Native American Religious Beliefs
Through out history, historians have had the ability to pass on the knowledge of the past because of written documents and other forms of evidence that acknowledge the existence of past civilizations and cultures. When there are no written documents, whether lost or never created, it can be more difficult for historians to explain past civilizations. The Native Americans were a group that kept no written records. The information that we know today was passed down from generation to generation through oral traditions. Despite the information we have, there is much more that researchers don't know about because a considerable amount of information has either been lost or has been impossible to obtain. But from what we already know, historians can conclude there are common characteristics that seem to be shared by all of the Native Americans. I will also include the creation myth of the Osage Indians and the afterlife beliefs of the Lakota Sioux. Although there are many points of contrast, the beliefs of Native Americans are distinguished by some common characteristics (p.54 Nigosian). Some of these characteristics are that they all seem to believe in the existence of a high god or vital
The Native Americans were a very diverse peoples that many different aspects of religion that varied from tribe to tribe. Interestingly, the Native Americans did not have a concept of individual sin and salvation. If they did, it would have been possible that they would have had an entirely different set of beliefs. However, they did have strong similarities that were equally important to each tribe. It was very apparent that they loved the earth and that played a key role in terms of creation and an afterlife. force along with lesser gods and spirits and that certain individuals possess sacred power and therefore can act as intermediaries between the tribe and the deities. In the ceremonies associated with ritual and initiation, they engaged in certain traditional rites that were designed to perpetuate the smooth operation of the natural order, including human society, and they all believed that by repeating stories or by storytelling they kept the world alive (p.54 Nigosian). Another common feature of Native American traditions is creation myths. "In these imaginative stories, no distinctions are made among gods, spirits, the universe, nature, animals, and human beings. On the contrary, the stories imply a close mystical relationship binding each element (p.64 Nigosian)." Although the Native Americans had several types of creation stories, "the two most common themes are those of creation emerging out of chaos" and creation as a result of conflict between good and evil forces (p.64 Nigosian). The following is a basic gist of the Osage I
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Approximate Word count = 1055
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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