title: Muscogee Creek spirituality and meaning of death.
abstract: This qualitative, collective case study involves interviews with 27 members of the Muscogee Creek Tribe to explore spirituality as related to death and bereavement. Results yielded that Creeks are generally open to the existence of inexplicable supernatural events. Creek spirituality encompasses awareness of spiritual beings, both good and bad. Participants believed that spirits exist alongside people and can send and receive messages from people to guide and inform them. Creeks have ongoing, though not constant, relationships with loved ones and others who have died. Spiritual attunement can occur at every point in the life cycle but seems to be especially astute in children and animals. Results are discussed in terms of continuing bonds and meaning making perspectives.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Behavioral Sciences, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. awalker@oru.edu
authors.forename: Andrea C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001293:Attitude to Death / Q000208:ethnology*; D001601:Bereavement; D005260:Female; D005655:Funeral Rites / Q000523:psychology*; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012945:Social Values; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires