Origins of the Amerindians

Variations in Indian languages

Games and entertainment

Social and political organization

American Indian Culture areas

Spirituality

Conclusion

Bibliography

F. SPIRITUALITY

In the same way American Native tribes displayed great diversity, there were also a great deal of different religious beliefs in pre-Colombian America. Most ceremonies began to be held for practical reason. Indeed, Indians, being heavily influenced by their surrounding environment, developed various rituals and beliefs to suit local and tribal needs. These practices evolved along the time, sometimes borrowing and adding elements from other belief systems. Logically enough, Indians living in a same area might share common spiritual elements and in the main, similarities can be observed among all Native Americans. One explanation is that religious traditions apparently were greatly influenced by Indian economies, that is, their distinctive ways of acquiring food. As a rule, the aid sought was rain for the crops, game for the hunters, or success in war. In this paper, we are going to explore part of their religious customs. We will not, however, deal with Inuit spiritual traditions as they were significantly different from those shared by most Indians in present-day United States.

As we just stated it, Natives followed many spiritual traditions closely related to the natural world. Each tribe had its own myths, tales, folklore and stories of Creation. One recurrent aspect of most Native American myths relating their genesis is the belief that animals once were humans. As a result, Natives tended to feel closely linked to them. In the same way, "a common concept is that of a dual divinity"¹. As a matter of fact, Indians generally perceived their Creator and the spirits as a single spiritual force. The Creator was the source of all life. The Indians, however, named it differently from tribe to tribe. The Algonkin, for instance, called him manitou while the Dakota knew him as wakanda. "The Almighty of Indian belief is not pictured as a man in the sky; rather, it is believed to be formless and to exist throughout the universe"². Different natural elements were thought to be symbols or manifestations of the Creator. Among those, the sun, the earth and the animals, each of them having a specific meaning. The spirits, for their parts, controlled the weather and communicated with humans. Indians were animist and believed that all natural elements, including rocks, plants, winds and animals, were likely to be inhabited by sacred spirits, some more powerful than others. Indians both paid honor to the Creator and the spirits because they were convinced that a cooperative relationship could be developed with them. The spirits were regularly sought for advice since they were believed to help those they liked. Both private and public rituals were performed to seek spirit help. Individually, Indians would cleanse themselves and fast before interacting with spirit forces. Villages and tribes gathered for important ceremonials that lasted for several days. One of the best-know ceremonial was the Sun Dance performed by Plains Indians. This ritual was organized annually during the summer and was a time of social meeting, feasting and praying. It aimed at thanking the Creator so that he would continue to protect them. Among the Lakota, the Sun Dance was part of what was known as the "Seven Sacred Rites" that also included The Sweat Lodge and The Vision Quest among other rituals. The sweat lodge was similar to a sauna, using hot rocks and water to generate moist air. It was used for purification. The Vision Quest marked the beginning of manhood for the young boys. They were encouraged to leave the camp and go into the wilderness in order to meditate. They would eventually receive a vision and return home. Young Indians then had a guardian spirit that would protect and guide them during the rest of his life. The symbol of the guardian spirit used to be painted on their tipis. In many other tribes, similar rituals in which a vision was sought were held and Northwestern Indians, for instance, carved their sacred spirits on totem poles. Many other ceremonies included the Snake Dance performed by the Hopi and many Eastern Woodlands tribes, the Salmon Dance of the Columbia tribes and the corn dances held by Pueblo Indians. Corn dances was a time of feasting on the new corn after which the tribes began a new year. They destroyed old farming implements and forgot old grudges. These ceremonies were generally conducted by religious leaders called shamans. The shamans did not take part in hunting activities and had a special status compared to the other men of the tribe. Religion, however, was closely linked to medicine so that they were also commonly known as medicine men. Those men learned to perform religious ceremonies and use medical plants from older practitioners. Believing that diseases were caused by evil spirits, the Indians used charms and magic to remove the evil influence. In order to enter into contact with the spirits, shamans, and Indians in general, resorted to many techniques. Sometimes, the shamans asked spirits to occupy their bodies while in other rituals they entered into a trance and explored the spiritual world to seek help. In order to achieve a spiritual vision, Indians often used drum beats, hallucinogenic plants, charms and ritual objects such as the long-stemmed pipe. Besides, hypnotism, dreams and clairvoyance were in great repute. On the whole, Native Americans gave little thought and had no precise belief about an afterlife. Some tribes believed in reincarnation, others thought humans returned as ghosts and other still assumed that the souls of the dead went to another part of the universe to continue their traditional activities. Unlike Christians, they showed little interest in punishment after death. If an Indian died, his name was not to be mentioned anymore and his property, including his horses and dogs, were to be destroyed.

¹Native American Spirituality http://www.religioustolerance.org/nataspir.htm
²Encyclopaedia Encarta - Native Americans http://encarta.msn.com/find/concise.asp?mod=1&ti=761570777&page=4#s22