Native American / Indian beliefs?

Question

I was wondering if anyone can elaborate on the following:

Similarities I have found between Christianity and Native American beliefs are that the Native Americans believe in "The Great Spirit" and we believe in GOD.

Native Americans believe in "Mother Earth". God gave us the earth to provide for us, as a mother for her children. Native Americans worshiped everything individually on the Earth, as a child worships gifts from its mother.

Native Americans believed that EVERYTHING on this earth has a spirit.

In complicated times as ours, it seems almost peaceful to view things as such. Can anyone elaborate more on the beliefs of the Native Americans and on the spirits they believe all objects have?

Many were taught Christianity and many believe, as I do. But it makes sense to worship all that we have been given by GOD.

Any opinions?

Answer 1

Ya'at'eeh A.D.,

As you may know, there a hundreds of distinct Native American cultures here in the United States today. At the time of Christopher Columbus or the Pilgrims landings, there were thousands of distinct indigenous cultures. Different culture = different religion = different beliefs = different lands = different people. As such, you really can not clump Native American beliefs under one category. For example, Orthodox Navajos do not pray to a "Great Spirit." Instead, we have many deities whom we pray to, make offerings to or ask for assistance from. Across the road from the Navajo are the Hopi. They believe in many deities and have a very complex belief system such as the Navajo. But since it is Hopi, the language is completely different and the culture is completely different. We live merely hundreds of yards from each other, but our world belief is different. Over the hill, there is a community of southern Paiutes. They have a different belief system based upon their culture of planting and hunting. They have many deities to assist in their lives such as the Navajos and Hopis, but their culture is completely different. As you can see, these three tribes whom live within 20 miles of each other have very different beliefs and are very different from Christianity's monotheolistic way.

To answer your question about elaborating on all Native American beliefs, that would take too long. It's best to focus on groups. Also, you have to consider the acculturation of Native American tribes to other religions. As you noticed, I used the term "Orthodox Navajo" instead of Navajo. Today, the Navajos have adopted or assimilated into many distinct religions/philosophies: Catholism, Protestant, Mormonism, Native American Church(peyote), other Native American religions, Buddism, Intelligent Design, etc... In some instances, these Navajos have modified those religions to observe basic Navajo beliefs and philosophy. As you can see within my tribe, there are already many cultures to consider for your elaboration of Native American beliefs. And, to look at all Native American beliefs throughout the United States, good luck! :)

I am glad you did not say throughout North America or the "New World". lol...

I suggest looking into a tribe from different parts of the US based on the type of geography. Most of our beliefs are centered on the land. Land is extremely important in Native American religions. So, I'd investigate tribal religions based on land. Check out these groups Inuit, Mohawk, Seminole, Navajo or Pueblo, Tohono O'odtham, Hupa, Lakota or Cheyenne and Coastal Salish. I am sure you will find very distinct differences.

Answer 2

By your words, I can see your an understanding person and one of respect & peace. I am Wahbegona, meaning Wild Flower. I belong to the Bird Clan, medicine clan, of the Suageen First Nations.

Sorry my friend, I don't beleive in the great spirit as many of my might people do. I beleive, many things contirbute to the over all,...not just one power. Everything, every object hold an ancestoral spirit, the ancestors communicate through our surroundings. There are many tribes that fallow different paths. We all have different gifts.

As for the term "native american", I don't just belong to america, the earth is truth and has many lands and cultures.
We are all native to the earth. I may have red skin, but I wish to be recognized as belonging to all cultures and contenents.
We all have different purposes and all belong together.
For me, my beleifs are that I live forever but in different forms. When I will die, my spirit will transform into a the earth below my childrens feet, they will see as the plant that grow from it, and the animals the hunt.

Forever is a long time. When you see your self to live forever, hatred become meaning less. We are all here together, living together. Life is a celebration.

We are all connect to eachother, in circle, in a sphere Earth that never ends. No matter how far you travel in any dirrection, you can travel forerver. I belong to all the colours of the wind.

The circle represent the earth. It is a strong symbol in most native cultures. It is common for one thing to have many different teachings and be use for many things.

Answer 3

I am a native American of Lakota Sioux descent. True, our religion is very similar to the Christian religion; Catholic, especially. We believe in a higher power that is one and the same with the Christian God but simply called by a diferent name. we do not believe that every single solitary thing has a spirit: we believe that earth as a whole, mountains as a whole, water as a whole, and so on and so forth, has a spirit. we believe that every animal has a personality and a spirit, and in my tribe when children reach the age of 12 (the age of understanding) they are assigned oone of these animals as a totem ( kind of like what they would be if they were an animal) and a spirit guide (the path of the animal that they theselves should follow). Hope this helps. For more information, email me. Oh, and FYI, my totem is the Wolf and my spirit Guide is the raven.

Answer 4

Hi, I am Native American, and so far all but one of the answers to your question demonstrates the "Myth of the Native" so frequently taught in public school, including your question.
There were hundreds of tribal affiliations (more appropriately called Nations.
Some were "Animist" believing very much in the spirit world of everything. Some were Deist... a Great Spirit. Some were even close to Atheist. You died and that was it.
Many of the tribes were supposedly forced to accept "white man's religion, and that may have been the case.

But the myth of the peaceful Native is just that, a myth.
The tribes were too varied to have a unified belief system, and some of these systems were blood thirsty and absolutely horrifying.
In particular as a Native, even though I am now Christian, I always resented it to some degree when non-Indians would try to "adopt our way of living" as if we Natives could just all be lumped together, like a species of animal.

Okay, that is it, rant is over.

But to answer your question, No it does not make sense to worship everything.
It only makes sense to worship one thing, and that is God.
It does make sense to be grateful and appreciative of all that God has given us.

Answer 5

First you must understand Native Americans were of many Nations and they were not a single lump in their religious beliefs, ways, or paths. Nor were most of them monotheistic or absolute animists.

I have chosen the Osage Creation account more because it is short than that it covers all the Nations.

Way beyond, a part of the Wazha'zhe lived in the sky. They desired to
know their origin, the source from which they came into existence. They went to the sun. He told them that they were his children. Then they wandered still farther and came to the moon. She told them that she gave birth to them, and that the sun was their father. She told them that they must leave their present abode and go down to the earth and dwell there. They came to the earth, but found it covered with water. They could not return to the place they had left, so they wept, but no answer came to them from anywhere. They floated about in the air, seeking in every direction for help from some god; but they found none. The animals were with them, and of all these the elk was the finest and most stately, and inspired all the creatures with confidence; so they appealed to the elk for help. He dropped into the water and began to sink. Then he called to the winds, and the winds came from all quarters and blew until the waters went upward as in a mist.
At first rocks only were exposed, and the people traveled on the rocky places that produced no plants, and there was nothing to eat. Then the waters began to go down until the soft earth was exposed. When this happened, the elk in his joy rolled over and over on the soft earth, and all his loose hairs clung to the soil. The hairs grew, and from them sprang beans, corns, potatoes, and wild turnips, and then all the grasses and trees.


Daisymae...you are dead wrong Protestants ruled over most of the reservations and forced NA parents to give up their children to the protestant God as well as denying them their culture, traditions and language.

Answer 6

Most cultures world over have a variation of this 'god,' just calling it by their own name for it. And also common for humans to have a certain regard to the natural world that provides for our very survival.

Beyond that, it's not my place to elaborate on their beliefs from my position outside it... and while there are similarities, there are also many differences in beliefs among all the Nations/tribes, so it can't be generalized.

Answer 7

Native American beliefs are peaceful & respectful of our mother earth. They are able to see beauty in everything.

Answer 8

James Mooney wrote an exhaustive and fascinating book about the religious practices and beliefs of the Cheorkee Indians in the late 1800s.

Google "James Mooney" and you will be sure to find references to the "Myths and Folklore of the Cherokee".

Good luck.

Answer 9

Indians believed that all things had souls and spirits. Trees, animals, the sky, the moon, everything. Their beliefs are nothing like christianity. Christians came and forcibly converted them.

Answer 10

you can find these similarites in probably all beliefs... only the wording differs
which i find incredibly sad , when we are all fighting to prove who is right and wrong
we are all right in our own way , with different wording
the sooner people see this , the more peace we will have on earth