Pueblo Indian Religion in the Early 20th Century Essay -- Essay Papers

Pueblo Indian Religion in the Early 20th Century The Pueblo Indians phantasmal history is different than the average Christian trust history. Their religious beliefs argon based on the creation of life. The persons seen as the creators of life are the centrality and the basis of their religion. In the early 1900s these Indians were looked upon in different lights. whiten man compared the Pueblo rituals and religious routines with his own. Pueblo religious beliefs, practices and social forms were criticized, scrutinized and misunderstood by white Christian American settlers. The major religious practice and worship of the Pueblo Indians involved ritual dances. White men attempted to stop these Puebloan ritualistic dances because they did not meet his own religious standards and this happened before the Indians had a chance to explain or secure what their dances re all(prenominal)y stood for. Women played a significant role in Puebloan ritual dances and religious A brief description of the Pueblo Indian culture and religion are needed to get a full realiseing of why their dances were misinterpreted by white settlers and why the Indians were judged and treated in such an unjust way. Pueblo Indians lived in azimuth and New Mexico and had a very different culture religiously than the white man. White religious history shows us that women were not seen, in European and wise American culture, as not being significant to religious practices. In the Pueblo religion, however the woman was regarded in a different light. They rarely practiced in religious rituals but were the center of their peoples religion. Pueblos had rituals that were performed exclusively by men, and there, these men imitated womens reproductive pow... ... for their religious beliefs and cultural values. Peoples religious beliefs and practices all need to be protected from harm and negative influence like a child needs care from his mother. The Pueblo Indians should b e looked at as an example of how people should not be treated. This way, hopefully we wont make the same mistake twice. We all have an obligation to know all the facts and the whole truth about something before we start to reject it. If the white people in the early 20th century had taken the time to understand the meaning of these dances they may not have been so quick to judge and may have stood back and reflected on their own ways of living. Work Cited infantile Jane. Women in Western Puebloan Society. Journal of American Folklore. 100.398(1987) 436-445. Jacobs D. Margaret. Making Savages of us all. Frontiers. 17.3(1983) 178-209.