Whoever Knows anything about Native American Culture.?

Question

Hmm

Hi I'm 15.

Like I'm Always interested in whatever i am

Well like I'm African American

But my Nana(grandma)

was Native American

And I would Love to Learn about that Culture

I find it Weird

that like

My Favorite Animal is the Wolf

And i just found out like 5 minutes ago

that That's my Native American Zodiac Sign.

and That i care About the Environment

( well We all should)

And I personally believe that like The Animals

are Beautiful and shouldn't be Harmed

In a Disgusting Way

( that's normal)

But Whatever these I'm guessing are normal Traits.

I really Dont know what im asking.

But just tell me things.

Answer 1

While the attributes you list are good, a lot of them are stereotypical attributes of Native Americans. While a lot of Natives are environmentalists, most live their day-to-day lives like any other person. A lot of different tribes, however, have religions that are rooted in the belief of a spiritual connection with the earth. Mine, the Ojibwe, is one of them. This can manifest in us making medicines from various plants, our belief in using a hunted animal in its entirety (from eating the meat, to using the bones, to wearing the hides), and being aware of timing certain ceremonies to seasons or moon cycles.

While these are the roots of our beliefs, we also live "normal" lives. I know people who hunt, but buy the majority of their meat at the grocery store. People who can make medicines out of plants, but still go to the doctor to practice modern medicine. Really, these days, it's about a healthy balance between the two. Most Native traditions show a history of "borrowing" liked traditions from other tribes and cultures. The same still happens today.

The one thing to remember is that it's very important to find out which tribe you are. There are some beliefs that are widely held in common, but there are BIG difference from tribe to tribe. I am both Oneida and Ojibwe and while the two have a lot of similarities (due to their closeness geographically) there are also a lot of differences. The same between the Dakota and Ojibwe tribes, and they lived right next door and interact(ed) all the time! Certain things that are considered taboo or wrong in Ojibwe culture are perfectly fine in Oneida or Dakotas' cultures, and vice versa.

So find out what your tribe is, and work your way out from there! Try to get in touch with elders or the community. Go to that tribes' powwows or get togethers. Research. And if you do research, be sure to keep in mind three things:

A. when it was written

b. who it was written by

c. what biases that person may have had.

I hope that helps!

Answer 2

It depends which tribe she was from etc.

Different Native American peopleS have different cultural traditions.

You're American I'm guessing, but in Canada there are the Blackfoot, the Sarcee, Pagen tribes etc etc