H. R. Schoolcraft recorded two tales he heard from Chippewas in Michigan during the 1820s which exemplify two types of near-death experiences (NDE). The first tale has autoscopic, as well as specifically Native American, elements; the second, in a similar way, contains elements of the transcendental type. These are discussed with reference to local origin, influence of white American culture, and universality.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
MoodyR. A., Life After Life, Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1976.
2.
SabamM., Recollections of Death, Harper and Row, New York, 1982.
3.
SchoolcraftH. R., Travels in the Central Portion of the Mississippi Valley, Collins and Henry, New York, pp. 404–409, 410–420,1825.
4.
ThompsonS., Tales of the North American Indians, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1929.
5.
WilliamsM. L., Schoolcraft's Indian Legends, Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, p. xx, 1956.
6.
RingK., Commentary on “The Reality of Near Death Experiences: A Personal Perspective,”Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 168, pp. 273–274, 1980.