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 Lakota Sioux Indians have beliefs that are unique to their heritage. 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. " Each tribe also had a "culture hero," whose job was to socialize the tribe. The sun told them that they were his children. They believe in a reincarnate religion with certain ideas about the afterlife. So they wept, because no on would answer them, and they couldn't return to their former place. It is believed that a person lives through four stages of life, or generations. "In these imaginative stories, no distinctions are made among gods, spirits, the universe, nature, animals, and human beings. " This leads me to believe that the spirits they had for different aspects of nature and their environment were the primary deities they worshipped or venerated. When a person dies, one of the four "souls" from the generations travels along the Wanagi Tacanku Southward, where the soul meets with an old woman who judges the soul's earthly virtues. While floating around in the air, they searched for help from a god but with no avail.
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