The power of animism: John Reid at TEDxQueenstown

In this TEDx talk at TEDx Queenstown - Sense of Place 2014 John Reid, a senior research fellow at the University of Canterbury's Ngai Tahu Research Centre, takes us into the world of animism and explains it's not about belief but experience. John explores the way in which indigenous and western cultures shape their identity and the identity of the world around them.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[@Sketcher86]

Animism concept states that there is no difference between the physical and the spiritual world..souls and the human body are more or less the same.. this is true in case of birds, animals, humans, mountains, tress, etc.. any living and non living thing including the human beings comes under the category of this concept in Animism.There is a natural force that controls all these forms of life and as a result this must be respected and admired

[@robertw7070]

beautifully said.

[@orcbolado9041]

very similar to shamanism

[@Ok-bk5xx]

@@orcbolado9041 Of course

[@DanielMorales-gu3my]

Essentially its religokn and spirituality at its most pure and uncorrupted form

[@MohammedAhmed-rh5xf]

love it

[@NikkiShivaTheGrimReaper]

I have been trying since I was very little to get people to understand why I honor the spirit or as some say "life" in everything around me and everyone who knows me has heard my explanation of why. Finding this video and hearing that this is an ancient way of being made me soo happy and grateful to have had such a strong conviction even when I felt like an "odd ball". It is wonderful to see that the human conscious is expanding to truly honor everything again. . :D

[@tac6044]

I'm sorry about your mother but she has not left you. Know that.

[@NikkiShivaTheGrimReaper]

@@tac6044 Thank you all is fine because I am blessed and all ways have been by my Divine Parents ♥️👍😉☺️

[@clairenicoll6903]

we are not just in this world we are OF this world.

[@YellowSynth]

lies

[@ProtoIndoEuropean88]

who lies? is there a bed somewhere to lie on?

[@chynablookingback8825]

Lol lol, Big time!!!

[@chynablookingback8825]

The Aristocrat What u put in was funny i meant -- Lol lol...is there...to lie on? I believe in animism. In fact I respect all religions in this whole wide world and try to encompass all of life here on Mother Earth with a universal seeing eye that our Grand Creator innately, naturally puts in our hearts. I'm just trying to clarify that I wasn't making fun of the speaker if that's what it sounded like with the first "lol" reply. I know I should learn to be more precise in my replies from now on. Thank you.

[@isaacmcallister5649]

I personally experience the understanding of something NOT of this world. I would also argue that you believe in the validity of your experience being genuine; that no part of it is placebo due to a notion of some kind.

[@billybillyc.5743]

My girlfriend is an animist and I never quite understood what it really was until now, thank you

[@robertayoder2063]

Got a cigar bill 😘

[@khipp13]

I liked the first half, but the second half felt like a marketing presentation for a fancy perfume.

[@kailajunekeliikuli]

Like here is animism… and indigenous wisdom … and this is how we capitalized on it!

[@javaleche1552]

capitalism let’s use this amazing sacred stone to make money

[@HommyMuzik]

I never knew this way of thinking and view point was called animism until only recently, I've always thought like this. As long as I can remember lol :D

[@whatabouttheearth]

"The law of conservation of energy, also known as the first law of thermodynamics, states that the energy of a closed system must remain constant-it can neither increase nor decrease without interference from outside. The universe itself is a closed system, so the total amount of energy in existence has always been the same. The forms that energy takes, however, are constantly changing." I think there will be a merger one day of animism and science

[@robertw7070]

Awesome! Never thought of this facet before. Science and animism are already the same. One day it will be discovered.

[@mmmmmmmm1942]

There is already

[@0ethereal0]

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.

[@mythosandlogos]

I just finished a video on Iroquois Mythology, and this was a great help in truly understanding Animist traditions. Thank you!

[@louragreenlee692]

Wow! I have felt this way from a child's way of thinking

[@robertayoder2063]

Agree

[@LookzLykeMoney]

Me 2 💯💯💯🎯🎯🎯

[@j.adamisaac169]

Good work letting the people know John Reid !

[@pb8797]

You put this so perfectly, ty

[@bigpump2620]

He had me all spiritualized only to try to sell me a moana necklace....

[@treevsy]

"exploiting natural resources lowers it's life force, now please buy our rock that'll never grow back."

