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A drummer makes an offering.
He sprinkles a pinch of tobacco on the drum. A hunter thanks a bear for dying so that his people may eat. People who gather wild fruits also give thanks. They may leave behind a basket with a cornmeal dumpling inside.
Every part of Native American life is connected to spiritual beliefs. Each tribe has its own beliefs, myths, ceremonies, and sacred places. But all Native American cultures have two things in common. They revere, or worship nature. They also respect all forms of life.
Europeans who came to America had different beliefs than Native Americans did. The Natives wanted to live in harmony with nature. The newcomers wanted to rule over it. They had no respect for the Natives’ values. They thought getting rich was more important than preserving nature’s balance. Today, many Americans see how that attitude has hurt our planet. Some look to the ancient ways of Native Americans for guidance.
◀ Native American religions believe that serious illnesses may have supernatural causes. Healers with spiritual powers are needed to treat them. The Inuit believe many illnesses start because humans have made supernatural beings mad. Maybe they didn’t honor the spirit of an animal they killed. Inuit may get sick if they have been angry or difficult. Modern psychiatrists think that emotions cause some physical illnesses. An Inuit healer may ask a sick person to try to remember bad things they did. The healer might say that a change in attitude or behavior could be the cure.
▲ There are Native American myths and legends that explain the world’s creation. Some explain the world’s treats, such as strawberries. In a Cherokee legend, the first man and woman argued one day. The woman left. Her man went after her but couldn’t catch up. So the Sun tried to help him. It made raspberries grow on the path ahead of the woman. She didn’t stop. So the Sun made blueberries and blackberries grow in her path. But she still didn’t care. Finally, the Sun put strawberries in her path, and she stopped to eat. When she realized how yummy the berries were, she began to pick some. Then her husband was able to catch up and say he was sorry. Strawberries remind Cherokee people to be kind to one another.
Kinaaldá
All Native American religions have ceremonies to mark important events in a person’s life: birth, naming, coming of age, marriage, death. Kinaaldá is a coming-of-age ceremony for Navajo girls. Navajos believe all things begin in the east, because the Sun rises there. During the ceremony, the girl must run toward the east twice a day: once in the morning and once in the afternoon. In the 1950s and 1960s, many Navajo children were taken from their families. They were sent to boarding schools. There they were forbidden to speak their language and practice their culture. Ceremonies like Kinaaldá almost died out. Now that U.S. government policy has changed, some children are taught Navajo language and culture in reservation schools. Many of the old ceremonies are being brought back. ▶
