|
|
Article: Eastern Woodland Native American Religion
- Article from:
- American Eras
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Gale Research Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Eastern Woodland Native American Religion
Sources
Great Spirit.
Native American tribes of the eastern woodlands believed that a Great Spirit had created a harmonious world of plenty of which they were only one part. All of nature contained this divine spirit and was to be respected. Thus the native inhabitants managed the land so that it would be productive for all living creatures but changed it little, taking only want they needed. They thanked a tree for dying and providing them with wood for a fire and thanked an animal they had killed for giving up its flesh to feed them and its skin to clothe them. The Judeo-Christian view that humans dominated nature and could change it for ...