[@philosophicalharmonics3470]

"God doesn't exist, now buy my book that will explain this to you. It also explains how spiritual people will try to sell things to exploit you."

[@tiymsvarin6611]

Thank you, you just gave me the connections I needed to recognize myself.

[@barbarawinkle1042]

I relate to how you expressed yourself in this sentence. Thank you.

[@theculturalpanglossian5517]

Thank you for your insight. Thanks, also, for sharing!

[@ginoyaaj8427]

this is what my religion is all about. everything has relation to our peoples belief

[@wyattearp190]

This is the underlying belief of a great percentage of the world but they don't tell you! It is what the hearts of living things have.

[@waxanlohit]

Animism is also there in Arunachal Pradesh India in the Sherdukpen People... Movie suggested: Crossing bridges... The first feature in Shertukpen dialect which won National Award.

[@robgau2501]

I was with him until I realized it was just a frigging ad

[@arrandavid]

Or...the rivers are my relatives because i am mostly water and the earth and the mountains are my relatives because they contain minerals just like me...mind blown lol

[@JourneyWithHavi]

Thank you so much for this.

[@PanSociety]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@DogofLilith]

When you think about it. Mountains are ancestors because we all came from rock. Back before there was life there were only rocks and mountains. Then, the primordial soup which came from minerals and water and such grew life

[@catiebajema8207]

we came from rocks...?

[@DogofLilith]

Yup dirt and mud and rocks. What do you think was there before the primordial soup, and what do you think created that soup?

[@moreston4366]

animeisart1 no we came from tiny living organisms that lived on rocks and in water

[@cl2nden1st89]

Yorkshireman good god! where did the tiny organisms come from? if not from the elements...

[@mmmmmmmm1942]

@@moreston4366 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@ThatGuiKyle]

I love the idea from Norse perspective about animism, that the human body has many parts of the soul, and everything has a soul but in different parts. For example, we have 4 parts of the soul, the hugr, hamr, hamingja, and fylgja. Whereas a tree may only have 2 parts, and a rock maybe only 1 part. But nevertheless, everything has a soul.

[@Archer-Sterling]

I thought we had 8 parts. But I could only name 3 of the 4 you named. So maybe you are right.

[@stewartthomas2642]

Love your stuff kick on love it

[@kawaii_princess_castle]

Very interestinggg!!! I have enjoyed this talk a lotttt!!!

[@tonibusega3092]

Thank you

[@HebertsWorld]

Yes, we are all "related." but what are the odds that life popped up in one place and we all followed? Seems likely that life would've formed in several places around the same time, based on conditions. Then we all followed from those, not that one. Love it!

[@patrickleahey4574]

it is really those who do not know animism who are superstitious fools.

[@sssgtgman]

lol

[@ProtoIndoEuropean88]

Absolutely, there was this day that I woke up with this idea that I wrote: "Animism is the belief that everything animated or inanimated contains a spirit inside of it In fact this is true, the objects sorrounding us that were built by human hands contain pieces of spiritual energy with them that react to our positive or negative energy, a link always exists. When an individual is in a certain room where he angers, sorrows, becomes depressive; he creates negative energy on that place, sometimes objects sorrounding that negative energy can react to it, many people misunderstand this with hauntings. A haunting is caused by a spiritual entity, be it a nature spirit or a spirit of the dead; when a person dies in a certain place, that place becomes haunted by that spirit if that spirit did not rest in peace; If that happens the objects and the area where the ghost is haunting it will have a different energy and its own environment. While negative or positive energies have similiar effects to haunting, they are different. Negative energies are usually temporary but can cause negative effects on other people with neutral energy, because this negative energy wants to be fed, so this negative energy spreads to other people and such people will react negatively to the negative energies, making the place with already negative energies stronger. Positive energies work the same way, they also want to be fed, but in a different contrast to the negative ones; positive energies are caused by constant happiness, laughter, love, etc, in which they will cause these effects on other people that go to such place. A person with already negative energies will not affect a place with very good positive energies, on the contrary; the negative person will be struck with good energies so much that it will start to have good energies himself. The same happens on the contrary when a positive person visits a negative place. In Animism it makes sense, the positive or negative energies that come out of actions from the living that took place in a certain area will create a link of spiritual energies bettween the organic and the object. A human created object comes from natural things: stone, wood, etc.. These natural things have their own spirit, when these things are broken to make an object, the spirit is also spread by pieces. So a human made object has pieces of its natural spirit, it is not the same as the spirit of the dead but its a spirit nonetheless." what do you think?

