Native American Celebrations

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In today´s post we are going to talk about some celebrations that the Native Americans celebrate each month. We hope you enjoy it!

The Powamu Festival

The Powamu Festival is the mid-winter ceremony and it is also called the Bean Planting Festival. It is observed in late January or early February. The celebration lasts 8 days and it is mainly celebrated by the Hopi Indians in Arizona.

The Iroquois Midwinter Ceremony

The Iroquois Midwinter Ceremony is held in either January or February. When the dipper constellation appears in the sky directly overhead, you then wait for the new moon to be seen. This is when the spiritual year begins. You then wait 5 days after the new moon to begin the ceremony. The celebration lasts 9 days with a lot of  traditional events, as well as choosing new council members for the next year.

The Kwakiutl Midwinter Ceremony

The winter ceremony season is when they acknowledge and reaffirm their connection with the supernatural world. The Kwakiutl Midwinter Ceremony is done in Febrauary.

The Athabascan Stickdance

The Athabascan Stickdance is held for one week every March  by the Athabascan Indians of Alaska. The Athabascan Indians take their name from Lake Athabasca in Canada.  Athabasca is derived from a Cree word meaning the way plants or grasses grow in the shallow end of a lake. The spelling of the tribe name varies from Athabasca, Athapaskan, Athabaskan and Athapascan.

The Navajo Mountain Chant

The Navajo Mountain Chant is held in Arizona, nine days at the end of winter. Basically, this observance marks the seasonal transition. It happens at the end of the thunderstorms but before the spring winds come. The Navajo believe that if this ceremony was held at any other time, it would result in death from lightning or snake bite.  The chant is also considered a curing ceremony, not only for physical healing in those that are ill, but also to heal relationship disharmony and restore balance in relationships.

The Yaqui Easter Festival

The Yaqui Easter Festival goes on for seven weeks. It is celebrated in the State of Arizona in the United States and in the country of Mexico.  The ceremony ends on Easter Sunday. The name of this festival comes from the Yaqui Indians, now living in the Tuscon and Phoenix, Arizona area that are descendants of the original tribe that lived near the Yaqui River in the northwestern area of Mexico. And, who later fled to the southwestern U.S. during the 18th  and 19th century wars between Spain and the Mexican governments. But, earlier in the 17th century, Jesuit missionaries arrived in the area and began teaching Christianity to the Yaqui. They continued to hold on to many of their cultural beliefs, while also accepting some Roman Catholic practices as well. This mixing of tribal customs with Christian customs is a good example with their Easter celebration. 

The Ute Bear Dance

The Ute Bear Dance is performed every Spring, around late May or June by the Ute Indians of Colorado.  It is the oldest dance that the tribe performs and dates back further than the 15th Century when Spanish explorers witnessed it.  And, it is the only dance that the Utes originated. The area of Colorado where this is most observed is in Towaoe and Ignacio. The purpose of this dance is for mating and courtship. The second purpose is to celebrate the arrival of spring, as well as an opportunity to get together and celebrate.

The Sun Dance

The Sun Dance is a ceremony for healing. Not everyone does the Sun Dance. You have to have a reason and to pray with your heart. This is  also a controversial topic for many.

The Apache Girls' Sunrise Ceremony

The Apache Girls' Sunrise Ceremony is celebrated for 4 days in July  in Arizona and New Mexico to celebrate the coming-of-age of young Apache women. (The sign of this is when a girl begins her first menstruation.). The Apache Indians believe that their early ancestors emerged from the underworld by climbing up a cane stalk behind the Red Ants, who they also refer to as "The First People."  The Changing Woman, also known to them as the White-Painted Woman (orEsdzanadehe) was the very first Apache.  She appeared in the East as a beautiful young woman, then moved to the West and disappeared when she grew old.

The Eagle Dance 

The Eagle Dance is not specific to one certain group. It is performed by many Native American Indians as part of their ceremonies. However, the details of the dance will vary from tribe to tribe. It is most commonly performed in early spring, but can be performed at any other time of the year.

The  Miwok Acorn Festival

The  Miwok Acorn Festival is held on the fourth weekend every September by the Miwok  Indians that lived in the area that we know today as Northern California.

The Miwok Indians were just like other California Native Americans and relied a lot on acorns for food. They harvested these from the valley oaks in the autumn and stored them in cha'ka or granaries. The acorns can't be eaten as is. They had to go through a special designed process to get rid of the tannin, which prevents the human body from absorbing their nutrients. Tannin also gave the acorns a bitter taste.

The Shalako Ceremony

The Shalako Ceremony is performed in late November or early December and takes place after the crops are in. This ceremony is the most important event of the year for the Zuni Indians of New Mexico.

