American West – Beliefs.
Native Americans in the 19th century were very religious people. They believed in spirits and had many ways of worship.
Although many Native Americans believed in a great spirit called Wakan Tanka, some also believed in spirits living within trees, rocks, and stones. It was based on the need to please ‘the spirits’, which they did in a variety of ways.
When a young man came of age, he would take part in a ceremony which involved fasting and self-harm. One of these ceremonies was the Sun Dance; another was the Mandan Buffalo Dance, which they thought would bring buffaloes to them. Native Americans were true lovers of nature too. They thought that land could not and did not belong to anyone as it belonged to the creatures living on it. They also thought the land was given by the spirits to support them and mankind. The Native Americans would not plough the land as it would destroy the land. They treated land with a lot of loyalty so ploughing it would be like ripping their mother’s heart.
A Habeeb