Native Americans have lived in North America for over 13,000 years. The continued presence and rich diversity of contemporary Native communities in the United States discredits the pervasive myth that there are no more Native Americans.... Read more about Myth of the “Vanishing Indian”

Many traditions of belief and ceremonial life correspond to shared language families and common geographic areas. However, with more than 200 distinctive languages native to the landmass that is now the United States and a wide diversity of religious beliefs and practices, one cannot speak of a single Native American religion. ... Read more about Millennia of Religious Diversity

Many of the historical and contemporary interactions between Native Americans and the United States government have involved material and cultural dispossession. Within the context of dispossession, there have been concerted efforts by Native American communities to maintain and adapt their unique cultural heritages. Native languages in particular are in danger of becoming extinct.... Read more about Struggle and Survival: Native Ways of Life Today

Native American traditions are diverse, but many share strong emphases on oral discourse, orientation toward the land, and the existence of a spirit world. Additionally, all Native traditions have had to respond to colonization, dispossession, and assimilation. Still, the traditions that developed prior to and in response to European colonization are markedly distinct.... Read more about Many Local Traditions

The Apache people, based in the Southwest of the United States, have many spiritual rituals, ceremonies, and myths. One prominent rite of passage of the Mescalero Apache, the initiation ceremony for a girl into womanhood, involves the entire community’s participation. Community members take part in a four-day feast and celebration, which ends with a blessing of the community by the initiate.... Read more about Apache Women’s Initiation and Divine Renewal

The Sioux, or Lakota, people of the American Great Plains are well known for their resistance to colonization and assimilation in the 1870s. Sacred pipe ceremonies of the Lakota Sioux are meant to provide spiritual grounding and power for Lakota as they navigate Native identity in the modern world.... Read more about Sacred Pipe of the Lakota Sioux

The Iroquois nations in the regions of New York, Pennsylvania, and southeastern Canada refer to themselves collectively as the Haudenosaunee, “the people of the Longhouse." In this peace-making government, political positions and relationships are governed by ceremonial interactions and a body of oral literature. Today, in many cases, these traditional governing processes are forced to account for U.S. Indian governing policy and administration.... Read more about Haudenosaunee Iroquois Religion and Politics

While Christian missionaries translated hymns into the Ojibwe language in order to effect further assimilation, the Ojibwe have translated and adapted Christian hymnals to serve their own cultural context. The singing of these hymns in the Ojibwe language at funerals and other significant community events reinforces a distinctive Ojibwe identity.... Read more about Ojibwe Hymns

During an Apache initiation ceremony, the dress worn by the initiated girl plays a central role in the ritual transformation into womanhood. The components of the dress represent the various elements of the Changing Woman myth. The ceremonial songs, accompanying the preparation of the dress, are meant to bring forth Changing Woman’s power.... Read more about Apache Initiation Dress

Historically, the tipi was used as a home, social space, and ceremonial structure. The tipi’s construction, shape, and accompanying art also served to represent humanity’s relationship with the natural and spiritual worlds. Today, few Native Americans live in tipis, but tipis are still used for contemporary ceremonial gatherings and as symbols for Native American identity.... Read more about Tipi

Sweat lodge ceremonies are common to many Native American tribes. The ceremonies of the sweat lodge include rites of preparation, prayer, and purification. Sweat ceremonies involve heating stones until they are red hot, bringing them into the darkened chamber, and pouring water or aromatic herbal teas over them to punctuate the participants’ rounds of fervent prayer.... Read more about Sweat Lodge

The Native American Church of Jesus Christ is a spiritual movement that integrates the teachings of Christian life with the spiritual and ethical traditions of various Native cultures. A central component of the Native American Church is the sacramental ingestion of peyote during peyote meetings. In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the ritual ingestion of peyote is not a legally protected practice, despite its religious significance.... Read more about Native American Church

Powwows are both ceremonial and celebratory gatherings. Since the inception of powwows in the 19th century, powwows have served as expressions of tribal and Native American identity more broadly. All powwows involve dancing, singing, and drumming.... Read more about The Powwow: Sacred and Secular Meet

In 1990, after centuries of struggle to protect the integrity of the dead and material items of religious and cultural significance, Native communities witnessed the creation of an important process for protection: the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). However, the application of the act has been difficult, as it raises questions regarding Native American sacrality and requires a willingness to expend resources and negotiate between many parties.... Read more about Repatriation of Human Remains

The constitutionally guaranteed free exercise of religion for Native Americans has been violated throughout the history of the United States. Violent repression of native practices, the withholding of resources from Native communities, and the devaluing of religious frameworks and practices that do not align with Protestant normativity have been and continue to be major obstacles in Native Americans realizing religious freedom in the United States. This issue has been taken up many times in the U.S. judicial system.... Read more about Religious Freedom for Native Americans

After generations of forced assimilation policies explicitly targeting the disuse of Native languages, many indigenous languages are dead or on the verge of becoming so. To address language loss, Native communities have established many educational and extracurricular programs, as well as new technologies, aimed at teaching participants Native languages and retaining their usage.... Read more about Language Reclamation: The Next Generation