The Cherokee Clans were the traditional social organization of ancient Cherokee or Ah-ni-yv-wi-ya society. Cherokee Clans - Background on Cherokee Clans in Ancient History. There were seven clans in antiquity. There is a common misperception that the Ah-ni-ku-ta-ni or ancient Cherokee priesthood comprised an eighth clan of the Cherokee People, but this belief is a commonplace myth. The Ah-ni-ku-ta-ni appointed a member of each of the seven clans to represent both the spiritual forces the Cherokee believed e ...

Including:

• Cherokee Clans - Background on Cherokee Clans in Ancient History
• Cherokee Clans - The Seven Cherokee Clans
• Cherokee Clans - Spiritual Significance of the Clans in Ah-ni-ku-ta-ni Rituals
• Cherokee Clans - Ancient Spiritual Symbolism of the Cherokee Clans
• Cherokee Clans - Clan Customs of the Cherokee Clans
• Cherokee Clans - Cherokee Marriage Customs Between the Clans
• Cherokee Clans - Clan Marriage Ceremonies of the Ah-ni-ku-ta-ni
• Cherokee Clans - Clan Married Life
• Cherokee Clans - Clan Voting and Banishment in Ancient Times

Read more here: » Cherokee Clans: Encyclopedia - Cherokee Clans

Blood brother refers to two or more men, not related by birth parents, who swear loyalty to one another. This is usually done in a ceremony where the blood of each man is mingled together (sometimes mixed together in wine and drunk by all parties). In simple terms, this is an extension of fraternization. In Asian cultures, the act and ceremony of becoming "blood brothers" is generally seen as a tribal relationship, that is, to bring about alliance between tribes. It was practiced for this reason most notably among the Mongols a ...

Including:

• Blood brother - Famous Blood Brothers
• Blood brother - Other Languages and Regions

Read more here: » Blood brother: Encyclopedia - Blood brother

A rite of passage is a ritual that marks a change in a person's social or sexual status. The term was popularised by the French ethnographer Arnold van Gennep (1873-1957), in the early part of the twentieth century. Further theories were developed in the 1960s by Mary Douglas and Victor Turner. Rites of passage are often ceremonies surrounding events such as childbirth, menarche or other mile ...

Read more here: » Rite of passage: Encyclopedia - Rite of passage

Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is a small spineless cactus whose native region extends from the southwestern United States (including the states of Texas and New Mexico) through central Mexico. Peyote contains a large spectrum of phenethylamine alkaloids, the principal of which is mescaline. All Lophophora species are extremely slow growing, often taking up to thirty years to reach flowering age (at the size of about a golf ball, not including root) in the wild. Human cultivated specimens grow considerably faster, usuall ...

Read more here: » Peyote: Encyclopedia - Peyote

The Blackfoot are a tribe of Native Americans who currently live in Montana. They lived west of the Great Lakes and lived in Montana and Alberta and participated in Plains Indian culture. Blackfoot mythology - Cosmology. In Blackfoot mythology there is also a supernatural world, dominated above the natural world by the sun, and below by the beaver. The sun is sometimes personified by the part human Napi, or Old Man. The area in which the Blackfoot lived was created by Old Man exploring the area on his way n ...

Including:

• Blackfoot mythology - Cosmology
• Blackfoot mythology - Misc
• Blackfoot mythology - The Buffalo Dance
• Blackfoot mythology - Source

Read more here: » Blackfoot mythology: Encyclopedia - Blackfoot mythology

The Willamette Meteorite was discovered in the American state of Oregon, and is the largest meteorite ever found in the United States, and the sixth largest in the world. It is an iron-nickel meteorite; no impact crater has been found, probably being in Canada. Its pits (photo) were caused not by a flaming descent through the atmosphere, but by centuries of rusting in the wet forest of western Oregon. Willamette Meteorite - Early History. It had been known to the natives for a long time: it is known ...

Including:

• Willamette Meteorite - Early History
• Willamette Meteorite - Modern History
• Willamette Meteorite - In a museum in New York City

Read more here: » Willamette Meteorite: Encyclopedia - Willamette Meteorite

Christopher Ashton Kutcher (born February 7, 1978) is an American actor. Ashton Kutcher - Early life. Kutcher was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Larry Kutcher (an employee of General Mills) and Diane (who worked for Procter & Gamble); his ancestry is mostly Irish American, as well as distantly Native American and Bohemian (the origin of his surname). Kutcher has an older sister, Tausha and a fraternal twin, Michael, who is younger by five minutes. He grew up on a farm in rural Iowa. As a teen, Kut ...

