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Native American Spirituality
Native American Spirituality refers to the teachings, traditions, rituals and stories of the First Peoples of North America. As these teachings vary, between Peoples, generic answers sometimes can be misleading and answers should refer to the teachings of a particular People or group of Peoples whenever possible.
383 Questions
What is the name for witch doctor in Indian?
There are 500+ tribes with their own language. You will need to give a specific tribe.
What is the best way to have an out of body experience?
Astral projection or "spirit walking" is your best choice. Commonly practiced by many people throughout the world.
Usually, while in a meditative state, your spirit lifts from your physical body and with practice you can control where you go. Many people start this process while sleeping, and eventually learn to control it while awake.
Are there any Native American religions?
kind of, it all depends on the tribe. it isn't called a religion, it's called beliefs. we believe there is one "great spirit" which is more like mother nature than god. and we believe in "spirits" which are sort of like "angels" but instead of being someone who died and went to heaven like an angel, spirits died and don't quite know they are dead or they are stuck in the middle world between "heaven" and "hell"
and instead of going to church every Sunday, we go to Indian dances every couple times a year, they are held in a "round house" which is like a church in a way but they are hundreds of years old, our anncestors built them. we get together with our family and tribe and dance around a fire for 3-4 days, day and night.
that's not everything, but its a good chunk of information
hope it helped (:
A Sipapu is a Hopi word that refers to a small shallow hole is the kivas floor. It is meant to symbolize a portal used by ancestors to enter this world and to remind them of their origin on earth.
Did Native Americans really live in harmony with nature or is that just a stereotype?
All humans and Indigenous populations have lived in harmony with nature until the modern world.
Is Wicca a native American belief?
No, Wicca has no connection at all with native American beliefs. It is a modern pagan religion developed in England in the early 1900s.
The word "shaman" is from the Evenki language and people who live in what is now Russia, Mongolia and China. There are many cultures worldwide who have people whose role might be discribed as a "shaman".
There are four different definitions of the word and no agreement as to which is correct.
1) Those who contact the spirit world in a state of altered conscoisness.
2)Those who do that for the benefit for others.
3)People who do that but are somehow different from mediums, prophets or spritual healers
4)Only those who practice the tradional religions of Siberia.
The many cultures who have a roles that might fit into 4 definitions of this word are vastly different in nature and the place and meaning they asign to these roles. In general Shamans act as mediators in their culture but those cultures (except for the more limited definition of the related Siberian Tugunistic peoples) have very different cultures to navigate. Some are healers, some storytellers, some lead souls to thhe next world, some are fortune tellers
M. Eliade felt they all had the following beliefs:
Spirits exist and they play important roles both in individual lives and in human society.
The shaman can communicate with the spirit world.
Spirits can be benevolent or malevolent.
The shaman can treat sickness caused by malevolent spirits.
The shaman can employ trance inducing techniques to incite visionary ecstasy and go on vision quests.
The shaman's spirit can leave the body to enter the supernatural world to search for answers.
The shaman evokes animal images as spirit guides, omens, and message-bearers.
The shaman can perform other varied forms of divination, scry, throw bones/runes, and sometimes foretell of future events.
Are there indigenous people who are atheists?
Yes, probably Huns. According to the 4th century Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus: "Huns were not bound by any reverence for religion or superstition".
Since you posted in Native American Spirituality, I will tell you that I have never met another Native who is Atheist and it would be rare to meet one. Almost all Natives believe in a Creator.
Yes, there are groups of indigenous people in the Amazon that are atheists. See the related link below.
There is also a Lenape man named Dan Barker that is a prominent atheist author and lecturer.
It's uncommon but not impossible. There were also tribes that believed in a creator but did not actively worship one.
What do American Indians call their God?
As most or the beliefs out their, we (American Indians/Native Americans) believe in only one God, the Creator of all that exist. If you do have questions, go to a reliable source, for your question, Read the book called "Black Elk Speaks". I read the answer to you question and am still surprised of the amount of ignorance in this country, Don't know the age or origin of who wrote the answer, but I wish people would "know" what they answer, otherwise, you end up looking like an Idiot.
Who is chief of the nez perces Indians?
There is no Chief or President of the Nez Perce Tribe. The Tribe is Governed by the Tribal Executive Committee.
What did Native American traditionally earn red feathers for?
red feathers are earned for killing an enemy in battel
What is the choctaw symbol for unity and love or marriage?
We speak the Chahta Anumpa language. We do not speak in symbols.
Where did the mohawk hairstyle stand for?
