In The Light Of Reverence Religion

In the Light of Reverence is a film about the destruction and exploitation of the sacred lands of the people who have worshipped them for years: the Native Americans. Freedom of religion is something Americans take pride in. However, many religions are still looked down upon for their practices which is displayed clearly in this film. It upsets me greatly to hear how ignorant many people are about the Native American religion. They call the prayer bundles “dirty laundry” and say nature has no “similarities with the church at all” (In the Light of Reverence). Religion has never had a specific definition. All religions have different practices and themes. It just so happens that Native Americans practice their religion in regard to nature. Nature is sacred land to Native Americans and as one women said in the film, “you can’t have a religion without the land” (In the Light of Reverence). Native Americans have always believed that natural world is holy. Destroying the Earth will never lead to world peace (Lyons 11). I agree with the Native Americans that we need to have more respect for the Earth we live on. Chief Oren Lyons said in his essay, “we need to learn how to respect nature” (Lyons 6). If we keep treating the

The Sun Dance focuses “on the most powerful deity, the god of the Sun” (Oxtoby 50). Vision quests are an important ritual to the Lakota Sioux. It is completed by boys as a passage to adulthood (Oxtoby 52). Devils Tower, in the Black Hills of Wyoming, is a location that many tribes hold sacred for these practices. The Hopi try to protect the land of their ancestors but “the white men” do not listen and destroy the sacred lands. Dale McKinnon refers to Woodruff Butte as a “big, ugly pile of rocks” (In the Light of Reverence). To the Hopi, this “ugly pile of rocks” holds sacred shrines that they “claim spiritual responsibility for” (In the Light of