The Lakota deal with death in a powerful way. First, as mentioned before, they believe that the person doesn't actually die, they are only continuing on their journey, second, they believe in another realm. The Wakan Tanka, is the sky spirit world that those who have passed on go to, where there is peace and no pain.
There are also ceremonies, performed for various purposes, that prepare the soul, not just the deceased, but also the ones left behind, prepare for Wakan Tanka. Among these ceremonies is a purification ceremony, where a bit of hair is cut from the dead, it is purified in smoke, and kept by the 'Soul Keeper' for a year. Then the "Soul Bundle", the purified hair, is released and the soul can go to the spirit world, or not...
Here is where beliefs are similar to Christianity. The soul may not pass on to the spirit world of Wakan Tanka unless it is worthy.Now this article didn't say exactly who decides that the soul is worthy, but here is where personal knowledge kicks in.
I am not Lakota, however, I am Native American. My mother's family and my father's family have quite an illustrious group of people, and I have tracked back to several tribes in my own family, each having varying belief systems, but the most close to the Lakota are the Muscogee Creek. My grandmother had very specific beliefs, and those were instilled by her mother, mostly, and then her extended family. Her father probably wouldn't have accepted all the hoopla, since he was a doctor, however, I have heard that he was a firm believer in the power of medicine, not just scientific but also of home remedies, many are thought to have come from Native medicine.
Things my grandmother believed that were specific but not only related to the Muscogee were the death and burial of loved ones. They are similar for most people, really... not leaving the body alone before burial, the purification, or cleansing of the body and spirit, holding a get together the night before burial to mourn and celebrate the deceased. Another is to put something into the casket, a keepsake, and maybe some food, you know, for that journey. Also to sprinkle dirt into the grave, everyone drops a bit before the grave is filled. Then there is the belief in the one being, or the Ibofanga.
There are also ceremonies, performed for various purposes, that prepare the soul, not just the deceased, but also the ones left behind, prepare for Wakan Tanka. Among these ceremonies is a purification ceremony, where a bit of hair is cut from the dead, it is purified in smoke, and kept by the 'Soul Keeper' for a year. Then the "Soul Bundle", the purified hair, is released and the soul can go to the spirit world, or not...
Here is where beliefs are similar to Christianity. The soul may not pass on to the spirit world of Wakan Tanka unless it is worthy.Now this article didn't say exactly who decides that the soul is worthy, but here is where personal knowledge kicks in.
I am not Lakota, however, I am Native American. My mother's family and my father's family have quite an illustrious group of people, and I have tracked back to several tribes in my own family, each having varying belief systems, but the most close to the Lakota are the Muscogee Creek. My grandmother had very specific beliefs, and those were instilled by her mother, mostly, and then her extended family. Her father probably wouldn't have accepted all the hoopla, since he was a doctor, however, I have heard that he was a firm believer in the power of medicine, not just scientific but also of home remedies, many are thought to have come from Native medicine.
Things my grandmother believed that were specific but not only related to the Muscogee were the death and burial of loved ones. They are similar for most people, really... not leaving the body alone before burial, the purification, or cleansing of the body and spirit, holding a get together the night before burial to mourn and celebrate the deceased. Another is to put something into the casket, a keepsake, and maybe some food, you know, for that journey. Also to sprinkle dirt into the grave, everyone drops a bit before the grave is filled. Then there is the belief in the one being, or the Ibofanga.
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