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Also of interest is the Mari Native Religion which is practiced in the Mari El Republic of Russia[0]. I believe this is the only example of an indigenous religi

Also of interest is the Mari Native Religion which is practiced in the Mari El Republic of Russia[0]. I believe this is the only example of an indigenous religion surviving with continued practice into the modern day. RT made a documentary about it[1]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mari_Native_Religion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mari_Native_Religion [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ_2kpTJvj0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ_2kpTJvj0

boxed 5y ago
Hinduism? Seems like a pretty big one to forget :)
- throwaway894345 5y ago
  Is Hinduism indigenous? Wasn’t that a product of Aryan migrations from the north? (genuine question: what constitutes “indigenous”? if one native american tribe drives out another in a particular region, is the conquering tribe still indigenous? What about cases where people mix to become a new people? Is it correct to say that the Irish, British, Germans, Italians, etc are indigenous Europeans?)
  - yowlingcat 5y ago
    > Wasn’t that a product of Aryan migrations from the north? I know this isn't a great answer, but "yes and no" -- it is certainly true that the Proto-Indo-Europeans brought with them Rigvedic religion. But that religion itself was syncretized with other beliefs across Central Asia and South Asia over quite a long period of time. While it is often dramatized as a "violent" invasion (no doubt reminiscent of later "violent" "Aryan" invasions), the truth is more bland, which is that the nomadic Indo-Aryans and their ancestors had a rich level of cultural exchange with more settled civilizations. Some of it by the sword, but some of it otherwise.
    - throwaway894345 5y ago
      Yeah, which I guess beckons my other question: what makes something indigenous considering how frequently changes are produced gradually by cultural exchange, gradual migrations, etc?
      - yowlingcat 5y ago
        It's a great question, and I'm inclined to ask the same one. My answer is that indigeneity is somewhat of a red herring. Empires have existed for as long as changes have been produced gradually by cultural exchange and gradual migrations as you point out, so the boundary between indigenous and not seems porous to me.
- u9rptDjqLl0Pdcz 5y ago
  I meant to specify within Europe but it seems I missed typing it when I posted my comment.
throwaway894345 5y ago
What about the Sami? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sámi_shamanism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sámi_shamanism Pretty sure they are indigenous and I would think their religion would qualify as an “indigenous religion”?
- u9rptDjqLl0Pdcz 5y ago
  Has that been continuously practiced? Other wikipedia pages [0][1] on the Sami suggest that they were all converted to Christianity by the end of the 18th century. There are people who practice Norse paganism today but that is a reconstructed faith based on old writings rather than a surviving religion. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianization_of_the_S%C3%A1mi_people https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianization_of_the_S%C3%A... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A1mi_people#Religion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A1mi_people#Religion
  - throwaway894345 5y ago
    It's unclear to me. The wikipedia article doesn't say, but it seems to refer to it in the present tense as though it is still practiced. I would hope if it died out and was then reconstructed, the entry would mention as much. Here's an article linked to in the entry, which I don't have time to read, but sounds promising: The Decline of the Sámi People’s Indigenous Religion http://www.laits.utexas.edu/sami/diehtu/siida/christian/decline.htm http://www.laits.utexas.edu/sami/diehtu/siida/christian/decl...
    - shkkmo 5y ago
      The Sami Religion was influenced by but not identical with Norse mythology. It appears to have been extinct for the last couple hundred yeats after facing a significant ongoing persecution and conversion.
KingMob 5y ago
Perhaps in Europe, but globally, I can think of plenty of others off the top of my head: the various religions of Native Americans/First Nations peoples, the beliefs of Aboriginal people in Australia, even Japanese Shinto probably qualifies.
- MeinBlutIstBlau 5y ago
  Shinto is an offshoot if Buddhism.
  - snambi 5y ago
    not true. Shinto predates Buddhism.
  - bavent 5y ago
    Shinto was in Japan before Buddhism. Zen took on a little bit of Shinto when it came over as Cha’an from China. In most Zen temples, there are a few statues of Shinto deities, but neither is an offshoot of the other.
- dkarl 5y ago
  Maybe shamanism in Korea and Siberia as well.
- u9rptDjqLl0Pdcz 5y ago
  Yes, I meant to say in Europe.
enriquto 5y ago
what about judaism or christianism, aren't they "indigenous" ? what do you mean exactly by indigenous?
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
FuriouslyAdrift 5y ago
Uh.. how about Judaism in Israel?

