Native American Religion in North America Apr.2013 | Page 13

Conclusion

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These communities were usually illiterate (apart from a few pictographic cultures) so there are no written records of religious myths. The tribal religions had no sacred documents, which made it even more important to spread the knowledge through word of mouth. The older tribe members sang, maybe even played the stories for the younger ones. This, however, was much more than simple story telling: through the stories young people learned the right way of life in the community.

North American tribal religions are now virtually non-existent; it is not able to restore an entire mythology, to its pre-conquest, untouched state. However, the example of Indian religions also shows that even the smallest nation’s traditional world is a valuable part of human culture as a whole.