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Question: How did wildlife influence native american religion?

(Posted by: Storrm Galvan on 2010-04-25 16:12:09)

Spiritually? For example, in a passage it said that buffalo not only provided food for Indians determined its art and religion.

Posted by: Biondi on 2010-04-25, 16:14:16

Well horses helped many Native Americans and they were very attached to them. I don't know the specifics but it has something to do with the horses' spirit.

Posted by: punch on 2010-04-25, 16:16:06

For the plains Indian, the buffalo was their life. It provided more than food. It provided there tools and there housing. The Buffalo was their life. So of course it influence there religion.

Posted by: Scourge on 2010-04-25, 16:17:12

The term "Native American religion " is a very broad category that includes many traditional stories and rituals of many different tribes, with many different beliefs. In general, Native American religion is often categorized as animistic religion. Animism holds the belief that various natural phenomenon have their own souls or spirits just like people: animals, plants, rocks, mountains, bodies of water, etc. Shintoism in Japan and some pagan European religions are also listed under animism. Generally speaking, Native American religion tries to commune with and pay respect to the spirits of nature to ensure that nature will be benevolent to the people who depend on it. But like I said, different regions and tribes had different takes on things.

Posted by: :] on 2010-04-25, 16:19:24

Native Americans watched and learned from the animals. They knew the 'magic' and beauty that each one holds. Every animal has a different method. They knew how free Eagles were and how protective wolves are. They just take the best attributes of all animals to admire.

Posted by: Lakota Dream on 2010-04-27, 10:01:47

I don't know of any religion based on wildlife or even "influenced " by it. We had our religions and traditions, based on US as a Nation, not based on the wildlife around us.