The religious organization of the Pawnee was more highly developed and
more sophisticated than that of most of the other Plains tribes. At
the top of the supernatural pantheon was Tirawa, the creator. Below
him were two classes of spirits—those of the earth and those of the
heavens. The former were usually identified with animals and were the
guardians of the people as a whole; the latter represented natural
phenomena and were usually identified with stars. Foremost among these
were the Morning and Evening Stars, representing the male and female
principles, and parents of the first earth being.
Ceremonial action centered around collections of sacred objects—medicine
bundles—which were believed to have been presented to the people in
ancient times by the “gods”. Ceremonies connected with these usually
involved a sacrifice or offering, or a ritual dramatization of the
mythical receipt of the bundle. The most famous of these ceremonies
was the annual sacrifice of a young girl to the Morning Star. Other
important ceremonies revolved around the ever important corn and
buffalo.
Shamans were organized into a secret society and power was received
through instruction by an elder member. They were mediums and diviners
and officiated in ceremonies. Each owned an ornate medicine bundle
containing herbs and charms, such as fossil bones, etc. There were
also “medicine men” who specialized in healing. Sickness was believed
to be caused by intrusion of a foreign object or malign spirit, which
was removed by sucking and chanting. Various plants were utilized for
medicine, including _Artemisia bedoviciana_, _Acorus calamus_, _Monarda
fistulosa_, and _fructata_, _Mentha canadensia_ and _Argemona mexicana_.
The Pawnee language is a branch of the Caddoan family of the
Hokan-Siouan stock.