The Wonders of Native Nations

Mrs. KwayanaMagalySalmeron

May 9, 2013Writers Workshop

Period 4

The Wonders of Native Nations

Philosophy is the study of nature and views of knowledge, reality and existence. The place of philosophy in the culture of people and their history has been to explain things they don’t understand. In other words, philosophy shows how different cultures view life. Native nations over the years have accumulated many beliefs which are significant to them, such as protecting Mother Earth from destruction. Although interpreted differently, many Native Nations such as the Mandan, Lakota, Cheyenne and Blackfoot shared similar beliefs, many of which were lost after the arrival of the Europeans.

The geography of Native Americans changed dramatically from the earlier periods to present time. Settlers played a major role in shaping what they are today. “The level of cultural advancement and the settlement range of humans was higher and broader than previously imagined; and TheNew Worldwas not a wilderness at the time of European contact, but an environment which the indigenous peoples had altered for thousands of years for their benefit, mostly withfire,”( is believed that Native Americans arrived during the last ice-age; 20,000 to 30,000 years ago (The Interfaith Manual 3). Before the Europeans arrived, tribes expanded from coast to coast. As the U.S. was looking to expand, many Native nations lost parts of their territory. An example of this was the Trail Of Tears. “To them, American Indians seemed to be unfamiliar, alien people who occupied land that white settlers wanted (and believed they deserved),” (

Indians were forced by the Federal Government to leave their homelands and walk thousands of miles to an “Indian Territory” across the Mississippi River. As actions like this continued to occur throughout the years, Native nations became smaller and their historical background started changing little by little.

One of the known nations is the Mandan.The Mandan nation was originally located in North Dakota, along the Missouri River. This nation was known for being a small, peaceful Indian tribe whose religion and beliefs centered on supernatural powers. They had a ritual called The Walking Buffalo. “The interlude between dancers and women symbolized sexual intercourse which bestowed supernatural power: It was believed to pass from the buffalo demigod to the woman to her husband,” (Native American Architecture).These supernatural powers were formed by all living things and surroundings. Old woman who never dies, the sun, the moon, Black medicine and Sweet medicine, were the most important. This tribe had a normal life like any. They lived in villages that were composed of earth lodges and their primary source was buffalo. Their villages attracted other nations and it was later seen as a trade center. The way this tribe viewed death was as something normal. This was because the creator, Lone Man said people would die and others thought it was caused by not following tribal customs (

Following the Mandan is the Cheyenne. It has been said the Cheyenne originated in the North, probably along the southern shores of the Great Lakes. These Indians dominated the Great Plains and were hunters and gatherers who then became farmers and potters. As with the Mandan, buffalo was the source the Cheyenne tribe depended on. They not only ate bison but they also used their skin for clothing and shelter. The Cheyenne believed the universe was divided in 7 major levels and that Ma’heo’o, the father of all physical and spiritual life was their main god. To them, all living things including plants and animals were sacred; solids and stones, too. “All were warmed by the same sun and considered one with the universe,” (The Cheyenne 2). The birth of a child was a joyous occasion for them because they saw it as a wonderful gift. They never hit their kids; instead grandfathers counseled them to make wise decisions and avoid mistakes. The Cheyenne also believed in two principal gods, Heammawihio whom they considered the “Wise One Above” and Ahktunowihio who was the “Divine Spirit of the Earth”(The Cheyenne 63).

A major ceremony the Cheyenne had was the “Sun Dance.” They believed death, like disease could have natural, spiritual causation. They smoked the peace pipe before doing anything and prayers and songs were held to thank their gods. “As the Cheyenne prayed to these spirits, they raised their pipes to the sky, to the earth, and then to the east, south, west, and north. Hoimaha, a spirit who looked like a man and was entirely white, lived to the north. He brought snow and gold. During the winter, another spirit, the Thunder bird, retreated south, but returned every spring with lightning, thunder, and rain. Powerful spirits also inhabited springs and streams, as well as hills and bluffs. The Cheyenne believed in monsters that lived underwater and ghosts’ that occasionally frightened people,” (The Cheyenne 64).

There is something remarkable about the next nation. The Lakota was the most western of all nations, with a population of about 10,000 people. In the Mid-1700 the Lakota moved from Minnesota to the Black Hills of western South Dakota, eastern Wyoming and Montana. They were one of 7 groups of American Indian people who bonded together as members of 7 council fires. The Lakota was once the most powerful tribes in North America and controlled a large part of the Great Plains. This nation believed everything had a life of its own and that all living things are linked. Earth was the Mother of all spirits and their God,Wakan Tanka was the Great Spirit. They viewed the world as a sacred place and they believed Wakan Tanka sent them their main source, bison(Lakota 23). The Lakota depended on bison for food, clothing, shelter, weapons and house hold objects. They performed the “Sun Dance” ceremony which took place before every buffalo hunt, and everyone took part to ask their spirits to bring them buffalo. The Lakota lived in teepees that were made of wooden poles and covered with buffalo skins. One of the most important events in the life of the Lakota people was the visions they had on the past, present and future like the following:

“Then I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and around about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seen in a scared manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being. And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops that made one circle, white as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father. And I saw that it was holy,” (Black Elk Speaks 33).

