David Beautiful Bald Eagle, 1919-2016. Photo by Steven Lewis Simpson / Neither Wolf Nor Dog
Elder laid to rest at traditional Lakota ceremony
Rainbow arches over burial scaffold of David Beautiful Bald Eagle
By Talli Nauman
Native Sun News
Health & Environment Editor
nsweekly.com TAKINI –– A rainbow arched over the burial scaffold of Chief David Beautiful Bald Eagle at sunset on the final day of his traditional Lakota funeral ceremony July 28, in the vast grasslands of the Hohwoju Lakota Nation, or Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, where he was born. He always called his homestead here Rainbow Valley and told people this was where he wanted to be “if I am going to die.” His family members saw to it that his wish came true as he set out on his journey to the spirit world on July 22, 2016, at age 97. They also followed his instructions for the traditional four-day ceremony, which he said he wanted them to share so that it would be remembered, according to his widow Josée. On the fifth day after his passing, his tiospaye, or extended family, celebrated a burial service at Black Hills National Cemetery, in recognition of his distinguished history as a warrior. The interment was July 29, the first day of the annual Deadwood Days of ’76 Celebration and Rodeo, in which he had dressed in full ceremonial regalia to lead the parade for at least five decades. The celebration organizers would host an honoring event for the late Bald Eagle and his family the following day in Deadwood.
Read the rest of the story on the all new Native Sun News website: Elder laid to rest at traditional Lakota ceremony (Contact Talli Nauman at talli.nauman@gmail.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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