Native Americans in the United States and Medicine Wheel Essay

Submitted By claudiaflo
Words: 333
Pages: 2

The Plains Indians lived west of the Great Lakes in Minnesota. Sioux, or Dakota, Indians, a large and powerful tribe of Indians, who were found by the French, in 1640, near the headwaters of the Mississippi River.

The Sioux were hunters and gatherers. They hunted buffalo, deer, and other animals. They gathered fruits and vegetables, some of the Sioux people also grew crops. In the Sioux culture, a boy could hunt his first buffalo at age 10. For a young boy a single buffalo stands six feet tall and weighs about as much as 10 people. Buffalo do not see well but they run really fast.

Women: The women wore dresses made from soft deerskin. They used the soft fur from rabbits to decorate their clothing.
Men: The men wore leggings and gloves. They rarely wore shirts. The Medicine Wheel
The Medicine Wheel symbolizes great spiritual significance for the Sioux. The belief is that the shape of the wheel represents the circle of life and death, which is considered never ending. The Medicine Wheel was only to be used by a Holy or Medicine Man.

Sun Dance
The Sun Dance was the most practiced ritual by the Native American Tribes of the Great Plains including the Sioux; it was considered the most religious ceremony. The ritual included fasting, singing, dancing, drumming, the experience of visions, and self-torture.It was held once a year on June or July when the moon was full.

They believed everything had a spirit. There were underwater spirits that controlled all