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''The Sun-Dance is supposed to re-create, reform, to reanimate the earth, |
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vegetation, animal life, and is a ceremony of rebirth or renaissance''. |
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Dorsey 1905 |
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The Religious Meaning |
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| The Sun Dance is usually held once a year though in some tribes it is held very seldom. This Dance is a very religious and communal ceremony. It is the most celebrated, Spectacular, and meaningful ceremony known to the plains Indians. The Sun-Dance shows equality in life. And between all of nature. It shows that there is no true end to life, only spiritual deaths and rebirths. The most renowned priest is also the best lodge maker. This person ran the entire ceremony of the Sun-Dance. | |
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The Eagle |
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| There were very many animals involved in the Sun -Dance that had very high symbolistic meaning. The eagle was among those many animals. The Eagle is highly symbolistic, sacred, and important. The Eagles nest is placed at the top of the fork of the lodge. In Arapaho mythology the nest represents the Eagle (Thunder-bird) who built his nest in a cotton wood tree near the village of the Indians during a time of despair. The Crow , and Shoshone fasten an actual golden Eagle head to the entrance of the dance. The Eagle was considered the ''Chief'' of all animals in the sky or nest. And a very powerful animal in battle. The Eagle is admired for courage, Swiftness, and Strength. The Eagle is believed protect the people from harm, devastation, or any kind of evil. It is also said that the Eagle is the carrier of all messages from Wakan -Tanka (GOD) to the people, or from the people to Wakan-Tanka. The bird kept the connection between the people and all super natural forces. |
Bald Eagle |
| During the Sun-Dance it was tradition for each dancer to blow on a whistle made from the wing bone of an Eagle. Making the sound of an Eagle cry. Always keeping time with the drum. The whistle is painted with colored dots and lines to represent the remarkable perception of the Eagle. There is also a beautiful feather attached to the end of the whistle. The feather blew back and forth representing the breath of life. ''In an Eagle there is all the wisdom of the world'' (Lame deer and Erdoes 1972) | |
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The Buffalo |
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| The Buffalo is also one of the many animals worshiped in the Sun-Dance. The Buffalo is known to be the very source of life for the plains Indians. The Buffalo is said to radiate power. They are also very important because the migration of the heard determines where and when the Sun-Dance will be held. Many songs are sung as the dance progresses changing in tempo and speed. To resemble the sound of a Buffalo heard traveling across the prairie. '' The buffalo symbolizes the necessities without witch life would be hazardous and wearisome. and also bestows great curing powers'' and ''Still radiates power''. (Vogal 1984). | |
| The Lakota placed a dried Buffalo penis on the sun pole to give the dancers virility. It also reinforced the point of the ceremony by drawing attention to the power of the sun. ''All will be harmonized wit the potency of the Buffalo god, That should prevail during the ceremony''. ( Walker 1980) There were many other kinds of animals involved in the Sun-Dance also. The Sun-Dancers sometimes wore rabbit skins on their arms and legs. The rabbit was admired for quickness, slyness, and for its extreme cleverness. |
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The Dance |
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| The Sun-Dancers danced in an enclosed area around or facing the sun pole, always facing the sun. As a rule the Sun-Dancers went without food or water for the whole time the sun dance was going on. Witch sometimes lasted ten or more days. Or until the dancer had a vision. A row of young maidens would appear on the other side of the arena and add their voices to the rough voices of the warriors. The dancing happened in intervals of ten minuets with breaks of equal length. | |
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Torture |
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| There where many forms of torture, self torture was one of them. A row of dancers took their places promptly at sunrise but it was nine or ten before the torture actually began. Generally in two or three hours the victim is freed but in many cases double or even triple that time is required. The warriors chosen were between the age of twenty and twenty-five. They were also the best warriors available. The warriors would have two slits cut in their skin. A skewer would be put in the skin with a string attached to it that is also attached to the sun pole that was in the middle of the ring. Then the warriors would jerk back and forth to try to get the skin around the skewer to tear away setting the warrior free. | |
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The Sun Pole |
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| The center pole is a very important part of the sun-dance. A tree was selected, The leaves where cut from the top of the tree. Then the tree was stood upright, being held by ropes made of buffalo thongs. The ropes were fastened to stakes in the ground placed about eighty feet away from the actual Sun Pole. These ropes along with several others that were closer to the Sun Pole together made a large circle. Stretched over the stakes were Elk and Buffalo skin, bundles of brush, and blankets. Sometimes canvas was thrown over the supporting ropes meant to block the sun though doing very little good. The eldest woman would lead a group of young maidens to strip the tree of its branches, to prepare it for the dance. The fallen tree was treated just like a fallen enemy. A bundle was placed at the fork of the tree. The bundle contained Buffalo Hide, Straws full of Tobacco, and other religious offerings. | |
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The Ending of the Sun-Dance |
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| The ending of the Sun-Dance came in 1904 allegedly because of the self torture. The Dance was forbidden even if there was no self torture of any kind involved. though there were many tribes that tried to revive the Sun-Dance and celebrate it in its original form and meaning.. | |
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Tribes |
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| The tribes that were involved in the Sun-Dance were, The Arapaho, Gros, Asbinboine, Cheyenne, Crow, Ventre, Hidusta, Sioux, Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwa, Sarasi, Omaha, Ponca, Ute, Shoshone, Kiowa, and Blackfoot tribes. Their rituals varied from tribe to tribe. |
Two Warriors of the Sioux tribe. |
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Jodi Reamer 8th American history Rossville Jr. High Plain History Project 2004
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| Revised: February 05, 2004 | |
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