How did Southeastern Native American peoples believe spiritual power could enter objects?

In the traditional belief systems of Southeastern Native American peoples, natural objects could be infused with sacred spiritual power through several specific methods. These methods included:1

• Contact with thunder: For example, wood that had been struck by lightning was considered to possess this power.1
• Immersion: Objects could be imbued with power by being submerged in a rapidly flowing stream.1
• Ritual exposure: Objects could be consecrated through exposure to the smoke of the sacred fire or through the smoke of ritually prepared tobacco.1

These practices were part of a broader worldview characterized by animism, where humans shared the world with a vast array of spiritual essences found in animals, plants, and natural phenomena. Beyond these natural objects, spiritual power was also held by medicine men through items like quartz crystals and other mystically endowed paraphernalia, while other objects were consecrated to represent the collective solidarity of the community.1