2. The Spirit World
• Generally polytheistic
• Believed in the Great Spirit, in nature as
alive with spirits, and in Mother Earth
• The high god was appealed to only rarely,
usually in the case of great emergencies
• Very animistic
• Reverential toward soil, plants, and trees
• Reverence toward these things varied from
tribe to tribe
3. Control over the Spirit World
• The universe is not under control of any one supreme
god
• Attention focused on achieving good relations with
earth spirits, the forests, the streams, and the animals
upon which they depended
• Sacrifice is sometimes practiced
• Taboos include the dead (often the dead were not
spoken of for years)
• Little fear of death.
• Sin or righteousness have nothing to do with one’s
afterlife destiny
4. Control over the Spirit World
• Dance used to deal with the spirits and gain control
over the spirit world
• Particular dances could last up to three days
• Religious leadership included both medicine men
and women
• Primary responsibility of leadership has to do with
healing by eliminating foreign objects, usually in the
form of spiritual obstructions
• Tobacco—about six times stronger than modern
cigarettes—used to placate the spirits
5. “The Native American Church”
• A Native American church based on a syncretistic
faith, located primarily in western states
• Use peyote extensively in worship rituals and
ceremonies
• A church in Oregon was invaded by state authorities
and its leaders arrested for peyote use in worship
• The church fought the case on grounds of religious
liberty. They lost at the local and state Supreme Court
levels
• In Utah, the same thing happened, but the Utah
Supreme Court found that all members of the Native
American church qualify for the religious exemption
