...Research Paper While traditional Native American dance and the Polynesian dance are both unique to their cultures, a developed comparison reveals they share many similarities in technique and meaning. In this essay, I will evaluate these similarities along with the differences that make each dance unique to its people and their culture. “Dance is a poem in which each movement is a word and is the most hidden language of the soul” this was found searching the web for what others felt the meaning of dance meant to them. An interesting fact about cultures and dance is that dance was used to express how they felt and emit their own expression of themselves. One thing that both Native American and Polynesian both have in common are they both believe in the spirits of their ancestors. When the Polynesian's danced the Hula they thought that if done incorrectly that something would happen and may turn disastrous while Native American dance specifically for a reason and believed if they asked for thanks for necessities they would acquire it. Both dances were created for one reason and one reason only to ask for help spiritually. Native American culture and the way they danced were entirely for their Gods, basically as an offering to show how important they were and how much their Gods were believed in. As the Polynesians too were spiritual and wouldn’t dance until an elder blessed the area in which would be danced upon, they also danced to perform for their people as entertainment...
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...I decided to choose the topic number two “Which style of Native American dance is the most powerful in your opinion? How does it display what is important to the people who perform it?” When viewing the various dances that most native america tribes danced, as a viewer could tell that each dance meant something to their culture as a whole. Personally, the most powerful dance that Native American tribes perform in my opinion is called The Traditional Pow Wow. There are many things throughout this dance that makes it the most powerful in my opinion. I feel that this piece embodies many traditions that represented their overall tribe as culture. This Pow Wow dance displays their cultures most cherished things. Firstly, I want to focus on the...
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...Dance is the fastest, most direct route to the truth. This can be purely on an individual level, within a group, or an entire country and culture. Cultural dances are so precious to many civilizations, as they often contain pieces of their history and livelihood that would otherwise be lost. The American Indians are an example of this, as many tribes have looked to dance in the past as a way to convey joy, mourning, and even times of battle and war. The same is true at the roots of many people groups, as dance is a common language that unites us all on some level. The fact so much of the culture of the numerous tribes that once dominated this continent has been lost to history, makes the dances that still survive today so important, not only to continue the traditions of their ancestors, but to show the rest of the world what it means to be Native American. Like other cultural groups around the globe, Indians have their own unique style of dance that accompanies a range of rituals. Dance is the chosen mechanism of religious expression because of its potent expressive capabilities. Native American dance is a valued tradition among the first nation of North America. Because there are several different tribal groups living within the United States and Canada, each group has their own distinct Native American dance which sets them apart. To truly appreciate the amount of different tribes, someone would just have to look at the map shown below, which of course only shows major tribes...
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...Dances With Wolves Dances with wolves is an important motion picture which gives us a look into the lives of Native American culture, and white America. The movie promotes acceptance and tolerance for the Lakota culture. During the film the humanity of the Lakota people and their familial bonds and tribal culture is introduced to us. These different people that are established in nature are threatened with running into the white civilization and having everything they know ripped away from them. Little do they know that they will run into a white settler who will teach them white ways, introduce them to new technology and english words, practice their own culture as well and live together in harmony, without superiority getting in the way. At first when we are introduced to John Dunbar a Lutenient who is positioned at a white soldier fort alone, it assumed that the indians are not too far off from the post, and the two cultures will eventually clash and could potentially end in a battle. We see the Lakota Sioux tribe who are friendly and accommodating, and the Pawnee Indians who numerous tribes are not accepting of other cultures even the Lakota which is surprising due to the fact that they are both indians. The only reason the Lakota Indians feel as though they have to ever fight is because the pawnee is threatheing their well being. At first when the Lakota discover that their is a white man positioned at a post close to their own homes, two leaders are sent their not...
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...Sherman Alexie was born October 7, 1966. Was born with hydrocephalus and went into surgery at 6 months of age. He had lots of seizures as a child and spent a lot of his childhood reading books. After the surgery at a young age he still was able to read at 3 years of age. As a child he was bullied because his head was larger than usual due to the hydrocephalus. He is now a story writer, a poet, and a filmmaker (Poetry Foundation). Sherman Alexie promoted understanding of Native American culture through his literary works including War Dances, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Reservation Blues (Poetry Foundation). Alexie’s text War Dances impacted the way people think. War Dances has short stories and poems...
