Lisa Pomplun, age 14, of Chattanooga, Tenn., for her question
WHAT WAS THE RELIGION OF THE EARLY AMERICAN INDIANS?
Early American Indians had no one religion any more than they had one way of life. But certain religious beliefs were widespread. Most important was the belief in a mysterious, magic force in nature.
The American Indians considered this unseen "spirit power" superior to humans and capable of influencing their lives. Humans needed it for success in the search of food as well as for success in war.
Most Indians believed that the spirit power could be gained by certain people or through certain ceremonies. The power might be centered in some animals, areas or things, making them powerful or even dangerous.
Some tribes had a name for the spirit power. The Iroquois called it "orenda," the Sioux called it "wakonda" and the Algonquin tribes called it "manito."
Some tribes believed in a great spirit or an especially powerful god. But the great spirit belief was always accompanied by a belief in many other spirits or in the general spirit power.
The Indians in some areas greatly feared the ghosts of the dead. But few Indians gave much thought to life after death or the idea of a heaven. The idea of as "happy hunting ground" was strictly an invention of the white man.
One way of reading the powerful spirit world was through a personal spiritual helper called a guardian spirit. The Indians believed that this spirit helped guide a person through the hardships of life. An individual might have one special guardian spirit, or he might have different ones for different needs.
When boys reached their early teens, they went through an initiation ceremony to help them find a guardian spirit.
The spirit world could be reached with the help of a religious helper called a shaman.
The shaman was believed to have close contact with the spirit world. Shamans were sometimes called medicine men because their tasks included curing the sick.
Most Indians believed that disease was caused by some object in the body. The shaman began his cure with various songs and movements. He usually blew tobacco smoke over the sick person because tobacco was believed to have magicalpowers.
Shamans had some knowledge of medicine. They could set broken bones and used various herb remedies. Many of the plants they used ared still used by doctors today.
Occasionally, shamans joined together to form a religious organization called a curing society. Such organizations included the Midewiwin Society of the Algonquins and the False Face society of the Iroquois.
Priests performed public ceremonies for an entire Indian group, but a shaman usually helped only a single person or family. Unlike shamans, priests went through long periods of formal training. Indian groups with priests included those of the Eastern Woodlands, the Southwest and Middle and South America.