By Ivan F. Starr I have been following some community dialogue regarding the idea of one annual reservation-wide Sundance. I must say this is not new because people were talking about it many years ago. At this point in time, I am neither for nor against the idea. I believe it could happen but not just right now. On the other hand, it could be pushed through simply for the sake of making it happen. As with anything, there are many points that need to be clarified and understood by a majority of the people prior to taking on such an endeavor. I believe there are too many constraints on the people’s cohesiveness that are absolutely vital for such an endeavor’s success. Ideally, every person should first move to get on the same page like our ancestors once were. They had one language, one faith, etc. For instance, I am hearing people talk rather unforgivingly about each other. I have even heard dancers denounce other ceremonies because they did not do it right. I have even heard dancers say their “holy man” is more powerful than others. This reminds me of Christianity’s multiple churches. Anyway, it is a bit demanding to even imagine a unified ceremony with all this contentiousness. Anyway, the Sundance ceremony has been around for a very long time. Many an elder has said that it existed at the same time of the biblical great flood. It is not one of those things the “Great White Father” in Washington gave to the “Indians.” It is, however, one of those indigenous concepts the federal government fervently attacked and nearly obliterated. The Sundance is one of seven Lakota ceremonies. These are the Inipi (sweat lodge), Hanbleceyapi (vision quest), Wicanagi gluhapi (keeping of the soul), Wiwanyang wacipi (Sundance), Hunkalowanpi (making of relatives), Isnati awicalowanpi (puberty rite), and, Tapa wankayeyapi (throwing of the ball). I believe that if people understood the origins and purposes of these ceremonies that alone will help to bring us together. About 35 years ago, I remember being manhandled at the entrance to a Sundance. Then I was irately yelled at for nearly crossing the east gate. It was an extremely humiliating experience. I left immediately and never returned to that particular ceremony. Anyway, I began asking why we shouldn’t cross the east gate. I was surprised to find that hardly anyone knew. So began my quest to find the answer. I spent many years piecing this, the origin of the Sundance, together. I share it to prevent others from being harshly berated during their learning process. This historical event occurred somewhere on the North American continent. A large and hardy group of people had encountered a severe misfortune. It may have been famine or a pandemic disease. The tiospaye quickly diminished in size and strength as the elders and children died first. Then the younger people began to die until only a handful was left. An older man, knowing of prayer, went up on a hill and built an altar. He did not expect to return. During his prayer vigil, he found himself walking through a forest. He noticed that he wasn’t tired. He was aware of his own serenity and his eyes absorbed the plush grass, the beautifully blue sky, the clear streams, and heard every note of the chirping birds. He had not a fear in his heart. Then as he began to tire again, he came to a circular clearing. In the center was a tall tree. Curiously, he approached it and saw that it was a cottonwood tree. He noticed a bundle of choke cherry branches nestled at the point where two large branches reached out toward the northern and southern skies. After examining it, he stood on the east side of the tree where it was shaded. While he rested, a meadowlark flew toward him from the east and landed near his feet. He watched intently as the bird searched tirelessly for something in the ground. Soon, the bird pulled a worm out of the ground and flew away with it back toward the east. The bird repeated this two more times. Then, when the bird came back the fourth time, it turned into a woman as soon as it touched the ground. She was dressed in white and had long black flowing hair. Her voice was mesmerizing as she told the man Wakan Tanka (Great Spirit) sent her with a sacred gift for his people to gain sanctified support and health. She then instructed him on the particulars of the Sundance ceremony. It has been said that we still use that same construct today with some slight variations. The woman explained the various colors, the chokecherry branches tied to the tree, the sage, and the directions. She then taught him seven songs that are to be used specifically during the ceremony. She then explained that the only time humans will see their deceased relatives is when they themselves leave this earth. She explained further that food and water are life-giving and so to gain help from the “other side,” a dancer must abstain completely from water and food for the four days of the ceremony. She told him that this ceremony is based on this abstention. If absolute fasting is accomplished, then with each passing day, dancers move closer and closer to the realm of their deceased relatives. Then on the fourth day, they transfer this sanctification to their living relatives outside of the sacred circle. Sincerity is an absolute must otherwise they will not achieve the help the people need. This is the reason people do not touch the dancers. He returned to his relatives and together built a Sundance altar according to the woman’s directions. He taught the younger men the songs and they performed the ceremony. The story goes on to say the small tiospaye eventually regained the prosperity they had before. Please note that this is an extremely condensed version. I encourage people to talk to each other about it with an open mind. All this came to light during my search for the answer to why we shouldn’t cross the east gate; it is kept free of human contact to honor the woman who brought this ceremony to the Lakota people. An equally important lesson is that fasting must be done exactly as instructed. Sadly, I have seen people who danced for the wrong reasons like trying to impress a girl friend or vice versa. During the 1800s, fearing an “Indian uprising,” a local “Indian” agent essentially criminalized Lakota ceremonial rites and Congress endorsed his action. Although, the ban was enforced on the Pine Ridge, many Lakota went underground with whatever ceremonies they could. I remember my parent’s stories of older generations taking part in an Inipi (purification) ceremony that was held in secret. These contemporary discussions also take me back to the annual tribal Sundance-powwow event of the 50s and 60s. This wakan wicohan (sacred rite) had been made part of the tourist industry. People paid a gate fee to see the Sundance and the dancers also received pay. The day was dedicated to the ceremony and then a powwow was held at night in the same arena. The last time I attended this event was in 1966. Then in the mid-70s, the Sundance made a significant come back. Nearly every tiospaye now conducts the ceremony annually. I remember discussions years ago that indicated more than thirty ceremonies’ being performed every summer. I don’t truly know the exact figure. I can say with certainty that we have more than one ceremony on any given week from mid-June through mid-August. One of the concerns is that with this many ceremonies, the trees will be depleted in the near future. Ponderosa Pine boughs are used for the bowery and every ceremony uses one young cottonwood tree and some chokecherry branches. I think a simple solution is to replace every tree taken with another. Let’s keep in mind the fact that government regulation of Lakota ceremonies has never been good. There is the option of using camouflaged netting or other material for the bowery. However, the wagancan and canpa hu are integral of the Sundance. Without these particular trees, the ceremony cannot be performed. The key to unifying on this issue is comprehension. All I am trying to convey here is that there are many things that must be understood. I am not claiming to be an authority on this ceremony nor is this origin story the absolute truth. There are many like it, learn them all. I am only sharing what I learned from many years of listening to the candid conversations of tribal elders. (Ivan F. Starr, P.O. Box 147, Oglala, SD 57764; 605-867-2448; mato_nasula2@yahoo.com) Copyright permission by Native Sun News
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