THE RAIN DANCE
The Native American rain dance was very common among
the Native American tribes in the southwest of America, because during the
summers there wasn’t much rain.
The rain dance usually took place in August ever
year.
Men and women danced it, and they wore special costumes when performing
this ceremony.
Many reservations in the southwest still perform this ritual
today.
THE TOMAHAWKS
They were war weapons for many of the more violent
Indian tribes, and they used their tomahawks to scalp their enemies.
But they
were also tools and they were sometimes given as gifts to important people
during special ceremonies.
THE TOTEM POLES
The totem poles were symbols of the history of a
family or of the whole tribe.
They were also a record of traditions, legends,
or spiritual stories.
They were carved from large pieces of wood and covered
with pictures of animals. They were also used as memorials when a tribe’s chief
died.
THE HEADDRESS
The Native American Headdress was reserved for the very
important members of the tribe. They were beautiful and intricate, colourful
or monochromatic, often made out of bird feathers.
The number of feathers a
headdress had on it symbolized how brave or important the member of the tribe
was.
Today, many Native Americans wear headdresses during special
ceremonies such as weddings and other important events.
NATIVE AMERICAN NAMES
Native American names are more than just a simple way
to address one another. In fact, like many other cultures, Native American had
a systematic way of naming people. Native American names were given to imply
status, class, and occupation.
They often had several names over their
lifetime. This is because names were used to describe a man or woman’s life.
They were used to classify actions they took, physical traits, personality
characteristics, and other important aspects of their lives.
The names were often presented to the
tribe in the form of a ceremony. There was a celebration that included dancing,
singing, and praying to honor the name given to a member of their tribe.
Native Americans believed firmly that their actions
shaped their destiny. Therefore being named after their actions in life was a
great honor.
THE DREAM-CATCHERS
According to the Native American people, dreams are
messages that come from the sacred spirits. There are different stories on the
Native American dream catchers: one version says that the hole in the middle of
a dream catchers allows the good dreams to pass on to the sleeper, while
the web traps all of the bad dreams, and then at the first light of morning the
bad dreams disappear.
Dream catchers originated with the Chippewa Indians.
They used to tie strands of sinew in webs around a tear-shaped frame and then
they hung the dream catcher above
sleeping Native American children’s bed to protect them from nightmares.
Normally Native American dream catchers are fairly
small and are made by bending wood (originally birch) and sinew string tied
together. A feather hangs from the webbing.
(by 2LSB & 2LSA)
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