Similarities Between Hinduism And Native American Religions

All religions are similar in a manner, appreciating life, doing good, respecting others..etc yet they still have their differences, the differences that gives it, its uniqueness. And the person practising it, his individuality.

Native Americans do not explain their supernatural elements the same way other cultures do. Most other cultures try to talk about gods, or ghosts, or supernatural elements. Native Americans use nature and spirits to explain the supernatural elements. Native American myths instead rely on nature and spirits to tell the story, which reflects on their culture’s belief system. The Native Americans have many myths and folktales, and most of them share many common themes and archetypes with other cultures, myths ,and legends. Almost every Native American myth or piece of folklore revolves around nature and its power; while spirits are used mainly to explain the unexplainable parts. This characteristic is shown with spirits being important characters,

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

Between Native American Culture and the society we live in today, there are ample amounts of similarities between the two cultures. Some of the things we share in common are ceremonies, respect for animals and nature, good and bad competition and good and evil create a common world. “Coyote and the Buffalo”, “World on the Turtle’s Back”, and “Brother Bear” show us the many similarities we have with the Native Americans. For example we have just about the same respect for animals and nature as the Native Americans did. We also have ceremonies like church, wedding, funerals and much more. We are also in constant competition. It may may not be the same competition as the Native Americans but we are constantly fighting for our grades, our sports and sometimes our friend. It is not always good

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.

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,

African and Native American religions both share the polytheistic trait, meaning that both worship multiple god, goddesses, ancestors and other deities. The African and Native American religions share more common traits than they have differences. A common belief is that the High God is the creator whom is not used or appealed to on a regular use. Hopfe states that “The High God is appealed to rarely, perhaps only in an extreme emergency called upon on rare occasions or emergencies, and is seldom mentioned in religious conversation” (Hopfe pg 30). This pretty much goes for both religions when it comes to the High God. Another similar trait would be how these two religions High God is not always the same among the many different diverse groups

What was later known as the United States of America was home to six to ten million American Indians that were separated into hundreds of tribes. Each tribe had different values, cultural strains, and beliefs. Throughout the years there were government polices against the American Indians. According to the book Strangers to These Shores the author states that American Indians are poor in income, employment, and housing (Parrillo, 206).

The Native Americans had settled in the land years before the arrival of the Euro-Americans. Hundreds of Native American groups occupied the land, each tribe with its separate culture, language, and spiritual way-of-life. Despite the many differences, “there was also considerable interaction and dialogue among tribes about spiritual concepts. Through the common language of sign-talk, ideas could be shared and compared among Indian tribes including the spiritual concepts that are an intricate part of the Indian’s everyday experience” (Treat). The Native American culture was primarily oral. Almost all tribes believed in a cosmology or creation myth regarding how this world and the things inhabiting it came to be. Most native peoples worshiped an all-powerful, all-knowing “Master Spirit.” They also revered and placated a host of lesser spirits in hopes of receiving assistance in their daily interactions with the world around them. Often times shamans, who were believed to have supernatural powers through visions, were called upon to communicate and implore the spirits to ensure a good harvest, or victory in warfare, or healing, or interpreting dreams, or other matters of great

There are may religions in the world, but through out the different religions there are many crossovers and similarities. Mattie Stepanek said “It doesn't matter how you pray. Just pray. All religions are beautiful and they all have one common belief. There's something bigger and greater than us that can give us and take from us life. It is better than the here and now”. Religion itself means “a belief in and worship of a greater power” (dictionary.com). By people believing in any kind of religion, it means that similarities can start there. With so many religions having similarities, it might be hard to distinguish from certain religions from another. Religions like of African and Native Americans might not at first seem alike, but as you look deeper into their religions and see they have similarities. These similarities are attributed as beliefs, rituals, and history. Their growths and struggles might not have happened at the same time, but both religions are still celebrated today.

The Cherokee Indians believed strongly in their religion as well as the spiritual component. Therefore, this tribe practices several religious rituals to demonstrate their beliefs

If this knowledge is not reaching western citizens through the Christianity, it will be necessary to find it somewhere else. While traditional religions almost always can offer a cosmology that connects man and nature, Native American spirituality may be very accessible to a society that is increasingly interested in environmental concerns but does not have a firm and direct qualitative relationship with the natural world.

Native Americans believe in the Great Spirit, which is also known as the Supreme Being or creator of life. One of the major ceremonies I would like to take a closer look on it is the Sun Dance. The Sun Dance ceremony has been practiced by Indigenous people from North America, including Canada. I learned that it is primarily in the plains culture. The commonly know is the Lakota Sun Dance.

The Native American Religion is based off of nature. Many Native Americans believe in a Great Spirit who powers all aspects of life. This spirit, they believe, makes its presence known through nature; plants and animals. Performing various rituals, ceremonies, and prayers, the Native American people focus most of their worship on important points of the agricultural and hunting seasons. Many of their prayers are offered in song and dance form (Spielvogel) . One very well-known ceremony of the Native American people is the Sun Dance. The Sun Dance is practiced by many tribes, even today, as a prayer for life. It is much like the Native American’s Thanksgiving. Many people may dance to pray for a relative or friend, or to determine their place in the world, but it is their

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