Lame Deer Research Paper

REL 526- Religions of the World NAME: Blair Bonifield

Reading Assignment #1a

Choose the option that most accurately describes how much of the following reading assignment you have completed: John Fire/Lame Deer, “Symbols All Around.”

a. I read 100% of the reading.

2. What is the significance of symbols to Lame Deer? What are some examples used?

a. There are lots of symbols used by Native Americans and they all help tell a different story and these symbols have a bigger meaning then what most people see them as. A few symbols that were mentioned in John Fire’s paper and that are important to Lame Deer are seen, as everyday objects to us are a diamond, a boiling pot of water and a circle. The diamond represents a brave thing that a warrior has done. The boiling pot represents the water and the sky and helps Sioux Indians and The Lame Deer remember and recognize “The medicine man”. And the circle represents community and infinity and is the most well-known and appreciated symbol in the Native American culture. All of the symbols have different meanings but help share stories and are of high importance to Lame Deer and many other Native

The Living-dead is our closest link to the spiritual world. The Living-dead can be protectors for families and warn them of up and coming trouble. The Living-dead is still considered a part of the family that they were in when they were fully human. That being said the living dead are not fully treated like family. It is said that the living dead should not come around too often or humans will resent them the relationship between humans and the living dead is just supposed to be an occasional meeting. Humans are also supposed to offer food to The-living dead and show hospitality or else illness and other misfortunes might appear and could be connected to the anger and rage from the living-dead feeling unwelcomed. The Living-dead become fully dead and become spirits once the last living person on earth who knew them