"Native Religious Practices Changing"

OHSWEKEN - Non-Indians often ask me about Indian religious practices. They usually assume that all the natives of North America had or have the same beliefs and ceremonies. Just as religious practices are constantly changing among the whites, so, too, there have been changes among the native population.

Some traditional beliefs and practices were even incorporated with Christianity. An example of this is the Native American Church. Earl Shorris tells about this unusual church in his book, Death of the Great Spirit. I do not recommend this book. It is far too gloomy and hopeless. However, he has studied the Native American Church, which few white people know about.

According to Mrs. Bernard Red Cloud, a quarter-million Indians belong to this church. Mrs. Red Cloud is the leader of the Halfmoon Fire Place, a division of the Native American Church. They pray to Jesus and celebrate Easter but the water drum, the gourd rattle, the fan of feathers and the eating of dried buttons from the peyote (pay-o-tee) cactus are also a parts of their service. These all come from an earlier form of worship.

Peyote was used by many tribes in the southwest U.S. to aid in acquiring a religious experience. The peyote is said to help the worshipper to see himself and change his ways. A change in lifestyle is especially important in a hard land where despair and alcoholism are rampant.

Peyote is referred to as medicine or "the sacred herb" by Indians of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, California, Nevada and the Dakotas. For years it was illegal to use or transport peyote. A Crow Indian, Frank Takes A Gun, the president of the Native American Church led the long fight to legalize peyote for North American Indians. For this he is a hero to the 35,000 Navaho Indians who are no longer persecuted for their religious practices.

A prayer meeting in the Native American Church is usually very long. During the service each person sings his own songs, accompanied by a drummer. There is a fire made from sticks and the Fire Chief makes four shapes out of the ashes during the night. The first shape is a triangle which stands for "In God We Trust." The shape of a heart stands for brotherly love. The Morning Star alludes to the Lord. Last of all is the eagle, which is drawn just before daylight. The eagle is known by Indian people to be the first bird awake in the morning. His whistle is the signal for all wildlife to wake up and go for water. For this reason the eagle is referred to as "the water bird" in some native languages.

Prayer meetings are often recorded on tape cartridges and exchanged among the various Fire Places of the Native American Church. Phonograph records of peyote songs are sometimes seen in store windows in places like Gallup, New Mexico. Most songs are in the local Indian language but sometimes a few are in English.

The Native American Church is divided into the Ute, Winnebago and Navaho versions. It is the church for natives whose lives are so hard as to be almost unendurable. It has been called the church of the last resort and the alternative to suicide or starvation. It is definitely not your usual middle class way to worship God.