Spiritual Beliefs and Customs of Native American Tribes

529 Words2 Pages

Many Native American tribes share different spiritual and cultural views on the aspect of life. Belief in God and the things he created depend on what tribe you belong to. Tribes like the Onondaga and the Modoc have several stories that inform us regarding their religious customs and beliefs. The origin myths were written to point out the beliefs among tribes. “The Earth on Turtle’s Back” and “When Grizzlies Walked Upright” provides us with examples of what the Onondaga and Modoc tribes believed in. Since September, we have been learning about the different views of God that tribes have and all the different customs that take place within their cultures. The origin myths that have been chosen along with the “Song of the Hiawatha” and the Part- Time Indian teach us the cultural aspect of the Native Americans. “The Earth on Turtle’s Back” was written from the perspective of the Onondaga tribe. It helps tell us about what this particular group of Native Americans believed in. The Onondaga tribe had strong belief in fulfilling their powerful dreams and making them come true. Th...

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes By Nancy Ammerman

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nancy Ammerman writes Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes: Finding Religion in Everyday Life to convey her findings of studying spirituality and religion in the ordinary life of her sample population. The inspiration for this book came from previous data about Christians and the “Golden Rule,” the concept of treating everyone how you would like to be treated (3). In order to understand this concept better, Ammerman decided to study religion and spirituality in everyday life. Her population included 95 people from the Boston and Atlanta areas. These participants came from “Catholic, liberal Protestant, conservative Protestant, African American Protestant, Jewish”, Mormon, Wicca and Neopaganism as well as an internet chat group (11). Unaffiliated participants were also

    Read More

  • Native Americans and Cultural Assimilation

    1945 Words  | 4 Pages

    Duane Champagne in Social Change and Cultural Continuity Among Native Nations explains that there has never been one definitive world view that comprises any one Native American culture, as there is no such thing as one “Native community” (2007:10). However, there are certain commonalities in the ways of seeing and experiencing the world that many Native communities and their religions seem to share.

    Read More

  • Symbolist Mentality Of Indigenous Religions

    418 Words  | 1 Pages

    Symbolist mentality is a pattern which can be observed in every Indigenous Religions; it offers an animistic view of the world which helped the tribal cultures to survive and be in balance with nature. Molloy argues that "In a world that is animated by spirits, human beings must treat all things with care. If a spirit is injured or insulted, it can retaliate." (Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. Boston: McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2008. Print.)

    Read More

  • Summary Of George Tinker's American Indian Liberation

    1098 Words  | 3 Pages

    In George E. Tinker’s book, American Indian Liberation: A Theology of Sovereignty, the atrocities endured by many of the first peoples, Native American tribes, come into full view. Tinker argues that the colonization of these groups had and continues to have lasting effects on their culture and thus their theology. There is a delicate balance to their culture and their spiritual selves within their tightly knit communities prior to contact from the first European explorers. In fact, their culture and spiritual aspects are so intertwined that it is conceptually impossible to separate the two, as so many Euro-American analysts attempted. Tinker points to the differences between the European and the Native American cultures and mind sets as ultimately

    Read More

  • Native American Religion: Syncretism And Hybridity Of Religion

    1664 Words  | 4 Pages

    The syncretism and hybridity of religion represents the fluidity and ease in which religion can adapt to change over time, setting, and location. In the case of Native Americans, the syncretism and hybridity is rather a means to assert agency as well as an opportunity to preserve Native American religion in the face of European forced religious imperialism. An integral part of many Native American rituals, peyote is a small, spineless cactus is often seen as an important medicine in communities which practice peyote worship. Peyote is derived from the Aztec word peyotl, and peyote ceremonies have been found in Native American tribes from Mexico all the way to the Plain Indians of the midwest. It must be taken into account that many Native American

    Read More

  • The Red Path And The Sioux Lakota Virtue

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout ancient history, many indigenous tribes and cultures have shown a common trait of being hunter/gatherer societies, relying solely on what nature had to offer. The geographical location influenced all aspects of tribal life including, spirituality, healing philosophy and healing practices. Despite vast differences in the geographical location, reports show various similarities relating to the spirituality, healing philosophy and healing practices of indigenous tribal cultures.

    Read More

  • Native American Spiritual Beliefs

    2347 Words  | 5 Pages

    I have decided to discuss the topic of Spirituality in Native Americans. To address this topic, I will first discuss what knowledge I have gained about Native Americans. Then I will discuss how this knowledge will inform my practice with Native Americans. To conclude, I will talk about ethical issues, and dilemmas that a Social Worker might face working with Native American people.

