Eskimo Religion
Eskimo Religion involves the religious beliefs and practices of the Eskimo people living in Alaska. The Eskimos believed powerful spirits controlled nature. They also believed people and animals had souls that lived in another world after a person or animal died. The Eskimos followed special rules to please these spirits and souls. If they ignored the rules, the Eskimos thought the spirits and souls would punish them by causing sickness or other misfortune. The Eskimo believed in several spirits, including spirits of the wind, the weather, the sun, and the moon. Perhaps the most important spirit was the sea goddess, Sedna, who lived at the bottom of the ocean and controlled the seals, whales, and other sea animals. The Eskimos believed that if they did not please Sedna, she might drive away the animals. To please her, they followed certain rules regarding sea aimals. In parts of Alaska, for example, the Eskimos saved the bladders of seals they killed. Then during a special ceremony each year, they threw the bladders into the sea. The death of an Eskimo required certain observances. The Eskimos of most regions wrapped the body in animal skins and laid it on the tundra, surrounded by a circle of stones. They placed tools and other items next to the body for the soul to use in the next world. An Eskimo community usually included a shaman(a man or woman believed to have the power to communicate with the spirits). This person was also called an angatkuq. The shaman tried to bring good weather, heal the sick, increase the supply of game, and produce other good fortune.
My Info:
Name:
Chad Harvey
Email: