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Dimensions of indigenous religions
Native american culture and spirituality
Native american culture and spirituality
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Other prophets have preached peace to less effect. One notorious example is the Ghost Dance religion of the Paiute prophet Jack Wilson (Wovoka). Jack Wilson's people are the Tovusi-dokado, a Numa group speaking Paiute and living along Walker River in western Nevada. They aboriginally ate bulbs of a local grass, tovusi, which gave them their name, and other plant foods, especially pine nuts, plus fish, rabbits, fowl, antelope, and deer. They were nomadic, building small round houses of tule reed thatch, they wore little clothing, and they are noted for their fine basketry. They cooperated in harvesting pine nuts and in driving antelope, ducks, mudhens, rabbits, and fish into nets or blinds; but they had no hierarchical governance structure and
To begin with, Quapaw’s and Osage tribes had a close resemblance in what language they spoke. Their religion was very similar as well, they both believed in a supernatural being (Wakondah) created the world before they arrived from the womb of the earth to live among it. Their interpretations were slightly different though. Quapaw’s believed the sun, moon, thunder, and animals had supernatural tendencies and spiritual gifts.
The Tohono O’odham tribe has been weaving baskets for at least 2000 years. Although the reason for weaving has changed through the years the Tohono O’odham are still using the same weaving styles as their ancestors. Basket weaving for the Tohono O’odham has gone from an everyday essential to a prestigious art form. Basket weaving for the Tohono O’odham represents an active way of preserving their culture, valuing traditions, and creating bonding ties within the tribe; consequently weaving has transcended into an economic resource.
The governmental leaders of the United States of America began implementing Indian policies from its inception. As Euro-Americans they expected all non-whites in the U.S. to assimilate into a Euro-American (Christian) lifestyle, without reciprocation or sympathy to the traditions and history of our native people. Our founding fathers and subsequent leaders of the United States at varying times have used suppression, segregation, aggression, and assimilation to manage what they perceived as an Indian problem, and civilize them. The native peoples of North America have responded to these actions by, at times, complying with the U.S. government and allowing themselves to be relocated to other areas of the country leaving behind their ancestral
Of Water and the Spirit is more than simply an account of Malidoma's life and initiation, it is a detailed description of the worldview of a Dagara man, who is forcibly subjected to traditional Western thought for fifteen years and then returns to his home physically, at first, but spiritually only once he goes through initiation, or what the Dagara call the Baar. Malidoma's recount of his story, being very similar to the storytelling of an African Griot, uses amazing imagery that allows the listener to sincerely experience his thoughts and actions and the things he sees, hears, and feels throughout his early life up to now.
Loftin, John D., and John D. Loftin. Religion and Hopi Life. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2003.
The religion of the Ghost Dance started with a man named Wovoka. On January 1, 1889, he had a ‘vision’ during a solar eclipse in Nevada (Peterson 27). It brought a message of hope to the oppressed Indians of only the Indians living. The Indians called Wovoka the ‘Messiah’ (“The Ghost Dance” par. 1) and it was believed that he would bring a “day of deliverance” (Phillips 16) to the Indians. The messiah was said to return to the earth so that all the white men would vanish and the buffalo and their ancestors would return (Peterson 27). Wovoka’s vision was that:
“It has often been said that the North American Indians ‘dance out’ their religions” (Vecsey 51). There were two very important dances for the Sioux tribe, the Sun Dance and the Ghost Dance. Both dances show the nature of Native American spirituality. The Ghost Dance and the Sun Dance were two very different dances, however both promote a sense of community.
Ponijao was from Namibia. His Namibian community was very close knit. They lived in the desert, and the women in the community sat around most of the day breastfeeding, doing each other’s hair, talking, and taking care of each other’s children. The babies in the tribe spent most of their time outside interacting with nature. They played with anything they could find, ranging from sticks to rocks
Dancing holds a special thing that require passion and other skills. Wovoka, also called Jack Wilson is the leader of the "ghost dance". He is an American religious leader from the Paiute Indian tribe (Nevada). This dance came after a personal spiritual vison that Wovoka had. It was an answer to the trouble that native Americans and Indians faced by the united state government. James Money, an ethnologist, was the one who investigate on this dance in 1891 and then obtained a copy of the Wovoka's message called "the messiah letter". Wovoka in this letter is bringing Christianity combining with native American culture. The message claims
Spirited Away is an animated film by director Hayao Miyazaki that is to date the largest grossing film in Japan’s history. Critically acclaimed and lauded worldwide, the movie’s story line is heavily dependent on Japan’s indigenous religion for its plot and central themes. The animation is filled with cultural markers and abstract characteristics of the religion that are relatable and charming to any audience regardless of religious background. Throughout the film; however, there are two recurring religious themes that make up the foundation that the storyline depends on. The shintoist beliefs on purification of one’s impurities and the true nature of beings can be seen in the film in the form of symbolism through landmarks and character
For many years, people have debated whether or not spirits are real. Some people get scared at the fact that there might be something unknown lurking in their house in the middle of the night making their footsteps known to everyone in it. Maybe that person feels watched upon or feel some kind of presence in their home, or even sees shadows moving their way through rooms. Different people around the world have their own opinions based on religion and experiences when talking about angels, demons, and the spirits that have life after death. New technology is getting closer to detecting these energies happening in the world today. The history of haunting dates back many years, and more people want to get involved because of the new technology.
It is clearly seen just how important the spirit world is to the people of Umuofia. The kola nut is used as a social ritual of hospitality among the tribe. Representing vivacity, the nut is used as a welcoming snack. The kola nut is passed back and forth between the guest and the owner of the hut until one does the honor of finally cracking the nut. The people of Umuofia believe these actions will please their gods. They believe that “He who brings kola brings life.”
Mysticism is a word we find in many books that relate to religious experiences. Mysticism is interpreted as searching for spiritual truth and wisdom through the unification with the Divine. Many Christians today believe that the words associated with mysticism like meditation and mystic are not coherently related with Christianity, but more with many Eastern religions. Eastern religions are definitely known for their mysticism, but it is believed to not be a part of Christianity. Mysticism is actually a vital part of Christianity in ways that are more spiritual rather than only being engaged with Christian rituals. Mysticism is the faith that spiritual reality is believed to be from human knowledge and their senses. It searches for truth inside the actual person, weighing feelings, perception, and other internal feelings more heavily than most peoples every day thoughts. It is the idea that directs knowledge of God or ultimate reality is achieved through personal, skewed intuition or experience apart from or even contrary to historical fact or objective divine revelation. (MacArthur 1991)
In countries like India where dance is valued for its rich cultural significance, it is important that people get to share their love and passion for dance, no matter which form. Many Indian dance forms are influenced mainly through the Hindu religion or films. The most common Indian forms of dance include Bollywood, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, and Raas Garba. Luckily for Indian Americans across the nation, many colleges have Indian dance teams on campus providing an outlet for them to showcase their work, including the University of California, Riverside. One team on campus that stands out above the rest is a competing Raas Garba team known as UCRaas.