[@natashapolgar3642]

Patrick Leahey dvtjfbjuhbmi

[@devontecaples1993]

+The Aristocrat no

[@Muthrtung]

well well said!

[@meggiecoughlin8305]

This is why the tribes did things a little differently, because they worked and lived with what was around and near them - meaning it was provided for them!

[@tuathadesidhe1530]

Who does he mean when he says "indigenous" ? We are all indigenous to this world, we are all Animists by nature - irrelevant of how religions have brutally tried to sever our connection - it remains.

[@lauralemontree26]

He is so afraid no? I can literally feel his fear all the way through his talk, amazing he could give the talk despite the fear 🤔

[@boonieleblanc5385]

As an Animistic being this talk resonated with my experience and beliefs and the practices, loves, lusts,and desires of my Life, Heart, Body, Mind and Spirit.

[@marielaveau6362]

Before organized western and middle eastern religion arrived, most African nations practiced animism. Many still believe in it, like people in the Bozo village in Mali, but sadly most have forgotten or just abandoned what their ancestors taught them and have embraced Christianity and Islam.

[@jamestrueblood1990]

Same in Europe before the roman conquest and imposed Christianity kind of sad they think it’s something foreign now

[@Bill-wp4tw]

brilliant

[@danielnicholson25]

I experienced animism the first time I did mushrooms lol

[@mclarenf45]

In short biodiversity and respect of nature was practiced by foragers thousand of years ago as we now call it 'animism'.

[@valhoundmom]

umm, actually we can say for many that it is still practiced today, and even though we have a new word for it. this is not new and is probably the original faith path of the human species- we are all indigenous to earth after all. I am always surprised everyone does not understand this.

[@ricsta7660]

I developed a deeper understanding of animism through self learning of the Japanese language & the encompassing culture, belief systems, etc. The inspiration for this was my growing love of Music from, not only Japan, but all of East Asia. Oddly enough, this coincided with the History Channel series 'Ancient Aliens'. FYI Born and raised Roman Catholic, parents of Pomerania. Hence, 'Idol worship' was not uncommon. i.e. the Virgin Mary & Pope John Paul II, etc. Those items or areas, that were blessed by..., or visited by... , were indeed perceived to have 'spiritual' powers (perhaps similar to the Blarney Stone). But even more significant, was holding 'near & dear' objects from a deceased members of the family, and thereby experiencing... Once again I think it goes back to Shinto, where reverence for Family & Nature is only 2/3 of ... future existence (No Sun... no son... no Life). 'Relatively' equivalent to Many other systems of Belief, but without the 'Big Books' of conduct dictating 'every thought, action, & plan'. The truth is Many need such 'guidance'.

[@dylanjackson9410]

Excellent talk. I've been a fairy animist for some time, and this is a great talk on what it is. I experience the lord of winds, Bucca, I experience the spirit of night, Nicnevin.

[@ZenaMOBrien]

This is interesting. I'm not going to say I believe everything John Reid is saying but he definitely makes me think. What he says vaguely clicks with me on a deep level. Up to now I'd say I'm a panpsychist that believes in simpler worlds for other beings (e.g. an atom has a simple private world) but again the whole relating and personality thing is clicking with me for some reason.

[@gregorioblanco]

This is not about beliefs. You don't have to believe anything. He's trying to explain for the best part of the video that everything is about EXPERIENCING first hand. Don't be fooled by the "faith trap" like me not so long ago.

[@Crowareh]

I find it interesting but could use more details to compare help bring out the contrast of the two societies. Maybe I am wrong but that is what I see.

[@allstudentsdirections3309]

LONG LIVE ANIMIST RELIGION LONG LIVE HUMANITY

[@JanColdwater]

There SHOULDN'T BE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE WORDS KNOWING AND BELIEVING... It is why I am careful when using the word believe or belief. I don't want to deceive myself in putting my energy into believing something that I don't "KNOW"...

