The Sacred
The concept of "The Sacred" is fundamental to the belief systems of American Indian Nations, where it embodies spiritual power that permeates all aspects of life. Unlike Western religions, which often separate spiritual practices from daily activities, Native American traditions integrate the sacred into every experience, from hunting to art-making. Various Indigenous groups recognize this spiritual power through different names—such as Manitou among the Algonquin and Ojibwa, Wakan among the Sioux, and Orenda with the Iroquois—each reflecting a unique understanding of the sacred's manifestation in nature and human life.
Sacred knowledge is accessed through rituals, offerings, and vision quests, and is often understood as both a gift and a responsibility. Those recognized as spiritual leaders or "technicians of the sacred" undergo rigorous training and purification to harness this power, emphasizing the importance of humility and integrity in its use. The belief in the feminine aspects of the sacred is prevalent among many tribes, where the creative force is often associated with female figures, underscoring the dual nature of life and death within the sacred cycle. Overall, the concept of The Sacred is deeply woven into the cultural fabric of Indigenous peoples, guiding their customs, ceremonies, and relationship with the natural world.
The Sacred
- TRIBES AFFECTED: Pantribal
SIGNIFICANCE: Every American Indian Nation holds a concept of the sacred at the core of its belief system; although known by different names, this concept is related to spiritual power
In American Indian languages, there is no word for “religion.” Native American religion is not a separate category with specific times and places for expression. Rather, the spiritual is embedded in everything that exists and is, therefore, part of every activity. Sacred ways were, and are, the technology of Indigenous peoples. Through a system of shared beliefs, symbols, and practices, this technology of the sacred provides the structure that determines the customs and guides the daily life of a people.
Aside from formal ceremonies, everyday tasks such as hunting, gathering, preparing food, making art and music, and fashioning tools and clothing are performed within the context of sacred knowledge and often involve ritual action. When these common activities are combined with the use of symbols, colors, or numbers and various songs, chants, or prayers, the invisible is brought into visibility and is, to some degree, a manifestation of the sacred.
The sacred is equivalent to spiritual power, and according to Indigenous peoples, it can be manifested in seemingly inanimate objects such as a star, a lake, or a stone. These things are not worshiped for themselves but are honored because they express the intangible, yet very real power of the sacred. In this way, they become something else, while paradoxically remaining in their original forms. They are held in awe and respect by all, but only people who have power, or “medicine,” can perceive their sacred quality and appropriately use sacred objects.
The acquisition of power is arduous and sometimes dangerous. Technicians of the sacred have gained their wisdom by experimenting with the forces of nature. After extensive guidance from an elder, and then ritual “purification” in preparation to receive it, they must undertake the solitary journey to seek their power. Once received, the power must be honored and rightly used. Spiritual power is respected, even feared, by the untrained. For example, some Indigenous people express concern about repercussions if they do not act correctly in the presence of a medicine bundle.
Spiritual leaders carry responsibility for sacred ways, not for themselves, but on behalf of the people. Humility and integrity are desirable characteristics for those granted power, because the use of sacred power for personal gain has serious consequences. Power can turn against the one who misuses it, and the result can be illness, loss of power, or even death. To keep the sacred ways alive, they must be shared by the people. In the context of sacred ceremonies, both the people and the traditions are revitalized.
Names of the Sacred
The source of sacred power is known by various names, such as Manitou (Manido, Manito) to the Algonquin or Ojibwa people, Wakan (Wakanda) to the Sioux or the Dakota people, and Orenda to the Iroquois, with each Nation having its own way of interpreting, contacting, and making use of this power. Manifestations of power can be found most often in nature, and these spiritual forces can be addressed through offerings, prayer, and a sacrifice, a term which means “to make sacred” or to empower with ritual. After the time of European contact, comparisons made to Christianity led to misinterpretations of some of the original meanings of the terms Wakan, Manitou, and Orenda. For example, Kitchi Manitou, Great Spirit, became commonly accepted as the equivalent of God. Many Nations also use the term Creator when referring to this source of sacred power.
Manitou
As chief of the Manitou, Kitchi (also spelled “Gitche” and “Gitshe”) Manitou is not a personality but the expression of all good. Beneficent, yet invisible and nonmaterial, Kitchi Manitou is the Uncreated God, the source of all. Other Manitou, eternal spirits brought into being at the creation, are prototypes of rocks, plants, animals, birds, and elemental forces. Sun, moon, winds, thunder, lightning, and even the seasons are Manitou.
In Ojibwa belief, everything was animate, and Manitou had the power to cause great problems. Fortunately, in such a potentially hostile environment, the help of compassionate spirits could be obtained through humble petition. For the Ojibwa, the seeking of a vision was the preferred method for finding one’s Manitou or guardian spirit. The seeker went out in solitude, prayed, offered tobacco, and sacrificed by fasting for several days until contact had been made, often in a dream. It was believed that the more humble or pitiable the seeker, the more likely the spirits were to grant a vision.
Once a relationship was made, it was usually kept secret so that the sacred power received would not be diminished. The person could call upon the guardian spirit for help in many circumstances. Among the Manitou were cedar and birch trees, deer, bear, moose, otter, sturgeon, hummingbird, and eagle. Spirit helpers responded to prescribed rules within the tradition, and members of the Midewiwin, the Grand Medicine Society, could assist in making contact with the appropriate Manitous for any situation.
