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Native American religions, religious beliefs and sacramental practices of the indigenous peoples of North and South America. Learn more about Native American religions, including the beliefs and practices of various peoples as well as historical changes and current issues.
Early European explorers describe individual Native American tribes and even small bands as each having their own religious practices. Theology may be monotheistic , polytheistic , henotheistic , animistic , shamanistic , pantheistic or any combination thereof, among others.
Native American religious traditions encompass a diverse array of beliefs, practices, and features of material culture and society that reflect and shape individual experiences and communal life among Indigenous communities in what is today the United States.
Two such examples are the Native American Church, sometimes known as the peyote church, and the Ghost Dance movement. The Native American church emerged in the mid-19th century when an ancient ritual of central Mexico moved into the United States and blended with Christian influences.
Indigenous Religions. Religion in America. Christian Missions and American Colonialism. U.S. Indian policy focused on removing Native American tribes from their homes east of the Mississippi River and resettling them on western lands acquired through the Louisiana Purchase in the 1830s.
These outlawed many traditional Native-American religious practices. It established a Court of Indian Offences and outlawed “the sun-dance, the scalp-dance, and the war-dance,” and associated activities.
Native American religions - Rituals, Beliefs, Shamans: Initiations also mark the ascent of individuals into positions of religious authority. Priests, diviners, and spirit mediums play special roles in religious life, even though the nature of their authority varies greatly across South America.
Native American religions often honor a vast array of deities. Some of these are creator gods, others are tricksters, deities of the hunt, and gods and goddesses of healing. The term “Great Spirit” is applied often in Native American spirituality, to refer to the concept of an all-encompassing power.
Learn about Native American religions, spirituality, and related traditions. Discover different practices and spiritual beliefs in Native American...
American Indian Religious Traditions: An Encyclopedia by Suzanne J. Crawford (Editor); Dennis F. Kelley (Editor) Explores indigenous North American religions, religious practices, and rituals.