Is Peyote A Spirit, And A Gift From God Who They Call The Great Spirit?

For many tribes of Plains Indians whose bison-hunting culture flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries, the sun dance was the major communal religious ceremony . . . the rite celebrates renewal - the spiritual rebirth of participants and their relatives as well as the regeneration of the living earth with all its components . . . The ritual, involving sacrifice and supplication to insure harmony between all living beings, continues to be practiced by many contemporary native Americans. -Elizabeth Atwood LawrenceAs the most important ritual of the nomadic Plains Indians, the Sun Dance in itself presents many ideas, beliefs, and values of these cultures. Through its rich symbolism and complicated rituals we are able to catch a glimpse

Both religions take part in some kind of ritual for the gods. In Hinduism, people preform pujas to worship the gods with burned incense and lamps that are lit. People use small objects to represent the gods and they are called murtis. Pujas can be done in the home and in Hindu temples. When pujas are performed at home food called Prasad is offered to the gods, but in temples the food is passed out after the puja to the devotees and is blessed. However, in Native American religions people use dance as a way to contact the Spirit World. During these dances, people will play sacred flutes and beat on drums that are made of deer skin. Rituals are also performed

Within many known religions, the devotional practices has been known to acquire great importance. The essence of practicing what you preach has scolded many religious groups, introducing true beliefs, righteousness, and a wider connection to the supreme being . In the book entitled “ Living religions” by Mary Pat Fisher, clarified and firm descriptions were introduced about religious rituals. Surprisingly; the author utilized small parts of modern concepts, limiting the reader from a full comprehension of religious practices today, therefore; I will only discuss the basic and traditional rituals. To elaborate; in this paper, I will be providing an opinionated but also, comparative description of the major practices and rituals that undergo in both the Abrahamic and indigenous religions.

Although, the ritual has been passed on from generation to generation, how the Navajo rituals are ways of communication has been questioned by so many. Many believe that it way for the patient to come into “…harmony…

When most western people think about Native American or African religions there is a certain stigma that comes with the topic. This is in part because there is a lot of misinformation in the world about Native American and African religions. When most westerners think of African religions they think of voodoo and black magic. Likewise, the view of Native American religions is still looked at through the lens of the pilgrims who wrote about Native Americans as being savages and less than human. These stereotypes were all formed from a lack of accurate information. African and Native American religions are very similar. It is difficult to find a lot of accurate information on African and Native American indigenous religions because of the lack of written history but there is a lot of oral history that has been passed down from generation to generation. From this information, it is clear that Native American and African religions have many more similarities than they do differences. Three of these similarities will be discussed in this paper. The first topic of discussion is the similarity between African and Native American people when it comes to their perception of the spirit world. Following this topic are the similarities between Native American and African views on the afterlife and finally, the diversity of beliefs within African and Native American religions.

One of the rituals was the Death Ceremony. “Native Americans celebrated death, knowing that it was an end to life on Earth, but, believing it to be the start of life in the Spirit World” (“Native…”). This ceremony was preformed to make sure that their soul would not star and roam the earth. The different tribes did different things in these rituals, some gave the dead food or herbs. Others may give gifts to make sure the trip to the afterlife was safe. They would also dress them in traditional clothes and wash them with yucca suds and putting prayer feathers that were tied around the forehead and then they were buried with some of their favorite things. Another ritual was the healing ritual which were often held to bring people to harmony within themselves. There are some differences from tribe to tribe in what they do in the ritual but some would sing and dance and it could last for days and others would use the medicine wheel and a hoop that was sacred to

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

Ceremonies and rituals are critical to the Native American culture. This culture also considers these rituals as a part of their religion. When referring to religion it’s not the same as the way

Quanah Parker, the credited founder of the Native American Church, adopted the peyote religion after he suffered a near death experience fighting federal troops. He claims that Jesus Christ came to him and told him that he needed to take the peyote religion to the Indian Peoples to atone for his many killings and misdeeds (Toquerville). The establishment of the Native American Church allowed the use of peyote for religious uses and for many it provided a powerful alternative to both ancient tribal religions and missionary-controlled versions of Christianity which caused it spread like wildfire across tribes (Fikes). Faced with the suppression of many traditional rituals from the US Government, many Native Americans took solace in peyote ceremonies because they took place quietly and they were protected under the law (Toquerville). It was not just Native Americans that took part in these ceremonies. In 1956, Saskatoon Star Phoenix featured an article in which white men experienced peyote rites and one of the observers remarked that peyote ceremonies offer a tremendous religious experience that intensify the awareness of God. He also said that they provide an enormous cohesive force for the American Indian when they have had nothing to unify behind in a long time (Dyck).

More than simply a guide to personal spiritual development, Santeria is a social religion. Reminiscent of the Yoruba emphasis on family relationships and the importance of respecting and communicating with ancestors, but more directly imitative of the bonds forged in Cuba’s Cabildo Africano Lucumi that were based on initiation rather than kinship, the modern practice of Santeria in the US is based around the Ile, the community of believers. The santero/a who leads an initiate into the faith becomes the godfather or godmother to the new member, who joins the godparent’s Ile. A system of hierarchy exists within the Ile based on how long ago members were initiated. The Ile gathers together for festivals and to celebrate new initiations into the religious community.

Also it should be noted that depending on the tribe or group leader, elements of Christianity figure prominently through the ceremony (www. peyote. net). The majority of the peyotism practiced in the United States can be identified with the Native American Church (NAC). There are many divisions of the NAC, and each chapter is composed of several auxiliary chapters or moons, Each chapter has officers who are trained to carry out the various tasks associated with the peyote ceremony. The most prominent position is that of Road Chief who is responsible for governing the main elements of the meeting as well as leading the participants down "The Peyote Road" or the way of learning to live life well (www.peyote.net), There are other offices held in the ceremony such as Cedar Man, Fire Man, Drum Man, and Earth Mother, and while many chapters have their own variances of the ceremony, many share common ceremonial elements along with the adherence to the practice of avoiding alcohol, devotion to family, and general moral living (www.peyote.net).

These peyote rituals later became associated with the Native American Church (NAC). There are various divisions of the NAC, with each chapter having specific officers or personnel dedicated to carrying out the ritualistic processes. The most prominent position is the Road Chief, whom of which is responsible for leading the main elements of the meeting as well as directing participants down “the peyote road,” or a way of living life well. Other positions within the church include Fire Man, Cedar Man, and Earth Mother. While each chapter is different, most of them adopt similar ceremonial elements, which include: the avoidance of alcohol, devotion to family and general moral living (Majchrzak).

Another characteristic of an indigenous religion deals with the emphasis placed on the spiritual specialists. The general consensus is that anyone can have personal or direct access to spirits or that which is unseen, yet felt (democratized shamanism). There is no special requirement in most indigenous systems that stipulate ‘who’ can commune or interact with spirits, however, as a general rule, many feel that it is best to leave interactions with spirits to those that have been taught or trained through ritual or purification of some sort. Most indigenous religions are not written down, but based on oral

In 1918, the original Native American Church compare their set of moral beliefs to Christianity stating, “Christian religion with the practice of peyote sacrament.” Extremely similar in values, peyote religion was founded upon ideas of peace, charity, responsibility, integrity, hard work, and

* Does the ritual change the social status of some of the participants? Is it a rite of passage?