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...CHAPTER TWO: NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIONS Chapter Outline and Unit Summaries Introduction: The Challenges in Studying Native American Religions A. The Contemporary Revival of Interest in Native American Religions 1. Important Role in History of North America 2. Emphasis on Nature and Personal Religious Experience 3. Absence of Formal Organizational Structure B. A Wider Variety of Religious Types Under One Heading 1. A Fifteen to Twenty Thousand Year Legacy 2. Geographic Spread Across a Continent 3. Numerous Forms of Social and Economic Organization C. A Dearth of Reliable Sources on Native American Religions 4. Literary Sources from Only Past Four Hundred Years, with Best Sources from Past One Hundred Years 5. Difficulty of Identifying a Pure Type: Many Changes Fostered by Engagement with Europeans 6. Archaeology Provides Some Clues to Pre-European Era 7. The Necessity of Generalizing about the Entire Field The Spirit World A. A Mixture of Polytheism, Monotheism, and Monism B. Native American Religions Tend Toward Polytheism 1. The World Populated by Numerous Spirits 2. Mother Earth at Heart of Nature 3. Deities Represented by Natural Forces C. Native American Religions Tend Toward Monotheism and Monism1. The Supreme Being / High God Above Lesser Deities 2. High God Generally Uninvolved in World—Lower Deities Hold Sway over Nature and Everyday Life 3. High...
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...Native American Culture Have you ever wonder how the world was created from another culture’s perspective? Native Americans used creation myths to explained to their people how the world was developed overtime. Creation myths are a big part of the Native American culture. they have been passed down from generation to generation. In the creation myths, harmony with nature, rituals, and strong social values are shown in each myths. The purpose of having strong social value in these myths is to teach younger Native Americans valuable lesson if they ever do something bad. These myths reveals how the rituals were created and their intentions for doing it. Creation myths has harmony with nature in it to show a very close kinship between them and nature. Native American explained how the world began with their myths. Various works of literature reveal the Native American tradition and beliefs of rituals, strong social value, and harmony with nature. Rituals plays an important role in Native American Culture. In the short story, “The Man to Send Rain Clouds”, the Laguna ritual was shown when Leon did the funeral rites on Teofilo. For example, “ Leon ties feathers to Teofilo’s hair, paint his face, and sprinkle holy water on his grave” (50). This quote is important because it is part of the Native American’s tradition that was past down from generation to generation, and the purpose of doing this funeral rites is to make him be part of nature. Another example of Native American ritual...
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... | | | | ABSTRACTI will examine the relationship between music and culture and discuss the role music plays in people’s daily lives. I will discuss unique handcrafted instruments used by different cultures to express traditions through music and how rhythm, melody & harmony affect how music sounds. My research will show how music plays an important part of cultural preservation and revitalization of people around the world, and although every culture has their own traditions and beliefs they all use music in their celebrations and spiritual ceremonies. | | Music in World Culture Music is a very important characteristic of all cultures. Evidence of humans making music reaches far back in time. Although the Modern American culture commonly views music as a form of entertainment, there are still many cultures who believe music is much more than that. Music is a form of verbal art, poetry and stories combined with melody and rhythm that all cultures use to display inspiration, religion, political views or emotions. Most cultures have sacred music, for religious functions, and worldly music, for nonreligious activities. I will say that before taking this class I had never heard the work “Ethnomusicology”, now I know that Ethnomusicology is the study of the music of the world. I now realize there are so many different cultures of the world and they all have their own unique traditions. What stood out for me the most is that Music plays a major part in every...
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...Based on the readings and my personal interpretation of them, I think that the Native American Church is about personal spirituality. One thing that stood out to me was in “A Brief History of the Native American Church” was the author’s last paragraph indicating “The Church has no professional, paid clergy. Members are free to interpret Bible passages according to their own understanding” (Fikes, A Brief History of the Native American Church, 173). Throughout the readings, Peyote is explained as a critical part of the Church. Specifically, “Peyote embodies the Creator’s heart” (Fikes, A Brief History of the Native American Church, 168). I feel for me to explain why I think the NAC is about personal spirituality, it’s important to tie in the...
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...Native North American music is fascinating and complex, and arguably necessary for understanding indigenous culture. McAllester describes three different styles of Native American music to provide the reader with an overview. The first style is the Sioux Grass Dance. The Sioux Grass Dance exemplifies the concept of music as a social event. Even if music is practiced alone sometimes, it usually has a social and cultural dimension. However, Ruggles makes sure to point out that Native North American music is not just about social gatherings but also a form of personal and/or spiritual expression. Another feature of the Sioux Grass Dance is that it represents a very early stage of human musical evolution. The reason for that assessment is the...