The purpose of the visions was to make personal connections with the supernatural being who would guide them through life. After the vision quest ended they were considered adults in charge of their people. This nation depended also on healers who made special medicine to cure them or asked spirits to help diagnose illnesses through songs, dances, and prayers.

Perhaps one of the most recognized nations of all is the Blackfoot. The Blackfoot was one of the largest groups in the Northern Plains with a population of about 10,000 people. The Blackfoot occupied a large territory stretching from the North Saskatchewan River in Canada to the Missouri River in Montana. Their people were nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived in teepees that were designed with pictographs of animals and birds( Their main source as well as many other nations main source was the bison. They also ate fish but only when they didn’t have another source available. The Blackfoot believed that the physical and supernatural worlds were closely linked. They thought animals and natural elements had powers humans could get through dreams. An animal in human form appeared to the dreamer and gave them a list of objects, songs, and rituals needed to use powers (Blackfeet 36). They believed that spirits were part of their everyday life. Illness was seen as the presence of an evil spirit and only a professional medicine person could heal based on a vision.

The major ceremony the Blackfoot held each year in late summer was the “Sun Dance.” The dance lasted 4 days and dancers sang sacred songs and had chants. They called on the sun to grant them power, luck or success. They had chants and prayers like the following:

“Grandfather Great Spirit all over the world, the faces of people are alike with tenderness, they have come out of the ground look upon your children that they may face the winds and walk the good road to the days of quiet Grandfather Great Spirit fill us with the light give us the strength to understand and eyes to see- teach us to walk the soft earth as relatives to all that live.”(The Blackfeet Nation: A Heritage Day;

Blackfoot marriages were arranged when the bride was a child. A man not only had one wife and one family but sometimes they would have two or three. There were more women than men in this nation and that’s what caused them to have more than one families. When a person died theface had to be painted and bodies were dressed in fancy clothes and wrapped in buffalo robes. To mourn the death of their loved ones, both men and women cut their hair
(Blackfeet 40). Blackfoot people believed that the spirit of the death didn’t leave this world and instead traveled to an area south of the Saskatchewan River.

Even though the Nations had differences, they also shared many commonalities. Their beliefs were quite the same. The Lakota, Mandan, Cheyenne and Blackfoot believed that their purpose on earth was to take care of it like a mother and also see their surroundings as sacred. These four nations are not the only ones that believed this; in fact the majority of the nations believed that their culture is a culture of tradition, ceremonies, spiritual significance, loyalty to tribe and family and respect for each other and for Earth. The “Sun Dance” played a major role in the lives of Native Americans as well. This ceremony had many meanings but perhaps the main one was to thank their gods and spirits for the “gift of creation” and for sending them buffalo, their main source of food and supplies. Native Americans were once thought to be in the mist of losing their culture. However, despite hundreds of years of losses and setbacks they still remain standing strong. Thousands have lost their lives because after the arrival of white settlers, diseases and starvation started spreading around. With the number of buffalos going down Native nations starved because as you may recall, it was their main source. As Indians saw the ways of the white men they became angry, desperate and empty of hope. “The destruction of Indians will be followed by destruction of nature; destruction of nature will be followed by destruction of ourselves if we don’t establish our relation with nature and its resources” (The Spirit of the Earth). Although many American Indians struggle to adapt to daily life style they have kept their traditions alive.

Work Cited

• Bial, Raymond.The Cheyenne. New York: Benchmark, 2001. Print
• Ryan, Marla Felkins., and Linda Schmittroth.Lakota. San Diego: Blackbirch, 2002.Print.
• Ryan, Marla Felkins., and Linda Schmittroth.Blackfeet. San Diego, CA: Blackbirch, 2002. Print
• Weiser, Kathy. “Blackfoot Indian Nation: Real People of Montana.” July 2011

• Schneider, Mary. “Mandan.” Encyclopedia of World Cultures.1996. Print. <.
• Taylor F. Colin. The Native Americans: The Indigenous People of North America. New York: Smithmark, 1991. Print.
• Neihardt, G. John. Black Elk Speaks. New York: Pocket, 1972. Print