Great Spirit.

Native American tribes of the eastern woodlands believed that a Great Spirit had created a harmonious world of plenty of which they were only one part. All of nature contained this divine spirit and was to be respected. Thus the native inhabitants managed the land so that it would be productive for all living creatures but changed it little, taking only want they needed. They thanked a tree for dying and providing them with wood for a fire and thanked an animal they had killed for giving up its flesh to feed them and its skin to clothe them. The Judeo-Christian view that humans dominated nature and could change it for their advantage made no sense to these people. Access to the spirit world came through dreams, which shamans would interpret for them. Often these shamans were women, who...