How does Paganism relate to Native Americans?

Answer 1

Paganism is a Christian term used to mean any religion that was not part of the Judeo-Christian heritage, sometimes now used to mean any polytheistic religion. Originally it meant just the religion of the countryside and was first used at a time when Christianity was dominant in the Roman cities but traditional farmers and villagers still followed the old ways.

So Christians would generally consider the original religions and mythologies of the Native Americans to be pagan religions.

Examples of paganism such as Celtic and Nordic paganism or African traditional religions do have related characteristics. Primarily they are all Polytheistic and have shamanic traditions and rituals involving worshiping nature. The viewpoint is shared between Paganism and Native American mythology that in part the natural world is inherently capable of communicating spirituality. A central posit is that 'God' or the spiritual is revealed by natural wilderness rather then by mans ability to control nature.