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The Great Spirit
[edit]The Great Spirit, called Above Old Man among the Wiyot, The Great Mystery among the Lakota, and Wakan Tanka among the Sioux, is a manifestation of the spiritual force that exists within the universe, as the perfect and all powerful originator and ruler of the universe, or supreme being. The Great Spirit, is most often found among Native American and First Nation cultures, and is considered to be the principal deity of Native American Indians. [1]
Other Names
[edit]| Name | Appearance |
|---|---|
| Ababinili | Chickasaw |
| Above Old Man/ Gudatrigakwitl | Wiyot |
| Apistotoke | Blackfoot |
| Caddi-Ayo | Caddo |
| Chebbeniathan | Arapaho |
| Gici Niwaskw | Abenaki |
| Gitci Manitou | Ojibwe |
| Ha-Wen-Neyu | Huron |
| Kisulkw | Micmac |
| Ketanitowet | Lenape |
| Maheo | Cheyenne |
| Orenda | Iroquois |
| The
Sky-Ch |
Carib |
| Spider of Heaven | Gros Ventre |
| Tam Apo/ "Our Father" | Shoshone |
| Tirana Atius | Pawnee |
| Utakke | Carrier |
| Wakantanka | Sioux |
| Wakonda | Omaha |
The Native American and First Nation concepts of the Great Spirit varies from tribe to tribe, these variations include the different names that each culture calls the Supreme Being.
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Beliefs about the Great Spirit
[edit]Many Native American and First Nation cultures have their own version of the Great Spirit, and each culture has their own beliefs and stories surrounding it. Beliefs about the Great Spirit are said to be derived from both patriarchal and matriarchal traditions, for example, the Lakota Sioux believe that the Great Spirit is an amalgamation of a dominant Father sky god and Mother Earth. The Great Spirit is seen as both a male and female being, separate, but part of one divine entity. Other Native American tribes perceive the Great Spirit to be solely a man, or an animal with human thought and speech. [1]
The Cherokee believe that the Great Spirit passed down the Seven Laws of the Great Spirit [3] which are as follows:
- Respect for proper authority; such as grandparents, chiefs, medicine people, etc.
- Preserve and promote the beauties of nature
- Judge with kindness and wisdom
- Moderation in all things
- Play fair in the game of life; do not take advantage of old people or children, do not invade someone's land or home
- A person's word of honor is sacred; keep your word, keep your treaties
- Respect for difference; we should only think of beautiful things when we look at other people
The Lakota tribal tradition believe that the Great Spirit is not God, but rather is a "Great Mystery," and is itself the creative force from which the world proceeds. The Lakota believe that the Great Spirit manifests itself within everything, in the rain, the sun, the trees, the animals, and in humans. The purpose of prayer to the Great Spirit is said to not be to ask for assistance, but to find one's "point of participation in the Great Mystery". [4]
The Wiyot tribal tradition's creation story centers around their version of the Great Spirit, called Gudatrigakwitl or Above Old Man. They believe that whatever Gudatrigakwitl thinks, exists. The Wiyot version of the Great Spirit is perceived to be a divine spirit with no human form and no human attributes who cannot die, does not get sick, and as long as the world lives, exists. In their eyes, the reason that people are still alive today is because some people do still follow the old teachings of the Great Spirit. [5], [6]
Controversy
[edit]Many Native American cultures consider the Great Spirit and the Christian God to be one and the same, however, some Native American peoples reject the modern day perception of the Great Spirit, because they believe that today's notions were mostly constructed by missionaries. The opinions on this issue vary, but the truth may lie somewhere in the middle. Many Native American tribal traditions did include some form of the Great Spirit in their creation myths and religious rituals, but the Great Spirit did not appear until after colonization in some traditions, and in others the belief system became significantly altered after contact with Christianity, so modern conceptions may not be an accurate representation of the original Native American spirituality. [2]
Popular Culture
[edit]References to the Great Spirit have been made outside of Native American or First Nation cultures, such as in Princess Mononoke, a popular Japanese film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli. The Great Forest Spirit in the film bears striking similarities to the Great Spirit we can find within Native American culture. The Great Forest Spirit is the physical manifestation of the health of the natural world and appears in the movie as an intelligent animal. [7]
External Links
[edit]- How the Great Spirit Made the World
- American Indians balance native customs with Christianity
- Appeal to the Great Spirit
- Native American Spirituality
- The Sacred Seven Prayers
- The Great Spirit
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Alchin, Linda (May 2016). "Great Spirit". Retrieved 11/1/2016.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help) - ^ a b "Native American Legends and Stories About the Great Spirit".
- ^ "The Seven Laws of the Great Spirit". 7/27/2004. Retrieved 11/1/16.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=and|date=(help) - ^ "Appeal to the Great Spirit". Ten Ways to Pray. 6/10/2011. Retrieved 10/30/2016.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=and|date=(help) - ^ Kroeber, A.L. (1905). Wishosk Myths.
- ^ "Native American Legends: Above-Old-Man (Gudatrigakwitl)". Native Languages of the Americas website. 2015. Retrieved 10/30/2016.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help) - ^ "Princess Mononoke". Wikipedia. 11/9/2016. Retrieved 11/10/16.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=and|date=(help)