Most of the Native American weddings basically reflect the rich Indian heritage. If you were a descendant even with just a barest hint of Indian ancestry, a Native American- inspired would definitely be a great idea to pay tribute to your proud ancestors. However, this will require you to gain thorough understanding on the requisites of the Native American wedding traditions to correctly incorporate it in your own wedding as well as have a better appreciation on the ancient rituals.

The culture of the Native Americans is essentially composed of several tribes and each has their own distinct customs and traditions. Thus, it can be quite difficult to characterize what should be the proper wedding that would adhere strictly to the Native American wedding traditions since while some share common rituals, others are quite distinct and diverse. It is not surprising to know that other ceremonies are conducted formally while others are plainly casual and are more solemnized by merrymaking and feasts. However, most of these weddings are usually done in the evening and water plays an important symbol as a means of purification and cleansing. This explains why right before the ceremony, the couple has the customary washing of hands that is believed to wash away the memories of past evils and loves.

Music is also an integral factor in the Native American wedding traditions and singing seems o be the popular expression of music along with the accompaniment of some native musical instruments such as drums, flutes, and rattles. Still, the preference on rhythmic music vary from one region to the other, such as the fact that the inhabitants of the Great Plains are characterized with pulsating and tense music while in California region are usually conducted in a more soothing and relaxed manner. Here are some of the important details for each of the Native American wedding per region:

Northern California Traditions

What makes their custom stand out from the rest is the distinction of half and full marriages. Full marriages would require the groom to pay a particular sum to the bride’s family, the amount is largely dependent on his social standing and wealth. Half marriages on the other hand only requires half of the usual price, which can be a result of the lack of approval of the bride’s father or the inability of the groom to pay for a particular sum of money. The Native American wedding dress usually consists of symbolic colors and the brides usually wear turquoise and silver jewelry while grooms wear silver concho belts.

Delaware Traditions

As soon as the girl reached puberty, the parents can take the liberty of arranging her marriage. The wedding is only marked with the simple exchange of jewelries and once the parents accept the gifts from the groom, the marriage is then considered sanctioned. The bride only wears a knee length skirt and a band of beads on her forehead and is usually bare from the waist up.

Navajo Traditions

The Navajo wedding ceremony is symbolized with the combination of two meals, with males represented with white corn meals while the female or the bride is symbolized with the yellow corn. Wives are generally given equal authority and privileges that husbands enjoy and sharing a simple corn mush constitutes the marriage bond.

Hopi Traditions

At such an early age of 16, a girl ahs the freedom to choose her future mate is she so desires. And a girls invitation to a simple picnic would be tantamount to what we now know as the engagement, but guys also have the freedom to accept or decline the invitation depending on whether they want to marry the girl or not. Once a wedding ceremony is conducted, the husband will be a permanent resident to his wife’s home.

Most of these traditions may be quite interesting and plain astonishing to say the least. But these were generally practiced in the primitive era. So if you are to incorporate these traditions it would be best to stick with the clothing ad ornaments that were worn during that period and adapt a more elaborate wedding ceremony.