Religion, that belief that through it we can reach personal salvation, is one of the main things separating Native Americans and all other people.  As I found out this last summer, Native Americans believe in spirituality and not a religion.  You ask, what is the difference, well, the Native American spirituality goes beyond one god to the belief that everything has a spirit.  Anything that we do in this world impacts their spirit world and anything that happens in the spirit world impacts our world. 

The ultimate goal of their spirituality is to become connected with the spirit on a higher level.  Sweat lodges are one way of bringing the person closer to the spirit.  The goal of the sweat lodge is to bring the person into the womb of the earth to be cleansed, reborn, and reconnected with life.  Another way to gain power is to go to a place considered to be sacred.  One of the best known and most fought over are the Black Hills.  The Black Hills are especially sacred to the Lakota because they believe that their people originated from the Hills.  Due to the power of the Black Hills, young men went there seeking visions in the early summer and it was also a place to harvest berries and plants during the summer and autumn. 

Two specific places considered sacred to the Lakota within the Black Hills are Wind Cave and Harney Peak.  Wind Cave National Park contains the world’s six longest caves and is considered sacred because the Lakota believe that they emerged from the cave perhaps as long ago as 11,000 years ago.   Harney Peak is most known for a vision by Black Elk when he was nine years old.  Black Elk was a holy man form the Oglala tribe of the Lakota Sioux.  During his vision, he was transported to Harney Peak where he saw the sacred hoop of the world along with all things sacred.  Black Elk only physically visited Harney Peak once and just shortly before he died.  After having read “Black Elk Speaks,” visiting Harney Peak gave me a better perspective of what Black Elks vision was about.  Black Elk talked about looking down upon the rest of the world and from the top of Harney Peak you do truly feel like you are looking down upon the world.  Beside feeling a sense of accomplishment for reaching the top, I also felt at peace with everything going on.  The top was so peaceful and relaxing that I could see why Black Elk wanted to visit there. 

Two other sites we visited that are sacred are Medicine Wheel and Devils Tower.  The Medicine Wheel is estimated to have been constructed between A.D. 1200 and 1700 by Native Americans.  There are many theories as to why the Medicine Wheel was constructed and how it was used.  Some believe that it was used as a calendar and that two of the 28 spokes mark the sunrise and sunset.  Others believe that it was a place of power and that it was visited for sacred events.  No matter what the original purpose of the site, it has been and still is used a place of prayer for many different groups of Native Americans.  My first reaction to Medicine Wheel is awe.  I can not believe the size of it along with the precision of the construction.  The fact that no one knows when or who built Medicine Wheel adds an element of mystery.  I found myself thinking this place is not only sacred but probably only used for special occasions.  The fact that is located in a remote place and so high up makes it that much more special. 

Devils Tower is considered sacred by many different tribes of Native Americans.  Devils Tower and the area around it have been traditionally used for a place to gather and as a hunting spot.  It is still used for sacred ceremonies and as a place to gather to pray.   There are many different stories about how Devils Tower was formed but most of them include a story involving a bear.  This helps to explain how the deep gashes in the side of Devils Tower were made.  In truth, the mystery around how Devils Tower was created is what adds to its special quality.  I was really struck by the size of Devils Tower but also how unusual it is compared to its surroundings. 

When  Native Americans engage in ceremonies, they do so for the benefit of the whole tribe and not for individual salvation like religion does.  Even things that appear to be for the benefit of an individual are really for the tribe as a whole.  A vision quest is a search for a personal vision but the community is greatly involved with the ceremony.  For the individual there is the personal sacrifice such a fasting and prayer over several days away from the rest of the tribe or community.  The individual is acting for community by going through the ceremony but the individual’s sacrifice will ultimately benefit the whole community.  The community helps to set get things ready for the individual and prays for them during the ceremony. 

A great massacre of the Native Americans at Wounded Knee was caused by the vision of one man that became the Ghost Dance.  During this man’s vision, he saw the defeat of the white race and the return of the buffalo.  Whites, being gripped by fear, sought the end of the dance by order or by force.  How easy it was to destroy something that we don’t understand in the name of safety, when a little communication and understanding could have prevented the slaughter of innocent men, women, and children. 

When we began our studies of Native Americans, I knew very little about them or their way of life.  My knowledge was mostly from John Wayne westerns and what little we were taught in school.  By the time our trip had ended, I had gained not only knowledge of what the Native Americans past was like but a respect for who they are striving to be.  I am a little envious of the Native American past and their spirituality because they are so deeply linked together.  My own belief has grown because I have either never looked at my religion the way they look at their spirituality or have never found the link like they have between themselves and nature.

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  Religion