"The spiritual practices of Native Americans are as diverse and bountiful as the Nations themselves, renowned for their inextricable ties to nature and geographical location. Today, many Indigenous customs are still conflated and misunderstood, even throuogh their influence is seen and felt in every corner of the country,"-- page [4] of cover.

Among the topics considered in this classic study are world origins and supernatural powers, attitudes toward the dead, the medicine man and shaman, hunting and gathering rituals, war and planting ceremonies, and newer religions, such as the Ghost Dance and the Peyote Religion.

"Native America knows something about cultivating resilience and resisting darkness. Choctaw elder and Episcopal priest Steven Charleston offers words of hard-won hope, rooted in daily conversations with the Spirit and steeped in Indigenous wisdom. For all who yearn for hope, "Ladder to the Light" is a book of comfort, truth, and challenge in a time of anguish and fear. Night will not last forever. Together we can climb toward the light."--Back cover...