The Sun Dance: Pleasing Wanka Tanka

A Cheyenne Sun Dance gathering, about 1909. (Wikimedia Commons)

hen settlers began to arrive in Nebraska and other High Plains states in great numbers, there was a very large Indian presence in the state and region. There had always been a great interest in the Indian people of the Plains by the Eastern population, but there was also a woeful lack of understanding of these Native Americans, and the attendant superstitions that arose from that lack of understanding, were huge.

With the settlers there was fear of the Indians, but also great curiosity about their ways and customs -- probably none stirred more interest and misunderstanding than the rumors that they had heard about "The Sun Dance," and later The Ghost Dance. The religious aspects of the ceremonies were overlooked, or ignored. In the case of the Sun Dance the pioneers focused mainly on the torture elements of the Dance, further adding to their fear and mistrust of the Indians.

The Indians of the Great Plains were of a non-materialistic nature. Personal property was at a minimum. The idea of taking something one needed, regardless if someone else "owned" it, was foreign to settlers, who were upset by Indians, who might be friendly, yet had no hesitation to ravage a settler's vegetable garden, or even go through a settler's home and take clothing or food, even though he had not been invited to do so by the owner of the home. To the Indians, the only thing physical thing that they really owned was their own body -- therefor, a sacrifice, in the form of self-torture -- as was the case in the Sun Dance, was considered the ultimate in supplication to a Supreme Being. The Sun Dance was recognized by all of the tribes of the Great Plains, and was practiced by all of them in various forms, but the one that we will look at is the Sun Dance, as practiced by the various tribes of the Lakota Sioux.

The Sun Dance took place around the time of the Summer Solstice, about June 21st, the longest day of the year, and would last for as many as 12 days. It was divided into three parts, 1. The Purification of the dancers -- which involved a stay in the Sweat Lodge, plus smoking the pipe, singing, dancing, pounding the drum, experiencing visions, and fasting.

2. The Clearing of the site and Construction of the Dance House, 3. The Dance itself.

The Sun Dance was made for a variety of reasons, but was always to please Wanka Tanka, the Sun, The Giver of Life. The Great Spirit, The Great Mystery. If there was famine, or disease, or if a young man wished success in war, or to have a good crop, or any good reason, he would say, "I will pray to Wanka Tanka at the time of the Summer Solstice."

Then he would begin preparations for the dance. He took sweat baths, drank herb tea (no food), and gave feasts for his friends. He was careful of what he touched -- he could not touch an unclean thing. He used a brand new knife, which no one else could use. He could not go swimming. He and his friends gathered all the belongings they could lay their hands upon. These were to be used as gifts for friends at the time of the Sun Dance. At home, he was treated with respect and his family took pains not to vex him.

Invitations for the young man's ceremonial dance were sent out to adjoining tribes, and warriors, dancers, whole families began to arrive, pitching their tents in a large circle surrounding the ceremonial grounds. For the families from afar, in addition to prayer and to show their support for the dancers, this was a huge social event and acquaintances and friendships were renewed. Because of its deep religious significance, outsiders were prohibited from witnessing the ceremony -- however there were exceptions to this rule.

For some days prior to the ceremony friends and family cleared an open space, which they leveled and scraped clean. Around this open space families and friends moved their tepees, till they completely encircled the open ceremonial space.

A ceremonial tree was selected and, amid much ceremony was cut down by the elders from the various tribes, stripped of branches and bark, then dragged to the site of the Sun Dance, where it was erected in the center of the space. There was great excitement when the pole was set up -- dashing about by men and women -- warriors on horseback, old men firing arrows and pistols at objects hung from the pole.

A very large Dance House, made of poles, branches and leaves, was erected around the sacred pole. It was a replica of a standard lodge, but had no roof. Tribal leaders decorated the space near and around the tree with religious objects, including a buffalo skull for each dancer. In an isolated part of this house the dancers made their final preparations for the dance. These preparations lasted most of the day -- dressing in their finest, singing, drumming, praying.

Finally, the dancers entered the dance area, following a leader carrying a buffalo skull painted red. The dancers cried as they entered the inner circle, saluted north, south, east and west, then seated themselves at the back of the lodge, still singing and beating the drum.

After this, the torture aspects of the Sun Dance, for which the Dance is principally known, began. In the late 1800s Frederick Schwatka witnessed a Sioux Sun Dance. He conveys some of the shock he felt in a story he published in Century Magazine:

"Each one of the young men presented himself to the Medicine Man, who took between his thumb and forefinger, a fold of the loose skin of the breast, and then ran a narrow bladed sharp knife through the skin ... a skewer of bone about the size of a carpenter's pencil was inserted. This was tied to a long skin rope, fastened at its other extremity, to the top of the pole at the center of the dance arena. The whole object of the devotee is to break loose from these fetters. To liberate himself he must tear the skewers through the skin, a horrible task that even those with the most resolute, may require many hours of torture."

As the participants danced they hung back, creating tension on the attached skewer, eyes to the sun, praying over and over, "Please pity me. Bring to pass the things I desire:"

Sometimes the buffalo skull was attached to the skewer through the chest skin, and dragged along behind the dancer. Sometimes a horse was brought into the circle, the skewer attached to its saddle, then the horse whipped into a sudden start. The object and outcome was the same. The devotee danced until the skewer broke through the skin.

After all the dancers tear free, or after four days, the Sun Dance ends. The dancers are laid down on sage beds, continue their fast and relate their visions to the Priest. These visions might include new ideas for dance steps, new songs, or prophesies of the future. The overall feeling for those present is of renewal of the balance in the relationship between man and nature.

When the ordeal of the dance is over, the young men are taken home, and each is given four sips of water and a small amount of food. A little later they are allowed to eat and drink as they desire. Then they return for another session in the sweat lodge. For them the ceremony is finally over, and ever after they might boast (and indeed they did boast) of having given their sacrifice to Wakan Tonka.

Source: Mandan Sun Dance -- American Indian History

Sun Dance Ritual -- Webpanda.com

You can watch a short clip of a 2009 Wounded Knee Sun Dance at "Native American Sun Dance" on YouTube -- a rarity since The Sun Dance was outlawed in the United States in 1904.