![Prayer to the Mystery: Edward Curtis 1907 [Public Domain Image] Oglala Sioux man, Picket Pin, wearing breechcloth, holding pipe with mouthpiece pointing skyward, buffalo skull at his feet.](prayer.jpg) |
Native American Religions |
TopicsCalifornianInuit Maya Plains Iroquois Northwestern Southeastern Cherokee Southwestern Navajo Zuñi Hopi South American |
A long-standing problem with this section (and several others at this site relating to traditional peoples' spiritual beliefs) has been the lack of authoritative information. We are in the process of expanding this section by scanning public domain ethnographic accounts on specific Native American religious and spiritual practices. We are fortunate that there is a wealth of such material available, which makes it so much more puzzling why more of it is not on the Internet yet. The study of Native Americans by anthroplogists has had its share of bad science and ethical problems. However, the texts we are in the process of scanning were written by 19th and 20th Century ethnographers who were known for their careful and respectful approach to the people they studied. These were scholars who lived for years with the people they studied, and obtained permission to transcribe their oral sacred literature. |
Tales of the North American Indians
by Stith Thompson [1929]
The classic cross-cultural Native American folklore study.
Walam Olum excerpt from The Lenâpé and Their Legends, by Samuel G. Brinton. Brinton's Library of Aboriginal Literature number V. Phildelphia [1885]. This is one of the only indigenous pre-contact written texts available from North America. Long controversial as to its authenticity, but a key document nevertheless. With pictographs, Delaware and English translation.
The Soul of the Indian by Charles Eastman [1911] 100,801 bytes
Indian Why Stories by Frank Linderman [1915] 163,221 bytes
Old Indian Legends by Zitkala-Sa [1901] 105,552 bytes
Myths and Legends of the Sioux by Marie L. McLaughlin [1916] 241,776 bytes
