Native Americans Ways Can Be Super Spiritual

Many dances and ceremonies were performed in order to honor harvests (Keyworth 37). Along with honoring harvests, environmental concerns were the basis for the majority of ritualistic practices and dances (Hill 37). As for religious ceremonies, they were held in “circular…semi-underground buildings” (Burke 8). One tribe specific to California, the Chumas, praised wooden posts that represented a certain power or entity as mentioned in Through Indian Eyes (Walker 272).“[T]he Deer Dance” was another spiritual dance performed to emphasize power, birth, and the deer as an animal itself (Hill 38). “[T]he Brush Dance,” “the Jump Dance,” and “the Feather Dance” were also performed according to The Encyclopedia of North American Indians (Birchfield

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

I learned that the Sun Dance was the most important religious ceremony of many tribes in the 19th century and it occurred at the time of the Summer Solstice. It would last from four to eight days starting at sunset and then ending at sunset. I learned that everything they, do even when they start and end, has a reasoning behind it. The significance

Sun Dance is a highly sacred ceremony for many sects of Indigenous peoples in North America. The Sun Dance ceremony is practiced mainly within Plains tribes and has survived as a tradition for hundreds of years. The nations amongst which it was created include the seven tribes of the Lakota nation, the Blackfoot, the Cheyenne, and the Arapaho. Over time the ceremony spread to the southern Plains tribes, the Kiowa and Comanche, as well as the northern Plains peoples, such as the Crees of Saskatchewan and Sarcees of Alberta. Many others across the Plains region now practice Sun Dance, including the Ponca, Hidatsa, Ute, Ojibwa, Pawnee, and more. The original name derives from the Lakota term Wi wanyang wacipi, meaning “sun gazing dance.”

The Blackfoot Indian tribes held a major tribal ceremony in the summer, for which all the bands came together. It was called the Sun Dance. By engaging in the Sun Dance, their prayers would be carried up to the Creator, who would bless them with well being and abundance of buffalo. Other than the winter, when a few bands might join together for shelter, this was the only time the entire tribe came

Native American music has many different musical styles. Within every Native American tribe there is a variety of musical styles and instruments. In response to the research that I have conducted, there are three main musical styles that are going to be my point of focus. The Sioux Grass Dance, the Zuni Lullaby, and the Iroquois Quiver Dance are the principal methods which contribute to Native American music.      

There are three key patterns seen in most Native American religions they are the human relationship with nature, framing of time and space and respect for gods/ancestors. The human relationship with nature known as animism, everything is seen as part of the same reality and every object has a spirt, is a practice where there is little distinction between humans and animals. Time and space is sacred, cyclical,

Their sun dances would usually include other Indian tribes

However, this didn’t stop the Indigenous people from celebrating it. The circle dance is now seen as an expression of Indian militancy because of their desire to preserve their traditional ways. This religious ceremony was an attempt to reclaim their Aboriginal freedom (Lesser, 2009). The ceremony is still continued to be practiced today by some people as it has spread throughout other nations under different names. It’s now considered very important because it has given them hope and peace for a period of time in the past when they needed it

However, there were specific ways to get married for the Indians. There were also specific customs to when one were to get married. At the end of the book, Mari Sandoz explains the way the Indians added the Christian beliefs and symbols into their beliefs. Their most important worship was the Sun Dance. The Indians had two hundred years of contact with white men who carried the cross with

All of the tribes had powerful spiritual private prayers and sacrifices of valuable items. Then the entire community would have a good harvest. The Native Indian tribes included Shamanism, Animism, Totemism, Fetishism and ceremonies led by a Shaman, the center will be about hunting and animals. Theirs spirits that they inhabited were natural objects. There spirits would have been the sky, stars, sun, moon, rivers, lakes, mountains, forests, the animals, insects, fish, stones, flowers and birds.

In the history of Native American Music, is the major league of the "Sioux Nation" who are also known to be the first people. They were consisted of "7 different tribes" in the entire Great Plains. They took an advantage of the accessible "horses" which were mainly from "America". They know to be very "family-oriented warriors"(The Great Sioux Nation). It was the main reasons how they manage to be united together as a family. They followed a ritual that the men and women had a set roles which were given. The men usually would be protecting the lives of the family. They would "hunt" and have a war. Women basically would rule the "family life". People who represent the "Sioux" believe in "deeply spiritual". It represents by the dance and music. The "Sun Dance" which was believed to be the most valuable 'religious" used in the

Navajo traditions were orally passed on to younger generations from elders, and even other tribes that the navajos branched from. They formed a very distinct type of religion known as the Peyote religion. This religion was unconventional compared to other native american religions. Some of their rituals used in healing members of the tribe could last for days and even over a week. Every aspect of their life involved some type of religious ceremony. When it came to planting crops and harvesting they would pray, sing, and dance to the sun god named Tsohanoai for a bountiful year. Not all followed this religion once Christianity was shared with them. In more modern times between twenty and fifty percent now identify themselves as Christians. Another large part of their religion and beliefs are their healing ceremonies. “In 1941 an

Giving precise step-to-step on how to do everything after another step is completed. “Smudge yourself and place an object so that it faces one of the four directions. Turn and face each of the four directions, both standing and bowing. Shake your rattle above your head and below your waist in each direction. Blow tobacco smoke (or offer tobacco) above your head and below your waist to each direction. Say a prayer to each direction, above and below. Sing your song to each direction, above and below. Dance your power animal in each direction, above and below. Burn smudge towards each direction, above and below. Offer cornmeal to each direction, above and below.” For this ritual it explains detail by detail what they do and how they do it in order to get more energy for further use. They use a rattle to shake going up to the head and down towards the leg while they blow a smoke which is tobacco. They start to chant a prayer while singing and dancing. Kathy Weiser explains why the Native American does rituals. “Symbolic healing rituals and ceremonies were often held to bring participants into harmony with themselves, their tribe, and their environment. Ceremonies were used to help groups of people return to harmony.” It may last for days but it helped the people. It helps the person feel in harmony and feel cleansed.

When the topic of the beliefs of the Native American culture arises, most people have generally the same ideas about the culture’s beliefs: they are very strong. Being part Native American myself, from the Cherokee tribe, I was raised to know my culture pretty well and follow the same beliefs that they teach and follow. One thing f that my grandma, who is the great-granddaughter of a Cherokee Chief, instilled in me is the importance of my beliefs in God.