We all live in a world of symbols. And they all mean something. For example, the same road signs that are signs of civilization. But the indigenous people of North America - the Indians - not only sought to display their life in symbols in harmony with nature, but also had the appropriate symbolism for this, which arose from ancient traditions.
Hand drawn border
Our border is denoted by border pillars decorated with the coats of arms of neighboring states, but the Indians designated their possessions with special symbols on sacred plates, thereby identifying themselves among other tribes: the paws of the bear made it clear that this was the possession of the Bear clan, the snake pointed to the Snake clan, swallow - to the Swallows clan. When the Coyotes clan fought with the Swallows clan and won, the swallow was depicted with its head torn off.
By the way, the sacred animal, whose name the clan was called, was carefully guarded by the Indians, since according to their beliefs the lives of all its members depended on it. The very name of the clan was associated with the characteristics of the tribe - strength (bear), danger (snake), speed (swallow), so deception was excluded. The name spread a certain "rumor" about the tribe, and it was not required to meet with it, it was enough to see its symbolic image.
Father eagle and mother turtle
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The symbolism of totem beasts that arose in ancient times continues to be used, albeit indirectly, throughout history. So, it was believed that a weasel can see such little things, which then can cause the most serious events. That is why it was customary to decorate the clothes of kings with ermine fur.
But the sign of the leader among the Indians was a headdress made of eagle feathers, symbolizing the sun's rays and "surrounding the head with a magical aura." The eagle could fly into the sky above all other birds, and therefore could be closer than others to the Great Spirit. From the heights of heaven, he can see everything that happens below, on earth, and nothing is hidden from his watchful eye. That is why the images of the eagle were so often met and are found among representatives of the ruling elite, for example, on the same knightly coats of arms.
Guardians of the Hopi tribe, for example, were always depicted with a quiver with arrows or a curved staff, with which the guard pointed to the ground and at the same time said: "You must be strong!"
The strength of the guard was also emphasized by the images of lightning and clouds. So, the Indians first created certain images for themselves, and then they were already firmly entrenched in their drawings. For example, among the Mohicans, a turtle was considered a totem, and it was her tattooed image that was flaunted on all men on the chest.
Drawing instead of a passport
It was customary among the prairie tribes to apply symbolic drawings not only to the body of a person, but also to paint his horse. There was, for example, a sign that indicated that this rider had killed several enemies in battle, and the square markings indicated that he was the leader of a military detachment.
The U-shaped emblem indicated that the horse was a trophy, and the keyhole indicated the location of the injury. And here is a palm print on the horse's rump - that the owner of this sign killed one or even several enemies in battle! Such coloring informed about the merits of the rider in battle and on the hunt, and, in addition, increased his status among fellow tribesmen.
The images on the shields also testified to the merits of the warrior. Moreover, he showed not only the abilities and talents of his owner that he had, but also those that he intended to acquire. However, shields were also made by women, and the goal was the same: to show the spiritual essence of the mistress of the shield. Shields couldn't lie! Those shields on which deceitful symbols were depicted were burned, and their owners were punished, to the extent that they were expelled from the tribe!
The Sioux Indians even had a "symbol of knowledge" in the form of a shield, with the image of four healing arrows that explained the essence of human actions. So, they believed that every situation and action should be considered simultaneously from four sides: from the side of wisdom, innocence, foresight and intuition. At the same time, four arrows were connected in the center and thus showed that any thing can be viewed from different sides, but, ultimately, it contains all four arrows of knowledge.
Such a shield told people how to find out more about themselves, about their brothers, about the Earth and the Universe. However, the drawings on moccasins - Indian shoes, also differed in all tribes, and it was enough to look at the Indian's feet to understand who he was and where he came from.
Kachina is a doll, but not for play
The Hopi Indians had a belief that there were invisible Kachin spirits - mediators between God and people. Only men could reincarnate in them, therefore they were the personification of good, worthy of imitation and frightening all evil.
Kachin was feared and respected. Posing as these spirits, they wore masks of animals, plants, stars, demons, warriors, and mythological characters. They were complemented with white robes, a fur cape, rattles, a bow, a staff, and silver and turquoise jewelry. All this symbolism (mask, clothing, jewelry, etc.) turned an ordinary Indian into a messenger of the gods. And the tribesmen believed that, at their request, the gods would send more rain through them, rich harvests and protection from diseases.
But in the tribe of guides there was a "mask of transformation". She represented the head of a storm bird. When its huge beak was opened, a person's face was visible in it. According to legend, this bird brought rain with it, caused plant growth and helped maintain life on Earth. When the guides put on this mask, they believed that the human spirit can take its image with all the ensuing consequences!
Fire Clan Jug of Water
The Hopi people set up their settlements where there was no water. However, they had a sacred jug, which, thanks to prayers, sent people moisture. The magic jug was transferred to each clan from the Fire clan. For this they chose a holy person who could be his keeper. Four days before the start of the campaign, he stopped using salt and devoted much time to prayers.
Then the jug was hoisted to a new place, thereby ensuring a quick extraction of water. Thus, the Fire Clan became a kind of "lord of the water", and no Hopi tribe could do without it. Needless to say that no one doubted his power ?!
Paintings in the sand
For us, "drawing in the sand" is a symbol of something fragile and short-lived. But the Indians created healing pictures on the sand, which, thanks to the symbols depicted on them, could heal.
Thus, bodily injuries resulting from a lightning strike or from water were healed by a complex of symbols: the water element, sacred plants, the image of water animals and a rainbow, the spirit of which was supposed to surround the whole picture. They also had a painting depicting four female figures.
Two personified the dark half of the Earth, two - the light. If these forces are in a state of equilibrium, then harmony reigns. That is, the picture was able to bring a sick person into a state of harmony with the forces surrounding him. And the sick Indians believed in it so strongly that … they recovered! Thus, they turned ordinary "pictures" into images with special power.
But practically all religious images are built on such symbols, inspiring people to believe in something supernatural. And the instillation of faith is already modern information technologies, including PR and advertising! And if in our days these are advertising logos and state symbols, then the Indians, it turns out, were almost the same, only the requirements for the truthfulness of the information reported were much higher for them than for us!
It is interesting that many ancient symbols - be it a bald eagle, a snake or a cactus - are firmly entrenched in the minds of modern people and are even used today in state symbols and advertising.
Well, the study of ancient symbols is the key to successfully creating new symbols and images of successful commercial and industrial corporations, political parties, and maybe even the country as a whole!