The Mythology And Culture Of The Native American Indians

Identity in Native America is directly associated with culture and language. As a result, some of the issues today which are important in shaping the identity of modern Native Americans include: representations of native people by the media in sports and popular culture; how indigenous languages are being revitalized and maintained; and identity reclamation. The Native American lifestyle has changed significantly during the last half of the 20th century and that is because views on the Native people have drastically changed over time. They have had many hardships that have greatly impacted their culture over the past few centuries leading up to today.

Have you ever wonder how the world was created from another culture’s perspective? Native Americans used creation myths to explained to their people how the world was developed overtime. Creation myths are a big part of the Native American culture. they have been passed down from generation to generation. In the creation myths, harmony with nature, rituals, and strong social values are shown in each myths. The purpose of having strong social value in these myths is to teach younger Native Americans valuable lesson if they ever do something bad. These myths reveals how the rituals were created and their intentions for doing it. Creation myths has harmony with nature in it to show a very close kinship between them

As humans we always ask ourselves some three questions about us. Who are we? Why are we here? And why should we continue to live in this place? We come to these origin tales and myths for answers to these questions. In the Native American myths “The Walam Olum” and “The World on Turtles Back” it clearly shows just how the Native American tribes started there, and should continue to live at the places they started at.

Native American culture originated in some parts North America. These countries are known as the United States of America and some parts of Canada. In the United States, there are 6.6 million Native Americans, which form about 2.0 percent of the population (Bureau, 2016). Europe had realized there were about 50 million people already living the “new world” and these people were called Native Americans. Native Americans were originally called Indians, but later through history they formed a new name. These people were called this because of them being native to the “new world” and the American part came after the colonist named the United States. Throughout history, Native Americans believed that using raw material in nature was the best way to provide for their people. Their culture thought no part of an animal should go to waste. They would eat the meat, use the skin for clothing, and make jewelry from the bones. Over the years a lot of their culture and customs were lost due to conforming with society. Their languages were referred to as “Indigenous Languages” because of them being extremely complicated and diverse. Some important factors that help understand the foundation of Native American culture are their rituals/practices, death ceremonies, holidays, family, and stereotypes.

Culture, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is stated as “The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief and behavior that dpends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. The customary beliefs, social forms and material traits of a racial, religious or social group. The set shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterizes an institution or organization. The set of values, conventions or social practices associated with a particular field, activity or societal characteristic.” Of these four definitions, I shall be focusing on the second one to discuss what makes up the culture of American Indians.The culture of the various tribes that made up the Native Americans is one of close knit families, highlyspiritual peoples and living together as one with the land they lived on. They believed in spirits, worshiping and honoring them. Some settled into single locations while others were nomadic, but all had a focus on working with the land around them. Because there are so many varying tribes that make up Native

Every country and nation has they own special festivals and music, and Native American is no exception. First, the native music related many aspects such as ritual, life and work. They like to combine music with dance, and the Native American music always created rich percussion instruments. For example, the hand drum, log drum, water drum and rattle, etc. Powwow is an important festival and ritual for the Native American, and it is a symbol for the tradition culture of Native Indians. Powwow, is a social gathering by the Native American tribes, and they singing and dancing. Powwow is not only a method that the Native American expresses the enthusiasm of the life and peace, but also enhances the sense of identity and cohesion. Hence,

Surrounded by the crackling fire and enchanted nature of North America Native Americans told legends of early human existence, vital to their flourishing community. Among the various forms of these tales were the myth, which embodied the culture, spiritual foundation, and beliefs of many early Native American tribes. Although their myths are not told today they are still remembered and analyzed for the historical insight they provide and convey. Native American myths enabled their society to understand their relationship with the world, as well as being the fundamental attribution of their existence.