Wakan
As a general term, Wakan means sacred or holy, imbued with the life-giving force of spiritual power. A thing or person is wakan to the extent that the principles of that sacred quality are expressed. Although originally Wakan had many meanings and several manifestations, perhaps the order of spiritual powers of the Sioux would be most comparable to the hierarchy of Christian deities, with Wakan (Great Mystery) akin to the Godhead and Wakan-Tanka (Great Spirit) similar to God. Wanbli Galeshka (Spotted Eagle), who carries prayers to the Great Spirit, could be compared to Jesus Christ.
A holy person, Wichasha Wakan, has the power to make others Wakan. Their powers have been acquired through dreams and vision experiences, often over many years, and they are qualified to lead others in seeking spiritual vision. Holy people are sometimes incorrectly called “medicine people.” In some traditions, the terms “medicine” and “spiritual power” are synonymous; however, among the Sioux, a medicine person is one who has knowledge of curative herbs. When using herbs, a medicine person is said to be “doctoring.” It is possible for a holy person to be a medicine person as well.
A Wakan woman brought the calf pipe to the Sioux. White Buffalo-Calf Maiden, known also as Calf Pipe Woman, presented the pipe bundle to the people, calling it Lela Wakan, meaning "very sacred," and telling them, “When you pray with this pipe, you pray for and with everything.” The sacred pipe, sometimes incorrectly called a peace pipe, was given so the people might have knowledge. This Wakan woman also taught that the wingeds, the two-leggeds, and the four-leggeds, and those born to them, were all Wakan. As gifts from Wakan-Tanka (Father or Grandfather) they deserved respect. She explained that the earth (Mother or Grandmother) was Wakan and that every step taken upon her should be a prayer. Through the sacred pipe, the people were connected to all that is sacred and told to walk the path of life—the sacred red road—and to honor everything and everyone as Wakan.
Orenda
The Iroquois term Orenda identifies a power that can be likened to electricity in that it is invisible, flowing energy. As limitless power, Orenda is not a spirit or entity but is present in earth, sky, nature—all that exists. Inherent in this power, and derived from it, are the dualisms of visible and invisible, material and spiritual, life and beyond life. The Master of Life, who willed the world into being, had an evil brother who constantly battled against him. Although the Iroquois had no hierarchy of spirit beings to direct Orenda, all supernatural power came from this impersonal energy, which was accessed through dreams. A deep reverence was held for one’s own Orenda. Beyond this power the Iroquois believed in animal spirits, such as eagle and bear, and many unranked supernaturals, including the Earth Mother, Sun, and the Master of Life.
Adults and young people sought to communicate with the supernatural individually through vision experiences or collectively through Tribal ceremonies. The Iroquois had no category of spiritual guides to the people; such duties were performed as needed by those designated to maintain the traditions. These males and females were called Keepers of the Faith. Others had acquired the ability to cure illnesses. Members of the False Face Society, a well-known Iroquois curing society, would arrive at a patient’s house wearing wooden masks carved to represent spiritual beings. Amid grunts, shouts, and scraping of their turtle-shell rattles, they entered the house and scattered ashes on the patient to drive away the illness. They were given gifts and special food in exchange for the curing ritual.
A practical application of the concept of the sacred exists within the Iroquois’ agricultural tradition in the special designation given to the main foods of the Iroquois—corn, beans, and squash. They were known as “the three sisters,” and the people called them “our life” or “our supporters.” It was believed that each kind of food was originally brought about by supernatural causes, and it was the custom to offer the first harvest obtained to the particular spirit who controlled it. Festivals were held to honor strawberries, maple sap, green corn, and ripe corn.
Feminine Aspects of the Sacred
For many Pueblo Indians, the source of the sacred, the spirit within everything, is seen as predominantly female. Many Indigenous people consider the power to make life to be the source of all power. Old Spider Woman, Corn Woman, Earth Woman, and Thought Woman are all are aspects of this female Creator, for out of thought, all things are born. In her various aspects, woman makes all things sacred. Creative power, made visible in the mystery of birth, gives predominance in many Nations to the role of mother. Nor is woman’s power only life-giving; she also destroys. Born of Earth Mother, all life returns to her in death to complete the sacred cycle.
Bibliography
Allen, Paula Gunn. The Sacred Hoop. 1986. Beacon Press, 1992.
Beck, Peggy V., et al. The Sacred: Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life. Redesigned ed., Navajo Community College Press, 1992.
Black Elk. The Sacred Pipe, edited by Joseph Epes Brown, U of Oklahoma P, 1953.
Brown, Joseph Epes. The Spiritual Legacy of the American Indian. Crossroad, 1982.
Eliade, Mircea. The Sacred and the Profane, translated by Willard R. Trask, Harcourt, Brace, 1959.
Highwater, Jamake. The Primal Mind. Harper & Row, 1981.
Landes, Ruth. Ojibwa Religion and the Midéwiwin. U of Wisconsin P, 1968.
"Native American Heritage: The Sacred." Forsyth Tech Library, 29 May 2024, forsythtech.libguides.com/c.php?g=1158063&p=8452608. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.