Dennis Tedlock: An American Indian View Of Death

506 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Death and dying in differnet religions and cultures

Discussion Questions (Tedlock): In An American Indian View of Death, Dennis Tedlock describes the very complicated idea of death in adherence to traditional Zuni belief. According to the Catholic religion, the afterlife has basic two options: heaven or hell. While purgatory is a stage in the afterlife, it is a step closer towards heaven. This is a deep contrast to the ideas of the Kachin Village, “raw” vs “cooked” realms, and reincarnation that the Zuni people believed in. Were the two contrasting ideas of death a possible reason for the Zuni people not fully accepting and connecting to Catholicism?

In American society it is a common belief that one can pass away from a “broken heart” and in comparison Tedlock writes that The Zuni believe that, “The most common case of intending one’s own death is that of a person who mourns too much and too long over a lost loved one, usually a spouse…” (page 258). …show more content…

In The Zuni Ceremonial System: The Kiva, Edmund J. Ladd writes, “If you are a female, you have really no problems because there’s only a small number of options left as far as a religious position is concerned. If you are an adult and you become ill and you can’t be cured by regular medicine, your life is “given” to the curing society. If they cure you of whatever ails you, then you are obligated to become a member of that particular curing society. If you are of the right clan, you might inherit the position of rain priest. But those are about the only options you have as a woman.” (page 18) In this quote, Ladd uses the word “problems” to describe a Zuni inheriting a religious position. Is it plausible that women do not participate in the Zuni religion be due to the fact that the men are protecting women from the dangers of their

Show More
Related

  • Mortuary Practices and Afterlife of the Choctaw

    1240 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Choctaws thrived in the fertile sandy, red-clay soil, rolling hills, and dense forests, located in the Central Hills of the east-central region of Mississippi. The estimated population after early European contact was between 15,000 and 20,000 and was the second largest group of Native Americans in the Southeast (Blitz 1988:127).

    Read More

  • i Heard The Owl Call My Name And the Black Robe: The Indians

    368 Words  | 1 Pages

    Although the Indians in I Heard The Owl Call My Name, and in The Black

    Read More

  • Native Americans: The Original Inhabitants of America

    2245 Words  | 5 Pages

    Considering historical evidence, the notion: Native –Americans was not the first inhabitant of America is a complete false. For centuries, history kept accurate and vivid accounts of the first set of people who domiciled the western hemisphere. Judging by those records, below are the first set of Native-American people who inhabited America before the arrival of another human race; the Iroquois: The Iroquois of Native Americans was one of the tribes that lived in America before other people came. Based on historical evidence, it is believed that the Native Americans came from Asia way back during the Ice Age through a land bridge of the Bering Strait. When the Europeans first set foot in America, there were about 10 million Native Americans

    Read More

  • The Zuni Indians Live, Today

    1760 Words  | 4 Pages

    The afterlife of the Zuñi is spent with the Kachinas. The Zuñi believe that their recently dead will join with the past dead, their spirits, known as Kachinas. The believe that this is to happen at the bottom of a nearby lake where their deceased will lead a life of singing and dancing and that they will, in their time in the afterworld, bring rain to the living Zuñi people that are still among the living. (Page 340; Cultural Anthropology: 14th Edition; Ember). The desire for rain was the predominant theme in Zuni ritual. Water imagery was plentiful. (Arizona Rocks Tours). Following death, the name of the deceased ceases to be used, except for rain priests, whose names are invoked by extant members to bring rain. (Countries and their Cultures).

    Read More

  • American Indian Stories

    476 Words  | 1 Pages

    In her book American Indian Stories, Zitkala-Sa's central role as both an activist and writer surfaces, which uniquely combines autobiography and fiction and represents an attempt to merge cultural critique with aesthetic form, especially surrounding such fundamental matters as religion. In the tradition of sentimental, autobiographical fiction, this work addresses keen issues for American Indians' dilemmas with assimilation. In Parts IV and V of "School Days," for example, she vividly describes a little girl's nightmares of paleface devils and delineates her bitterness when her classmate died with an open Bible on her bed. In this groundbreaking scene, she inverts the allegation of Indian religion as superstition by labeling Christianity.

    Read More

  • The Red Path And The Sioux Lakota Virtue

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout ancient history, many indigenous tribes and cultures have shown a common trait of being hunter/gatherer societies, relying solely on what nature had to offer. The geographical location influenced all aspects of tribal life including, spirituality, healing philosophy and healing practices. Despite vast differences in the geographical location, reports show various similarities relating to the spirituality, healing philosophy and healing practices of indigenous tribal cultures.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: My Childhood Memories Of A Native American

    516 Words  | 2 Pages

    It starts early morning “adiós, adiós México querido, yo nunca olvidarte podré” (bye, bye dear Mexico, I can never forget ) my mother carries small boxes out our bright blue front door as we walk and get in a rusty old truck. The engine purrs and the truck jumps up and down because of the rocks that make up the road. My small turquoise house starts to fade way along with the trees, and mountains. That’s how it starts early morning leaving the memories of my childhood that influenced my character.