    Read More

  • Bighorn Medicine Wheel Essay

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    The drive through the mountains was stunning. Native American culture is very grounded in nature and it is not hard to feel a spiritual connection with the vast landscape. The hike to the site was more strenuous than I anticipated; there was some steep elevation, however the several feet of snow that blocked parts of the trail certainly didn’t help. I witnessed a few people turn around after coming into sight of the snow, but still I followed in the snow prints of others and many people followed mine. About halfway through the hike I passed a fellow hiker who was resting while her companion explored the views. We greeted and continued on our way, little did I know that she was a important figure of the Shoshone tribe. At the wheel, one man noticed that I was studying the site and introduced me to the woman I had passed on the trail earlier. She was Chief of the Shoshone tribe and she and her grandfather made the pilgrimage to the wheel in order to leave a tribute for her parents, as well as pray. She explained many important aspects of the wheel, and of Native American culture. Most of the information she kindly shared with me was validated through my research for this paper. She emphasized the wheel as being an important symbol of the circle of life and as a compass. She also described the site as a place where “we all unite”, which is also symbolized by the circle. She said that the Bighorn

    Read More

  • Native American Medicine and Spiritual Healing

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout time, mankind has persistently been seeking ways to maintain their health and to cure those that had not been so fortunate in that task. Just about everything has been experimented with as a cure for some type of illness; whether physical, spiritual or mental. There has always been evidence of spiritual healing and it will continue to be an important part of any healing process, large or small.

    Read More

  • Indian From The Inside Native American Culture Summary

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pages one to sixty- nine in Indian From The Inside: Native American Philosophy and Cultural Renewal by Dennis McPherson and J. Douglas Rabb, provides the beginning of an in-depth analysis of Native American cultural philosophy. It also states the ways in which western perspective has played a role in our understanding of Native American culture and similarities between Western culture and Native American culture. The section of reading can be divided into three lenses. The first section focus is on the theoretical understanding of self in respect to the space around us. The second section provides a historical background into the relationship between Native Americans and British colonial power. The last section focus is on the affiliation of otherworldliness that exist between

    Read More

  • Iroquois Creation Story Summary

    573 Words  | 2 Pages

    For the Native Americans to explain their existence, they created stories that described how things came to be. These stories are much like the ones that you would find in the Bible, and are very insightful in getting a better understanding of the Native Americans religious viewings. The Native Americans strongly believed in spirits and beings of another world. In the Iroquois Creation Story, these believes are strongly represented by telling the story of two brothers. This story is a representation of how the world was created. There is a good minded brother and a bad minded brother, which are not just brothers but twins. These unborn brothers and their mother were sent to the back of a turtle that in order to secure them from the dangers of the dark world she fell to. In a hurry to be born, the bad minded brother murders

    Read More

  • Native American Ritual Dancing

    3050 Words  | 7 Pages

    Hultkrantz, Ake. Belief and Worship in Native North America. Ed Christopher Vecsey. NewYork: Syracuse University Press, 1981.

    Read More

  • Indigenous Religious Traditions

    309 Words  | 1 Pages

    Among the various lessons provided in this course, I took particular interest in the lesson over Native American histories and cultures. The lesson exposed students to the varying Native American societies based on geography and featured information delving into the social structures, diets, material cultures and religions of the individual societies. I found that learning about the indigenous religious practices across different regions of the Americas was among the most impactful and interesting. A trend across the indigenous religious beliefs is a focus on ancestors and/or the deceased. The Tlingit celebrated their dead at potlatch ceremonies and the Arapaho Ghost Dance followers believed that their ancestors would one day return as part

    Read More

  • A Interview Paper On Religious Beliefs

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    I felt it was a good idea to ask my next question when I did because of the interest I got in Native Americans in a previous question. “Do you know anything about the religious beliefs of Native Americans?” For this question, I felt everyone had the same general idea about Native American beliefs. Many of them believed the Native Americans worshiped nature and had a deep respect for it. Lynne had said “I know they believed things had a spirit, everything is alive and that everything worships God. What I loved about them when I was younger was that if for example, if they were to hunt and kill something they would thank it for feeding them.” Very similarly Frank said, “They would thank nature, like if they had to kill an animal for food they would thank it for its services.” Marie had said “I think they believe in the sun and the seasons, I

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Indigenous Religions

    1326 Words  | 3 Pages

    Indigenous religions are religions that originated naturally in a particular place, or region. Indigenous religion is often separated by scholars, from world religions such as Christianity or Buddhism. These religions do not, however, make up one large religion called indigenous. “The term “indigenous” is a generalized reference to the thousands of small scale societies who have distinct languages, kinship systems, mythologies, ancestral memories, and homelands. These different societies comprise more than 200 million people throughout the planet today” (The Forum). Any generalizations then, would likely be born out of imposed ideas and concepts placed upon them.

    Read More

More about Spiritual Beliefs and Customs of Native American Tribes

Open Document