Ponderosa Pines were also used for ceremonies and rituals. The Navajo and Ramah Indians used wood from the pines for a traditional baby cradle ceremony. When a baby was expected, they would choose a young tree in an area where few people went and sprinkle corn pollen on it from the bottom upward. Then they would take a solid piece from its east side. Prayers were spoken and if the first baby was a boy, the tops of the boards were cut, whereas for a girl they were pointed. The cradle was then rubbed with red ocher and tallow to protect it from evil spirits who were thought to never use red paint. The cradle would be saved for later children unless the baby died. Similarly, the Kawaiisu tribe would use a branch from the Ponderosa to hang the outgrown cradle of a male child so the boy would grow strong like a tree.

Other ceremonial uses were performed by the Okanagan-Colville tribe who threw smoldering Ponderosa pinecones in the air in the direction of rain clouds to make the rain stop. The plant parts of the trees were also smoked ceremoniously by the Hopi tribe.