Native Rituals
When scholars study religion, the tendency exists to focus on themythological aspects of the religion in an attempt to understand the majorunderlying concepts present. However, an equally rewarding study often can beaccomplished through the careful analysis of the religion's ritual aspects.This is especially true when studying North American Indian religions wherethere is an abundance of elaborate rituals that play a significant role in theirculture. By closely examining the details and symbolism of ritual movements, wecan gather some basic understanding of what is seen to be of value in a certaintheology. While most Native American rituals tend to be mono-cultural, thereare a few rituals that frequently appear in many different regions and tribesacross North America. Two of these widespread rituals are the ritual of the"sacred pipe," and sweat lodge ceremonials. The sacred pipe ritual is loadedwith symbolic meaning, and offers a generous insight into Native American beliefsystems. This essay will first look at the dynamics of the sacred pipe ritualand offer some explanation into its religious significance, then draw someparallels to the more common sweat lodge ceremony. If a recurring spiritua
In both rituals there is evidence of great respect for nature, and the tendencyto give natural objects and forces a specific gender. He directs the smokeby pointing the stem of the pipe in the direction of the spiritual recipient. Even though the language and specific culture mayvary, the common factor present throughout is the great importance placed on thesun, the earth, and all of nature in general. It did notpenetrate into Pacific coast or Southwest cultures, where tubular pipes werepreferred. The pipe is potent only when the two components are fitted together, and forthis reason it is only joined at the beginning of the ceremony, and itsseparation indicates the end of the ritual. The significance ofthe direction west also is derived from the sun, this time the path the sunfollows represents the path of life. The Smoking Gods: Tobacco in Maya Art, History, andReligion. "American Indian Culture and Research Journal. The participants sit on evergreen branches or sage laid on the Earth. "The Sacred Pipe in American Indian Religions. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 1981. Similarly, the stem is usually wooden, madefrom trees that were procreated by the joining of the male Sky and the femaleEarth. The nature of the sacred pipe ritual is surprisingly consistent throughout manyNative American cultures, and this can probably be attributed to the traderelationships between tribes. The plant mixture is made up primarily of tobacco,with some other additives such as bearberry leaves, sumac leaves, and the innerbark of red willow.
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Acceptance Essays