The Hopi Soyaluna Ceremony

It is a ceremony related to the sun as it relates to the winter solstice. It is one of the Hopi's most sacred ceremonies and is also called the "Prayer-Offering Ceremony" because it is a time for saying prayers for the New Year and for wishing each other prosperity and health.

That is all about the Native American ceremonies. If you want more information, you can visit it in our bibliography. We hope you liked it!

Bibliography: 

http://www.brownielocks.com/athabascan.html

http://www.brownielocks.com/powamu.html

http://www.brownielocks.com/iroquoisceremony.html

http://www.brownielocks.com/athabascan.html

http://www.brownielocks.com/ute.html

http://www.brownielocks.com/yaquieaster.html

http://www.brownielocks.com/sundance.html

http://www.brownielocks.com/apachesunrise.html

http://www.brownielocks.com/eagledance.html

http://www.brownielocks.com/miwok.html

http://www.brownielocks.com/shalako.html

http://www.brownielocks.com/soyaluna.html

http://www.brownielocks.com/nativeamerican.html

Native American Music

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Today we are going to tell you a little bit about the music that the native americans used to play and which were the instruments. We hope you like it!

Generally, native american music was choral, although we can also find some tribes where it was usual to find solo singing and the main purposes were ceremonies, recreation, expression, and healing. Some of the instruments would be flutes and drums, which represent the sound as the heartbeat of the earth and, the most important, voices. If we move into the Great Plains we can find other instruments such as rattles and whistles. For example:

Moving to the Nothern Plains we find the flute, a very common instrument in this culture. It is said that it was played by men and the main point of it was to attract the women’s attention but over the years we can also find that it was played by both men and women. The most important was the courting flute. It was a solo instrument and it is considered as the third oldest known musical instrument in the world, with bone flutes dating back over 60,000 years. Drums were discovered first, and then various rattles were made, followed by bone whistles. Eventually, more holes were added and they were made larger:

There were two types of music in the Norther Plains: secular and sacred.

The secular music can be represented in many different ways but the most common is to thank for everyday. The sacred music, as the word indicates, were  used for personal spiritual practice. Depending on the number of people who participated in it, the number and size of the instruments could vary. For example, drums could be larger or smaller.

Different tribes have different traditions about the drum and how to play it, but the basic construction is very similar in most tribes: a wooden frame or a carved and hollowed-out log, with finely tanned buckskin or elkskin stretched taut across the opening by sinew thongs. 

Here you can see some of them:

Many people think that Native American music is one of the most complex ever performed. The releasing of the vocals combined with the different drum beats makes it a very intricate form of music. Another interesting item of note is that every region of the country where the Native Americans had settled produced extremely varying forms and sounds of music, so the music produced is always unique to its specific group.

Bibliography:

http://tribaldirectory.com/information/native-american-music.html

http://www.metmuseum.org/

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/plai/hd_plai.htm

http://www.indians.org/

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Amerindian+music

Native American Languages

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The aim of this post is to show you all the languages of the Ameridians in North America. Let's have a look!

• Apache Indian Language: Apache is an Athabaskan language, which is divided in 2 languages:
• Western Apache
• Eastern Apache

          The speakers of one language cannot understand the other well. Apache is related to other languages like Navajo or Gwich'in. Let's see some examples of Apache Language:

• góshé: dog
• gah: rabbit
• shizé: mouth

• Cherokee Indian Language: more properly spelled ''Tsalagi'', is a complex language with soft sounds. For example:
• Agehya: woman
• wado: thank you
• Agi'a: eat

       The Cherokee language has a writing system that was invented by the Cherokee scholar Sequoyah. Sequoyah's writing system is a syllabary. That means one character represents each syllable not just a consonant or a vowel.

• The Cheyenne Language:  It is a member of the large Algonquian language family of North America which includes other languages such as Blackfoot, Arapaho, Cree, Ojibwa...There are only 14 letters in the Cheyenne alphabet but they can combine to create some very long words, composed of many smaller meaning parts. 
• Heove: yellow
• Mahpe: water
• Hotame/Oeškeso: dog

Blackfoot Indian Language: Blackfoot, also known as Siksiká, is an Algonquian language, related to other languages like Cheyenne and Arapaho. There is a distinct difference between Old Blackfoot (also called High Blackfoot), the dialect spoken by many older speakers; and New Blackfoot (also called Modern Blackfoot), the dialect spoken by younger speakers.

• Áápi/Ksikk: white
• Sik: black
• Niisito: five

• Delaware Indian Language: This language is also known as the Lenape Lenguages, Munsee and Unami, which are assigned to the Algonquian language family.

