Editing Animism (section)

=== Non-human animals ===
Animism entails the belief that all living things have a soul, and thus, a central concern of animist thought surrounds how animals can be eaten, or otherwise used for humans' subsistence needs.{{sfn|Harvey|2005|p=99}} The actions of non-human animals are viewed as "intentional, planned and purposive",{{sfn|Harvey|2005|p=101}} and they are understood to be persons, as they are both alive, and communicate with others.{{sfn|Harvey|2005|p=100}}

In animist worldviews, non-human animals are understood to participate in [[kinship]] systems and ceremonies with humans, as well as having their own kinship systems and ceremonies.{{sfn|Harvey|2005|p=102}} [[Graham Harvey (religious studies scholar)|Graham Harvey]] cited an example of an animist understanding of animal behavior that occurred at a [[Pow wow|powwow]] held by the [[Conne River]] [[Miꞌkmaq|Mi'kmaq]] in 1996; an eagle flew over the proceedings, circling over the central drum group. The assembled participants called out {{Lang|mic|kitpu}} ('eagle'), conveying welcome to the bird and expressing pleasure at its beauty, and they later articulated the view that the eagle's actions reflected its approval of the event, and the Mi'kmaq's return to traditional spiritual practices.{{sfn|Harvey|2005|pp=102–103}}

In animism, rituals are performed to maintain relationships between humans and spirits. Indigenous peoples often perform these rituals to appease the spirits and request their assistance during activities such as hunting and healing. In the [[Arctic]] region, certain rituals are common before the hunt as a means to show respect for the spirits of animals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Koto |first=Koray |date=2023-04-05 |title=Animism in Anthropological and Psychological Contexts |url=https://ulukayin.org/animism-in-anthropological-and-psychological-contexts/ |access-date=2023-04-08 |website=ULUKAYIN English |language=en-US}}</ref>