[@daveliu3234]

It's a shame because sometimes I can't control my impulse of break things then a while later I feel shitty

[@framesdeanthesunsetters3372]

So the Israelites survive on dignity for 40 years in the desert.... not being sarcastic, I can see that... I love learning and connected these dots. Thank you

[@visionlightlab6094]

Simple explanation: life in a basic organic form of proteins is created by electricity, water & minerals. This can be done in a laboratory. At what point in part of this process past present or future is it rational to draw a line & claim things are alive only on "this side" of the line?

[@yonihales9133]

Very long perfume commercial.

[@jokerquinn104]

Aristocrat...A gift you surely been bestowed...go out entighten....live long & prosper..🤔

[@jasonreynolds3903]

Animism @ 4:58

[@mooshei8165]

We still still practice animism🤷🏽‍♂️

[@pixie3760]

I call my pets "Fur People" 💜

[@khainruagneebyaaj1148]

hmong people our experts on aminism

[@heatherbrown1880]

tick..

[@nazareneoftheway3936]

Part of the soul in Egyptian belief was actually the body, an animistic concept.of there being no difference from the soul and the body.

[@dannymeske3821]

Thats why I name my cars! Usually female names

[@erikman9642]

I was promised spaghetti

[@steveboggan3232]

Delete comments?

[@pamelaott6187]

Great stuff till "commercialism" was introduced, doesn't seem appropriate for a TED talk. Could have been fabulous without that.

[@BrentKellyDoctorsCall]

This is not animism. This may be a western take on relating to experiences, but this is not animism.

[@onesendzeroes4800]

Brent Kelly that you would kind of expect from a western man trying to relate to animism

[@krzemyslav]

well... please explain why do you think it's not animism. it's not obvious and maybe I can learn something from you.

[@fourclaws]

A nice attempt of doing justice to animism, but it's unfortunate that the speaker decided to make it so patronizing. Animism is a social, material way of relating to the world, that is unfortunately dismissed as idealistic due to the sins and misinterpretations of classical anthropology (damn you, Tylor). Hopefully, we can all soon realize there exists more than one ontology, that of of modern, Western, post-Enlightement. An interesting revival of animism is now happening in Western philosophy of science and anthropology, too, check out Bruno Latour or Isabelle Stengers.

[@PCO231]

fourclaws mesivies definition is better

[@ntatemohlomi2884]

"Hopefully we can all soon realise there exists more than one ontology..." Ahh!

[@mooshei8165]

And china

[@khainruagneebyaaj1148]

animism

[@allstudentsdirections3309]

CHOTANAGPUR PLATEAU REGION INDIAN STATES LIKE JHADKHAND LARGELY PRACTICING ANIMIST RELIGION BY THE TOTEMIC KUDMI JANJATI KABILA TRIBE & ALSO OTHER TRIBE TO BELIEVE IN ANIMIST RELIGION

[@Jacobxiong613]

Not a fan that he profited from the indigenous culture. Did he take the proper precautions and give back?

[@user-hs6my7mt7b]

Animism: Spirit of the Dalai Lama in USA Suburbs saying "President Clinton," すみません, I missed D.T. :P Okay changed again.. just this.. so the Dalai Lama visits USA and he's like congrats on electing Clinton blah blah blah.. and people are so surprised.. but they just never correct him and start saying it themselves and so it becomes true, all because he never read the new he just knew what was true. I am the spirit of the Lama. Lol I am.. these situations are so bizarre.. my dad looks so much like him.. And I'm always meditating on making the emotions and thoughts wholesome and stuff, hehe. But seriously the message continues to be stop accepting what you know couldn't be true and be dominant in what needs to be. Not fighting against what you don't want but instead perceiving as present now what you want as if it's always been there. Like, wtf.. don't discriminate based on sense objects - the lama... I am just assumed to be as perfect as the Lama.. this is the path the Lama always goes. Rather than to be an emotional wreck. If it's good enough for Lama it's good enough for you

[@fantastic59]

There is a difference between ignorance and superstition. Superstition is a belief. Knowing is a result of belief. Knowing does not come to us in our genes. The difference between human [persons and dogs is that one has a personality and the other has a character distinct as a dog but not human. I wonder which species the presenter sees himself as belonging to?

