Native American Tribe Research Paper

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Though different Native American Tribes have different mythologies, and rituals, the basic of the sacred is the same – the sacred, is worshipped through rituals, and is always related to their source of food (Lecture Notes, 9/3/15). Therefore, how a group hunts, or gathers their food source is of great importance to the Native Americans, for it is the basis for survival, nourishment, and prosperity. The Plains Indians worship the sacred in an ad hoc way, and erect impermanent structures to mark their places of rituals. This style suits there needs better due to the fact that they are hunters, and follow the heard across the plains. Their meat source (e.g. buffalo) is often considered sacred, for it is what sustains them and gives them life. …show more content…

The Zuni (Pueblo) reading attributes the finding, and losing of the sun (yielding winter) to Coyote (Stone, 2012, p. 1). The Coyote character is character used in most Native American tribes regardless of their mythology. He is used to show the “consistent inconsistency” of the natural world (i.e. things aren’t perfect in the natural world) and is blamed for the things that go wrong (Lecture Notes, 9/22/15). Further, the Zuni story is also used to show the power of their cultural heroes, the Kachina Dolls, and is used as a moral tale, warning people of curiosity and mischievousness (Stone, 2012, p. 2). Alternatively, the Apache (Plains) Indians tale claim that a holy boy obtained the sunlight from a sacred figure called White Hactcin. …show more content…

This is because the ocean is their major source of food. Like the Woodland Indians, their stories seem to be influenced by the Christian Bible. They have a version of the infamous flood (Stone, 2012, pg. 75). Moreover, there story of the creation of the people and the ocean that combines the power of both God and the infamous Coyote. In order for the ocean and man to be created, Coyote had to break his leg and use the marrow from within it (Stone, 2012, pg. 73). This shows that that the Coastal Indian’s view of the natural world is that it was born from pain and the haphazard imperfections of the Coyote. This is in line with the Native American community’s philosophy as a whole – one that focuses on an imperfect natural world, and the desire for connection with the sacred, to navigate around in this big

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