Why Are Indigenous Religions Still Considered Indigenous?

Upon reading this chapter I was intrigued. How have these indigenous religions survived hundreds of thousands of years with little to no written text? I understand that most of their teachings were passed down orally or from some form of pictures. However, I cannot help but wonder if maybe parts of the religions were changed along the way. These indigenous religions are usually found in remote parts of the world with almost no access to technology. With that being said, how did we come to know so much about them? The customs, beliefs and ways of the people to which each religion belongs has been revealed to the world; not by the people themselves, but by those that have stumbled upon them. In most cases the outsider has no knowledge of the native language. How do we know the
information the outsider translates to us is the way of the people and not an assumption or what he/she interprets it to be? There is no real way of knowing. Here and now with such easy access to information beyond books such as video we are able to experience and learn more about those religions.
Even deciding to practice them here in our technologically advanced regions. When we do that is the religion still considered indigenous? I see these religions as original, uninfluenced by modern society. They seem to be focused on spirits and nature intertwined. The people in my opinion most likely worship all living things in a sense or see the major elements as deities because they want to live in harmony with the universe. Experiences in nature they cannot explain, are viewed as the work of a higher power. I believe they try to please these spirits to maintain a balance and keep them from getting angry. Some examples of these rituals include sacrifice, dance, food and journey. The book “Experiencing the World’s Religions”, Molloy speaks about traditional Hawaiian religion having multiple Gods and Goddesses at represented various elements of the world and universe such as fire or sky. Each deity had its own story and lesson one could learn from them. The people of Hawaii seemed exceedingly invested in their religion, building temples and
manifesting sacred objects. I assumed having such a deeply rooted religion that has been around for thousands of years would make it to change. The book mentions outsiders coming to the land with Christianity, then all of a sudden the religion is now altered. This shows me religions can be influenced. Although, the Hawaiians kept their many Gods, they now say that those deities came from a one true God. It is as though they took the information the Christians brought them and found a way to make it work within their own teachings. I strongly believe we can preserve the original religions by observing them from afar. However, if we do that we will learn nothing about them first hand. Maybe religions are meant to be tested, shared or changed. When a person learns about someone else’s beliefs their faith is tested. They will either gain a deeper understanding of that person’s religion, start questioning their own religion or change religions all together. Indigenous religions tend to change when their environment is disrupted or they start to interact with different people outside of their culture. Above all these religions are very unique but in the coming years I am not sure how many will remain active; unchanged.