National
Arapaho man faces charges for Sun Dance ceremony


An Arapaho man appeared in Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribal Court on Wednesday for allegedly violating a court order not to bring the Sun Dance ceremony to Oklahoma.

Patrick Spottedwolf brought the ceremony anyway, resulting in a clash last Friday. He said 20 to 30 people attacked his encampment with chain saws. Another man faces contempt charges but did not appear in court.

A Northern Arapaho woman who participated admitted her involvement. "We came down here to take it apart, to saw it up," Laverne White said, The Oklahoman reported.

The Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and the Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming both issued orders against the ceremony. They said they asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to enforce the court orders said the agency failed.

Get the Story:
Arapaho man pleads not guilty to contempt (The Oklahoman 6/15)
pwpwd

Relevant Links:
Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma - http://www.cheyenne-arapaho.org
Northern Arapaho Tribe - http://www.northernarapaho.com

Related Stories:
Accusations fly over Sun Dance incident in Oklahoma (6/14)
Dispute over Sun Dance led to clash in Oklahoma (6/12)
BIA investigates attack at Oklahoma ceremony (6/9)