2. Native American Diver sity
• 550 different societies
• 6 language groups
• organized or loosely knit
• patrilineal or matrilineal
3. Common Figures in Religion
• sacred kinship networks
o animals
o spirits
o sacred beings
• shamans
• trickster figures
4. Common Beliefs in Religion
• dreams & visions
• correspondence
• sacred matter
• cyclical time
5. Dif ferences in Tr aditions:
Oglala
• Sioux society of the Plains
• hunter-gatherers
• centrality of buffalo
• origin story
o White Buffalo Calf Woman
o gift of sacred pipe & rituals
6. Dif ferences in Tr aditions:
Hopi
• Pueblo society of the SW
• agricultural
• centrality of water
o ceremonies for rain
• Kachinas
7. Religious Combinations
1) traditional religions + Christian elements
2) Christian conversions + cultural elements
o Kateri Tekakwitha Conferences
3) new religious movements
9. Law & Religious Pr actice
• American Indian Religious Freedom Act
• “G-O Road” case
• Oregon vs. Smith
• Religious Freedom Restoration Act
o later repealed
10. Reclaiming Tr aditions
• NAGPRA
• National Museum of the American Indian
• Reclamation Movement
• Indian Rights Activism
11. OVERVIEW
• continuity with sacred world
• inner world of dreams
• transformations
• harmony with natural world
• religious combination & innovation
Editor's Notes
Textbook description of image: “ Crow Mother Kachina . Kachina doll representing the Crow Mother, known as the mother of the Hu Kachinas. At the February Powamu, or bean dance, the Crow Mother appeared through the performance of a male Hopi dancer.
