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Native American Religion And Persecution Of Native Americans

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Indians facing persecution turn to Native American religion and practice traditional sacred ceremonies in order to escape the reality of the psychological and physical mistreatment they face within American society. Mary Crow Dog was a Sioux Indian of the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. (Pg.5) As a child Crow Dog attended the St. Francis boarding school where Indian children were forced to assimilate and faced with punishment if they disobeyed. (Pg.4) Crow Dog became involved with the American Indian Movement as a teenager and participated in some monumental movements in the 1970’s, including the Trail of Broken Treaties and the siege at Wounded Knee. (Pg.76) In her book, Lakota Woman, Mary Crow Dog explains how decades of racial and cultural persecution on the Indian people continues to have a psychological affect even in her lifetime. (Pg.34) Ever since the onset of American settlers Indians have been subjected to persecution because they were different in the way they looked, lived, and their religious beliefs; greatly altering …show more content…
As Leonard Crow Dog explained that the meaning of Indian religion is to ‘“look at the reality beneath the sham realities of things and gadgets. Look through the eye in the heart.”’ (Pg.199) Native American Religion is not just what can be seen, it has to do with the sounds heard in nature and it is the feeling one gets in the body, mind, and spirit. (Pg.199) Born from a predominately white father and an Indian mother, Crow Dog was considered a half-blood and always felt that she was looked down upon by both white and full blooded Indians. (Pg.14)These feelings changed when she married the Sioux Medicine Man, Leonard Crow Dog, and delved deeper into ancient Indian culture. (Pg.170)She gained a depth of knowledge on Indian culture and learned the importance of Indian traditions and religion.

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