TRIBAL BELIEFs
and ceremonieS
"We had no
churches, no religious organizations, so Sabbath day, no holidays, and
yet we worshiped. Sometimes the whole tribe would assemble and sing and
pray; sometimes a smaller number, perhaps only two or three. The songs
had a few words, but were not formal. The singer would occasionally put
in such words as he wished instead of the usual tone sound. Sometimes we
prayed in silence; sometimes each prayed aloud; sometimes an aged person
prayed for all of us. At other times one would rise and speak to us of
our duties to each other and to Usen. Our services were short."
Culture Hero/Transformer:
Nanabush (or Nanahozho). This supernatural hero had a central place in
Anishinabe beliefs. Nanabush organized the earth out of chaos. 
WINDIGO AND
WENDIGO
Thunderbird
controlled the weather, living in nests of stone on high
mountaintops
constantly shrouded in clouds. Thunderbirds were particularly
sought as guardian spirits because of their power. The mortal
enemy of Thunderbird was the Great Serpent who lived below the waters,
and Mishipisu, a large, horned water panther. Thunderbird's lightening
bolts were used to try and tame them.
BELIEFS
TREE
OF PEACE 
Beneath
the tree the Five Nations buried their weapons of war, atop the tree is
the
Eagle-that-sees-far,
and four long roots stretch out in the four great directions, called the
'white roots of peace.
The Peacemaker declared: "If any man or nation shows a desire to obey
the law of the Great Peace, they may trace the roots to their source,
and be welcomed to take shelter beneath the tree."
The eternal central sun, the
source of all life lies beyond the tree.
At the
urging of Benjamin Franklin, the Haudenosaunee League of Nations
Great Law, is what the United States Declaration of Independence is based on.
The LON governs the following Five tribes:
PLAINS
Iktomi is the son of Inyan, rock. Inyan is a creator god similar in form to other male creator gods. Iktomi has a younger brother, called Iya, who is a destructive and powerful spirit. One story of Iktomi goes that in the ancient days, Iktomi was Ksa, or wisdom, but he was stripped of this title and became Iktomi because of he fell victim to his own anger and misused his power by playing malicious tricks on people when they made fun of his unusual looks. Most of his schemes end with him falling into ruin when his intricate plans backfire which are teachings in themselves. These tales are usually told as a way to teach lessons to Lakota youth. Iktomi often played the part of a comedian or slapstick character particularly if the story was being played for laughs which was often done when teaching youth about their misdeeds. Stories such as this were designed not to bring shame to the person it was being aimed at but to allow that person to exit with the teaching and dignity intact and that they haven't been 'ganged' up on. Iktomi, like all culture hoes, is also a series, compassionate figure and his teachings are contained in stories such as the the one about the first dreamcatcher.
Iktomi's power is so great that he spun a huge web and draped it all over the world. This is the originalk interpretation of fiber-optic cable, the Internet and all forms of telecommunications systems.
SWEETGRASS,
the hair of Mother Earth and the power of emotional healing.
It is
literally is sweetgrass and often grows in dark, marshy places. It is
braided to signify unity and strength. A single blade of grass
represents an aspect of the living world, when separated it can be
broken, but when braided it cannot be broken. When in ceremony, hair is
usually braided to signify that we are all one people and that our world
vision is one of strong, united, supportive communities. Sweetgrass is a tangible
metaphor for a unified world. Our task is to work
towards a world community that is in harmony with itself. Sweetgrass soothes the emotions,
calms the nerves, brings down the heart rate. Its perfume drops your
shoulders and you move into the rhythm of the Earth.
CEDAR
-
the power of
physical healing.
It's sweet smell and healing
properties are used in physical healing. Bathing in a cedar bath or the
occasional cup of cedar tea helps to cleans the internal and external
body. Feel its power seep into your pores. Feel the pulse of your
heart as your body embraces its own health and wellbeing. Line the floor
of a sweatlodge with Cedar so that its sweet smell can imbue those
sitting inside. It is refreshing, it invigorates and causes the body to
sing!
SAGE -
The
power of spiritual healing.
As the white sage (salvia apiana) wafts across your body, breathe
it into your soul. Let your spirit find its balance with the emotions and
the physical body. Feel its power raise your spirits, feel yourself
stand taller and stronger. There are holes in the spirit when it is sad,
let the sage fill those holes with good thoughts and positive attitudes.
TOBACCO -
The power of
Mental Healing. Ah, the most powerful of all,
it gives thanks to Great Mystery and to the Ancestors. Often
considered to be the oldest plant on Turtle Island, it was never meant to
be smoked for commercial purposes! The sacred tobacco is pure and colled 'Kinnikinnik'.
It is comprised of Tobacco, bear berry leaves, red willow and alder
bark, among other things. It is smoked in sacred pipes and given to Elders or
Traditional Teachers when requesting assistance or information. Tobacco is
sprinkled in thanks to the Earth Mother, to Great Mystery and to the
Ancestors for gracing us with their presence. Tobacco should be held in
the left hand, closest to the heart. Raise your hand, it should be offered
to the four directions before being scattered on the earth. 
Often
shells are used for smudging; big, beautiful
abalone shells. In
Thunderbird's Pacific Northwest tradition, shells once contained the
spirit of a living being. Her heritage is of the seas and oceans,
streams and rivers; respect for all living beings that reside there is
paramount for they offered themselves so her people could eat and live
well. As a result she prefers not to use the shells for they once
contained the living spirit of a relative! To burn the bottoms of these
shells is to burn the spirit that once lived there. 
POWWOW
A
sweat lodge (the one of the left is Navaho) was originally created for men, so that they could
experience the peace of spiritual, emotional, physical and mental cleansing and purification that women naturally
experienced on their moon time. Much later the sweat lodge ceremony was
extended to women as long as women sweated by themselves, as did the
men; Modern sweat lodges now allow for 'mixed' sweats. Thunderbird
does not subscribe to mixed sweats because the 'power' of the
men in this environment can often overwhelm the women, leaving the women
bereft of a positive experience. Some things are better left separated.
In one form or
another, the sweat lodge pervaded cultures from the Alaskan Eskimo south
into the land of the Mayans. The one on the left is a more typical
lodge. The purpose, in most cases, went beyond
getting the body clean. The sweat bath provided a cure for illness,
revitalization for aching muscles, a connection to the Ancestors and a sense of both cultural and
spiritual identity. A chance, in other words, to reconnect to both the
seen and unseen worlds. 
cleaning. In this modern sedentary age of pollution, artificial
environments, synthetic clothing and lack of regular exercise, a sweat
bath can open clogged skin pores and stimulate the healthy flow of a
body's own natural sweat. A Navajo who fought in World War II once said
that he had came back for a sweat bath "to rid himself of evil
accumulated during war." (Photo on right is a Mi'Kmaq lodge)
small structure made of a frame of saplings, covered with skins, canvas
or blanket; it can also be built with hard wood walls.