The
stories I am writing for the Passion’s Series take place in the 1700s and my
characters are Cherokee. While researching for my Native
American novels I came across some amazing information about Native American
celebrations. Before the white man came to their land they had no knowledge of
Christian teachings. As the missionaries introduced them to Christian
traditions, the Native Americans found that the story of Christmas and Christ’s
birth sounded similar to some of their own tribal prophecies and considered the
familiarity of the message of Jesus with their own truths handed down by their
ancestors.
Many Native Americans in North
America did observe a celebration near Christmas time that we call the Winter
Solstice. The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year and falls on
December 21-22. It was celebrated in the Americas long before European
influence arrived. Different Native American tribes associate different beliefs
and rituals with it.
For example, the Hopi tribal
celebrations are meant to give aid and direction to the sun which is ready to
return and give strength to new life. Their ceremony is called Soyal and lasts
for 20 days. During this time there is prayer stick making, purification and
other rituals. Soyal is concluded with a rabbit hunt, a great feast, and many
blessings.
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| Hopi Rabbit Hunt |
There is a Native American story
of a brave named Handsome Fellow. He could be called a Native American Santa.
He is a handsome brave who wears white buckskins and brings gifts to Indian
children. Other gift bringers come at different times of the year, often in the
summertime. What intrigues me the most about the Native American culture is
their love for giving. The gift bringing and giving element is always a part of
the American Indian culture, whatever the occasion is for a gathering.
I was struck by the words of
Looks for Buffalo, an Oglala Sioux spiritual leader, the full-blood Oglala
grandson of Chief Red Cloud and White Cow Killer, and a Cheyenne Oglala leader.
He explains the meaning of Christmas to the traditional Indian people of the
Americas. The following words are his own words:
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| Painting of Sioux titled Inspiration For The Spirit |
"Traditional American Indians are raised to respect the Christian Star
and the birth of the first Indian Spiritual Leader. He was a Star Person and
Avatar. His name was Jesus. He was a Hebrew, a Red Man. He received his
education from the wilderness. John the Baptist, Moses, and other excellent
teachers that came before Jesus provided an educational foundation with the
Holistic Method."
"Everyday is our Christmas. Every meal is our Christmas. At every
meal we take a little portion of the food we are eating, and we offer it to the
spirit world on behalf of the four legged, and the winged, and the two legged.
We pray—not the way most Christians pray—but we thank the Grandfathers, the
Spirit, and the Guardian Angel."
"The Indian Culture is actually grounded in the traditions of a
Roving Angel. The life-ways of Roving Angels are actually the way Indian People
live. They hold out their hands and help the sick and the needy. They feed and
clothe the poor. We have high respect for the avatar because we believe that it
is in giving that we receive."
"We are taught as Traditional children that we have abundance. The
Creator has given us everything: the water, the air we breathe, the earth as
our flesh, and our energy force: our heart. We are thankful every day. We pray
early in the morning, before sunrise, to the morning star, and the evening
star. We pray for our relatives who are in the universe that someday they will
come. We also pray that the Great Spirit's son will live again."
"To the Indian People Christmas is every day and they don't
believe in taking without asking. Herbs are prayed over before being gathered
by asking the plant for permission to take some cuttings. An offer of tobacco
is made to the plant in gratitude. We do not pull the herb out by its roots,
but cut the plant even with the surface of the earth, so that another
generation will be born its place."
"It is really important that these ways never be lost. And to this
day we feed the elders, we feed the family on Christmas day, we honor Saint
Nicholas. We explain to the little children that to receive a gift is to enjoy
it, and when the enjoyment is gone, they are to pass it on to another child, so
that they, too, can enjoy it. If a child gets a doll, that doll will change
hands about eight times in a year, from one child to another."
"Every day is Christmas in Indian Country. Daily living is
centered around the spirit of giving and walking the Red Road. Walking the Red
Road means making everything you do a spiritual act. If your neighbor, John
Running Deer, needs a potato masher; and you have one that you are not using,
you offer him yours in the spirit of giving. It doesn't matter if it is
Christmas or not."
"If neighbors or strangers stop over to visit at your house, we
offer them dinner. We bring out the T-Bone steak, not the cabbage. If we don't
have enough, we send someone in the family out to get some more and mention nothing
of the inconvenience to our guests. The more one gives, the more spiritual we
become. The Christ Consciousness, the same spirit of giving that is present at
Christmas, is present every day in Indian Country."
Looks For Buffalo resides on the
Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and can be contacted at (605)867-5762 or
P.O. Box 150, Pine Ridge, SD 57770. He is a contributor to www.ewebtribe.com.
I hope everyone has a very Merry
Christmas, filled with many blessings and lots of giving.
Photos from Google Commons.