Native American culture is particularly distinct and different from the European American culture that most people are aware of that live in the United States or elsewhere. Discernible aspects of the Native American cultural group include a modified nursing assessment of a client of this culture, common health problems, biomedical explanations for illnesses, medical or herbal remedies used, religious beliefs and social norms, and traditional foods most common of this cultural group. Having an understanding, and respect to some degree, of the Native Americans and their ways of life, will facilitate a superior health care experience for the client, and promote a therapeutic relationship between the client and the nurse.

The Navajo nation keeps the skin walker myth alive through artistic work, such as Navajo jewelry and art. These Navajo myths always have a connection to the sacred land of the Four Corners region in the American Southwest. Because it is believed that skin walkers wear the skins of the animals they transform into, it is considered taboo to wear the pelt of any animal. In fact, the Navajo are only known to wear two hides, sheepskin and buckskin, both of which are only used for ceremonial purposes. The Navajo people have a very strong emotional bond with the Earth and the plant and animal kingdoms that are so much a part of their everyday lives.[citation needed] Certain animals are more sacred to some individuals, families and tribes. They believe

All humans are interested in their origins and trying to account for their existence through creation stories. Native Americans tribes are no different from the rest of humanity. The tribes’ stories explain how people came into existence, how they came to be live on the lands they do and the how people interact with nature and each other. These trends can be seen in the legends of three tribes hailing from New England to the Great Lakes Region.

As we speak and history verifies the very fact of the long-standing planning practices of American Indian that had enabled them to survive through every hurdle placed in the way. Although many Native American societies didn’t have a written language, many tribes were advanced enough and had written history or organized spiritual ceremonies and practices. Many tribes were destroyed and others moved far away from their ancestral home. Since the origin, and till now, American Indians have been able to make their way through each obstacle presented to them. Native Americans, for them most part, respect the unique differences among people. Native American express this by staying out of others’ affairs and verbalizing personal thoughts or opinions only when asked. It is common courtesy and is expected by many Native Americans as an expression of mutual respect. Their worldview can never be one in any case except when it comes to their love of the earth. Their belief about the world is circular where human, animal and nature work together to make reforms and to live peacefully. They have been living with all the things they have and without differentiating between human and animals. The arrival of Europeans created a havoc but with the passage of time, it started cooling down and in agreement with the new worldview they have begun understanding the situation. But the environmental justice is something which they are striving for and have been striving on their own which can be

Long before the white man “discovered” America, people have already been living here. These people are known as the Native Americans. As the settlers came to the native land, they brought firm beliefs with them that ended up causing great conflicts with the native people. It was clear that the travelers and the native people could not live among one another since the native people has their own set of values and they were much different than the white man’s beliefs. Traditional Lakota spirituality is a form of religious belief that each thing, plant and animal has a spirit.

The Native American tribes’ culture has been affected as a result of the change in a climate whereby most of the refined foods are not consumed by the modern and the manufactured foods. The Native Americans of the American Indian, Alaska and the Bannock tribes face unique challenges whereby their native foods are no more due to the destruction of their cultural practices, and people have turned into taking the modern food (Marry, 2016).

Throughout history, and all over the world, mythology has been developed as a way of explaining the unknown and coping with one’s existence. Why does the sun shine? Well, seemingly, to generations past, something is controlling the universe, so there must be a god in charge of the sun and many other natural phenomenon. During the creation of Native American myths, “there was much in the way of free-range food, but hunting wasn't as easy as getting up in the morning, taking a stroll and shooting a few passing bison with your bow” (Godchecker). Times were tough, “even Plains societies who lived off the prolific buffalo fell under the threat of starvation at times” (Godchecker). Finally, “when herds were found, the people were grateful and

I was born and grew up in Vietnam. I came to understand American Indian first in middle school through the history class. I was taught about America history through the general lessons, so my memory about American Indians is not much. I thought that they had the darken skins, painted bodies. In addition, they communicated with each other in their own language; they lived by hunting and farming. Moreover, American Indians were known as aboriginal people and they divided into many tribes with different races.