Catawba Religion and Culture
The Catawba religion has a creator (Manatou), and sometimes is said to have a trinity. This trinity consists of Manatou, the creator; Kaia, the turtle; and a third being sometimes said to be the son of Manatou. It is likely that the three beings have always been deities in Catawba culture. The conversion of some members to Christianity may have influenced the Catawba stories so that the three beings reflect the trinity in the Christian religion.
In approximately 1883, tribal members were contacted by Mormon missionaries. Numerous Catawba were converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and some migrated to Utah and neighboring western states. Most of the Catawba converts stayed in South Carolina. LDS church membership remains high among the tribe.
In the Carolinas, the Catawba became well known for their pottery, which was made by the women. In the Charleston area, some cooks thought that certain dishes, such as okra soup, could not be prepared properly without a Catawba pot for slow, steady cooking.
The Catawba hold a yearly celebration called Yap Ye Iswa, which roughly translates to Day of the People, or Day of the River People. Held at the Catawba Cultural Center, proceeds are used to fund the activities of the center.
Read more about this topic: Catawba People
Famous quotes containing the words religion and/or culture:
“That, upon the whole, we may conclude that the Christian religion not only was at first attended with miracles, but even at this day cannot be believed by any reasonable person without one. Mere reason is insufficient to convince us of its veracity: And whoever is moved by Faith to assent to it, is conscious of a continued miracle in his own person, which subverts all the principles of his understanding, and gives him a determination to believe what is most contrary to custom and experience.”
—David Hume (1711–1776)
“All our civilization had meant nothing. The same culture that had nurtured the kindly enlightened people among whom I had been brought up, carried around with it war. Why should I not have known this? I did know it, but I did not believe it. I believed it as we believe we are going to die. Something that is to happen in some remote time.”
—Mary Heaton Vorse (1874–1966)