    Read More

  • Indian From The Inside Native American Culture Summary

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pages one to sixty- nine in Indian From The Inside: Native American Philosophy and Cultural Renewal by Dennis McPherson and J. Douglas Rabb, provides the beginning of an in-depth analysis of Native American cultural philosophy. It also states the ways in which western perspective has played a role in our understanding of Native American culture and similarities between Western culture and Native American culture. The section of reading can be divided into three lenses. The first section focus is on the theoretical understanding of self in respect to the space around us. The second section provides a historical background into the relationship between Native Americans and British colonial power. The last section focus is on the affiliation of otherworldliness that exist between

    Read More

  • The American Indians: The Civilization Of Native Americans

    396 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Native American Indians have faced so many adversities of which some have kept them from flourishing. For example placing them in reservations has greatly decreased their chance to progress in life. They always have had to evolve their lives due to the changes of the environment due to the settlers. This inhibited them from having a solid place where they could settle and setup a foundation for their lives. The concept of freedom had been carried on throughout the history of the United States, yet it has failed to be carried with treating the American Indians. Reservations have been seen as the United States showing their gratitude towards the American Indians, but Carlos Motezuma who wrote What Indians Must do sees it as a wall of progress for them and must be done away with.

    Read More

  • Native American Spirituality And Spirituality

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    Indigenous people around the world have been affected by colonization, Christianization, and the advancement of technologies and development more than any other group. This has caused untold harm as Native peoples have suffered staggering rates of poverty, violence, and suicide. The Native people have not given up. Many indigenous people from tribes around the world are standing up and saying “no more”. They are reclaiming their heritage, their language, traditions, and spirituality and sharing it with the world to encourage a healthier, more balanced way of being.

    Read More

  • American Indian Stories

    1254 Words  | 3 Pages

    In American Indian Stories, University of Nebraska Press Lincoln and London edition, the author, Zitkala-Sa, tries to tell stories that depicted life growing up on a reservation. Her stories showed how Native Americans reacted to the white man’s ways of running the land and changing the life of Indians. “Zitkala-Sa was one of the early Indian writers to record tribal legends and tales from oral tradition” (back cover) is a great way to show that the author’s stories were based upon actual events in her life as a Dakota Sioux Indian. This essay will describe and analyze Native American life as described by Zitkala-Sa’s American Indian Stories, it will relate to Native Americans and their interactions with American societies, it will discuss the major themes of the book and why the author wrote it, it will describe Native American society, its values and its beliefs and how they changed and it will show how Native Americans views other non-Natives.

    Read More

  • Hinduism and Death

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is much to be said of the Hindu insights on death, and only a fraction of it fit into the four pages you will find at the center of this issue. We intend to do more in the future and welcome readers' contributions. Our objective is to share the message of the awakened ones who conquered death and knew the body's dissolution as freedom from bondage, as liberation into the Light, as a flowing of the finite into the Infinite. They asked us to think fearlessly about death, to fathom its meaning. They urged us in exiting life to let go of the ego and be the immortal Self which time and again shrugs off the shackles of sorrow.

    Read More

  • Death And Dying Essay

    1240 Words  | 3 Pages

    The stages of death are known to be a process of mourning that is experienced by individuals from all phases of life. This mourning ensues from an individual’s own death or the death of a loved one. Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross dedicated much of her career to studying this dying process and in turn created the five stages of death. The five stages are; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. These stages may not occur in sequence and sometimes may intersect with one another (Axelrod, 2006). The reality of death many times causes a feeling of denial; this is known as the first stage. In this stage, people have many emotions and have a tendency to hide from reality. This reaction is momentary, but should not be rushed. The patient or loved one needs time to adjust to the awaiting death. This adjustment helps bring them through to the next stage; anger. Anger is a common feeling and many times routes from a feeling of not being ready. This emotion may be directed toward God, strangers, friends, family or even healthcare professionals (Purcell, 2006). In some cases, it can be targeted...

    Read More

  • Kahlil Gibran's On Death And Dying

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyone has or will experience a loss of a loved one sometime in their lives. It is all a part of the cycle of life and death. The ways each person copes with this loss may differ, but according to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s novel On Death and Dying, a person experiences several stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and, finally, acceptance. There is no set time for a person to go through each stage because everyone experiences and copes with grief differently. However, everyone goes through the same general feelings of grief and loss. There are also sections in Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” that connect to the process of grieving: “On Pain,” “On Joy and Sorrow,” and “On Talking.” Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” reflects on Kübler-Ross’s model of the different stages of grief and loss.

    Read More

  • Cultural Analysis On Death And The Afterlife

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    These ideals have influenced our culture though our use of language and thought. The implications are apparent in the common references to one’s past lives. For instance, if someone has a natural talent for music one may refer to the person as being once a talented musician in a past life. A religion which describes death as a continuation of existance is held by the Crow tribe of middle America. They viewed death as a journey with the final destination as a place where all their anscestors have gone before them.

    Read More

More about Dennis Tedlock: An American Indian View Of Death

Open Document