American Indian Relgion

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 force along

American Church by several groups. The traditionalist Indians opposed it believing that it was a threat to traditional tribal culture. Modernist Indians as well as whites opposed the religion also saying that it was heathenistic and backward. In the early stages, peyote meetings were illegal not for the use of peyote, but because Native American rituals in general were outlawed. But, in 1934, under John Collier, the Bureau of Indian Affairs enacted a policy of non-interference with peyotism. There have been state laws prohibiting the ?sale, use or possession of peyote?, but all such laws have been repealed since the sixties (Aberle, 18).At the present, it is legal for those acting on behalf of the Native American Church to buy or harvest peyote for their religious needs. Most peyotism that is practiced today is identified with the Native American Church (NAC).

y rather than competition. This idea was highly relevant to the socio-economic situation that these indigenous people were being faced with. For many, this was exactly what they needed to continue on. Since the beginning, there has been strong opposition to the Native

for the concept of an afterlife, it seems that Native Americans were not as

First of all, peyote is believed to be the immaterial personification of power, often referred to as the ?Peyote Spirit?. The Great Spirit is the ultimate source of this power. By taking peyote it is thought that one can communicate with the Great Spirit through visions. The ethical code, commonly referred to as the Peyote Road, consists of four main parts: brotherly love, care of family, self-reliance and avoidance of alcohol. It is believed that if a person follows the Peyote Road faithfully it will lead them to ?tranquility in this life as well as bliss in the next world?. On the other hand, those who lapse morally in these regards will pay during the peyote meeting, both physically and spiritually (Aberle, 13). The rituals of the Native American Church vary greatly in specifics from tribe to tribe. The Navajo prefer shaping their altar like a half moon, while other tribe may shape their altars differently. Some tribes conduct the peyote meetings in a tipi used especially for that purpose, while other tribes opt to use a regular room in a house. However, there is a set of basic rituals that are common to all tribes in the United States. Peyote meetings are always held for a purpose, commonly to cure, thank the Great Spirit for past blessings, to deter evil and promote good. It is hoped that the prayers of the participants will accomplish the given purpose. The participants gather at sundown for the ceremony that will last until dawn. There are generally four officiates required for the ceremony to take place. There is the road chief, who leads the meeting, a drummer chief, who does most of the drumming, a fire chief, who is in charge of tending to the fire and a cedar chief, who creates the cedar smoke throughout the night. The use of prayer, song, drumming and the joint eating of the peyote at various times throughout the night as well as the drinking of cold water at midnight and early morning are all key elements to the ritual. These practices are all believe to be forms of communication with the Great Spirit. During prayer, there is a staff passed around the meeting to all male participants. The staff is considered male, so females are not allowed to pray with the staff. It is believed that when you pray with the staff, your thoughts travel up it and messages from the Great Spirit travel back down. The drums also aid in the communication. It is said that when a man drums, you can ?read his mind?. Everyone also takes part in the peyote songs. Typically, the songs do not contain words, but whether or not to add words is up to the singer. The Church members believe that with peyote to guide you, the meanings of these songs can be deciphered. The drum itself is symbolic of the Indians? heartbeats. The Fire Chief starts a fi

Some topics in this essay:
Native Americans, American Church, United Peyote, Osage Indians, Tacanku Southward, David Aberle, Aberle5 Containing, Native American, Peyote Road, Fire Chief, native americans, native american, native american church, american church, feather fan, peyote meetings, crow dog, lakota sioux, p62 nigosian, ethical code, peyote religion, nigosian native americans, mary crow dog, native americans believed, feeling personal significance,