Including:

• Ashton Kutcher - Early life
• Ashton Kutcher - Career as actor
• Ashton Kutcher - Career as producer
• Ashton Kutcher - Private life
• Ashton Kutcher - Selected filmography

Read more here: » Ashton Kutcher: Encyclopedia - Ashton Kutcher

Sweat Lodge

Native American steam or bath house associated with purification rites and ceremonies

(See also: Sweat Lodge, Body Mind and Soul)

prayer arrow

Ceremonial arrow in Native American communities, Shinto, and other traditions that conveys messages or energy between Heaven and Earth

(See also: Prayer arrow, Body Mind and Soul)

smudging

Burning a special plant in an area before a Native American ceremony. Resulting smoke is fanned throughout the room or area from each cardinal point, which cleanses the atmosphere of any negativity

(See also: Smudging, Body Mind and Soul)

Their mating habits are polygynous: Dominant bulls maintain a small harem of females for mating. Individual bulls "tend" females until allowed to mate, following them around and chasing away rival males. Homosexual behavior— including courtship and mounting between bulls—is common among bison. The Mandan nation Okipa festival concludes with a ceremonial enactment of this behavior, to "ensure the return of the buffalo in the coming season." Inter-sexual bison also occur. The Lakota refer to them as pte winkte —pte m ...

See also:

American Bison, American Bison - Reproductive habits, American Bison - Hunting and near-extinction, American Bison - Bison hunting today, American Bison - Bison today, American Bison - Dangers, American Bison - Sources, American Bison - Native American names for bison

Read more here: » American Bison: Encyclopedia II - American Bison - Reproductive habits

Their mating habits are polygynous: Dominant bulls maintain a small harem of females for mating. Individual bulls "tend" females until allowed to mate, following them around and chasing away rival males. Homosexual behavior— including courtship and mounting between bulls—is common among bison. The Mandan nation Okipa festival concludes with a ceremonial enactment of this behavior, to "ensure the return of the buffalo in the coming season." Inter-sexual bison also occur. The Lakota refer to them as pte winkte —pte m ...

See also:

American Bison, American Bison - Reproductive habits, American Bison - Hunting and near-extinction, American Bison - Bison hunting today, American Bison - Bison today, American Bison - Dangers, American Bison - Native American names for bison

Read more here: » American Bison: Encyclopedia II - American Bison - Reproductive habits

Peyote songs are a form of Native American music, now most often performed as part of the Native American Church, which came to the northern part of the Navajo Nation around 1936. They are typically accompanied by a rattle and water drum, and are used in a ceremonial aspect during the sacramental taking of peyote. Peyote songs share characteristics of Apache music and Plains-Pueblo music. (Nettl 1956, p.114) In recent years, a modernized version of peyote songs have been popularized by Verdell ...

See also:

Navajo music, Navajo music - Contemporary popular, Navajo music - Traditional, Navajo music - Peyote songs, Navajo music - Source

Read more here: » Navajo music: Encyclopedia II - Navajo music - Peyote songs

Traditional Liberian music utilizes such typical West African elements as ululation, vocal repetition, call-and-response and polyrhythms. Traditional music is performed at weddings, naming ceremonies, royal events and other special occasions, as well as ordinary children's songs, work songs and lullabies. Christian music was introduced to Liberia by American missionaries, and Christian songs are now sung in native languages in a style that mixes American harmonies with West ...

See also:

Music of Liberia, Music of Liberia - Folk music, Music of Liberia - Popular music

Read more here: » Music of Liberia: Encyclopedia II - Music of Liberia - Folk music

Main article: Native American music Modern Native American pow-wows arose around the turn of the 20th century. While some claim that powwow had been an integral part of indigenous cultures for centuries, some modern analysts believe that powwows were invented to appeal to tourists and had only a tangential relationship to genuine Native American traditions, which generally revolved around ceremonial dance music like the Ghost Dance, Zuni Shalako, Navajo Yeibichai and the Sun Dance of the Plains. The Native American Church, foun ...

See also:

Music history of the United States 1900-1940, Music history of the United States 1900-1940 - Native Americans, Music history of the United States 1900-1940 - Early popular music, Music history of the United States 1900-1940 - Early foreign influences, Music history of the United States 1900-1940 - Blues and gospel, Music history of the United States 1900-1940 - Jazz, Music history of the United States 1900-1940 - Swing, Music history of the United States 1900-1940 - Cajun and Creole music, Music history of the United States 1900-1940 - Country music

Read more here: » Music history of the United States 1900-1940: Encyclopedia II - Music history of the United States 1900-1940 - Native Americans

Masks pervade virtually every society and culture of people known to humankind. For Native Americans, the mask served a very important function through its ceremonial use. Traditionally, mask wearers represented some supernatural being or sought to enlist the help of the supernatural by disguising themselves and participating in sacred rituals. The Iroquois False Face Society used the mask in curing illness and for keeping evil spirits at bay. The Cherokee used masks in what was known as "The Booger Dance" usually performed in ...

