Native
Spirituality
SACRED SYMBOLS
The Symbol of Native
Spirituality
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There is no official symbol of Native
Spirituality

This symbol is known as the Solar Cross
Circle – earth, time, days, seasons,
lunar cycles, circle of the teepee, ritual
dances and talking councils
 Four points – movement of the sun
(solstices and equinoxes), four
medicine herbs (sweetgrass, sage,
cedar, tobacco), four elements (air,
water, fire, earth) and four colours and
directions
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black – west
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white – north
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red – south
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yellow – east
Centre of circle – fifth direction, point
of balance
Everything an
Indian does is
in a circle,
and that is
because the
power of the
world always
works in circles, and everything tries
to be round.
Black Elk, 1863 -1950 Oglala Sioux Elder
Eagle Feather

The eagle is important
because it is closest to
heaven; because it’s farsighted; because of its
great beauty

Sometimes turkey
feathers are used; the
turkey has been
described as “the eagle
of the ground”; the bald
eagle is the eagle of the
sky & the turkey is the
eagle of the ground.
Drum
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Oldest instrument and sacred
object
Round shape – circle of life
Rhythm of the drum is said to
facilitate healing and realignment
of the four realms of human
existence (mental, spiritual,
emotional and physical) as well as
the voice of the Great Spirit.
Seen as a spiritual messenger that
transmits the prayers of the people
to the spirit world. The drum should
never be struck in an aggressive
manner.
Drums are crafted as a response to
a visionary experience and are seen
as animate objects and should
therefore be treated and cared for
with the utmost respect and
reverence.
Drum (cont’d)

The drum represents:
Person’s Heartbeat
Nation’s Heartbeat
Humanity’s Heartbeat
Nature’s Heartbeat
Earth’s Heartbeat
Universe’s Heartbeat
Divine’s Heartbeat
Cow Horn Rattle

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Musical instrument that is used
in social dances and
ceremonial songs to call upon
the ancestors/spirits.
Spirits from the four directions
are called upon to help
people who are seeking
spiritual and physical cleansing
(often during sweat lodge
ceremony).
Materials used vary depending
on groups. Gourds, turtle shells,
raw hide, seeds, pebbles,
buffalo horns and deer hooves
are all common materials.
Pipe
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Sacred pipes consist of two parts

Holding bowl - made out of bone, wood, stone or metal.
Represents Mother Earth, the feminine, creativity,
birth/rebirth, the womb, the heart, fertility and life.

Stem - made out of wood. Represents the sky, masculine,
the spine, the transcendent and energy.
Pipe is considered a living entity that offers
harmony, balance and wholeness to the smoker.
It is never used as a recreational tool.
The smokers intentions should be pure, peaceful
and positive. All negative or violent thoughts
must be dismissed. Smudging ceremony must be
performed before smoking in order to cleanse
and purify the user.
Pipe (cont’d)
Pipe continued…

Bowl is held in left hand (closest to heart)

Tobacco and its smoke represents the seen
and unseen worlds. After smoking, pipe is
passed clockwise to the next person. One
should never pick up the pipe on his own.

The pipe belongs to the community
and is passed along to ‘custodians’
after cleansing rites have been
performed.
Pipe Ceremony
All the things of
the universe are
joined with you
who smoke the
pipe. All send their
voices to Wakan
Tanka, the Great
Spirit.
Black Elk
Pipe Ceremony
When you pray
with this pipe, you
pray for and with
everything.
Black Elk
Deerskin Medicine Pouch

Carries objects/substances
that have special meaning
or “medicine” for the owner.
Contains souvenirs from
important moments in one’s
life.

Pouches vary in sizes.

Contents are very personal
and private. Only the carrier
knows what is in it.

Carrying the medicine
pouch is comparable to
carrying sacred scriptures in
other traditions.
Wooden Mask
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False Face Society is one of the ‘curing’ societies
among the Iroquois of the Great Lakes.

They used these wood carved masks to portray
different mythical beings.
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Each mask gives special curing powers to the
society member who wears it.

