When the subject of a personal project came up I had no idea what I would do.  I began thinking and realized I have been trying to grow in my faith.  With that idea in mind I decided to try and connect what I learned from the Native American trip with my own beliefs.  Some of the Native Americans we met on our learning trip had such a love and devotion to their spirituality that I wanted to learn from that.  Their actions had a deep affect on me, and motivated me to focus on my own spirituality.   

My family and I moved from Omaha to a small town before the Native American trip.  At that time life felt overwhelming and I was struggling to feel a connection with anything.  Putting my faith in God gave me hope and helped me to adjust to all of the changes in my life.  I wasn’t sure how to go about connecting my Christian beliefs to Native American spirituality until my professor, Nancy, gave me the titles of some books to read.  The books gave me a starting point.  The book: The Pipe and Christ by William Stolzman gave a comparison between the Lakota and Christian religious practices.  As the months have gone by I have found other ways to bring the two worlds together in faith.

A comparison between different religions would hardly qualify as a “personal project.”  It is not my intention to explain all of the beliefs of the Native American religions and Christianity, or try to prove which is “correct.”  My personal project focused on the way Native Americans practice their religion, and how elements of what they do have helped me to grow in my own personal faith in Jesus Christ.  Some of the changes I have made in my spiritual life are directly influenced by Native American traditions.

A sacred ritual for some Native American tribes was to go into a sweat lodge for a time of purification and healing of illnesses.  I found the idea of using a sweat lodge as a form of spiritual purification fascinating.  While I don’t have a sweat lodge at my house, it did lead me to incorporate my own time of purification into every day through exercise.  A nightly walk has been an opportunity for me to reflect and let go of daily stresses.  For the first time in my life I have been looking forward to exercising.  It has also tied into the healing of illnesses.  My husband’s family has endured two medical trials within the last year.  Seeing family members struggle with their health has made my husband and I realize the importance of exercising and eating well.  Allowing you time to sweat really does purify the mind and body.

Many Native Americans use meditation as a time to clear their minds and find peace within them.  Since I have a three-year-old daughter, 3-month-old son, and help care for my brother-in-law I have realized the importance of having time for myself to sit and reflect on what is important in life.  On the Westward Waters trip we met a man who frequently meditated and his love for life inspired me.  He would start everyday praying and meditating.  He valued that time as a sacred moment.  I too value my quiet moments alone.  Sometimes I use the time to reflect on all of the blessings I have in my life.  Other times I pray or simply sit quietly and clear the millions of thoughts in my head.  My favorite time to meditate is after I have finished nursing my son in the middle of the night.  It is a time of peace and when all of my surroundings are still.  

Prayer has been the most moving part of my spiritual journey.  I grew up praying, but have made great strides toward making prayer a necessity in my life.  I have met several Native Americans who made prayer an essential part of their day.  That dedication and love for praying warmed my heart.  When I met those people on our trip I wanted that same sense of peace.  After listening and talking to them I realized I could find some peace with the help of prayer.  Now, if I go for a couple of days without praying I can feel my stress level rising.  I can now catch myself at times when I am becoming too stressed and realize I need a moment to pray to God and regain my focus.  Having a busy household sometimes becomes overwhelming and prayer has helped me through some difficult moments.  I also have learned how prayer can affect every aspect of life.  Life is manageable when you rely on Jesus to help guide you through.   I have been able to let the stresses in my life go when communicating with God through prayer.

Many Native Americans, like the Lakota, believe in the sacred Pipe Ceremony and the Medicine Wheel.  Stolzman wrote about the ceremonies and described the pipe and medicine wheel as sacred artifacts to the Lakota tribe.  The circle is sacred because it represents equality, mutual respect, harmony and tranquility.  As a Christian, the cross is a sacred symbol and the Bible is a sacred book.  This has been the area of my personal journey that has grown the slowest.  It has been difficult to find time to read and learn more about the Bible.  I was part of a Women’s Bible study at the church my family has been attending.  It was exciting for me to attend a bible study and learn so much from the women that attended.  I look forward to more opportunities to learn about the Bible and know it takes time and commitment.    Although it has been difficult to attend Bible study consistently since the birth of my son, it has still been exciting to become committed to studying the Bible. 

Seeing the closeness of Native American tribes and the family bond created is amazing.  On our trip last summer I witnessed tribes acting as a family even though they were not related.  There was a bond that was shared between each member of the tribe.  That bond was created through pow wow ceremonies, working together and sharing Native American traditions.  When my husband and I were first married one of our goals was to be more involved in church, and not just be anonymous attendees.  We are slowly getting there.  It is also exciting to attend a church where everyone knows you and greets you with a smile.  Every Sunday, the pastor encourages the members of the congregation to greet each other and to take as long as needed to do so.  It encourages you to want to get up and go to church when you know others are glad you are there, especially the pastor.  To be received with open arms and joy is such a loving feeling.  It has been a wonderful to start the week with a message from the Lord to guide you.  Being part of a smaller church has been like being part of a tribe.  Everyone looks out for one another, wants you to be around, encourages you, and shares their traditions and beliefs. 

Another focus of Native American religion is nature.  Native Americans view nature as spiritual and sacred.  Moving from Omaha to a small town has given me the opportunity to enjoy nature on a regular basis.  It is easy to go to the park and get outside.  It did not seem that easy in Omaha for some reason.  I look forward to my time outside.  The difference from the Native American beliefs with nature and my beliefs deals with who created the mountains, trees, and everything in nature.  I believe that God created every piece of nature.  The Native American legends of how some things were formed are fascinating stories for me to read or hear about.  However, I believe God created the world, from the majestic mountains to the animals in the oceans.  Sometimes going on a walk and seeing the beautiful sights God created is a way for me to remind myself of God’s awesome power. 

My journey to spiritual growth has been a long and sometimes rough road.  However, it has also been an incredible learning experience.  My journey began with an idea and became a road to change.  I appreciate all I have learned from the Native American stories and traditions because it has lead me to becoming a stronger Christian.  There are a lot of parallel similarities between Native American spirituality and Christianity.  From the sweat lodges to time of prayer and communing with others, Christians can learn much from Native American traditions.  I have enjoyed my journey towards spiritual growth.  The amazing thing about it all is that my journey has really just begun.

Bibliography 

Stolzman, William.  The Pipe and Christ. South Dakota: Tipi Press, 2002.

Stewart, John James. Dream Catchers: A Journey into Native American Spirituality. Tennessee: premium Press America, 1998.