was bound to happen in the "uncivilized" time surrounding the colonization of this country.

Looking back, Americans talk about how poorly the "Indians" were treated. What they don't see is how it is mimicked in their own society. There is so much general hate and misconception in the world based on stories, myths, and war tales about people who are different. Kids are growing up thinking that being from Iraq makes people terrorists, being Hispanic means they must have "hopped the border", and being Native American makes a person noble for no reason at all. Differences will always lead to conflict, and conflict will always lead to violence. Like it or not, it's the way it is and always has been. Maybe "civilization" will change things.