Beliefs of the Plain Indians

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The Plain Indians led a life dedicated to their religious and spiritual beliefs and to their traditions and in this section I will be examining some of these beliefs and traditions and will be explaining them. A belief that was shared by almost all the Indian tribes across the plains was the belief in a Supreme Being or god known as the Great Spirit or Waken Tanka.  They believed that he was all powerful and that he was the creator of the whole of nature, which can explain the Indian’s respect and love for all living things and nature because according to their beliefs all living things were the creation of the Great Spirit so all should be valued “The Sioux was a true lover of nature. He loved the earth and all things of the earth...  Kinship with all creatures of the earth, sky and water was a real and active belief.” (Sioux Chief Luther Standing Bear, Land of the Spotted Eagle, Houghton Mifflin 1933). Also they believed that the Great Spirit lived in the Happy Hunting Ground – a beautiful country beyond the skies and that if they served the Great Spirit well during their lifetime they would go to the Happy Hunting Ground when they die. (Extracts from The American West 1840 – 1895, R.A.Rees and S.J.Styles). The desire to go the Happy Hunting Ground when they died was shared by all Indians.

As well as believing in the one Great Spirit, the Plains Indians believed that all creations of the Great Spirit had spirits of their own. This included animals, birds, fish and plants, as well as human beings. Even the rocks, trees and streams had spirits. (Extracts from The American West 1840 – 1895, The Struggle For The Plains – a study in depth, Martin Shephard). Spirits were very important to the Plain Indians as they believed that they had had very specific purposes and they had many uses for them. They honoured them and attempted to contact them in many ways and had many beliefs about them. In this section I will be explaining some of these ceremonies and beliefs in great detail.

Firstly, the Plain Indians were convinced that the power of the earth always moved and worked in circles.  Circles came to have incredible importance and significance to the Indians. The believed that circles were all around them – the sky was round and so was the sun; the wind whirled in circles; and the seasons formed one big circle, always coming back to where they started. (Extracts from The American West 1840 – 1895, R.A.Rees and S.J.Styles).  Most importantly they believed in the circle of life, that all life had a circle even man “Even the life of a man was a circle, beginning with childhood and ending up with very old people behaving like children”.  Because of their belief that everything natural works in circles they surrounded themselves with circles and everything they made or did was in circles.  “Everything an Indian does is a circle, and that is because the power of the world works in circles, even the seasons form a great circle, and come back to where they were before.  Our tipis are round, like bird’s nest, and they were set in a circle, the nations hoop, a nest of many nests, where the Great Spirit meant us to raise our children”.  (A Black Elk Plain Indian).  They did all this because they believe if they worked with natures circles and not against them, then their power would become the Indian’s power.

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A Plain Indians warriors robe depicting the Great circle of life made from deer hide.

Secondly, they believed that man was no more important than any other man in the world and that everything was equal.  Even the council members and leaders of the tribe were no more significant than the other tribe members.  Also they believed that their ancestors spirits are reincarnated as the animals spirits that lived in their time.  

So if they did not respect nature and everything made by Great Spirit, it would be like stating that they were more important than their ancestors, ...

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