Last Updated on October 28, 2023 by Avia

Explaining the Idea of Native, Indigenous Mind Meaning

Indigenous mind meaning, or thinking with the Native mind is not a new idea…in fact, many of our fundamental interpretations of symbolism comes from the wisdom, observations, myths and legends of indigenous people. In this article, I’m suggesting we adopt an indigenous or Native perspective when it comes to experiencing deeper meanings in life on a daily basis.

Now, according to the dictionary, the word indigenous means: originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native. BORING! But, it illuminates the point of origins…back to basics…native…from the beginning.

When I talk about indigenous mind meaning, I am talking about getting into the mentality of origins. Specifically, I’m encouraging a view through original, Native perspective.

Avia (and her dog Chadwick) Talks about Native, Indigenous Mind Meaning on Video
About the Indigenous Mind Concept
More on Indigenous Mind Meaning and Accessing the Native Mind Mentality

Avia (and her dog Chadwick) Talks about Native, Indigenous Mind Meaning on Video

About the Indigenous Mind Concept

Simply put…when we view life through the screen of the indigenous mind, we consciously interpret our experience through the mind of our Ancient Ones…our ancestors. These are early people who inhabited this earth before the industrial-age and they had a far more intimate relationship with their world than modern man.

So, utilizing the Native mind is like getting inside the head of our forefathers and foremothers for insight.

Early-earth dwellers relied on their minds, their spirituality, their souls to interpret their surroundings. They combined their connection with community and Nature to figure out answers to the age-old questions: “What does this mean? Why is this happening?“

Consider: Our early ancestors relied 100% on themselves to interpret the meanings and happenings of life. No Google, no Siri, not even an encyclopedia! (you know, those big volumes of books with paper-pages filled with nifty references..pretty much as extinct today as the native-folks we are consulting for original symbolic references now).

So what did an Ancient One do when perplexing stuff happened? Like, what was up with that crazy solar eclipse? What did it mean when the leaves on the trees turned to fire and flew off their branches? Why did butterflies start out as freaky-looking worms?

I’ll tell you what they did…they contemplated. They set to soulful investigation as to why their world functioned as it did, and what everything meant in the grand scheme of life. They communicated with each other – talked among themselves to formulate theories and ideas as to how stuff works, and explain why stuff happens as it does.

I think this is key to squeezing soulful insights from the puzzling events in our lives. Why? Because thinking with a Native mind is a way to render pure, unfiltered interpretations. It requires seeking meaning with the spirit. It requires a full commitment…submerging ourselves, mind, body, spirit, and community in order to get a richer, more robust understanding of our lives and the world we live in.

More on Indigenous Mind Meaning and Accessing the Native Mind Mentality

So, we’ve talked about potential indigenous mind meaning – but how does it help us interpret various phenomenon in our lives? Here are a few ideas.

Blast From the Past

Our first step into tapping into deeper interpretations is to access our ancestry. Consider your familial roots. Is your heritage mostly Irish? Consider consulting ancient Celtic-Druid wisdom while pondering moments in your life for symbolic meaning. How would they attempt to explain all those crows you keep seeing crowded at your front door? Or, perhaps your ancestors are more of a South American ilk. Consider how the Mayans might carve deeper meaning into that sunset that totally blew your mind the other day. You get my drift. Blasting through your past is a great way to 1) Connect with your heritage and 2) Get primal, pure insights into the meaning of events that offer growth and inspiration.

Rebel Without Roots

What if you don’t know your ancestry? Or, what if you don’t resonate with your ancestral roots? That’s okay. Luckily for all of us, the nature of life is cyclical and infinite. Our Ancient Ones never really died. Their energy remains. And also lucky for us, our Ancient Ones tend to be a very generous lot. The spirit of the Old Ones welcomes our curiosity, and are happy to offer us consultation about their ways and wisdom. So, if you’re not digging your family roots, what ancient culture are you attracted to? Maybe a certain Native American tribe excites you…how would these people interpret that crazy dream you had the other night?

Back Door Angels

One of my favorite progressive British rock groups is Jethro Tull. Back in 1974 they released a song called “Bungle in the Jungle” on their Back Door Angels album. Being the nerd that I am, I analyzed the deep meaning underlying the luscious lyrics of this and other J. Tull’s songs. Bungle in the Jungle refers to the beautiful chaos of life and the connections between humans, animal and Nature.

I think this is what all of our ancestors were all about. They had to make structure from the bungles in their jungles of life. They had to connect with animals to form bonds and meaning. They had to explore the relationships between man, beast, blossoms, buckwheat, etc. Consult ANY ancient culture and you will see elements of Nature replete in their legends and lore.

More Observations About Native Wisdom and the Indigenous Mind

There is a reason animals are featured on cave walls. There is a reason the image of reeds and palms are painted in ancient Egyptian crypts. There is a reason birds are lovingly carved into intricate totem poles.

Our Ancient Ones understood the connection between human and Nature is crucial to understanding, fulfillment and creating order from chaos. They had reverence and thoughtful awe when it came to considering their surroundings.

When interpreting signs and symbols in our environment, I say take a page from our ancestral ‘back door angels’ parchment…that is what indigenous mind meaning is all about…getting into the space of connection, humility, and amazement when viewing the happenings in our life….then making sense of what’s going on from a place of original cultural thought.

In summary, why would we want to see and experience life from a native perspective? Because just as the word indigenous implies…we can see symbolic experiences from the origin.

I hope you enjoyed these thoughts about indigenous mind meaning and tapping into the Native mind for richer interpretations in life. It’s just a fresh look at how to connect with some very ancient ideas and perceptions.

Thanks so much for reading!

Stay Native!

Mighty brightly,