The Sun Dance religion described by Non-Indian believer
Ken Sullivan
would post to the net what little I can offer being a non-indian believer
who has not had a shared experience with what I profess to believe.
Here goes, (please help by posting more info :-)
The Sun Dance religion is followed by the Ogalala, Teton Sioux and others.
Its premise is that all of us were omnipotent beings, formless, all-powerful,
all-knowing. We are placed on earth to experience limitation and to grow
through touching. The greatest form of touching is giving. Of all Gods
creatures, mankind is the only one which doesn't know it's place. Each of us
have loneliness in common, that's all. They also teach of the medicine wheel.
Each of us is a mirror, a medicine wheel. When we look at each other, we see
our own reflection. They also believe that the Great White Buffalo Cow Woman
gave the pipe to the people as a way to worship and to keep the people together
and living correctly. One of the central ceremonies of the Sun Dance religion
is the Sun Dance itself. This event (which I have not participated in) was
outlawed by the US Government for many years. It has recently seen a resurgence
on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The Sun Dance last 3 days,
sweats are held for the participants, this is a very sacred, holy event.
The warrior gives himself to the great spirit in hope of a vision for the
future of the people. A flesh sacrifice is made. For women, this sacrifice
may involve many small cuts on the arms or legs, it may involve removing
small pieces of skin which would then be wrapped in cloth and offered to
Wakan-Tanka or Great Spirit. It's too easy to try to simplify the ceremony.
I almost left out the selection of the tree:-( A Holy Man or elder prays
and seeks out the forked tree for the Sun Dance, the tree is asked for it's
sacrifice and tobaco offerings are made after the selection. The tree is
cut down by hand and all but the top branches are removed. The effigy of
man and the buffalo are attached to the top branches. I have to stop here,
my memory is fuzzy. The books you need to refer to are wonderful oversize
books by Thomas Mails. Go to a good library and look under that name.
He is a historian who has documented the Sioux and the Sun Dance. He is
well respected by the Tribe Elders. His book are no longer in print but
are very accurate.
One last point, the warrior is pierced with a sharp bone or eagle talon through
the skin of his chest. THe eagle foot or bone is secured with leather and then
attached to the central forked tree. THe dancers blow their whistles and dance
tugging against the rope till it tears the flesh. They often pass out and
have visions which they interpret to guide the future of the people.
THere is alot more involved, also not many Indians actually experience
'piercing', not many woman give a flesh sacrifice, they usually join in the
sweats where the pipe is passed and prayers are lifted. Hope this increases
your curiosity enough to check out Thomas Mails' books. I may later
explain why I believe in the Sun Dance verses something else. :-)
Sincerely,
KJ Sullivan
I gave myself the name 'Stone Bear', my first effigy pipe was made from
soapstone in the likeness of a bear. I've had to 'wing it' all along
because I have been without fellowship. I grew up in the Bible Belt.
--
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Borries Demeler/Biophysics
>your curiosity enough to check out Thomas Mails' books. I may later
You might also try to find "Lame Deer - Seeker of Visions", a first hand
account of Sioux ceremonies by a Sioux Medicine man. It has descriptions of
several Sioux ceremonies, including the Yuwipi ceremony.
-Bo
Donn Chambers
>would post to the net what little I can offer being a non-indian believer
>who has not had a shared experience with what I profess to believe.
[various parts of the author's philosophy and perception of the ritual
deleted for brevity]
>man and the buffalo are attached to the top branches. I have to stop here,
>my memory is fuzzy. The books you need to refer to are wonderful oversize
>books by Thomas Mails. Go to a good library and look under that name.
>He is a historian who has documented the Sioux and the Sun Dance. He is
>well respected by the Tribe Elders. His book are no longer in print but
>are very accurate.
He is also a Lutheran minister, and I have come to feel that this has
tainted some of his interpretation of Lakota ritual and belief. By all
means, look at _Mystic Warriors of the Plains_. It is a very good book,
filled with very beautiful, and authentic, drawings. But for a better
description of the Sun Dance, and what it means to the people who
practice it, I would suggest these books, which are written by, or with
Lakotas.
_The Sacred Pipe_, by Black Elk (w/ John E. Brown) -- This is Black Elk's
teachings of the 7 sacred rituals of the Lakota,
including the Sun Dance.
_Black Elk_, by Wallace Black Elk -- Not a blood relation to the famous
Black Elk above, but an adopted "nephew". I like this book
because Wallace Black Elk wrote most of it himself, with
minor editing from a white man. It sounds more like the
Lakota that I have talked to than the flowery speeches
John Neihardt gave Black Elk in _Black Elk Speaks_. Remember,
Neihardt was a poet.
_Lakota Woman_, by Mary Crow Dog -- I also enjoyed this book alot, because
it is from a woman's viewpoint (a rarity in this subject). She
tells about the Sun Dance as it reemerged in the '70s, as
well as the struggles of AIM and the growing Native Rights
movement.
_Lakota Religion_,by William Powers -- Not a Lakota, but an anthropologist.
This IS a scholarly book, and bases a lot of its material
on interviews with Lakota elders. His wife has written a
book called _Oglala Women_ which I am just beginning to read
and which looks very good.
and finally,
_Mother Earth Spirituality_,by Ed MgGaa, Eagle Man -- I have to admit, when
I first saw this book I almost didn't read it. It seemed
to have a very "New-Age" feel to it, which tends to turn
me off. But the author is an Oglala who tried to never
abandon the traditional ways and still managed to fight
racism to become a lawyer. That definitely earned my
respect. And, when I read the book, I became even more
respectful. Mr. MgGaa seems very honest and open. He talks
about the Sun Dance from his own experiences. This has become
one of my favorites to recommend for beginners to read,
mainly because Eagle Man is an Oglala who believes that
non-Native Americans can and should try to follow the Lakota
Spiritual path.
Good Reading,
Donn Chambers
--
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SATOR The creator | "I once was a dancer, young once like you
AREPO slow moving | though I know I don't look it
TENET perceives | I jumped as high as the sky, I had fire
OPERA his creations | in my eyes, I had legs like a stallion."
ROTAS as vortices | -- David & David, "Swallowed by the Cracks"
Agvnige Wohali
>>my memory is fuzzy. The books you need to refer to are wonderful oversize
>>books by Thomas Mails. Go to a good library and look under that name.
>>He is a historian who has documented the Sioux and the Sun Dance. He is
>>well respected by the Tribe Elders. His book are no longer in print but
>>are very accurate.
I had the misfortune of running into a Thomas Mails book on my people in a
bookstore in Denver, and it was the biggest joke I have ever seen. Mails
portrayed Cherokees as having the hair on the sides of their heads clipped
short so as to stand up, and the rest of their hair pulled up into a
topknot. It's very obvious he got hold of some old Spanish and French
woodcuts of Timucua Indians from Northern Florida and tried to pass them
off as "Cherokee".
To top it off, though, Mails gave the Cherokee elders thick, braided
beards that made them look more like Melanesians from Australia or New
Guinea than Indians.
Much of the "history" contained within the book also appeared very hokey.
Now, I have seen Mails' book on the Sun Dance and it seems to be quite
well-written, and the illsutrations are well-done, but the point I am
trying to make is, take everything you read with a grain of salt. Even
Mails. If you wanna know what I mean, read his book on the Cherokee.
Dodadagohv?i,
Agvnige Wohali