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Native American Pipe Ceremony Essay

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The Pipe Ceremony is used for many different rituals and is used throughout many different tribes. Most of the rituals pertain to the Native American’s spiritual beliefs/religion, although some are for other purposes. The Pipe Ceremony is of great importance to the Native American culture and the pipes used are considered to be sacred items. Every aspect of the ceremony down to the way the pipe itself is designed hold significance for these cultures. There are different pipes for different ceremonies. The pipes also may be called by different names throughout the different tribes. The substance used in the pipe is dependent upon the type of ceremony for which it is being used. One needs to understand some of the basic religious beliefs of the Native American culture in order to understand some of the references made in a pipe ceremony with their ritual actions. Native American spirituality was born out of what they considered their agreement with god, which they refer to as the Great Spirit or the Creator. Native Americans believe that the Creator gave them the land; this places great importance upon the land and all things from it or on it such as plants, animals, and other things. …show more content…

The pipe ceremony itself is considered a sacred ritual and is believed to act as a portal that will connect the two different worlds of those involved in the ceremony. According to White Deer of Autumn, “Nothing is more sacred. The pipe is our prayers in physical form”. The Pipe Ceremony begins in the same manner with every tribe. The pipe is assembled while being held in a specific hand and position which is a sacred event itself. The Pipe Ceremony summons the energies as well as the Creator and brings about the bond between the two worlds which is not to be broken. Tobacco is then loaded into the pipe as those participating in the ceremony sit in a

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