boxed 5y ago

Hinduism? Seems like a pretty big one to forget :)

throwaway894345 5y ago
Is Hinduism indigenous? Wasn’t that a product of Aryan migrations from the north? (genuine question: what constitutes “indigenous”? if one native american tribe drives out another in a particular region, is the conquering tribe still indigenous? What about cases where people mix to become a new people? Is it correct to say that the Irish, British, Germans, Italians, etc are indigenous Europeans?)
- yowlingcat 5y ago
  > Wasn’t that a product of Aryan migrations from the north? I know this isn't a great answer, but "yes and no" -- it is certainly true that the Proto-Indo-Europeans brought with them Rigvedic religion. But that religion itself was syncretized with other beliefs across Central Asia and South Asia over quite a long period of time. While it is often dramatized as a "violent" invasion (no doubt reminiscent of later "violent" "Aryan" invasions), the truth is more bland, which is that the nomadic Indo-Aryans and their ancestors had a rich level of cultural exchange with more settled civilizations. Some of it by the sword, but some of it otherwise.
  - throwaway894345 5y ago
    Yeah, which I guess beckons my other question: what makes something indigenous considering how frequently changes are produced gradually by cultural exchange, gradual migrations, etc?
    - yowlingcat 5y ago
      It's a great question, and I'm inclined to ask the same one. My answer is that indigeneity is somewhat of a red herring. Empires have existed for as long as changes have been produced gradually by cultural exchange and gradual migrations as you point out, so the boundary between indigenous and not seems porous to me.
u9rptDjqLl0Pdcz 5y ago
I meant to specify within Europe but it seems I missed typing it when I posted my comment.

throwaway894345 5y ago

What about the Sami? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sámi_shamanism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sámi_shamanism Pretty sure they are indigenous and I would think their religion would qualify as an “indigenous religion”?

u9rptDjqLl0Pdcz 5y ago
Has that been continuously practiced? Other wikipedia pages [0][1] on the Sami suggest that they were all converted to Christianity by the end of the 18th century. There are people who practice Norse paganism today but that is a reconstructed faith based on old writings rather than a surviving religion. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianization_of_the_S%C3%A1mi_people https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianization_of_the_S%C3%A... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A1mi_people#Religion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A1mi_people#Religion
- throwaway894345 5y ago
  It's unclear to me. The wikipedia article doesn't say, but it seems to refer to it in the present tense as though it is still practiced. I would hope if it died out and was then reconstructed, the entry would mention as much. Here's an article linked to in the entry, which I don't have time to read, but sounds promising: The Decline of the Sámi People’s Indigenous Religion http://www.laits.utexas.edu/sami/diehtu/siida/christian/decline.htm http://www.laits.utexas.edu/sami/diehtu/siida/christian/decl...
  - shkkmo 5y ago
    The Sami Religion was influenced by but not identical with Norse mythology. It appears to have been extinct for the last couple hundred yeats after facing a significant ongoing persecution and conversion.

KingMob 5y ago

Perhaps in Europe, but globally, I can think of plenty of others off the top of my head: the various religions of Native Americans/First Nations peoples, the beliefs of Aboriginal people in Australia, even Japanese Shinto probably qualifies.

MeinBlutIstBlau 5y ago
Shinto is an offshoot if Buddhism.
- snambi 5y ago
  not true. Shinto predates Buddhism.
- bavent 5y ago
  Shinto was in Japan before Buddhism. Zen took on a little bit of Shinto when it came over as Cha’an from China. In most Zen temples, there are a few statues of Shinto deities, but neither is an offshoot of the other.
dkarl 5y ago
Maybe shamanism in Korea and Siberia as well.
u9rptDjqLl0Pdcz 5y ago
Yes, I meant to say in Europe.

enriquto 5y ago

what about judaism or christianism, aren't they "indigenous" ? what do you mean exactly by indigenous?

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

FuriouslyAdrift 5y ago

Uh.. how about Judaism in Israel?