While the Kiowa today have a reservation in Oklahoma, their own oral tradition as well as that of other tribes tells of their migrations from present-day Montana to the Southern Plains. Like many Plains Indians cultures, Kiowa religion is based on the concept of animism, the view that all things, both animate and inanimate, are living things with souls and they can help or hinder humans.
Kiowa religion is based on a sacred power (dwdw), a force that permeated the universe and could be found in spirits, objects, places, or natural phenomena. Anthropologist Benjamin Kracht, in his chapter on Kiowa religion in Native American Spirituality: A Critical Reader, writes:
“Central to Kiowa cosmology was the concept of dwdw‘power,’ a spirit force permeating the universe, including the earth, sun, moon, sky planets, stars, mountains, rivers, and streams, plants, and animals.”
In his entry on the Kiowa in the Handbook of North American Indians, Anthropologist Jerrold Levy reports:
“Animals like eagle, hawk, or buffalo, as well as the sun, moon, and winds were recognized as important personifications, or loci, of supernatural power.”
This spiritual power is neither good nor bad, but it can help or harm depending on the user.
There is a hierarchy of spiritual power: the spiritual power of predators is more powerful than that of their prey; the spiritual powers from above, such as the sun, are stronger than the earthly animals.
Vision Quest
For humans, the spiritual power could be obtained through the vision quest. Through the successful completion of the vision quest, the seeker obtains a guardian or tutelary spirit. This special spirit gives instructions on how to paint the face, as well as imparting special songs, and guidance for making special amulets. Traditionally it was considered unlikely that a man could be successful in life without a guardian spirit.
The Kiowa vision quest, usually done only by men, involved going to an isolated place for four days and fasting, wearing only a breechcloth and moccasins or sometimes a buffalo robe might be draped over the shoulders with the hair side out. Jerrold Levy reports:
“A man sought power at an isolated spot in the hills, where he fasted, smoked, and prayed. If successful, a spirit appeared who became a guardian and helper.”
Among the Kiowa, successful vision seekers traditionally obtained spiritual power related to either curing or war. These two realms of spiritual power were generally mutually exclusive: one became either a great warrior or a great curer. Anthropologist Benjamin Kracht reports:
“Life was more difficult for a curer because of the responsibilities and restrictions accompanying his power; his life typically involved a stringent set of prohibitions placed on his doctoring medicine, such as avoiding certain animal foods—bears, moles, or fish—or animal parts—brains or marrow.”
Kiowa men who received war power often made war shields that symbolized the power they had received through their vision. These shields, along with the associated spiritual power, could be given to a son or sold to a friend.
Concerning the spiritual power obtained through the vision quest, Jerrold Levy reports:
“It was not considered appropriate for an individual to announce publicly the results of his vision quest, but rather to do so through demonstrations of his power.”
In addition to obtaining spiritual power through a vision quest, it was also possible to purchase dwdw (spiritual power) by becoming an apprentice to a man who had such power. However, power obtained through the vision quest was always stronger than power which had been purchased. In purchasing dwdw, the individual had to undergo the vision quest under the tutelage of a man of power. In his chapter on the Kiowa in the Encyclopedia of North American Indians, Benjamin Kracht writes:
“From their youth, Kiowa men fasted on mountains and hilltops, where they endured vision quests to obtain dwdw. Few, however, were fortunate enough to receive dwdw. Many came away with nothing, although one could receive power through inheritance or purchase—most dwdw belonged to on-dwdw men—for men with power could give it to others.”
Medicine Bundles
Medicine bundles in American Indian cultures are symbols of spiritual power and may also function as both mnemonic devices and symbols when used ceremonially.
Among the Kiowa, the ten sacred medicine bundles – the Ten Grandmothers – were very important. One of the functions of the medicine bundle priests was to adjudicate disputes. The bundles also had the power to cure the sick. Anyone in the tribe could make gifts to a bundle and to pray for it. Success in war was traditionally the most common supplication.
The eleventh tribal bundle among the Kiowa was the Taime or Sun Dance bundle which became the focal point of the Sun Dance. This medicine bundle was placed at the western side of the Sun Dance lodge where it symbolized the spiritual powers of the sun and mediated between the people and these spiritual powers.
According to one story, the Kiowa obtained two Taime medicine bundles, one male and one female, around the year 1770 from an Arapaho man who had received them as a gift from the Crow. When the Arapaho man married a Kiowa woman the two bundles come into possession of the Kiowa people.
Ceremonies
The Sun Dance was the only time in which the entire Kiowa tribe camped together. This ceremony unified the tribe socially and spiritually. Traditionally, the Kiowa Sun Dance was held between mid-June and mid-July and was not an annual dance: it was held only when someone pledged it. The keeper of the Sun Dance bundle selected the location for the dance and was the nominal head of the tribe during this ceremony. Benjamin Kracht reports:
“The Sun Dance, the most important Kiowa dance, unified the tribe socially and spiritually.”
According to W. W. Newcomb, in his book The Indians of Texas: From Prehistoric to Modern Times:
“In essence, the Kiowas’ sun dance was a worship of the sun as the creator and regenerator of life through the sacred mediator, the taime.”
The United States government, in their attempts to eradicate all Native American religious practices, stopped the Kiowa Sun Dance in 1890.
The Kiowa Gourd Dance (Tdiepeigah) began as a spiritual gift from the red wolf to a Kiowa warrior who was separated from his war party. The dance honored the battles of the Kiowa warriors during their migration from the Northern Plains to the Southern Plains.
Indians 101/201
Twice each week Indians 101/201 explores various American Indian topics. Indians 201 is an expansion of an earlier essay. More about American Indian religions from this series:
Indians 101: The Sun Dance among the Algonquian-speaking Plains tribes
Indians 101: The Mandan Okipa Ceremony
Indians 101: Ceremonies of the Great Basin Indian Nations
Indians 101: Supernatural Beings
Indians 201: Sacred places in New England
Indians 101: Some Pawnee Ceremonies
Indians 101: The Southern Plains Vision Quest
Indians 101: Supernatural Entities Among the Eastern Algonquian Tribes