The Sun Dance

   Of all the ceremonies practiced by the Lakota (indeed most of the Plains Indians) the Sun Dance was the most important.
   It was a time of renewal, both of the tribe and of the People and the earth. As many bands as possible would come together for this annual rite.
   The village would therefore be huge usually with each tribe camping within their own circle and this circle being part of another circle.
   A large circular arena would be cleared and a double ring of sticks would be erected around the outside with branches placed on the top as shelter for the dancers, singers and spectators.
   The Holy Men would go into the forest and select a tree to be used as the central pole. A man would then be selected because of a great deed or feat of bravery to ‘count coup’ on the tree which would then be cut down. As it fell it was not allowed to touch the ground. The tree would then be trimmed and taken back to the dance site, decorated and erected in the middle of the arena.
   The next day the dancing would begin at sunrise. Anyone who wanted to dance could do so. The dancers looked at the sun as they danced. Short breaks were allowed but no food or drink was taken. This part of the dance would go on for four days usually while the self-sacrificers prepared themselves.
   These people (usually men – it was incredibly rare for a woman to do this) were those who wanted something in particular; good hunting skills, better fighting skills, or something like the curing of a sick relative.
   Their bodies and spirits would be purified before the dance and they would each have a mentor to help them through the ordeal. This would be either a Holy man or someone who had already done it themselves.
   The Holy Men would have prepared buffalo skulls and these would be placed around the arena. Long lengths of rawhide would be tied to the central pole. The dancers would wear rings of sage on their heads and maybe around their wrists and ankles. Each would carry a whistle made from the wing bone of an eagle.
   As they stood around the arena the holy men would approach them and pierce each side of their chests with a length of bone. The rawhide thongs would then be attached to the bone. The dance would then begin, a slow shuffling dance to begin with. Others would choose not to be tethered to the pole in this way. They would have the bones put through their backs and buffalo skulls would then be attached with thongs. The dancers would then drag these heavy skulls around as they danced.
   The whole idea of the dance was to remove the bone pieces from your body. The dancers at the pole would pull themselves backwards, trying to tear their flesh and release themselves. Those with skulls attached to their backs would dance over rocks and through bushes hoping to catch the skulls on something and having them ripped from their bodies.
   Any who had not released themselves close to sundown were allowed help from their mentors. These men would grab the dancers from behind and jerk them backwards in an effort to tear the bones from the skin.
   At sundown, any not released in this way would have the bones removed by the Holy Men in a reverse to the way they went in.
   Those who danced in this way would normally be traumatised by the experience. Certainly shock would set in. They were removed to the sacrificers lodge and tended by the medicine men of the village. The Holy Men would also be in attendance, singing their praises to the gods and praying that they will recover swiftly.

  (This is a very abridged version of events. I have not explained the purification rites or other parts of the process in respect for my religion and to stop those who would steal it for their own means.)
 

   To the Lakota the most sacred symbol is the circle as it represents the Earth, the path of the sun around the Earth and the Circle of Life, through which all things must pass. This is why Lakota villages were always pitched in circles and the tipis themselves were round. The Lakota thought the white man out of touch with the world and not at peace with himself, an opinion strengthened by the white's preference for houses with corners, i.e. square or oblong. 
   Another sacred symbol was the cross which was sometimes shown as running across the hoop of the world. This represented the four directions and was made up of two roads.
   The first began in the east where all the days of man began and ended in the west where all the days of man ended. This road was black and was the Road of Earthly Difficulties. The second began in the south where dwelt the power to grow and ended in the north, the realm of white hair and the cold of death. This road was red and was called the Good Road of Spiritual Understanding. Only by walking this road could a man grow spiritually throughout his lifetime and so acquire the wisdom to withstand the difficulties he would surely encounter. Where the roads met and crossed stood the tree of life. The Lakota considered that the white men only walked the black road and were poorer for it.