reverendannie.myfreeforum.org :: Plains Indians

tarotgirl

The plains Indians believed in one great spirit. It was called, the Great Spirit. Other great gods were the sun and the earth. They believed
that the power of the great spirit could be possessed in animals, places, and objects.
Each tribe had it’s own medicine men. The medicine men were considered very holy. They could do many things including, connecting to the spirit world, seeing the future, sending rain during droughts and interpret visions or dreams.
When someone was sick, the medicine men would sometimes ask the spirits for help. The plains Indians also believed that another way to reach the spirit world was to chant, give offerings, and participating in ceremonies.
Before participating in a ceremony they had to purify themselves in smoke rooms or rivers.

Ceremony and Ritual

For the Plains Indians, ceremonial rituals, from the simplest to the most significant, were not usually spectacular, often involving the smoking of a long, flat pipe. There were of course some exceptions, such as the Sacred Arrow Renewal, the Sun Dance, and the Animal Dance. The Sacred Arrow Renewal was usually "sponsored" voluntarily by someone who risked personal loss, such as a warrior going off to battle, a man wishing for the wellness of a sick relative, or, more seriously, when a tribesman murdered a fellow tribesman. This ceremony took place over four days. The first day was used for making the offerings and preparing the ceremonial place, the Sacred Arrow Lodge. On the second day, the priests took their corresponding positions in the Lodge. The highlight of the third day, when the sacred arrows were revealed to the community, represented the unity of the tribe. On the fourth and final day, these arrows were exposed to the sun and for the public to view.

The Sun Dance would be performed for any of the reasons pertaining to the Arrow ritual. This ceremony, however, took eight days to complete, with four days given to build a dance lodge, and four days to actually do the dancing. There was four basic features of the dance: "1) the building of the lodge; 2) the priests' rituals; 3) dancing before the center pole, and 4) individual self-torture as a kind of sacrificial offering." (Hoebel, 1960; pg. 13) Throughout the course of the ceremony, the "sponsor" and his wife were to repress any sexual desires they might have so as to keep the ritual as pure as possible.

The Animal Dance as well, was a ceremony to promote the well-being of the tribe, that is to say, so that there would be plenty of meat available. Chiefly a hunting ritual, the ceremony was completed in a matter of five days, with tribesmen dressed up as a certain type of game, such as deer, running around frantically and pretending to be hunted down and shot.Astronomy and Cosmology of the Plains Indians

The Pawnee followed the movements of the stars very closely. This is quite evident even by the way that they set up their homes, which in fact were constructed to represent a universe within universe.

The fact that the Pawnee designed their beliefs around the stars makes them unique. Other Native American tribes looked not to the heavens but to the earth itself, connecting themselves to the animals of the area. So while the Native Americans like the Utes say they descended from the wilderness, the Pawnee claim to be born of the stars.

In the beginning, only the council of gods existed. They were headed by Tirawahut (the Universe-and-Everything-Inside), his chief, Tirawa (the All-Powerful), and his wife, Atira. Tirawa told the gods where each would be stationed upon the creation of the Earth.

He told Sakuru, the Sun, to stand in the east in order to give light and warmth and Pah the Moon to stand in the west to provide light when darkness comes upon the Earth. Then he turned to Tcuperekata, White Star Woman, and told her to stand the east where she would be known as the Mother of all things. Tirawa then told Operikata (Morning Star) that he would be a warrior who would drive the people towards the west. To Karariwari, the North Star and one of the most important of the stars, Tirawa turned and commanded that he stand in the north to be the chief of all the gods in the heavens. Then he spoke next to the four gods who are known collectively as the Stars of the Four Directions. In the northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest they were told by Tirawa to stand and hold up the heavens. They were given the power to create and were in charge of issuing the bundles upon which the Pawnee society is based. Tirawa gave orders to others, but none are of as great importance as the ones mentioned above.

A man's painted buffalo robe, Dakota.

When Tirawa decided that the time for the Earth to be formed, he told all the gods, except for the Stars of the Four Directions, to take their stations. He sent the Stars of the Four Directions to White Star Woman in the form of Clouds, Winds, Lightnings, and Thunders. She in turn placed them in between herself and her garden. Tirawa was now ready to drop the pebble that would become the Earth.

The Stars of the Four Directions began to sing, summoning the Clouds, Lightnings, and Thunders. Into them, Tirawa dropped his pebble. When the storm subsided, there was only water. The Stars of the Four Directions then struck the water with their war clubs. Upon doing this, the water separated and earth formed.

After the earth was formed, again the Stars of the Four Directions began to sing, causing yet another storm. The Lightning that struck the earth put life into it while the Thunder evened out the landscape. The Wind then came and blew away the storm. Then Tirawa commanded that the Stars of the Four Directions cause other storms. The storms resulted in the establishment of plant life and the sweetening of the waters.

People appeared only after Morning Star and White Star Woman laid together, giving birth to a daughter. This is discussed in more detail in the star tale segment.

Folk tales were a source of recreation for the Plains Indians. Much of the tales they told sought to explain elements of the natural world, while other stories were for the sole purpose of entertainment. In one Crow myth, the main character, Old Man Coyote comes along in time and appears when the earth is supposedly covered with water. He orders three water birds to dive through the water in search for land, and upon seeing them fail, bids a fourth one, who inevitably fetches a bit of mud. From this mud Old Man Coyote then forms the earth. Upon completion of this task he goes on to create mankind, who he then instructs to live and multiply. Of course, this is not the only story in which Old Man Coyote appears. In most other stories about him, he is usually portrayed as a delinquent, or at least some sort of "trickster", eager to get his own way. He does things for his own benefit, being selfish and self-centered. In many ways he was most likely seen by the Plains Indians as the type of person not to be.

Taken in part from:

http://www.astronomy.pomona.edu/archeo/plains/plains.html

Nice little site:

http://www.danley.kent.sch.uk/history/nai_beliefs.html

The Plains Indian belief structures are by no mean universal many tribes have different rituals but the core beliefs are very similar. This is just the beginning of what may turn into a very large thread.... TG

biyu

time for the editing fairy? lol ya fergot a url code tg lol

outherwise lol ive semi-allways thought there was atleast some native american in what i believe id say it jus comes with living here lol but i dont know lol any info on midwestern area tribes? or that lol (plains i think kinda south tho more west of here) an my fave animal growing up was one that woulda been native to this area soo yea lol

Rev/Scout · Site Admin

biyu

lol well guess the fae know now now (insert sparkly lol icon here) an i still like wolves dont get me wrong but i really dont know if i have a single fave anymore noone specific ive really looked up eighter lol plus dolphins ARE cool too lol