Native North American Children Who Recall Previous Lives

Native North American Children Who Recall Previous Lives

James G Matlock

Amerindian ideas differ in important respects from the Hindu and Buddhist precepts that many people connect with reincarnation. Amerindian beliefs lack the concept of karma and do not uniformly allow for humans to return as nonhuman animals or for nonhuman animals to return as humans. Several societies posit either transmigration across species lines or human-to-human reincarnation, but not both.6 Some societies credit neither cross-species transmigration nor human-to-human reincarnation. By contrast, the assumption that nonhuman animals reincarnate in their own species is common, perhaps universal. Mills found the belief that the souls of game animals returned in their own species in all ten of the Amerindian societies she surveyed.7

A curious feature of Amerindian beliefs about the soul—shared with animistic belief systems throughout the world—is the idea that part of the spirit can persist in the afterlife while another part reincarnates. For some peoples, the body is associated with more than one type of soul during life and these different souls go their separate ways at death; for other peoples, a unitary soul splinters at death.8 When it comes to human-to-human rebirth, some Amerindian cultures expect it only for those who die young or those who die violently. Generally, reincarnation is thought to occur within the society. In groups with unilineal social organizations—where kinship is reckoned strictly through either the mother or the father—reincarnation follows a similar pattern. In some groups, it is thought possible to decide on one’s next parents before one dies. A few cultures—mostly in the Arctic and the Pacific Northwest—say that more than one soul may possess a single body at the same time or one spirit may divide or replicate postmortem, then reincarnate in multiple bodies simultaneously.9

Reincarnation is not embraced with the same intensity throughout the continent. In some societies, belief is left to the individual, whereas in others, it is an element of the common culture. Interestingly, however, wherever they are found, human-to-human reincarnation beliefs are linked to the same set of signs that appear in conjunction with reincarnation beliefs throughout the world. These signs include dreams and apparitions announcing rebirth;10 birthmarks and other congenital physical traits;11 behavioural traits; and past-life memories. There may also be memories of the intermission period between lives.12 Sometimes shamans or similar practitioners may tell who a baby was before, but often announcing dreams, birthmarks, and telltale behaviors are employed to identify a newborn so that he or she may be given the same name as before and stand to inherit property, prerogatives, and status enjoyed in the previous life.13

Native North American Children Who Recall Previous Lives

James G Matlock

Very interesting, thanks.

It’s  curious that many of them indicate a conscious choice to reincarnate and also an ability to control some features of it.

It’s  curious that many of them indicate a conscious choice to reincarnate and also an ability to control some features of it.

It does make one wonder - is this a power inherent to us "other Indians" from India, but we were fooled by supporters of the caste system into thinking incarnations are imposed on us...

Those cases look remarkably similar to many other cases that Ian Stevemson and Jim Tucker investigated. My nephew had twins, and the girl had a prominent birthmark on her face. Her father, a doctor, said it didn't matter because these usually fade quite soon. Indeed, there is no trace of it now. I would love to know if she spoke of a former life when she was younger, but it would be a tricky subject to bring up.

The consistency with cases from other cultures - including US white culture - is striking. Since the native Americans seem more comfortable with the idea of reincarnation than white people, they might provide a lot of data.

The consistency with cases from other cultures - including US white culture - is striking. Since the native Americans seem more comfortable with the idea of reincarnation than white people, they might provide a lot of data.

I do agree that it is likely Native Americans might be more willing to speak of memories of past lives...but hasn't belief in reincarnation been growing for some time in the West?

I think it's also been part of New Age beliefs for awhile now? 

There's also the recent VICE article, "The Hard Science of Reincarnation" (article | thread) , so times do seem to be changing.

I don't know what the percentage is, but I'll bet it is pretty small. The concept of NDE's seem well known, but people only seem to refer to incarnation as a joke.

David

I guess it depends on how the question is asked. A quick google search for how many Americans believe in reincarnation gave figures of 25% or 33%. From time to time there have been quite detailed studies, even in the west, belief in reincarnation is surprisingly high.

This thread probably contains some relevant information:
https://psiencequest.net/forums/thread-s...ous-future