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How It Is: The Native American Philosophy of V. F. Cordova

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Doctor Viola Cordova, Jicarilla Apache and Hispanic, dedicated her career to interpreting a Native American `worldview'. Unfortunately, in 2002, before she could complete her life's work, she died of a brain aneurysm. This book, How It Is: The Native American Philosophy of V. F. Cordova, is a loving tribute by some of her colleagues, who have attempted to organize her work according to her beliefs.

The editors/authors have arranged Cordova's essays, poems, and papers in three sections that they hope will answer the three questions she insisted were essential to understand Native American thinking.

1. What is the world?

2. What is a human being?

3. What is the role of a human being in the world?

According to Doctor Cordova, all philosophies and religions derive their legitimacy from the point of view of the dominant culture, i.e. White North American which itself derives from the European and Western points of view. Throughout this book, she demonstrates how the "dominant" culture defines other cultures, peoples, languages, intellect, art and spirituality. It is the benchmark by which all indigenous peoples on the planet are judged. Even thriving ancient cultures, such as the Chinese, were forced to be legitimized by the standards of the white European male, who claims to be the apex of cultivation, spirituality, refinement and intellect. Cordova hints at the arrogance.

"I ... decided to study white people," she is quoted. "I wanted to be a `White Expert'. Survival required that I know the enemy."

Cordova boldly tackles the problematic issues that her peers and numerous scholarly predecessors consistently and diplomatically avoided. Even before she received a PhD in classical Western philosophy, Cordova was reading the works of the great thinkers from history. She writes that before entering college, she had already read more books than on any recommended reading list. She dedicated her career, as a teacher, writer and scholar, to defining a Native American philosophy.

According to Cordova's research and beliefs, the world through Native American eyes, is a living organism that sustains all life, including its human inhabitants. They are neither better nor less than the Earth. Each is dependent on the other to continue to live. All creatures on the planet are part of this network of interdependence. Human beings become human when they learn their roles as inhabitants within their locale, and their group or community. Language is the binding glue. Just as there are many geographic locales, there are many languages. Diversity and harmony in all things ensure continued prosperity. Human beings, by their actions, can preserve the `balance' or they can destroy it by being greedy, cruel and acquisitive.

Native Americans view the Earth as friendly and nurturing. She is often referred to as Mother. She sustains, but is subject to misuse and abuse. The thinking human inhabitants must take care of her. The dominant culture views the Earth as something hostile, threatening and not alive. They clear the forests, dam the rivers, pave the ground and build fences. They remove resources, not thinking of the lives they are disrupting or how they are damaging the planet. When one belongs to the Earth, and all Creation are your relatives and sustainers, how can you violate them?

Other points of view discussed include religion. The Native Americans are at peace with a benevolent, universal power that guides all life. Native Americans have not fallen from grace and do not have to spend their Earth walk doing penance. Westerners have problems accepting a sustaining, but very abstract power that has no beginning or no end and is present everywhere, all the time, in everything.

Cordova writes about diabetes, alcoholism and suicide rampant in Native American communities today. When a Native American is removed from his social structure, conflicts happen. Physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health break down. Identity becomes clouded and loneliness often becomes overwhelming. A Native American defines himself by his community, his clan, his role in the group and his contributions to others in his circle. Even when language is forgotten, the ties to the group are strong and essential. Blood memories, it has been called. Colonialist attempts to "civilize" indigenous peoples speak for themselves.

When one Native American meets another in the cities, the first question is: Where do you come from? The response will tell him everything he needs to know about you.

How It Is is a challenging read; however, it is filled with poetry and warmth. Scholars of philosophy and religion will find much here to mull over. Economics and business students will be cautioned about their responsibilities toward the planet. The consequences of over-development, misuse of resources, political arrogance and unbridled population growth are discussed.

This is an excellent introduction to native American philosophy written by one of the first native women (Jicarilla Apache) to become a PhD philosoper. She writes from the perspective she learned as a native person and contrasts those views with contemporary western philosophy. Wish I had had this book when I was working on my degree studying Oxfordian linguistic analysis at Madison too many years ago. Would definitely have made my papers a bit more interesting. With the current popularity of "shamanism" this should be required reading for anyone on that path.

This book sets out to help Native Americans understand their cultural heritage.
It really does much more than that. It lays a foundation that we all could adopt to live a full life in dynamic harmony and balance with each other, and the rest the earth's living things. It takes us beyond sustainable living by invisioning us as a product of our unique piece of the earth.

Viola Cordova, the first Native American woman to receive a Ph.D. in traditional Western philosophy, also embarked defining a Native American philosophy. In this book first she explains her own understanding of the nature of reality--the origins of the world, the relation of matter and spirit, and the nature of time. Using Native American stories she depicts lines of thinking and perspective. She also explores the roles of culture and language and never strays from her premise that we become human as we deepen our relation to people and place. She calls for a reverence in a new world that makes no distinction between the sacred and the mundane.

I do a lot of hiking and meditation and found this book fascinating and illuminating of the current human condition in the world, and of Aboriginal culture and spirituality. If you are looking to understand either, I highly recommend it. I mentioned in the title that it has a lot to say about saving the World. It does. It really illustrates how we have as a global society reached the painted corner we are in today. Unlimited expansion, irresponsible exploitation of natural and renewable resources, runaway commercialism and financial chaos are all much more understandable after reading 'How it is' by V.F. Cordova.

If you are interested in global economics, politics, or leadership, this would be a good read. If you are interested in saving the World, or living in possibly more responsible ways, again, I would recommend it to you. It will provide some provocative insights and questions.

When I think of it now, I can't think of any human being alive who would not benefit from reading 'How It Is', by V.F. Cordova. It is an absolutely provocative read.

If you only read one book this year, I recommend 'How It Is'.