See also:

Cherokee society, Cherokee society - The seven Cherokee clans, Cherokee society - Blood revenge, Cherokee society - The Council House, Cherokee society - Villages, Cherokee society - White government, Cherokee society - Red government, Cherokee society - Cherokee society, Cherokee society - Seven festivals of the Cherokee, Cherokee society - Cultural values and traditional views, Cherokee society - Centrality of family, Cherokee society - Leadership, Cherokee society - Principle of non-interference, Cherokee society - Purpose of life, Cherokee society - Sacred ceremonies and traditons, Cherokee society - Naming, Cherokee society - Traditional use of masks

Read more here: » Cherokee society: Encyclopedia II - Cherokee society - Traditional use of masks

Tibetan Buddhist sand paintings are usually made of mandalas. In Tibetan, it is called dul-tson-kyil-khor ("mandala of colored powders"). The sand is carefully placed on a large, flat table. The construction process takes several days, and the mandala is destroyed shortly after its completion. This is done as a metaphor for the impermanence of life. The mandala sand painting process begins with an opening ceremony, during which the lamas, or Tibetan priests, consecrate the site and call forth the forces of goodness. This is do ...

See also:

Sandpainting, Sandpainting - Native American Sandpainting, Sandpainting - Tibetan Sand Painting, Sandpainting - Other Sandpainting

Read more here: » Sandpainting: Encyclopedia II - Sandpainting - Tibetan Sand Painting

The game was broadcast in the United States by NBC, with play-by-play announcer Dick Enberg and color commentators Phil Simms and Paul Maguire. Greg Gumbel hosted all the events with the help of then-NBC Sports analysts Ahmad Rashad, Mike Ditka, Joe Gibbs, and Joe Montana. Super Bowl XXX - Pregame ceremonies. The pregame show held before the game featured dancers in celebration of the culture of Native Americans in the United States, the traditions of the American Old West, and the great outdoors. Actr ...

See also:

Super Bowl XXX, Super Bowl XXX - Background, Super Bowl XXX - Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl XXX - Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XXX - Playoffs, Super Bowl XXX - Television and entertainment, Super Bowl XXX - Pregame ceremonies, Super Bowl XXX - Halftime show, Super Bowl XXX - Game summary, Super Bowl XXX - Scoring summary, Super Bowl XXX - Trivia

Read more here: » Super Bowl XXX: Encyclopedia II - Super Bowl XXX - Television and entertainment

Wickiups are formed with a frame of arched poles, most often wooden, which are covered with some sort of roofing material. Some of the roofing materials used include grass, brush, bark, rushes, mats, reeds, or cloth. The wickiups are most often only temporary structures although the term is sometimes applied to similar structures that are more permanent. Wickiups usually take longer to build ...

See also:

Wickiup, Wickiup - Structure, Wickiup - Wickiup In Different Languages, Wickiup - Anthropological Description

Read more here: » Wickiup: Encyclopedia II - Wickiup - Structure

A wickiup is called gowąh in Western Apache, guughą or kuughą in Chiricahua, and hoogan in Navajo. This Navajo word has been borrowed into English as hogan to refer to the Navajo style wickiup. ...

See also:

Wickiup, Wickiup - Structure, Wickiup - Wickiup In Different Languages, Wickiup - Anthropological Description

Read more here: » Wickiup: Encyclopedia II - Wickiup - Wickiup In Different Languages

Poles of all types share a common graphic style with carved and painted containers, housefronts, canoes, masks, intricately-woven blankets, ceremonial dress, weapons, armor, and many other tools and implements. Two distinct systems of art were developed for two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures, but both were maintained within a complex design system. This artistic system was developed by Northwest Coast Native Peoples (see Native Americans) over many thousands of years, as evinced by stone and bone artifacts uncovered in archeological studies which displa ...

See also:

Totem pole, Totem pole - History, Totem pole - Style, Totem pole - Meaning and purpose, Totem pole - Construction and maintenance, Totem pole - Property, Totem pole - Totem poles of note

Read more here: » Totem pole: Encyclopedia II - Totem pole - Style