• naxá: three
• lënu: man
• hilusës: old man

• Comanche Indian Language: This language is a Uto-aztecan language of the southern Plains  related to other languages like Shoshone and Hopi. Only a few elders in Oklahoma still speak the Comanche language fluently today.
• Hayarokwetu: four
• Mua: moon
• Paa: water

• Sioux/Dakota Indian Language: Sioux language is a Siouan languages of the Great Plains. Dakota and Lakota Indians can almost always understand each other. 
• Wanzi: one
• Wi: sun
• Mini: water

• Iroquoian Indian Languages: Iroquoian languages are spoken in the eastern US and southeast Canada. They are known for their general lack of labial consonants. 

• Northern Iroquoian Languages
• Central Iroquoian Languages:
• Tuscarora
• Nottoway
• Lake Iroquoian Languages
• Mohawk-Oneida Languages:
• Mohawk
• Oneida
• Seneca-Onondaga Languages:

• Cayuga
• Onondaga
• Seneca
• Huron/Wyandot
• Laurentian (St. Lawrence Iroquoian)
• Susquehannock
• Southern Iroquoian Languages:
• Cherokee (Tsalagi)

Here you are a lot of information about the Indian Language, hope you enjoyed it!

Bibliography:

http://www.native-languages.org/apache.htm

http://www.native-languages.org/apache_words.htm

http://www.greatdreams.com/apache/Apache-Language.htm

http://www.native-languages.org/cherokee.htm

http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/History/Facts/OurHistory.aspx

http://www.cheyennelanguage.org/

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cheyenne.htm

http://www.native-languages.org/blackfoot.htm

http://www.glenbow.org/blackfoot/teacher_toolkit/english/culture/language.htm

http://www.native-languages.org/lenape.htm

http://delawaretribe.org/culture-and-language/

http://www.native-languages.org/comanche_words.htm

http://www.bigorrin.org/sioux_kids.htm

http://www.native-languages.org/famiro.htm

Native American Food

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Today we are going to write about the Native American food.

Did you know that the Native Amercian Tribes hadn’t the same diet? For example, tribes in Alaska had a very different diet from the tribes of Brazil. Some tribes were farmers, staying in one place year-round and farming the land, while others were hunters and gatherers, moving from place to place as they hunted and gathered food for their families. This way of life affected the kind of food they ate.

The most important Native American food crop was Indian corn (also known as maize). Other American Indian crops were beans, squash, pumpkins, sunflowers, chocolate, etc. In this diet they also included their favourite meats like, for example, buffalo, salmon, elk, etc.
Americans, in ancient times, were able to eat any type of animals like monkeys, dogs (not all the tribes did it) or even snakes.

•  The Eskimos and some Indian tribes of the far north relied almost entirely on hunting and fishing to survive. Their main food was fish, especially the salmon of the rivers and the ocean, but they also gathered nuts and berries from the forests.

• The Blackfoot and Sioux tribe formed large groups to work together to drive large animals over a cliff, sometimes setting controlled fires or building fences to cut off their escape.

• The  Chippewa tribe hunted deer, rabbits or elks. To hunt they set snares or traps for them.

•  The Navajo tribe were from the South and they were expert farmers. They used special farming techniques like irrigation, terracing or crop rotation to improve their farms, and they finally obtained enough crops to dry and store for the Winter.

The Native Americans drank herb-flavoured water and broth. For example, the Timicuans brewed a caffeine drink called the Black Drink. This tea was a Southeastern ceremonial drink, and was used by adult males for ritualistic purification. It was also traded to other Native American tribes.

Bibliography:

http://www.native-languages.org/food.htm

http://tribaldirectory.com/information/native-american-food.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_vomitoria

Native American clothing

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In today´s post we are going to talk about the Native American clothes.

In most tribes, Native American men wore breechclouts or breechcloths (a long rectangular piece of hide or cloth tucked over a belt, so that the flaps fell down in front and behind), sometimes with leather leggings attached in colder climates.

Breechclouts   

Leggings

In some tribes Indian clothing for men was a short kilt or fur trousers instead of a breechcloth. Most American Indian men did not use shirts, but Plains Indian warriors did wear special buckskin war shirts decorated with ermine tails, hair, and intricate quillwork and beadwork.

War shirt

Native American clothing for women usually consisted of skirts and leggings, though the length, design, and material of the skirts varied from tribe to tribe. In some cultures, Indian women's shirts were optional and were treated more like coats. In others, Native American women always wore tunics or mantles in public. And in some tribes women usually wore one-piece American Indian dresses instead, like this Cheyenne buckskin dress.

