Human Development
Vision quest
Description:
A custom of the North American Indian religion, a vision quest or search for a vision of a supernatural being is undertaken in order to to acquire supernatural power or a supernatural guardian and usually as a rite of passage. After various ascetic practices, the individual goes to a remote retreat where, after prayer and further practices of asceticism, a dream or trance vision of a guardian spirit may be granted. The guardian spirit, in the form of an animal, teaches various rituals and indicates whether the initiate might become a medicine man. The rituals have to be remembered and followed if the spirit is to be retained - they may involve food taboos and also the chanting of a song taught by the spirit, which will reconnect the individual with the spirit. Traditionally the person making the quest is male and has reached puberty, although in some tribes quests were made in childhood and in some by girls before puberty. Some warriors took repeated quests and accumulated a number of guardian spirits, each with a different role.