An Examination of Native American Religion and Cultural Impact

This essay explores the religion and related beliefs of Native American people, highlighting their significance in a global context. It discusses the diverse religious practices of North and South American indigenous populations before European arrival, emphasizing the absence of rigid doctrines and the presence of oral moral codes. The paper examines the impact of European colonization on Native American religious freedom and cultural assimilation, including the oppression of religious practices and the loss of sacred narratives. It also touches upon the resilience of some communities in adapting to modern society and the importance of preserving their cultural heritage. The essay concludes by acknowledging the diversity of Native American religious traditions, the challenges of globalization, and the need to understand and respect their unique beliefs and practices.

Running head: NATIVE AMERICANS AND RELIGION
Native Americans and Religion
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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In this paper, the religion and related beliefs of the North American people would be
discussed. The religious beliefs of the people have always been a very important perspective in
the global phenomenon. Numerous aboriginal people lived in the different regions of North and
South America before the Europeans had arrived there (Turner, 2016). The sacramental practices
had always been a matter of interest to many people across the globe.
Previously it had been assumed that the probable religious beliefs of the aboriginal
people in North and South America were a bit more than the anachronisms. The experts have
mentioned that these religions or beliefs did not have the sacred texts like Bible or they did not
even have a fixed doctrine (Turner, 2016). There were some moral codes in their religion that
were mostly oral and no written evidence of it had been found. Apart from that, these moral
codes had been used in the societies without the use of the wealth.
The religious beliefs of the Native Americans in both North and South America had been
in practice without the presence of the politics. Other important things like some usual identifiers
of the civilization are not available as well (Carroll, 2013). Another question that arises in this
perspective is that of the religious freedom among the Native American people. As per the first
amendment of the Constitution of the United States, the Government has given the rights of
celebrating the religious beliefs with freedom for all the people of all sects.
The policies of the United States always have tried to bring the native people of America
under the protection of the law authorities of the country. These law authorities had also marked
the religious ceremonies to be very much savage and primitive (Carroll, 2013). The assimilation
of the modern people and the native aboriginal people is the most needed thing to bring them

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under the same umbrella. However, these religious ceremonies have been considered as barriers
to the cultural and religious assimilation (Peshkin, 2013).
In the years of European aggression over the lands of the United States, the religious
practices of the Native Americans had been under great oppression. It is because the dominance
of the European people from the political, religious and economic perspectives almost made their
lives hellish (Peshkin, 2013). They almost lost their freedom in expressing their religious views
and observe their own religious ceremonies. The members of the aboriginal communities of USA
grieved for the extinction of some of their daily rituals through the process. These daily rituals
were performed in the native and traditional languages of the community members (Rivett,
2013).
However, these practices were in danger since the aggression of Europeans in trying to
spread their Christianity and their language was on a spree. They became much grieved as they
lost their sacred narratives that were so crucial (Corrigan & Hudson, 2018). These narratives
recorded their ways of life. However, some positive things have also been in the process. Some
of the aboriginal communities have been successful in assimilating with the modern society from
the aspects of economy and use of technology. It would have been a loss to humanity if their
records were lost forever and they were isolated from the society. The other communities also
need to get accumulated with the growth of the modern society (Engler & Grieve, 2012).
Some aboriginal tribes stated that traditional ways of life did not include religion. The
relative issues in this context like Iroquois Sky World or the Pueblo cosmologies of the
underworld have been the own traditions of the Native American people. The tribes believed in
the fact that ontological distance between underworld and land or land and sky was very much

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difficult but short (Corrigan & Hudson, 2018). So, this distance could be travelled. The believers
of the traditional realms of religion stated that their belief was in one very sacred and more
scared Spirit. The tribes have discussed about some of the facts that scholars state as mythic
things.
These kinds of religions in North and South America are very much localized. Therefore,
it will be almost impossible to count the numbers of religions that exist today or how many
existed in the past (Engler & Grieve, 2012). On the other hand, the scholars have said that there
is a great diversity between these various religious traditions. When the Europeans came to
North America there were around 300 distinct languages in the continent. However, it would be
very much difficult to find how the Native American religion would survive in this age of
globalization.

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Reference List
Carroll, B. (2013). The Routledge historical atlas of religion in America. Routledge.
Corrigan, J., & Hudson, W. (2018). Religion in America. Routledge.
Engler, S., & Grieve, G. P. (Eds.). (2012). Historicizing" tradition" in the Study of Religion (Vol.
43). Walter de Gruyter.
Peshkin, A. (2013). Places of memory: Whiteman's schools and Native American communities.
Routledge.
Rivett, S. (2013). Early American Religion in a Postsecular Age. PMLA, 128(4), 989-996.
Turner, B. S. (Ed.). (2016). The new Blackwell companion to the sociology of religion. John
Wiley & Sons.