Native American Culture - Essay Example

The cultural beliefs and religion of Native Americans Introduction For thousands of years, the culture of Native American was littered with success, strife and struggle. The culture of Native American has lived for years at time when these indigenous people existed. The natural raw materials of country dictate the history of Native Americans and the way of life of native people. There are many types of tribes passed by and these groups of tribes have their own beliefs. The beliefs are deeply rooted in the cultural background of Native American. The modern culture is effectively shaped through the rich history of Native American. This resembled the fact that the religion and cultural beliefs of Native American played a pivotal role for shaping modern culture. This essay will discuss on cultural beliefs and religion of Native American. Discussion Several religious ceremonies of Native American were banned by US federal laws. Some of the major Native American religions are Christianity, Bole-Maru religion, feather religion, drum religion, ghost dances, etc. The Christian religion has been bought by the Europeans. This religion has been bought to the Americans. 2.2 billion Peoplein the world adherent Christianity religion. Syncretic combination has been developed by many Native American Christians (Wenger, 2009). The religious identities of many native Christians has still not been abandoned and rejected. In cultural assimilation for Native Americans, the religion of Christianity has been regarded as a tool by government officials of the country. The certain beliefs of Christianity have been holding high to maintain their faith.Ceremonies and practices of Native American religion include dance performances, feasts and music. The pivotal focal point of the process of performing ceremonies and practices is to communicate with the gods and advance greater understanding. One of the critical parts of Native American religion is symbolism. The part of symbolism is done with the animals. Animals used by Native American tribes are to represent emotional state, characteristics and thoughts. It is fascinating to know that some of the tribes used animals to tell stories of creation to other tribes. Another religion of Native American is dream dance. This religious revitalization has been mainly done by Modoc and Klamath. This type of religious ceremony is evolved from ghost dance. It was believed during the time of Modoc and Klamath, this religious movement can return the dead and predict apocalypse. Another religion of Native American is feather religion. Pacific Northwest tribe of people uses the religious movement of feather religion. One of the elements that are used in the ceremony is sacred eagle feathers. In the year 1904, the feather religion was founded. Drum dance and Bid Drum is another religion. This type of religion is originated in the year 1890. The sound of drums creates a sense of unity between the tribes. The sacred knowledge of tribes is passed to other tribes and playing drums are the rituals of the native people. The application of rituals during the process of playing drums helps to maintain unity and strengthen the religion. Ghost dance religion practices were done to honor the dead. Revival of people can be predicted during the process of ghost dance practice. The beliefs of Native American are all about love and respect the land. The respect of the elders and acknowledge of the people who inhibit it. Common string can be seen running through every tribes of Native American. Regardless of the different tribes with different religious beliefs, the respect for elders for making culture alive is vast. Animals are regarded as gods for Native American tribes. Spirit of the animals is worshipped by American tribes as gods. But animals are also killed for clothing and food. The rich cultural background of American tribes has been a vital part of the history of America. Right now in America, it has been stated that there are more than 558 tribes which are federally recognized. And other 126 tribes also applied for recognition in America. Native American culture also influenced many mainstream cultures. The sun on the Mexico flag is the symbol which is being directly taken from culture of American tribes. Starting from housing, weather, native plants and animals all have become the part of the culture (Murrin, 2010). The meats of the animal that are being hunted are never wasted. The rich culture background of Native American contains spirit. The spirit of every animal killed for the benefit of tribes stays on the mind of tribes. The seasonal change can be notified by Indians by observing at the sign of sun and rain. Plants are harvested. The cultivating of plants enables to produce various things such as dyes. It can be used for blankets for covering the body during the time of seasonal weather changes. Family members of the tribes are shown love by representing by the use of huge wooden poles and totem poles. Ojibwe tribe developed dreamcatcher. This symbol enables to ensure good things. Bad dreams of children are removed by hanging dreamcatcher outside the house. The lifestyle of Native American is divided in to Southwestern tribes and sedentary farmers. The Apache and Navajo are the part of the Southwestern tribes. The Yuma, Zuni, Yaqui and the Hopi are the sedentary farmers (Bakken, 2000). The specialty of these tribes is to grow crops. Houses of these tribes are made of adobe and stone. Modern day building and apartments resembles the lifestyle of Native American. Conclusion The history of Native American culture and religion has created a substantial positive impact on the modern culture. The religions of Native American were basically spiritual practices. On the basis of cultural beliefs of bands, tribes and different histories, the ceremonial ways of traditional Native American varies widely. Small bands and individual tribe of Native American have their own religious beliefs.The cultural and ethical background of Americans circled comprehensively around nature and drives back for thousands of years. Any parts of the animals are not wasted by American tribes. The role of Native Americans for contributing to the way of life and economy of country is crucial. Everyday life is also effectively influenced by Native American art history like the use of artwork, food, housing, jewelry and clothes. References Bakken, G. (2000). Law in the Western United States. New Jersey: Pearson. Murrin, J. (2008). Liberty, Equality and Power. Stamford: Cengage Learning. Wenger, T. (2009). We have a Religion. California: University of North California Press. Read More