ABSTRACT
Integral to the process of colonisation is the imposition of values, viewpoints, and practices, including those associated with religion and spirituality. Centuries of disrespect for the Indigenous peoples and their spiritualities by the European settlers has ongoing consequences in postcolonial societies. Having failed in their missions to ‘humanise’ the Indigenous peoples by Westernising them and converting them to Christianity, the approach to Indigenous religions and spiritualities was largely one of marginalisation. However, there is now a growing acceptance that redressing the injustices as a result of colonisation cannot occur while continually ignoring the religions and spiritualities of Indigenous peoples. This chapter explores how religion and spirituality can be part of the process of sustaining individuals and communities rather than replicating colonisation.
