January
12
/ 2015
Native American philosophy is centered on observations of the world and is an integral part of deeply held spiritual beliefs. For the Muskogean tribes of the southeast United States and the Chickasaw people, animal symbols were used as a way of listening to the innate wisdom of animals. Animal and man were considered as being the same—neither one above the other—and all things are considered different, but equal, from nature’s perspective. The Chickasaw people believe that The Creator ( Aba' Binni'li', “sitting above”) gave them the need for the clan system with special animal guides. Over the years, the number of active clans waxed and waned, but the ancestral Chickasaws had over 15 clans that determined their social organization. The