[@auroranight6559]

You must never have owned a dog. No two dogs are the same. Each has likes and dislikes. Some are mellow, some are energetic. Some are quiet and some are loud. These are traits characteristic of a personality. Now dogs have commonalities but so do people.

[@jamestrueblood1990]

Christianized anglos learning something their ancestors knew thinking’s it’s something foreign 😆 before Christianity and capitalism were forced on Indo-Europeans they knew and practiced all of these things but it was all lost over time except for pockets like in Scandinavia. It’s not just foreign stop saying that people need to reclaim what was lost it’s within us all the society and culture you live in now is what is foreign lol but not to mock people “anybody can be indigenous” dear god we are all indigenous somewhere oh anglos 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@OfficialDavidBrookes]

A string of nonesense leaps of 'logic' and connections totally undermine this video. A mountain only metaphorically has a personality. We personify it - it is not a person. Indigenous groups might call a fish their cousin, but they don't necessarily know about the theory of evolution by natural selection that makes fish our 'cousins'. The speaker's extending the use of 'family' to the point if the word having no meaning. Our brothers and parents and cousins are our family, but the person down the street isn't a family member by usual definitions. The problem is that the speaker isn't using the language of animism, he's making his own connections. Yes, if we pollute a river and it doesn't produce fish for us to eat, then we're connected with the river. But that's not the same as an animist believing that the river literally has a spirit. An interesting video, but unfortunately a failure except as a metaphor for beliefs, not a justification/proof of those beliefs.

[@oojaa2]

A spirit expresses itself as behavior (=a set of pure or mixed strategies). (Complex, esp biological) systems often exhibit emergent behavior. Thus the question is not whether spirits of inanimate objects exist or not, but the question is whether it is useful to scientifically model a (inanimate or mixed) subsystem as having emergent behavior. Rivers and lakes and mountains and asteroids and planets do exhibit emergent behavior. Animism was a stone age science expressed in game-theoretic concepts. All models are wrong, but some are useful and some are more useful than some others.

[@stellareid7347]

It does though lol. That is what animism is

[@OfficialDavidBrookes]

You missed my point. A mountain doesn’t have a literal personality if you don’t actually believe in animism (nor in reality either, in my opinion and according to scientific consensus). He’s using animism as a concept to persuade people to change their mindset, not their spiritual or scientific beliefs. He’s not saying you have to believe in animism, but just to use it as a way of thinking about the way humans interact with the world differently. My point wasn’t that animism is untrue, but that that he doesn’t make a coherent argument in trying to use the concept to change people’s mindset. Clearer “lol”?

[@stellareid7347]

@@OfficialDavidBrookes I don't know how much you know about Maori culture but things such as rivers and mountains have 'wairua' which in English means spirit. In the specific culture he is talking about, they do have a spirit and this is the same in many other indigenous cultures. What is your personal experience with animism if you don't mind me asking? I believe it was presented in such a way as to explain it to people with no prior knowledge, therefore using the language of animism would not be appropriate. To be honest, it's not super clear to me what your point is😊

[@OfficialDavidBrookes]

Stella, the main intent of neither of my comments was to refute animism. Both of your replies suggest that’s what you thought I was doing. I think that’s why you’re confused.

[@javaleche1552]

you lost me at commercializing a sacred part of the land.

[@taojithben1386]

A fetus has a soul! And given a chance, will become a cute baby! Animism don’t practice abortion !!!

[@DrDorothyParker]

This guy is not the best speaker. This TED talk was hard to follow as well as boring. I understand the subject but it was poorly explained.

[@malikyasul4875]

THIS IS A TERRIBLE LECTURE ON ANIMISM.

[@aboubacaramine8689]

Booooooring... The best way to introduce animism to people is inviting them to an activity. Stupid western linear languages can't even dream to explain it. You just end up sounding like a mad man saying stupid things like dogs have personnalities hahaha!

[@chakacaca1372]

+Aboubacar Amine Nigga you cray

[@wezzuh2482]

western religion was animistic before christianity

[@damianmcintyre8012]

Technically dogs do have different personalities. Js 🤔

[@sloog9520]

Just wasted 3 minutes of my life before I got bored

[@llrockwell]

If you get bored by something you have subjected yourself to, I would suggest you are not only wasting your life on every possible level, but are also the source of your own boredom, too