What does life mean?
"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset."
- Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator
How did I get here?
The Hopi Indian story;
"When the world was new, the ancient people and the ancient creatures did not live on the top of the earth. They lived under it. All was darkness, all was blackness, above the earth as well as below it.
There were four worlds: this one on top of the earth, and below it three cave worlds, one below the other. None of the cave worlds was large enough for all the people and the creatures."
Only a few people, known today as the Hopi Indians, could make it to the fourth world. Legend tells that they emerged through the Grand Canyon.
Where did I come from?
See 'creation' for some myths and creation stories
How can I ensure that I live out my life’s purpose?
The native american Indians had a set of 10 commandments much like those in the Catholic religion, however this set of commandments was more focused around nature and treating everything with respect
American Indian Commandments
Sacred Instructions Given By The Creator To Native People At The Time Of Creation
Treat the Earth and all that dwell thereon with respect.
Remain close to the Great Spirit.
Show great respect for your fellow beings.
Work together for the benefit of all Mankind.
Give assistance and kindness wherever needed.
Do what you know to be right.
Look after the well-being of mind and body.
Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good.
Be truthful and honest at all times.
Take full responsibility for your actions.
Is there life after death?
Majority of native american tribes believed that the souls of the dead passed into a spirit world and went on to largely influence the lives of the living. They believed in two types of souls those that died with the body and those that wandered on and die eventually. Tribes focused on aiding the deceased in their afterlife, they left food and possessions of the deceased in or around grave. Nez Perce of the Northwest, sacrificed wives, slaves, and a favourite horse of a dead warrior.
Tribes had their own burial customs depending on the area they lived in. The arctic tribes left their dead on the frozen ground for wild animals to devour. Southeastern tribes practiced secondary bone burial, this is where you dig up corpse’s, then cleanse their bones afterwards reburying them.The Northeast tribes saved skeletons for mass burial with furs and ornaments that the spirits could use in the afterlife. Northwest tribes put dead in mortuary cabins or in canoes fastened to poles. California tribes practiced cremation and Western mountain tribes often left their dead in caves or fissures in rocks. The Nomadic tribes of the Great Plains buried their dead if the ground was soft or they left them on tree platforms or scaffolds. The Central and South Atlantic tribes mummified dead. However if there was a breakout of disease such as smallpox they dumped dead in mass graves or chucked them in a river.
They are focused on aiding deceased in afterlife and helping their spirit find its way. This could involve:
- Not burying the body
- Elevating the body, for example in a tree
- Not saying the deceased's name out loud so they didn't make them come back to earth
Why does good and evil exist?
In Iroquois mythology, good and evil exist because Earth woman gave birth to the twin brothers, good twin and evil twin. Good twin creates light, forests, and food plants, while evil twin creates impassable mountains, mosquitoes, and a toad that drinks all the water. Eventually, good twin kills evil twin, but his soul and creations survive and serve the purpose of trying to destroy what good twin makes. Many native American religions believe that there is both good and evil in everyone.
'In the beginning of all things, wisdom and knowledge were with the animals, for Tirawa, the One Above, did not speak directly to man. He sent certain animals to tell men that he showed himself through the beast, and that from them, and from the stars and the sun and moon should man learn.. all things tell of Tirawa. All things in the world are two. In our minds we are two, good and evil. With our eyes we see two things, things that are fair and things that are ugly.... We have the right hand that strikes and makes for evil, and we have the left hand full of kindness, near the heart. One foot may lead us to an evil way, the other foot may lead us to a good. So are all things two, all two.'
-Eagle Chief (Letakos-Lesa) Pawnee