| Ten Indian Commandments |
Article Index for Ten |
Website Links For Ten |
Information AboutTen Indian Commandments |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT TEN INDIAN COMMANDMENTS | |
| code of conduct | |
| indigenous peoples of the americas | |
|
GENERAL The Ten Indian Commandments are a set of ethical instructions purporting to be the Native American equivalent of the biblical Ten Commandments . The commandments are anonymous and can be found on several websites who use them without attribution. THE COMMANDMENTS # Treat the Earth and all that dwell thereon with respect # Remain close to the Great Spirit # Show great respect for your fellow beings # Work together for the benefit of all Mankind # Give assistance and kindness wherever needed # Do what you know to be right # Look after the well-being of mind and body # Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good # Be truthful and honest at all times # Take full responsibility for your actions CRITICISM It is not clear whether the commandments were created by a Native American author, but they do not constitute any official pan-Indian doctrine. The indigenous peoples of North America are very culturally diverse. Each culture has its own expression of ethics, religion, and spirituality. The use of the term ''Great Spirit'' for example, is only found in some Native American groups. Also, while some Pre-Columbian cultures had systems of writing, most did not. The idea of basing a system of ethics on written commandments would have been foreign to them. Native American authors such as Vine Deloria Jr. are often critical of the assumption that Native Americans have a uniform culture, religion, spirituality, or system of ethics. They feel this creates a false image of Indians as spiritually enlightened people. While more positive than other Stereotype s it is still a false picture which fails to see the distinct cultures and the ordinary people who make them up. |
|
|