Wearing the mask while chanting sacred songs and
shaking rattles is believed to cure the sick.
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Masks are also used when asking for a successful
hunt, abundant harvest and for the safe passage of
deceased loved ones.
Characteristics of the
 Painted red or black and ‘fed’
Mask
tobacco to keep their spirit
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alive.
Deep set eyes, sometimes with
metal eye plats
Large, bent nose
Deeply wrinkled arched
eyebrows
Various mouth expression
dependant on mood, function
and locality
Long hair, cut from horses tails,
frame the face. Before the
introduction of horses, corn
husk braids or buffalo mane
was used.
Pacific Northwest
Native Masks
Wooden Mask Carving
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The carver goes into the
woods and ‘listens’ for a tree
whose spirit calls to him.
The carver explains the
intent to the tree and offers
tobacco to the tree’s spirit.
The tree relays his spirit to
the carver determining what
kind of face will be carved.
The bark is stripped and the
face roughly carved then
cut.
If cut in the morning the
mask would be painted red.
If cut in the afternoon then it
would be painted black.
Cornhusk Mask
Also known as Bushy Heads
 These masks are believed to be
inhabited by spirits associated with the
corn harvest
 Full size masks are worn by dancers
during rites of the Mid-winter Ceremony
(January) and the Green Corn
Ceremony (Spring). They can be made
to represent male or female spirits
 Smaller, medium-size masks are used for
asking the spirits for favours.
 Miniature masks are used to calm spirits
who disturb a person’s dream.
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Sacred Plants/Medicines
Native
spirituality has four
sacred plants or
medicines.
Burning these is deeply
spiritual and used as a way
to purify the spirit.
Tobacco
Represent the east. Used to
‘sign’ a contract, for
luck, and to show
respect to ancestors and
the Great Spirit.
Tobacco should be held
in the left hand and
offered to the four
directions before being
scattered.
Cedar
Represents the south.
When burned, it acts as
a purifier, cleansing the
surrounding area.
Sweetgrass
Represents the north,
signifying kindness and
invites good spirits to
enter.
 Aromatic fragrance
enhanced when the
grass is wet or burned.
 Braid signifies Mother
Earth- three sections
represent mind, body
and spirit.
 When sweetgrass is
picked an offering of
tobacco is made in
return for its generosity.
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Sage
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Represents the west
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Burned as a purifier and
has a spicy smell
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Has the power of spiritual
healing. Aboriginals
believe that when
inhaled the sage fills the
holes in one’s spirit with
good thoughts and
positive attitudes.
Smudging Ceremony
Important Items
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Smudge pot
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Smudge Fan
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Four sacred plants (tobacco,
sage, sweetgrass and cedar)
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Drums
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Pipes
Smudging Items
Smudging Ceremony
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Burning of one of the four sacred plants for prayer or
purification.
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Small amount of medicine is place in smudge pot, lit with a
match and fanned with a feather to disperse the smoke.
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Smoke is offered to the four directions and goes into the world
where the spirits live.
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People can be purified by wafting the smoke over their body,
starting at the feet.
Smudging
Smudging Ceremony
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Feathers are symbols of prayers
and marks of honour, bringing
joy, happiness and spiritual
understanding.
Beadwork shows that they
belong to a particular tribe or
nation.
Ceremony involves the four
elements:
Earth (herbs and ashes)
 Air (smoke)
 Fire (burning the herbs)
 Water (shell).
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Dream Catcher
Two versions:
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Hung over a bed so that bad dreams
can be filtered through the web and
evaporate. Good dreams stay caught in
the web.
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Bad dreams are caught and good ones
fly free. The sunlight in the morning
evaporates the bad dreams.
Medicine Wheel
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Life is interconnected
Represents…
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East – rising sun, birth, eagle, yellow
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South – warmth/growth after winter,
childhood, intellectual growth, moose
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West – setting sun, night, adulthood,
introspection and looking within one’s
spirit, black, rain, bear
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North – wisdom, elder, white, buffalo,
strength and endurance
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Centre - Mother Earth and the Creator
and their role in the beginning and
continuation of life.