A few years ago a friend of the family and my mother were talking, our friend is a metaphysical shop owner and my mother; an ordained minister; both are connected with more Native North American earth based practices and beliefs (All three of us have native ancestry, this is pertinent information I promise). While they were talking I was apparently brought up in their conversation, talking about my beliefs and practices. As my mother explained I had turned to practice Paganism our friend looked at her, and from what it sounded like was more a statement than a question, that I had abandoned my ancestors. I didn't abandon my ancestors, just a different group of my ancestors are calling me, leading me to their practices as best they can.
It seems to be a very common misconception that in order to be earth based and spiritual, that you either have to be Indigenous or practice North/South American Indigenous practices/cultures and beliefs, or it has to be eastern/Asian practices or beliefs. I have seen this belief in this misconception in every group of people, even some in the Pagan community., as if those practices are somehow more superior and more in-tuned with the earth.
Now, the biggest problem with this misconception is that it wipes away the validity of Pagan practices and European history pre-Christian era. Because it does this, it also leads to another big problem, Cultural Appropriation. I know, some of you who are reading this might probably be groaning right now, but the truth of the matter is that Cultural Appropriation is real, it does happen, AND it is also highly exaggerated when it comes to people (most of the time by people not a part of those cultures or who are just uneducated) claiming certain things that are not unique to a single culture as appropriation.
What many people need to understand, especially European/Euro descent people, is that before Christianity (a foreign religion even to Europe), the European people were Pagan, and they were very much tribal and earth based in their own practices and cultures before discovering metallurgy. They had nature-spirits, they had deities/Gods, they had spirit animals/totems, they had their medicine people/shamans, they had their own creatures of legend. They had their sacred clothing, songs, dances, and other practices involving these spirits and their ancestors. They wore braids, used feathers and other animal parts, wore leather and fur, and even painted their faces. Some were nomadic and used shelters similar to what you might see in the plains of North America, others stayed and farmed. Even after discovering metallurgy they were still Pagan and earth based in beliefs and practice. Euro-people didn't just go from caves to large Christian medieval kingdoms and cities overnight.
The invasive actions of the Roman Empire, Charlemagne, and the constant push of Christianity, even coming down to very violent conversion tactics, left a huge wound in the Euro peoples. One that many have felt for centuries, and are still feeling now, leading them to seek out some kind of re-connection to the earth in some form of old spiritual practice. Because of the misconceptions about spirituality, and the lack of knowledge that the Euro People were also once indigenous in their own ways and practices in Europe, has lead to many Euro descent people looking to many Native North American, South American, Polynesian, etc., practices. Completely unaware or ignoring their own history, and appropriating practices that many do not understand because they were not taught/raised in them.
Paganism isn't lesser nor superior to the many Native/Indigenous practices around the world, its just different in its beliefs, in the practices themselves; but because the majority of the knowledge, if not all of the knowledge, of those practices have been wiped out, those of us who are Pagan are having to piece together what we do know of the past, and try to fill in the rest with our own communing with the earth, the spirits, and our ancestors. You don't have to seek in another culture's spirituality/religion/beliefs to be spiritual and connected with the earth. I won't ignore that there are some of non-native descent who are called to the Red Road, and they have shown that they are true to that calling and to that walk, but more often than not, many of those who aren't really learning and connecting with those communities are simply longing for any kind of connection like that and are grabbing what pieces they can get.
One of the best things to do to combat this misconception and to help stop cultural appropriation is research. Educate yourself, and in turn, allow the opportunity to educate others who may also be unaware; but you must never stop researching, never stop learning, never stop connecting with your ancestors, the earth, and the spirits you are meant to work with. In truth, we are all indigenous to this planet, we are all human, and all of our peoples were at some point tribal in life, practice, and beliefs. Many of us just need to re-learn how to connect and rediscover or develop our own practices, instead of simply taking another's without any regard to why they are sacred. Your ancestors are there, ready to teach you, to help you reconnect, all you have to do is listen.
One Example of Tribal European people still very much in existence and practice to this day.
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