Gods. Earth. Animals. These three things make are sacred in the Native American culture. Whether it's in "When Grizzlies Walked Upright" (Source A) showing that god should not be messed with because the grizzly never told him about his daughter. Or in the story "The Earth on the Turtle's Back" (Source B) when the animals helped the woman live because they cared about her. These things have a symbolic meaning to them because in each of the stories it uses all three of these things . Even in the "Navajo Origin Myth" (Source C) it shows these symbols because the gods made the first people shelter and had plants and animals there too. These stories show us symbolism because of the interactions of the gods, animals, and the earth.
So why does
In the beginning, symbolism was used for a means of communication. The reason for this was because during this time most Native American’s were Illiterate. Instead of using letter’s in the alphabet, as we do today , they used pictures (Douglas 42). This came to become what we call symbolism.
They can be shown practicing ceremonies done by a certain tribe or have the mascot wear the same attire as that tribe. Mascots represent a team, and no team wants to be looked at as weak or timid, teams want to appear strong and courageous, willing to fight until the end. A Native American shows this and makes a very fitting mascot. The respect is also there in the way of choosing a group of people and modeling a team’s mascot after them, or designing the symbol for a school after the Native Americans because they want to follow in the teaching philosophies that were presented by that tribe. Respect becomes a huge factor in the reasons for picking a mascot modeled after a Native
The Hopi have a highly developed belief system which contains many gods and spirits. Ceremonies, rituals, dances, songs, and prayers are celebrated in year-round. The Hopi believed they were led to the arid southwestern region of America by their creator, because he knew they had the power to evoke rain with power and prayer. Consequently, the Hopi are connected to their land, its agricultural cycles and the constant quest for rainfall, in a religious way. The religious center of the community is the kiva, which is an underground room with a ladder protruding above the roof. The kiva is very important for several reasons. From the kiva, a connection is made with the center of the earth. Also, the kiva is symbolic for the emergence to this world. The room would represent the underworld and the ladder would represent the way to the upper world. In fact, a room is kept in the house to store ceremonial objects. A sacred ear of corn protects the room and symbolizes the ancestry of the family members. Kachinas are also a focal point of the religion. For a Hopi, they signify spirits of ancestors, dieties of the natural world, or intermediaries between man and gods. The Hopi believe that they are the earth's caretakers, and with the successful performance of their ceremonial cycle, the world will remain in balance, the gods will be happy and rain will come. Because they think of their crops as gifts, the Hopi Indians live in harmony with the environment.
In other words, the symbolist mentality offers a sense of respect towards not only nature but the world itself. The need to acknowledged the power within the world itself stroked communities as they knew they needed nature to survive; as it provides them with shelter, food, water, and other resources. Communities found that by implementing respect to the world around them and creating a balance they could obtain more from nature, in contrast to overly using their resources which only outcomes were negatives. I personally think that the divine balance and animistic view of the world that is found on the symbolist mentality of indigenous religions, is simply an outcome of human survival.
All things in nature; humans, plants, and animals were believed to be a spiritual being. Totemism, the belief that humans all humans have a spiritual connection with spirit beings (often in the form of an animal) was central to the Native American tribe’s spirituality. Health and wellbeing are closely linked to spirituality, requiring a spiritual and harmonious relationship with the environment.
Symbolism, regarding animals is common for the Lumbee Indian. Animals represented certain ideas, spirits and characteristics. Instead of a preacher or reverend the Lumbee had a medicine man or shaman, which communicated with Gods. They were wise and were important to the tribe at a higher level. They played significant roles in decision making, traditions and ceremonies.
The Native American culture revolved around a circle, or what Black Elk called the "sacred hoop". The flowering tree was the center of the hoop. The flowering tree was symbolic of growth and prosperity for all people in the tribe. It is equally shared between all members of the tribe. "Everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works in circles, and everything tries to be round" (pg. 150). The flowering tree at the center of the circle was nourished by the seasons, which also occurred in a circular pattern. Black Elk also made references to the sky and the earth being round, the moon and the sun setting in a circle as well as both being round. "The wind blows in circular whirls. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood" (pg. 150).
