The Sioux’s Sun Dance – prohibition, liberation, and protection

Staff Writer


Table of Contents

The origin of the name ‘Sioux’ provoked my interest in finding out more about their most important religious event called Sun Dance. Also, having read about the porcupines' 'moon dance' described in a fictional story in The Grumbling Warehouse, my interest grew more in understanding the Sun Dance ceremony. The Sioux people or otherwise referred to as the People of the Seven Council Fires: Wahpekute, Sistonwan, Ihanktown, Ihanktowana, Tetonwan, Wahpetonwan, and Mdewankanton constitute the people generally described as Native Americans.

How did the name Sioux come about? The French merchants in search of fur in Northern Wisconsin lakes and Minnesota were prevented by the Dakota people from advancing further west. The French merchants wanted to find out who the Dakota people were from Ojibwe. Perhaps, due to the difference in language, Ojibwe demonstrated with his hands the way a snake moves followed by the term “natowessiwak.” For Ojibwe, he meant that the Dakota people are the “people who live around Mississippi, the snake-like river.” But the interpreter understood the demonstration as meaning “the snake people.” After that, the Dakota people were known as the “nadouessioux” otherwise the “little snakes.” Later, it was shortened to Sioux.

Before the description of the Sioux’s Sun Dance ceremony, examining who the Sioux are may help in understanding the meaning of their Sun Dance and its efficacies.  

Who are the Sioux?

The Sioux lived in the Great Plains covering an expanse of land that constitute today’s North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Nebraska. They were the first dwellers and perhaps owners of those lands, hence can be categorised as the aboriginals.

As the aboriginals, terms like Lakota, Dakota and Nakota can be used in place of Sioux to describe them. When the Europeans began to make incursions into the Americas, and in particular, North America, the natives already had their way of life, culture and beliefs that guided and guarded them. The three main Sioux nations are:

Lakota

The Lakota, otherwise known as Teton are considered the largest and known for their bravery. They are considered people of valour and fought to protect and preserve their lands from the European settlers.

Dakota

The Dakota, otherwise known as Santee, notably was used to the land. Hence, they loved fishing, hunting, and farming.

Nakota

The Nakota is made up of two primary tribes: Yankton and Yanktonai. It is said that the Nakota people broke away from the Dakota and occupy the plains of South Dakota. Their way of life is like the Dakota people’s.  

It can be said that the Sioux are generous people. They are tolerant, honest, trustworthy, diligent, and steadfast, hence their ability to welcome the European settlers.

Sun Dance Ceremony

The Sioux people delight in the Sun Dance ceremony because it propitiates and heals both the people and their lands. In the ceremony, the people gather and pray for themselves and their community.

A lot goes into the preparation of the ceremony, time, effort, sacrifices, and different contributions by the people. It is claimed that preparation for Sun Dance begins at least, a year in advance by the leaders or groups of organizers. It takes a lot of time because of the nature of the activities and some religious attributes. Among the activities that bear a serious religious undertone are:

  • The strenuous physical and spiritual dances signify the mortifying of body and spirit for the benefit of the community. For example, the men or young adult males can be seen dancing around a pole while tied to it with a rope made from stiff untanned leather pierced through the skin of their chests.
  • They also engage in many days of fasting and praying under any conditions as part of chastening themselves to the greater glory of their people. Before the ceremony, the people fast, abstaining from water and food before joining in the dance.
  • At the ceremony, they sing traditional songs, dance, and beat local drums while a sacred fire burns. They blow a ceremonial pipe as they pray.

All these activities and events demand a lot of effort, time, mortification and self-surrendering.

Sun Dance – The Prohibition and Liberation

After North American tribes were conquered by the Europeans and instituted central governments of Canadian and the United States respectively, these countries tried to legally integrate Native Americans into most European cultures by enacting restrictive laws that prevented the observance of indigenous cultures. Sun Dance fell into the category of one of those indigenous cultures that were being repressed or subdued.

But that was not meant to last hence, article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says:

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

Because the United States and Canada are part of this treaty and members of the United Nations resulted in the lifting of the laws that were meant to suppress the indigenous cultures of Native Americans. In 1951, Canada lifted its prohibition of fully practising the Sun Dance and the United States Congress passed a law of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1978 that protects basic civil liberties, as well as protects and preserves the religious rights and cultures and practices of Native Americans.

Protecting Sun Dance from Evil Influencers

In recent years, Sun Dance is being protected by Native Americans from outsiders who are exploiting the people’s spirituality for things mundane or profane. Some individuals are copying or using the Sun Dance and other Lakota ceremonies for evil practices and hence damaging the rich cultural heritage of the people. In 1993, during their Lakota Summit number 5, the three nations of Lakota, Dakota and Nakota strongly condemned the unconscionable desecration of their traditions.

For reasons that people attending the Sun Dance ceremonies might be coming with different and unknown intentions, and to prevent further desecration of their cultural practices, non-indigenous people are asked to stop attending the Sun Dance ceremony. The 19th-Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe of the Lakota advised non-indigenous people to refrain from attending the ceremony, but they can pray to support the ceremony. Only indigenous people can now approach the altar.

Conclusion

The Sioux people are variously understood as comprising mainly three major groups: Lakota, Dakota and Nakota who speak the same language but with different dialects. In Canada and the United States, they are known as Native Americans. There’s an observation about the prohibition of practising Sun Dance in Canada and the United States at one point and the abrogation of that same law which leads to a new law that gives Native Americans the freedom to continue their traditional and cultural practices. Latterly, for Native Americans to protect what is theirs from corrosion and abuse, they not only condemned those who desecrate the Sun Dance and other cultural ceremonies, but they also asked non-indigenous people to stop approaching their religious altars.

Sources

“Article 1,” Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations

https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights (Accessed 25/02/2023)

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2022, November 4). Sioux. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sioux (Accessed 15/02/2023)

“Sioux Native Americans: Their History, Culture, and Traditions” (August 01, 2021) Native Hope.

https://blog.nativehope.org/sioux-native-americans-their-history-culture-and-traditions (accessed 20/02/2023)

“Lakota Declaration of War,” The People’s paths, by Valerie Taliman

http://www.thepeoplespaths.net/articles/warlakot.htm (Accessed 05/02/2023)

“The Selling of Indian Culture Protection of Ceremonies O-mini-c'i-ya-pi,” New Age Frauds and Plastic Shamans, Mitakuye Oyasin, http://www.newagefraud.org/olh3.html (Accessed 05/02/2023)

  

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