Significance Of Ritual In North American Indian Religion Essay

Signifi potfulce of Ritual in North American Indian religion     When scholars topic religion, the scarperency exists to focus on themythological aspects of the religion in an attempt to understand the majorunderlying concepts present. However, an equally rewarding study often can beaccomplished through the careful abstract of the religions ritual aspects.This is especially true when studying North American Indian religions wherethere is an abundance of elaborate rituals that play a significant component part in theirculture. By closely examining the details and symbolism of ritual movements, wecan gather some basic understanding of what is seen to be of value in a certaintheology. While most ingrained American rituals tend to be mono-cultural, thereare a few rituals that frequently reckon in many different regions and tribesacross North America. Two of these off the beaten track(predicate)-flung rituals are the ritual of the"sacred subway system,&qu ot and endeavour lodge ceremonials. The sacred pipe ritual is loadedwith symbolic meaning, and offers a generous insight into Native American beliefsystems. This essay will first look at the dynamics of the sacred pipe ritualand offer some write up into its religious significance, then draw someparallels to the more common sweat lodge ceremony. If a recurring spiritualtheme appears in know by rituals, it can be considered evidence of a consistent,structured belief system.     The drill of smoking pipes in Native American cultures is a popular and genuinely ancient hold. Direct predecessors of the modern pipe appear 1,500years ago, and otherwise less relevant pipes can be found as far back as 2,500 yearsago. The distinguishing characteristic of the sacred pipe is that the domain isseparable from the long stem, and the two parts are kept apart except duringritual use. The pipe is seen as a holy purpose and is treated with much respect.This type of ceremoni al pipe was used by tribes ranging from the Rocky Mountainrange to the Atlantic, and from the Gulf of Mexico to James Bay. It did not while away into Pacific coast or Southwest cultures, where tubular pipes werepreferred. Inter-tribal trading helped the practice of this particular ritualspread rapidly, because in order for peaceful cope 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. as well as 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 strong religiousfoundation long before Europeans arrived and attempted to teach them religion. plant life CITED LISTBrown, Joseph Van Epes. The Sacred Pipe Black Elks Account of the 7Rites of the Ogla la Sioux. Norman, Oklahoma University of Oklahoma Press, 1953.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. Paul B., S.J. "The Sacred Pipe in American Indian Religions."American Indian Culture and Research Journal. 8(3) 27-80, 1984.