Due to the wide range of habitats in North America, different native religions evolved to match the needs and lifestyles of the individual tribe. Religious traditions of aboriginal peoples around the world tend to be heavily influenced by their methods of acquiring food, whether by hunting wild animals or by agriculture. Native American spirituality is no exception. Traditional Lakota spirituality is a form of religious belief that each thing, plant and animal has a spirit. The Native American spirituality has an inseparable connection between the spirituality and the culture. One cannot exist without the other.
The next use of symbolism is the setting of the journey and meeting in the woods. Early Americans looked at the woods as a test of strength, bravery and endurance. It took a lot of courage for someone to enter the forest because it was unknown territory and they would not emerge the same. ?He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all gloomiest trees of the forest?that the traveler knows not who may be concealed by the innumerable trunks?he may be passing through an unseen multitude.? (197) Goodman Brown does not face the dangers of Indians but faces the danger of reality and truth.
There many types of animals like Earth, Air, Water, Amphibians, and Insects animals. Earth animals like lion is a symbol of strength and leader. An example of air animals the eagle it used a symbolic meaning of freedom, and focus. Water animals in general are symbols of dangerous thing like shark, and sometimes it has friendship symbolic meaning like the dolphin. Amphibians’ animals are symbol of calm and smart like salamander. Insects most of the time are symbol of beautiful and good thing things like bee, butterfly, and moth. (whats your sign. Animal Totems and Animal Symbolism) (RSS2. Spirit Animal Meanings)
A symbol is any “‘object, act, event, quality, or relation which serves as a vehicle for conception’” (230). Peyote Hunt: The Sacred Journey of the Huichol Indians by Barbara Myerhoff is a very intricate text which involves numerous aspects of symbolism. Myerhoff not only applies a much deeper meaning to deer, maize, and peyote, but she also uses these objects as a representation of divine beings and spirits. The deer, maize, and peyote are very powerful entities but together they form the deer-maize-peyote complex, which is central to the Huichol life. The unification of these disparate objects can be easily understood once they are analyzed on three different levels: exegetical, operational, and positional.
Native American religion tends to center around nature. The scene, creatures, plants, and other natural components assume a noteworthy part in the religion of Native Americans. Many of the legends passed down were an attempt to explain events that occurred in nature. Native American religion incorporates various practices, services, and conventions. These services might be to pay tribute to various occasions. The act of taking certain psychedelic drugs was usually used to increase more prominent knowledge or speak with the divine beings. Functions may incorporate feasts, music, dances, and different exhibitions. Imagery, particularly with creatures, is frequently a typical piece of Native American religion. Creatures were utilized to speak
I felt it was a good idea to ask my next question when I did because of the interest I got in Native Americans in a previous question. “Do you know anything about the religious beliefs of Native Americans?” For this question, I felt everyone had the same general idea about Native American beliefs. Many of them believed the Native Americans worshiped nature and had a deep respect for it. Lynne had said “I know they believed things had a spirit, everything is alive and that everything worships God. What I loved about them when I was younger was that if for example, if they were to hunt and kill something they would thank it for feeding them.” Very similarly Frank said, “They would thank nature, like if they had to kill an animal for food they would thank it for its services.” Marie had said “I think they believe in the sun and the seasons, I
Examples of symbolism are clear through out the epic poem Beowulf. It clear these events are not supposed to be taken literally, but its the symbolism behind these events that make up the story. From the formation of the mead halls, and the defeat of Grendel and his mother. Finally, Beowulf's last battle with the dragon are all symbols that are in the story. The mead hall is a symbol of power, Grendel's claw is a symbol of pride, and the dragon is a symbol of greed and sacrifice. And while there are many more in the story, these are three that are particularly noteworthy.
There are many different things that can have two meanings in life. Whether it is a certain look that someone gives you, that can mean something special. Or even in a literary way, for example, in the novel series, The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, Aslan, symbolizes God! In the Chronicles of Narnia series, Aslan does many different acts that prove that he is symbolized as God. For example, in the most popular book of the series, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan breathes the breath of life onto many creatures that brings them back to life, and turns them back to normal after the witch turns them into stone. In relation, the works of William Butler Yeats also includes many different symbols. In William Butler Yeats’ poems, Sailing to Byzantium, The Second Coming, The Wild Swans at Coole, The Lake Isle of Innisfree, and When You are Old, there are symbols that have special meanings.