Ch. 2 Indigenous Religions of North America

Question 1

Holy People

Answer 1

Ancestors to the Navajo people, described in mythic narratives.

emerged from under the surface of the earth.

prepared the world for humans through specific rituals using special objects

Question 2

Holy Wind

Answer 2

Navajo conception of a spiritual force that inhabits every element of creation.

Enters living beings through their own breath and directs their actions and thoughts; connects all living things

Question 3

Jump Dance

Answer 3

renewal dance of Yurok people.

restores the balance of the earth and renews the harmony that was present in the time of the Immortals.

also enhances group solidarity

Question 4

kachina

Answer 4

Pueblo spiritual beings which may take the form of animals, plants, or humans.

represent the spiritually perfect beings that humans become after they die.

have the power to bring rain and enhance fertility

Hopi recognize over 200 kachina spirits

Question 5

Kinaalda

Answer 5

rite of passage for young Navajo women. takes place soon after a girl begins menstruating; each girl has a sponsor.

Because she takes on the identity of Changing Woman, a girl going through the rites is thought to have special healing powers; people visit her to request healing for their ailments.

important activity: baking a giant cake of cornmeal. if the cake turns out well, she will have a full and productive life. poorly made cake = ill future.

Question 6

Mabel McKay

Answer 6

a Pomo woman who was well known as a healer and basket weaver.

was called to be a liaison between her people and the spirit world

Question 7

Native American Church

Answer 7

a church founded in early 20th century based on peyote religion.

could be considered another resistance movement.

followers of the peyote religion incorporated as the NAC to request legal protection for practicing religion

Question 8

peyote

Answer 8

hallucinogenic cactus used in many Native American religions.

not habit-forming and is primarily used for healing purposes and to encourage encounters with the spirit world.

Question 9

Popol Vuh

Answer 9

the Quiche Mayan book of creation; contains stories about creation, the exploits of the gods, and the first humans.

Question 10

Quanah Parker

Answer 10

Comanche man who called for an embrace of peyote religion.

had been introduced to peyote for an injury, and he became an important defender of the use of peyote against detractors.

Question 11

Quetzalcoatl

Answer 11

Aztec God and important culture hero in Mexico.

often depicted as a feathered serpent; was thought to possess the power of creation

Question 12

rites of passage

Answer 12

rituals that mark the transition from one social stage to another

often mark the transition from childhood to adulthood.

many have elaborate rites marking this transition for young women and men.

Question 13

rites of renewal

Answer 13

rituals that seek to enhance natural processes, like rain or fertility, or enhance the solidarity of a group.

seek to renew the sacred balance of all things.

often seasonal because they are designed to correspond with the cycle of planting and harvesting or moving herds for grazing.

Question 14

sand painting

Answer 14

a painting made with sand used by Navajo healers to treat ailments., given to humans by the Holy People.

created using vivid colors of sand and other dry materials such as pollen and are created on the floors of hogans; treat illnesses by bringing individuals into alignment with nature.

never kept permanent paintings in fear it would diminish their healing power.

Question 15

Sun Dance

Answer 15

midsummer ritual common to many Native American religions; details vary across cultures

Question 16

sweat lodge

Answer 16

a structure built for ritually cleansing and purifying the body.

the steam has the power to cleanse the body and clear the mind of anything that might distract an individual from focusing on the divine.

Question 17

tipi

Answer 17

a typical conical structure of the tribes of the Great Plains which is often constructed with a sacred blueprint.

each tipi is an image of the universe: perimeter= edge of the universe, lit fire in center= center of all existence, smoke from the fire carries messages to the spirit world.

Question 18

two spirit

Answer 18

an additional gender identity in many Native North American cultures; often thought to have special powers.

might be biologically male but adopts the dress, occupations, and behaviors of a woman.

treated with respect and regarded as having special spiritual abilities, many took on special religious role in the community.

Question 19

trickster

Answer 19

a common figure in North American mythologies; trickster tales often teach important moral lessons; warns the people of the importance of proper behavior.

often an animal who has adventures and engages in all manner of mischief.

ex. Coyote and the bluebird: dangers of arrogane

Question 20

vision quest

Answer 20

a ritual attempt by an individual to communicate with the spirit world; initiate will remove himself from normal society by several days alone in the wilderness.

well known among the people of the Great Plains and Great Lakes regions.

spirit guide takes an animal form, which may be revealed during the quest.

Question 21

Wovoka

Answer 21

a Paiute man whose visions started the Ghost Dance of 1890.

experienced a vision in which the Creator told him the ancestors would rise up, and if people demonstrated their belief through dances, human misery and death would come to an end.

Question 22

axis mundi

Answer 22

“center of the world”

Question 23

Changin Woman

Answer 23

gave birth to heroic twins, who prepared the way for humanity by vanquishing monsters that roamed the earth.

created the first Navajo people from her own body

Question 24

Black Elk

Answer 24

Lakota religious leader

Question 25

hogan

Answer 25

a sacred dwelling for the Navajo the Holy People taught that it should be built as representation of Navajo lands and the cosmos. 4 posts=4 sacred mountains that surround the Navajo homeland, roof=Father Sky, floor= Mother Earth

Question 26

chantways

Answer 26

involve ritualized singing and chants and may take place over several days; used in many contexts such as marriages, births, and puberty rites, and are thought to have the power to bring great benefits.

Question 27

Ghost Dance

Answer 27

white occupiers would leave if the Indians performed a special dance described by spirits; believed that it would usher in the destruction and rebirth of the world and that the dead ancestors would return. many white americans feared the dances and the U.S. gov't interpreted the widespread dances as an armed resistance movements

Question 28

American Indian Religious Freedom Act (1978)

Answer 28

passed in an effort to give Native peoples the right to express and practice their beliefs, according to the 1st Amendment; however Native people have not always been able to protect their rights to religious freedom by referencing the act.