Redefinicja „indiańskości” przez ruch Nowej Ery

Abstract

Redefinition of Indianness by the New Age Movement

The term New Age movement defines a heterogeneous, non-religious Western spiritual movement that emerged in the second part of the 20th century. It combines Euro-American spiritual heritage, widely understood Eastern philosophy, numerous native traditions, infusing this hybrid with elements of psychology, healthy lifestyle, as well as quantum physics. Because New Age spirituality is practiced occasionally at commercially held workshops, those kinds of seminars have soon become a lucrative business for educators and coordinators involved.

The objective of the article is to follow the general history of New Age in the context of Native Americans, provide its characteristics, and investigate the “Native American” threads within the New Age movement both in the United States and in Poland. The author focuses on the ethical aspects of commercial exploitation of Native American heritage, examines Native Americans’ stand on misappropriation of their spiritual legacy for commercial purposes, as well as actions they take in order to restrict this practice.