Research

Research

For my research I started by looking on the internet for anything to do with native American culture and history, and I found a professor at Coventry University called Dr Darren Reid who is a historian of early America and American popular culture and who also has a passion for Native American Indians. So I emailed him and he kindly emailed back explaining that American Spirituality is a very complicated subject. He recommended that I read the book, Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt, which I bought from Amazon. It is a first-hand account of life among the Sioux at the turn of the twentieth century and it pays a lot of attention to the religious and spiritual beliefs of these people. I have found this book to be helpful in understanding their beliefs.

I then found a married couple called John and Pauline Jerzyszek who live as Native American Indians in the UK. After a while of searching I eventually found where they live and wrote them a letter explaining about my FMP and what I wanted to do with the game and they very kindly contacted me and agreed that I could meet with them. So I went over to them and spent the day with them and got lots of information about the Sioux Indians from them. They have spent a lot of time in America and Pauline could actually speak Sioux fluently. They make their own beaded jewellery and garments which were amazing.

They taught me some Sioux words which I have used in my game, they allowed me to take photographs of them and their artefacts and teepees. Their American Indian names are Running Bear and Small Warrior. I learnt a lot about their spirituality for example when you take something from the earth you have to put something back for example; if you take a branch from a tree you have to sprinkle some tobacco on the ground and use the branch to make something.

All teepees are built and owned by women and if they do not want someone to come inside then it will not happen, and all teepees must face East (the rising sun) which I have done in my game. They made a suggestion to my game that I might want to consider with regards to my animals for the totem pole. The human totem is always at the bottom and I must have a balance with the animals as in if I have a predator then there must be a prey, for example as the Coyote is a trickster, the bear is a healer. The design of totem poles are very personal and individual to the family or tribe, they a story of the tribe/family history.

Apparently we all have a white and black wolf in us that are fighting – one good one bad- and whichever one you feed is the one that wins. 

They have 2 languages one for men and one for women (a bit like the French).

The number 4 is a major number it represent the seasons and the colour of man.

The moon of the popping trees means springtime.

Smudging is a word that means to get rid of dark spirits, which they do with the herb called sage.

A shaman means to walk in 2 worlds.

'Wanagi' this means a ghost spirit.

They taught me many words some of them are;

Wambli – Eagle                                                                            

Sungmanitutanka- Wolf

Sungmanitu – Coyote

Tanka- Big

Sunkloakan/tasunka- Horse

Sunka- Dog

Tatanka- Bison/Buffalo

Wakan- Holy/Mystery

Winyan- Woman

Sostio- Snake

Tonkala- Mouse/Deermouse

 

Pronounciation

S is pronounced SH

C is pronounced CH

T’s are soft and sound like D as in Dog

‘Ome’ endings sound like ‘Omee’

CC is pronounced as K

I had a really great day with John and Pauline, they taught me so much about this subject. They taught me how to play the flute and gave me one to bring home. They taught me that music comes from the heart and not a written sheet. John gave me a CD which he has copyrighted but he has kindly given me permission to use it in my game, once I figure out how to.