Tuesdays 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, there are presently close to 700 recognized Native American tribes in the U.S., counting those at both the state and federal levels. There are many more whose applications for government recognition are incomplete, and still more who are so close to extinction that they have become absorbed by other tribes. Each one of these groups has its own language, culture, mythos, and ceremonies. In this class, we will take a look at what common themes shape the Native American beliefs about themselves, the world, and the sacred. We will explore what the wisdom of thousands of years has to tell us about the world we live in today.
Mark Cassells is the first chaplain of a Native American tradition to ever be hired by the State of Maryland. He has spent over 25 years learning from traditional Lakota Sioux elders on Rosebud and Pine Ridge reservations in South Dakota. He has also travelled extensively all over the country and up into Canada participating in and facilitating traditional ceremonies with elders of other tribes as well.