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...resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Sioux Native Americans and 25 United States soldiers (Wikipedia 2015). With the possibility of using a Time Machine, the following steps would have prevented this tragedy from happening. Forcing relocation, miscommunication of the Ghost Dance, and the seizure of Sioux weapons all lead to the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890. Tensions have been rising between the European settlers and Native Americans for hundreds of years before this battle. When the Ghost Dance movement came along, the Indians thought it was a peaceful end to white expansion. A holy man named Wovoka founded the Ghost Dance. “When you get home you must make a dance to continue five days. Dance four successive nights, and the last night keep us the dance until the morning of the fifth day, when all must bathe in the river and then disperse to their homes. You must all do in the same way” (Wovoka 1891). This piece of the message from the messiah shows that the Indians were doing the ghost dance as a way to get their homelands back and in no way had the intent to be violent. The Indians believed that it would free the area of white men so they could return to their original lands and live freely. Wovoka preached nonviolence, however, whites feared that the Ghost Dance would lead to an Indian Rebellion (Education Portal). This excerpt from Harper’s Weekly in October of 1890 shows how the people of the United States say the ghost dance as a from of aggression to come, “The delusion...
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...Grass Dance Ashley Silva Humanities 281W: Human Diversity and Humanities Traditions Jeris Swanhorst July 6, 2014 As history will prove, many cultures have been immortalized through various artistic means. Many include the written word or preserved artwork. The many tribes of Native Americans choose to commemorate their history and honor their ancestors through the art of dance. One of the most popular dance styles for Native Americans known today is the ‘Grass Dance’. While its exact origins are not known, there are still several pieces of information that can be used to piece together the history. Several sources believe the dance began in the Northern region; ‘the dance was given to the Dakota by the Ponca about three hundred years ago at a place just east of the Black hills of South Dakota’ (Howard, 82). An approximation places this time frame around the year of 1860. As more participants began to experience and learn the dance style, the influence and knowledge of the dance began to spread. The dance reached the Blackfeet tribe in the 1870s, and eventually the Gros Ventre tribe around 1875-1880. From the 1920s to after World War II, an economic change in the United States had a greater impact on the nature of the grass dance. Many of the ceremonial traditions of the dance were lost during this time period and transformed into more of an entertainment form of dance. Along with these changes also came the involvement of women being able to perform the dance; for many...
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...Chapter 2 Study Questions 1. Native American religions have some of the qualities of monotheism, polytheism, and monism. 2. The examples of animism that relates to hunting and agriculture were that hunting was a religious pursuit in which the hunter saw the animal as a fellow creature with a similar spirit, therefore a hunter prayed to the spirit of the animal before the hunt. only those animals that were absolutely needed were killed. After the hunt, one asked the animal for forgiveness. For agriculture Native Americans worshiped the soil, plants, trees. Plants, like animals are thought to have spirits and are treated as persons by many Native Americans. 3. The major taboos of native American society are, menstruating women , avoidance of the dead. 4. The purpose of the Sun Dance is, to show continuity between life and death a regeneration, to contact with spirit world, also sun dance was a way of achieving visions from the spirit world, also this practice was a right of passage. 5. In Native American thinking the primary cause of sickness, and the ways it should be cured were, sickness is caused by the invasion of the body by an foreign object, and healing comes about when the foreign body is removed. 6. The use of peyote in religious ceremonies peyote produced profound sensory and psychic experiences lasting twenty- four hours, a property that led the natives to value it and use it religiously after a certain amount of peyote has been ingested, mescaline produces...
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...Native religions have similar characteristics for their religious beliefs than those that are not indigenous. Both have set worship sites, life goals and rites and rituals they partake in. However, just as Christianity and Hinduism are different in their beliefs, the beliefs of Native Americans also vary based on the tribe they are associated with. Native American tribes have a long, established relationship with nature and the animal population. Depending on the tribe they belong to, the Native Americans might believe in a number of different gods or spirits which are usually linked to nature and their dependence on it (Molloy, 2009). The Great Spirit is well known throughout many indigenous tribes, to be a collection of spiritual energies,...
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...Religion Chapter 2 Study Questions 1. Native American religions have some of the qualities of monotheism, polytheism, and monism. 2. The examples of animism that relates to hunting and agriculture were that hunting was a religious pursuit in which the hunter saw the animal as a fellow creature with a similar spirit, therefore a hunter prayed to the spirit of the animal before the hunt. only those animals that were absolutely needed were killed. After the hunt, one asked the animal for forgiveness. For agriculture Native Americans worshiped the soil, plants, trees. Plants, like animals are thought to have spirits and are treated as persons by many Native Americans. 3. The major taboos of native American society are, menstruating women , avoidance of the dead. 4. The purpose of the Sun Dance is, to show continuity between life and death a regeneration, to contact with spirit world, also sun dance was a way of achieving visions from the spirit world, also this practice was a right of passage. 5. In Native American thinking the primary cause of sickness, and the ways it should be cured were, sickness is caused by the invasion of the body by an foreign object, and healing comes about when the foreign body is removed. 6. The use of peyote in religious ceremonies peyote produced profound sensory and psychic experiences lasting twenty- four hours, a property that led the natives to value it and use it religiously after a certain amount of peyote has been ingested, mescaline...
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