Native Americans have had to struggle to survive in a country that has discriminated against them and persecuted them for hundreds of years. The United States stole from the indians in the past and have never kept promises they made to the Native Americans. The one aspect of the indian's lives that has kept them going has been their religion. The Native Americans will have to endlessly fight for complete freedom of religion and for respect, but they are surviving with and making the most of what they have. Religious Symbols Among all the Native American tribes, there are two common symbols and they are tobacco and peyote cactus.
Tobacco is considered a sacred herb by many tribes.
Tobacco is used for prayer, protection, respect and healings. While we non-natives believe tobacco to be harmful, native americans use it for medicinal reasons. The use of peyote in indian religious practices has bothered the United States officials for a long time. They believe the indians get addicted to peyote and use it as a drug. Indians use peyote in religious ceremonies only.