Gods, myths and superstitions

We have to forget our idea of religion with its churches and beliefs. These peoples had Shamen or witch doctors who were very important. These men had special powers which they used to help their communities. Inuit Shamen could contact Sedna in a trance  - she would tell them whether there was enough food for them. Woodland Indian Shamen played an important part in making crops good. Shamen were said to control the weather, heal the sick, and see the future. 

Woodland Indians believed that the forests were full of evil spirits with horrible faces and no bodies. These spirits spread sickness amongst anyone who looked at them. Victims were cured by members of the False Face Society who copied the spirits by making horrid masks, cut from living trees, to drive the evil away.

On the Plains, religion was both powerful and gruesome. Visions were incredibly important. Youths got themselves into a trance, sometimes by cutting off a finger. Their guardian spirit appeared as a vision. It told them to collect objects, such as feathers, teeth, and arrowheads. These were placed into a medicine bundle which brought great luck in battle.

Many of the Plains Indians carried out the terrible Sun Dance. It was done each year to make sure that the buffalo kept running, and the crops kept growing.

James Green: Native peoples of the Americas, Oxford University Press, 1993, page 48 f.