Sky's Acceptance In Native American Traditions

The author ‘s intend in this document is to show that Native Americans really struggled with challenges once upon time in US. In addition, the author emphasis that Native Americans had faith in religion, they believed that they can talk to God and to the once that passed away before them through ghost dancing.

Native Americans lost their culture once the Spanish made them a part of the mission system. Before European arrival, they were predominantly pagan and had multiple gods or spirits which they worshipped as part of their rituals for successful harvest or hunt. Through the mission system, they underwent baptism through Catholicism and learned to worship only one supreme being and

The Lakota Indians, another name for the Western Sioux tribe, were true lovers of Nature and lived true to the land, believing it was sacred. The Lakota’s adamantly placed nature at the center of their religious beliefs, incorporating it throughout their life. They placed importance on nature seen as early as childhood education, which stayed with each individual until they joined with the soil once more at death. In an article on the Lakota’s religious traditions, it is explained that the tribe of Western Sioux Indians aligned their lives and religious traditions and ceremonies around nature (William 5295). In Standing Bear’s “Nature”, the meaning of the Lakota religion personifies nature and earth. Standing Bear’s literature speaks as if Mother Nature acted as a true maternal influence upon the lives of the Western Sioux tribe. Standing Bear writes, “Wherever the Lakota went, he was with Mother Earth. No matter where he roamed by day or slept by night, he was safe with her.” (Finch 327). Nature shaped the Lakota’s; the teachings that came forth from nature guided the tribe throughout life. They lived upon the soil, walked on the sacred earth, and were healed, soothed, strengthened, and cleansed by the power of Mother Nature. Luther Standing Bear personifies Earth, giving it life-giving forces and medicinal powers, very similar to that of an actual mother of flesh and blood. The Western Sioux tribe had nothing but respect and love for all things born from Mother Nature: animals, plants, even the wind, rain, and lightening. Standing Bear explains, “The character of the Indian’s emotion left little room in his heart for antagonism toward his fellow creatures, this attitude giving him what is sometimes

The next challenge that he discovers was the difficulties in being trapped in the middle of two different cultures. His Indian belief of worshiping the nature spirits differed greatly from the White culture in school and in the military, which gave scientific reasoning and claimed that the Indian belief was based on superstitions. Native American culture worships animals, plants, the sun, rain, and wind due to their beliefs and the explanations they learned from their ancestors.

The American Indians have a complex religious and spiritual belief system. Indian cultures and tribes place a lot of value in their spiritual beliefs which differ from that of western society’s beliefs. The Cherokee and Cheyenne had a unique look on life, from how they perceived sin, to their idea of creation story, to spirits and marriage. Their view on these topics and their world view differs from western societies which makes them unique and interesting, like the idea of creation in Indian Culture. Every culture as a creation story of some kind, American Indian’s is quite complex, but logical.

Spirit God and Higher Spirit are the names that the Native Americans

Most of the natives were polytheistic, believing in multiple gods or entities. Often smaller villages had less developed belief system, while some larger societies in the south, such as the Mayans or Aztecs, had vast temples and pyramids devoted to their gods. Some groups even practiced human sacrifice, “The Aztecs also sought favor of their gods by offering human sacrifice...” (6) The practice of human sacrifice may have only developed in larger societies that could afford it. Nonetheless most smaller villages and tribes in the north believed more predominantly in spirits and the holiness of life, “They [Native Americans] revered the physical world and endowed nature with spiritual properties.” (10) Although Native Americans had their differences, the belief in greater powers was predominant among

(Americanindianoriginals) The Sioux Indian religious beliefs center around Wakan Tanka, their god and creator of all things. They were also a very spiritual group and believed that all things have spirits. Seven main spiritual ceremonies were held each year and were a very important part of Sioux culture These were known as powwows. (Brittanica.com) .

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.

Sacred power (pg 16): Native Americans believed in spiritual powers and the natural world. Spiritual power for men were hunting and war.

The Apache believed that there were once supernatural beings that lived with people. They would bathe in a lake to cleanse the spirit. The quote show how the Apache believed that they were blood relatives with Mother Nature and they also believed they were the mountains, the trees, rocks and the wind. Today they still believe that spirits live with humans in certain mountains and realms in underground places in which they own. Thomas Mails, the author of The People Called Apache, describes the story of Child of the Water.

I have learned a lot about the native Americans in this unit. I didn't know that they were so advanced at their time. For example, I didn't know that they had their own social class (intext). Also, they had their own homes that they lived in. The Athabascans had two different types of houses, one is a summer house where the house is made of out birch bark and bush and another is a winter house made out of caribou or moose skin (intext). Also, the Athabaskans believed in spirit animals (intext). Their religion states that anything living or non-living has a spirit. If the spirit is displeased it will bring bad luck to that native. So basically, the natives have a set of rules to follow in order to please the spirit. That is true for most of the tribes (intext).

The Native Americans leaders differed because all four of them had different approaches in society. Red Cloud went in for a political approach, meaning he disagreed with having people enter into his land without his permission and he doesn’t like the idea of the government taking its land leaving them moving to another reservation or stranded nowhere to live and it’s harder for them to find food now because the buffalos have been massacred. Quanah Parker went for the adapt or die approach meaning he convinced his people to accept assimilation/Americanization he told them to speak English and don’t practice their Native American culture he told them to adopt to the farming method. Chief Seattle came from a social approach he was hurt from the

Native Americans believe Animism - the belief that the universe and the objects within it have souls and spirits. According to most Native American cultures, Power Animals are the embodies or conveys some sort of influence on a person with the traits and characteristics of the animal associated with them. It is believed that everything is alive and also possess strengths, power and wisdom. These animals are a person’s connection to life, character, and power. They are seen as guides who are found in dreams - Vision Quests. They walk through life with a person while teaching them, guiding them, and sometimes protecting them. The Power Animals include: the armadillo, the

According to Fiero (2011), they stablished harmony, unity, tranquility, compassion and spiritual insight (p.72). Ancient Indians practiced Hinduism and in addition to embracing the natural principles of the universe, they also worshipped multiple deities that provided them guidance. Cartwright (2013) explains that there has been speculation that the ancient Americans believed in natural principles involving the sky, earth and the underworld. They may have also worshipped multiple deities, have established a priesthood, practiced sacrifices, offerings and rituals in honor of the