Contrary to modern popular misconception, Mohawk warriors did not use the "roach" hairstyle. This idea was generated by early Hollywood film adaptations of "Hawkeye" and other stories, at a time when nobody was interested in historical accuracy and simply made natives look like cartoon "Indians". Such is the power of Hollywood images that the false idea of the central hair strip has become "fact" and the term became associated with a particular "punk rock" fashion.
It is significant that in the 1950s and 1960s in Britain the same kind of hairstyle was always termed "a Mohican" - another tribe who did not use the roach but generally wore their hair long. The same kind of ignorance and reliance on fantasy images led to this name.
Real Mohawk warriors had a wide range of hairstyles including long hair worn loose; half-shaved heads (bald on one side and long and loose on the other); the head completely shaved except for a scalp-lock at the crown (a round area left unshaved and the remaining long hair woven into a long plait and decorated with feathers and beads) and many more.
The Mohawks themselves are the best source of information on their own history; they know exactly what type of hairstyles were traditionally worn by their own ancestors.
The link below takes you to an image published by the Five Nations Council depicting Mohawks in traditional dress.
The second link takes you to a painting of Sagayeathquapiethton, a Mohawk chief, which was painted in 1710 and captures his long hairstyle accurately. The bear seen behind is the tribal sign for the Mohawks.
Roach hairstyles were certainly worn by some Algonquian warriors in the eastern Woodlands such as the Eries and Delawares - but definitely not by the Mohawks.
What spiritual beliefs do south Americans have?
they are probably about as various as north Americans
but spiritism animism & pantheism are big especially in Brazil
What god did apache Indians worship?
Most Apache tribes worship a single creator, Naiyenesganior Yusan (or Usan) and a variety of lesser gods and spirits.
With 6 separate tribes originally spread from Oklahoma to Arizona and Northern Mexico there is some variation tribe. See this link: http://www.aaanativearts.com/apache/apache_religion_ceremony.htm for more information.
What is the origin of the sweat lodge?
An excellent discussion is at: http://www.crystalinks.com/sweatlodge.HTML
The sweat lodge is a ceremonial sauna used by North American First Nations or Native American peoples. There are several styles of sweat lodge including a domed or oblong hut similar to a wickiup, a teepee, or even a simple hole dug into the ground and covered with planks or tree trunks. Stones are heated in an exterior fire and then placed in a hole in the middle of the floor.
Traditions
Rituals and traditions vary from region to region but often include prayers, drumming and offerings to the spirit world. Some common practises associated with sweat lodges include:
- Placement - The lodge is placed in a location that will facilitate communication with the spirit world.
- Orientation - The location of the door may be based on the purpose of the sweat lodge.
- Construction - The lodge is generally built with great care and with respect to the environment and to the materials being used.
- Offerings - Tobacco and other plants are often used as an offering. They can be smoked in a traditional pipe, sprinkled on the hot stones or offered to the fire.
- Dog soldiers - Sometimes one or more persons, called 'dog soldiers', will remain outside the sweat lodge to tend the fire, place the hot stones, protect the ceremony and assist the participants.
Use of the sweat lodge was chronicled by the earliest settlers in America. In 1665, David DeVries of New York observed Indians "entirely clean and more attractive than before" while sweat bathing.
Roger Williams of Rhode Island wrote in 1643: "They use sweating for two ends: first to cleanse their skin; secondly to purge their bodies, which doubtless is a great means of preserving them, especially from the French disease (probably influenza) which by sweating and some potions, they perfectly and speedily cure."
George Catlin wrote a lengthy description of the Mandan's sweat lodge in 1845, ending with the comment: "Such is the sudatory or vapour bath of the Mandans, and, as I before observed, it is resorted to both as an everyday luxury by those who have the time and energy to indulge in it; and also used by the sick as a remedy for nearly all the diseases which are known amongst them.
Our family has a Cherokee heritage, where sweat lodges are certainly used. I have observed this ritual throughout several other tribes as well. This includes the Sioux, Blackfoot, and Chippewa Plains Indian trribes, as well as the Pueblo tribes in the Southwest (such as Navajo, Havasupai, and Paiute), all the way to California Chumash tribesmen.
What IS the Midewewin?
The Midewewin IS the Grand Medicine Society, such as the Three Fires Lodge.
How do Alaskan native go through Death and burial ceremonies?
There are several tribes in and around Alaska.
Historically
The constructing gable-roofed wooden shelters over graves to house the spirit of the dead was common. The spirit houses have brightly-painted exteriors and are surmounted by comb-like ridge crests. Variations in the size of the shelters is an indication of social status, while clan affiliations are identified by color and by the styling of the crest.
Other tribes used open "burial" which left the deceased available to the elements and scavengers.
