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What role did spirit-beings play in Great Basin religious beliefs?
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Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin
Kaylei Weed (left) of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe with her two sons and mother, Elaine Ethel Weed, at the Wind River Indian Reservation in 2015.
In the religious beliefs of the Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin, spirit-beings were perceived as animals, birds, or natural and supernatural phenomena, each possessing specific powers derived from their observed characteristics.1
These beings played several critical roles:
- Tutelary Guides: Spirit-beings were central to shamanism. They would appear to individuals unsought, serving as guides that instructed shamans in curing diseases, foretelling the future, or practicing sorcery.1
- Moral and Ecological Architects: Mythical anthropomorphic progenitors—such as Coyote—created the world, established the topography and seasons, and defined the moral, ethical, and social customs that govern human life.1
- Sources of Power: Beyond shamanic guidance, spirit-beings were believed to grant specific abilities, such as the power to charm antelope for communal drives or to make individuals resistant to weapons.1
- Supernatural Threats: Not all spirits were benevolent. Some, such as the malevolent water babies or the mischievous unupits of the Southern Paiute, were feared for their ability to cause illness or lure people to their deaths.1