A Life Cycle Ritual That Celebrates And Marks The Passage Into Death

In today’s society, the Native American culture is found only in reservations and is not well known. Portrayed as

The Chippewa Indians are one of the largest Native American groups in North America. There are approximately 150 different groups of Chippewa Native Americans. They can be found in states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Several of the Chippewa tribes can also be found in parts of Southern Canada. The majority of the Chippewas speak the English language. However, a large number of them also speak their native tongue, the Ojibway language. They are historically known for their crafting abilities, use of cowrie shells for trading, use of copper arrow points, and harvesting of wild rice. The Chippewa Indian canoe, made of birch bark, is recognized as being the finest in design and workmanship.

In our society today, culture is not what it used to be hundreds of years ago. There is no more “pure” culture. Our culture today is enriched with many different traditions and customs that are being shared and adopted. Due to emigration and immigration, a variety of diverse customs, beliefs, and knowledge moved with every exiting and entering human being. Thus, changing and shaping the culture of many. Throughout the world, the beliefs and religious views of culture are dissimilar around the world. By taking the time to read, listen and learn about certain people’s culture, there will be knowledge and understanding that will be gained.

Native American traditions as well as rituals may differ from tribe to tribe. This is because each tribe may have different religious and spiritual beliefs. Although this might be the case there are many common characteristics in Native American death rituals. One belief that is common among

The Ojibwa or known as the Chippewa in European are people of northeastern North America. The term Ojibwa is said to mean the puckered moccasin people or they say the French said the word meant pictograph. The Chippewa Indians mainly lived in the Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Michigan. There was 35,000 Ojibwa on the continent in the mid seventeenth century. They used the word Anishinabeg to describes themselves which means “original people.” The Ojibwa has its own cultural values like honesty, generosity, endurance, wisdom, and strength of character. All these values have been instilled through education and religious practice. The tribe has had ties with the French and even helped the French fight against the British in the French and Indian war. The French traders would even wed Chippewa women. The family was of great importance to the Ojibwa tribes.

Every culture has their own way of life, their own religious beliefs, their own marriage beliefs, their own values and feelings on life and the options it has to offer. Each culture has their own way to run things within their own government, and own way to keep their economy up to their standards. Also each culture and society have their own primary mode of subsistence that makes them unique. Among the Navajo culture their primary mode of subsistence are pastoralists.   Pastoralists have an impact on different aspects with in the culture.   The aspects that I will be discussing will be the Navajo’s beliefs and values, economic organization, gender relations and sickness and healing.

The Ottawa tribe and culture of the tribe is eminently fascinating and beautiful. The Ottawa tribe has a great deal of history behind it. The name “Ottawa” is originally spelled “Odawa” in their native language. The language that they speak is mostly English, but their native language is Ojibwa, which is related to Anishinaabe language. The tribe’s original homeland, according to bigorrin.org, is mostly in southern Ontario in Canada, which is where the name of “Ottawa” or “Odawa” came from, and Michigan. There are multiple Ottawa tribes, but there is one here in Manistee, Michigan, they are the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. There is a legion amount of people that are in the Little River Band that are exceedingly close to me. The Little River Band is full and rich in culture. “The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, a Michigan tribe that has survived to the present day despite the expansionist and assimilationist policies that nearly robbed it of its identity in the late nineteenth century”, explained James McClurken who published the book “Our People, Our Journey”. He then explains that they Little River Band was forced onto a reservation on the Pere Marquette and Manistee Rivers in 1858. The tribe was getting pushed and shoved around for countless years and their culture was disintegrating. In fact, my boyfriend, Andrew, his grandmother, Margaret Chandler, was a strong and tough working representative that helped and pushed the people of their tribe for over

The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American group in America today, and is the biggest Indian reservation in the United States. Situated in the northeastern part of Arizona and in the northwestern part of New Mexico, it is comprised of nearly ten million acres, or roughly fifteen thousand square miles. In this research paper the author will discuss at least three aspects of the Navajo culture that will include the kinship that the Navajo have with each other, the social structure within Navajo society, the economic organization that sustains the culture and their beliefs and values that

One of the most common ways of studying culture is to focus on the differences within and among cultures. Although their specifics may vary form one culture to another, sociologists refer to those elements or characteristics that can be found in every know society as cultural universals. For example, in all societies, funeral rites include expression of grief, disposing of the dead, and rituals that define the relations of the dead with the living. And on the most

The Native American culture is the original culture of the United States. Members of Native American tribes live throughout the country. “There are an estimated 4.9 million persons, in 565 federally recognized tribes who are classified as American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AI), alone or in combination with one or more other designated racial classifications. This demographic group compromises 1.6% of the U.S. population” (Horowitz, 2012). Wisconsin is home to the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), Ojibwa (Chippewa), and the Potawatomi tribes (“American”, 2014). It is important for nurses within this state, as well as any other state, to understand the Native American belief system in order to provide a quality healthcare experience. Nurses are the primary point of contact in the healthcare setting. Client advocacy is one of the nurse’s major roles. Therefore, the nurse should have the highest level of diversity understanding for the cultures within the local region.

The Lakota Indians, are sometimes known as the Sioux, but they call themselves the Lakota, which is translated as ‘friend’ or ‘ally’ in their native tongue. Their description of themselves make sense when looking at their seven virtues that they live by, “These are Wóčhekiye (Prayer), Wóohola (Respect), Wówauŋšila (Compassion), Wówičakȟe (Honesty), Wówačhaŋtognaka (Generosity), Wówaȟwala (Humility) and Wóksape (Wisdom) (“Lakota Today”). A culture’s idea of the most importance qualities a good person should have gives a good idea of what kind of people they are. The Lakota’s virtues all revolve around a general concept of respect for everything, compassion, humility, and honesty. These things can either refer to their fellow man, or

The Navajo, also known as the Diné, are one of the largest Native American Tribes in the world. Their culture is made up of very distinct and unique characteristics that have been passed down from generation to generation. They have been taught to adapt to their surroundings and to the land. Each moral, standard, belief and value are what make the Navajo so unique to the Native Americans. In the following, their primary mode of subsistence, kinship system, beliefs, values, and economic organizations will be briefly examined to gain a better knowledge of the Navajo culture.

The belief in kinship with creation is widely supported within most indigenous religions. In this way of thinking, there is more importance placed on the concept of “we” than there is on the concept of “I”. Here, the family or village is where strong emphasis lies. In many indigenous traditions, developing and maintaining a respectful relationship with spiritual energy is paramount. This concept doesn’t only apply to humans, but also, in many cases to the immediate natural environment as well. The oneness of the body and the land is vital. Many think of themselves as mere ‘caretakers’ of the earth, and nothing more, who has a duty to nurture and preserve it for future generations. Certain animals are seen as spiritual conduits, just as certain trees are seen to impart herbal healing secrets.

The world view of the Navajo who had lived for many centuries on the high Colorado Plateau was one of living in balance with all of nature, as the stewards of their vast homeland which covered parts of four modern states. They had no concept of religion as being something separate from living day to day and prayed to many spirits. It was also a matriarchal society and had no single powerful leader as their pastoral lifestyle living in scattered independent family groups require no such entity. This brought them repeatedly into conflict with Spanish, Mexicans and increasingly by the mid-nineteenth century, Americans as these practices were contrary to their male dominated religiously monolithic societal values. The long standing history

Today more than ever, individuals and societies are built as an integration of different cultures and carry different characteristics that construct their unique identity.