THE GUARDIAN SPIRIT

A guardian spirit was a personal spirtual helper. The Indians thought the guardian angel helped a person through their hardships of life.

CEREMONIES

The Indians had many kinds of ceremonies to ensure the Indians had plenty of food. Buffalo Dance would ensure success of hunting buffalo by the Plains Indians. The Green Corn Dance celebrated the Summer's first crop by the Eastern Woodlands Indians. The Hopi Snake Dance was to release the snake to take the rain god to send rain.

The Plains Indians used the Sun Dance to rank an Indian as a chief. Sun Dance lasted several days.

MUSIC AND DANCING

Many Indian tribes used rattles, clappers, and drums. ALso, they would used flutes and whistles. A series of hollow reeds tied together are called panpies used in the carivvean and South America. Most of the Indian tribes had simples dance patterns except for the Plains Indians.

LEGENDS

The legends of gods, ancestors, and spirits were handed down from father to son. Various ceremonies were based on these legends.

INDIAN RESERVATIONS

The Indian Reservation is an area that was set aside for the used of the Indians in the U.S. They are about 800,000 Indians living in the U.S. Half of the 800,000 Indians live on the reservations.

The reservations are owned by the Indians. The reservation were held in trust by the federal or state governments. The Bureau of Indian Affairs manages the federal programs of the reservations. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the Department of the Interior.

Canada has 2,200 or more areas set aside for the Indians. These areas are called reserves.