Significance Of Ritual In North American Indian Religion Essay

Significance of Ritual in North American Indian religion     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 a great deal can beaccomplished through the careful analysis of the religions rite 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 primary 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 campaign amaze observations. The sacred pipe ritual is loadedwith symbolic meaning, and offers a generous insight into Native American beliefsystems. This essay will first run into 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 spiritualtheme appears in separate rituals, it can be considered evidence of a consistent,structured belief system.     The use of consume pipes in Native American cultures is a popular andvery ancient practice. Direct predecessors of the modern pipe appear 1,500years ago, and other less pertinent pipes can be found as far back as 2,500 yearsago. The distinguishing characteristic of the sacred pipe is that the bowl isseparable from the long stem, and the two parts are kept apart except duringritual use. The pipe is seen as a holy object and is treated with much respect.This type of ceremonial pipe was used by tribes ranging from the Rocky Mountain range to the Atlantic, and from the Gulf of Mexico to James Bay. It did notpenetrate into Pacific coast or Southwest cultures, where hollow pipes werepreferred. Inter-tribal trading helped the practice of this particular ritualspread rapidly, because in order for peaceful trade relations to take place someform of ritual had to be observed. Resp... ...placed on directions, especially east and west which is obviously derived fromthe path of the sun. Also important are the upward and downward directionsrepresenting the male sky and the womanish earth, and the joining of the two togive life. The simple fact that these symbols are so widespread and evident inseparate rituals suggests that the North American Indians had a beardown(prenominal) religiousfoundation long before Europeans arrived and attempted to teach them religion.WORKS CITED LISTBrown, Joseph Van Epes. The Sacred Pipe Black Elks Account of the SevenRites of the Oglala Sioux. Norman, okay University of Oklahoma Press, 1 953.Coorigan, Samuel W, ed. Readings in Aboriginal Studies Brandon, ManitobaBearpaw Publishing, 1995.Hultkrantz, Ake. Belief and Worship in Native North America. Ed. ChristopherVecsey. Syracuse, New York Syracuse University Press, 1981.Robicsek, Francis. The Smoking Gods Tobacco in Maya Art, History, andReligion. Norman, Oklahoma University of Oklahoma Press, 1978.Steinmetz, Fr. capital of Minnesota B., S.J. "The Sacred Pipe in American Indian Religions."American Indian Culture and Research Journal. 8(3) 27-80, 1984.