I was struck by the title of a book a friend posted on Facebook the other day. It purported to tell the “secrets” of the spirituality of an indigenous group in southern Africa. What was interesting was that the title used what is considered a derogatory term, and the term actually covers several distinct cultural groups, each with their own cosmology, theology, and cultural traditions.

This lumping together of indigenous traditions, or in fact, any non-European traditions is common. This lumping constitutes both conflation and erasure. It also highlights the assumption that all “others” from the perspective of European-descended Christianity are a homogenous group. Additionally, there is a romanticizing of these traditions, a pick and choose mentality when describing religious and cultural traditions, and an implied sense of superiority.