Did Native Americans Believe in An After life?

There is evidence that Native Americans believe in an after life. Conical mound building provided proof. These mounds were created for the purpose burying the dead. The Henschel site in Wisconsin is a great example of Native Americans believing in an afterlife. The conical mounds built in this particular site are next to a spring. Springs were believed to be a place of entry in to the watery underworld.

In addition to the specially chosen locations of the conical mounds, grave offering were found. Grave offerings seen in many other cultures have indicated the belief in an afterlife. In Egyptian burials, valuables would be placed in the chambers along with the dead so that they could take their belongings with them to the afterlife.  In some of the mounds some of the people were buried with personal items such as knife, spear points, and beads. These things could potentially aid the person in the new world that they would be living in when they reached their afterlife.

The natives believed in a renewal of the world after death and this was shown in the location of the mounds, which were mostly by springs. The Native American belief in an afterlife is apparent in the time and effort that was taken to bury the dead and in the process of creating the burial sites.