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Each Native American culture had/has it's own explanation and understanding of "the Great Spirit", individually and collectively. Bear in mind that Native Americans (First Nations in Canada) are a colonized people and many introduced religions replaced and/or affected traditional belief systems in some context. See the attached definition from Answer.com: The Great Spirit, also called wakan-tanka among the http://www.answers.com/topic/santee, The Creator, or The Great Maker in English and gitche-manitou in http://www.answers.com/topic/algonquian-languages, is a conception of a http://www.answers.com/topic/supreme-being prevalent among some http://www.answers.com/topic/american-indian and http://www.answers.com/topic/first-nations-of-canada cultures. The Great Spirit is personal, close to the people, and immanent in the fabric of the material world. He ruled the http://www.answers.com/topic/happy-hunting-ground-1, a place similar to Heaven. Chief Dan Evehema, a spiritual leader of the http://www.answers.com/topic/hopi, described the Great Spirit as follows: : "To the Hopi, the Great Spirit is all powerful. He taught us how to live, to worship, where to go and what food to carry, gave us seeds to plant and harvest. He gave us a set of sacred stone tablets into which he breathed all teachings in order to safeguard his land and life. In these stone tablets were inscribed instructions, prophecies and warnings." The Great Spirit is generally considered the nearest equivalent in description to the http://www.answers.com/topic/god of the main http://www.answers.com/topic/monotheism religions (such as http://www.answers.com/topic/Judaism, http://www.answers.com/topic/Christianity and http://www.answers.com/topic/islam). However the Great Spirit differs in that his http://www.answers.com/topic/panentheism nature is especially emphasized; he is embodied in everything. This more closely resembles the http://www.answers.com/topic/Hinduism conception of the divine (http://www.answers.com/topic/brahman), rather than the more http://www.answers.com/topic/transcendence-religion conceptualization of God by the http://www.answers.com/topic/abrahamic-religion.
What else can I help you with?
How were Native Americans and Europeans similar in their religious beliefs?
Both believed in a Great Spirit or God.
What is the religion of the Spokane Indians?
The religion of the Spokane Indians was like that of most Native Americans. They held the belief in a Great Spirit and believed that animals contained a spirit.
What role did nature play in many native American religious beliefs?
Native Americans recognized what they termeds the great Spirit. Nature played a big role in their beliefs and practices. How one worshiped however was up to the individual for there was no assembly for worship services. Animals were considered a gift from the Great Spirit and were not to be killed unnecessarily. The primary Spiritual leader among early Americans were the medicine men or Shaman. Some on occasion gives record of Holy men or Holy Women who were thought to be better able to communicate with the Great Spirit. Some Native Americans held animal life to be symbolisms the Spirit communicated through. Some, when slaying an animal for a necessary purpose would then apoligize to the animal, explaing why it had to be killed.
What is one belief that native Americans shared?
The single overriding belief among Native Americans was that of the Great Spirit. Some tribes believed in many gods, but most believed in just one.
What does the Bear symbolizes?
For Native Americans, the bear symbolizes a free spirit. It is also associated with a great wind because the bear is strong.
How was the Cherokee religious belief?
I remember studying this at school, the Native Americans apparently believed in sky spirits, water spirits, essentially there was a spirit inside any natural phenomena earth, water, sky you name it. However they also believed in a "great spirit", I believe he was called Gitchi Manitu though obviously this was played up by European Christians eager to convert the locals.
Which kind of religion did blackfeet have?
the Blackfeet like other Native tribes only believed in the sun, moon, and the stars and like the great Manitou in the sky, they did not have organized religion, they believed in the Spirit of the human being.
A hut used by Native Americans?
A hut that was utilized by the Native Americans is called a tipi that was typically utilized by Native Americans in the Great Plains.
Why do Native Americans pray to the creator?
Praying to Creator is the same as someone praying to God. Great Spirit, Mundu, God, Creator are all one and the same.
What happen to the great plains?
The Great Plains Native Americans were driven away by the settlers. These Native Americans were also killed off by diseases.
What is the least religion in north America?
Tribalism. Most commonly practiced by native americans in the belief of the great spirit or inifinite web of life. Not many still practice it.
Who Is considered one of the world's greatest lawgivers?
Muhammad (May peace be upon Him), obviously. ---- Jesus, Moses, Bhudda, the Great Spirit (native Americans), it depends on your background.