Cheyenne buckskin dress

Nearly all Native Americans had some form of moccasin (a sturdy leather shoe) or mukluk (heavier boot), with the styles of footwear differing from tribe to tribe. Most tribes used cloaks in colder weather, but some of the northern tribes wore Inuit-style fur parkas instead. Most variable of all were headgear and formal clothing, which were different in nearly every tribe. 

Map of North America with Native American Varieties of Moccasins

After colonization, the clothes of Native Americans began to change. For one thing, as Indian tribes were driven from their ancient lands and forced into closer contact with each other, they began to borrow some of each other's tribal dress, so that fringed buckskin clothing, feather headdresses, and woven blankets became popular among Indians outside of the tribes in which they originated. For another, Indians began to adapt some articles of European costume to their own style, decorating cloth garments with characteristic Native American beadwork, embroidery, and designs.

Feather headdress

Today, most Native Americans wear contemporary American and Canadian clothes in their daily life; however, unique American Indian clothing styles still exist. Some traditional American Indian garments, such as buckskins, ribbon dresses, and beaded moccasins, are still worn in many tribes, particularly to formal events. Others, such as breechcloth, leggings, headdress and dance shawl, are only worn at powwows and religious ceremonies. In general, American Indians use the word regalia for traditional clothes which are used for ceremonial occasions.

Here we have some more pictures of Native American clothing:

Neswabmi Porcupine Roach Headdresses

Littlecrow Indian Regalia

Wright Indian Shawls

Native American Breastplates

Mocassins

Sweetgrass Indian Gloves

Native American Mitts

Native American Dance Outfits

Bibliography:

http://www.native-languages.org/clothing.htm

http://www.native-languages.org/breechcloth.htm

http://archive.artsmia.org/beauty-honor-tradition/preview-beadwork.html

http://www.artcom.com/Museums/vs/mr/95.jpg

http://www.nativetech.org/clothing/moccasin/mocmap.html

http://www.native-languages.org/headdresses.htm#warbonnets

Native American Mythology

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Normally, when we hear something about mythology, we think about monsters or massive animals but it was not the same for native americans.

It is known that native americans had a lot of stories, beliefs and legends and it is true but they were not the same in every tribe. Each one had its own "mythology" or deities. Most of their stories and myhts were related with the nature and, specially, with animals. But, unfortunately, after the white man came into their lives, it all disappeared due to the struggles, wars, starvation, etc.

For these tribes, everything around them had a special meaning but there was something above all, called the Great Spirit and it was considered as the great creator of life and the universe. Its power could be found in everything, such as rocks, sky, rivers, etc.

"Appeal to the Great Spirit"
Created by Cyrus Dallin 1909.
One of the American's most recognizable works of art. As seen in front of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

As you have read before, each tribe had its own belief but they shared some of them. For example, the Animism. This mean that, not only humans have soul, also animals, plants, rocks or even the rain had it and it is said that, probably, it is one of the oldest beliefs of man.

Secondary deities were personifications of animals and natural forces. There were a lot of them so, obviously, we will only talk about the most famous. 
Two of the most known would be, for example:

• Coyote: it is known in the Great Plains and it is mostly represented as male, characterized as an irresponsible and trouble-making but very clever character, with powers over the rain. It is important in Navajo mythology. There is, in my opinion, a very interesting video which I would like to share with all of you about the legend of how the Coyote got his cunning.
• Raven: also like the Coyote, it is clever. It can be considered as a hero and, sometimes, it can be good or evil. Mainly known in Pacific Nortwest and Alaska.

Others were a combination of two or more animals and, in this case, they were considered as bad or evil creatures:

• Piasa bird: as we have found in a specialized web, this symbol "was believed to be a supernatural deity, similar to a dragon or mythical bird, who resided in the Underworld with the spirits associated with death and destruction.". You can find more information about it in the links below or cliking here.

• Avanyu: it was "one of the many snake-like deities that figure in the mythology of some Native American tribes, notably the Pueblo. The Avanyu symbol represented a benevolent but fearful creature. The meaning of the Avanyu symbol is the storm bringer and connected with lightning, thunderstorms and the guardian of water.". (Link)

As you may know and have noticed, mythology is a very wide topic in every culture but I tried to make a summary with all the most important things so, I hope you all like it and enjoy it. 

Also, if you would like to know more or have some questions, you can leave a comment!




Bibliography:

Bastian, D. E., & Mitchell, J. K. (s.f.). Handbook of Native American Mythology. 

http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/native-american-mythology.php

http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-culture/mythical-creatures.htm
http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-symbols/avanyu-symbol.htm
http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-symbols/piasa.htm
http://www.native-languages.org/
http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-culture/native-american-mythology.htm
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-legends.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d2Zh318kRY