Wakan Tanka

the Holy People coming to the aid of their people suggesting that God will come to rescue of people who call on him. Because of the mischief of Coyote stealing Teeholtsodii’s baby, another great flood was suddenly brought upon the people sure to bring them to their doom but they were once again saved by a “ram in the bush”. The beliefs and ideas of God have been passed down from generation to generation. Whether it was done orally or through written text, these ideas were formed by each group of people to tell a story of a Supreme Being. It doesn’t matter if this Supreme Being is the God that I know who created heaven and earth and formed man in the likeness of his image from the dust of the ground or if it be the Great Spirit, Wakan Tanka who is an incorporation of a prominent Father sky god, Mother Earth, and several spirits who govern the elements as well as human life. We all have our own beliefs, but we collectively share at least one common ground; something to believe in, something worship and to give us courage in this perilous world of sin.…

generalize indigenous religions by stating “Traditional beliefs are often misunderstood by those who want to connect them to familiar outsider practices” (Toropov & Buckles, 273.) Similarly, Dr. Grossman brings to light “the dangers of generalization” and the “assumption that all local traditions are alike” (RELS289i powerpoint, 09/06/2017) Toropov & Buckles share a lot of beliefs with Dr. Grossman with respect to indigenous religions and combating their stereotypes with proper education.…

They viewed life and the universe as incomprehensible, and believed that there was a mysterious force behind life, death, and growth. In their minds, everyone has their own spirit and they all make up a spiritual essence, “Wakan Tanka”, which is also what they called the animating force of the universe and anything else extremely difficult to understand. When born, they receive a spirit that stays with them throughout life, and goes back to the spirit world after death. They believe the earth…

from their “savage” lives. The Native Americans however had a very different idea of power imbedded deep within their beliefs. Their idea of power was based on community, influence, and spirituality; feeling mutual respect and understanding bestowed power that could help everyone and everything around them. Power in the minds of Native Americans is not a forced sense of control, but rather is related more to an influence among those around them. Native Americans have a strong connection with…

Apparently, the ghost dance ceremony took five days, whereby it was a requirement for Native American to abandon anything that was introduced to them by the Whiteman. It is by this order that the Indians at the time of the ceremony abandoned clothes, rifles and never spoke English at that point. The ceremony included stages of individual meditation and linkage to the ancestors and Wakan Tanka who was believed to be the Great Spirit. The process of self-meditation was supposed to spiritually…

offending anyone. These forms of speech do not allow ideas to spread because of the chance somebody may feel insulted. Various conversations about religion and philosophy are banned because not everyone shares the same viewpoint. The schools argue they are respecting others differences but at the same time they are destroying intellectualism. Intellectualism is strongly tied to philosophy and religion by the ideas they present. One way religion is connected to intellectualism is by the theories…

was made in 1954, but it did not stop discrimination and immense opposal to the end of segregation. Following this decision, the Little Rock Nine was a group of nine students who enrolled in and attended an all-white school in Little Rock despite protest from the state’s governor. African American students would participate in rebellions and sit-ins to demonstrate their points. Similarly, many Native American students felt unwelcome and unsafe among their white peers or in Indian schools run by…

North America. This area holds many stories for the Lakota. There are non-Natives who talk of discovering the Black Hills—but they are newcomers to the Hills. In 1874, Custer and his mining expedition violated the Treaty of 1868 by trespassing into our homelands (by treaty) and thus began the gold rush. An agreement (Black Hills Agreement of 1877) coerced the Lakota into signing it and thus the Black Hills wert taken/stolen by the US government (because of greed/gold/land) . The Creator made…