Sun Dance Ritual: An account - second report

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Kevin McKiernan report on the Sun Dance Ritual, a Lakota (Sioux) religious ceremony. McKiernan details the experience of traveling to and witnessing the event, held at Crow Dog's Paradise. This is the second of two reports completed.

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Representatives of American tribes and Crow dog's Paradise on Friday the second day of the annual fee to Sundance. Coming on the weekend Indian families continue to arrive on the already busy campsite along the little white River in the southwestern part of this reservation hundreds of cars on the land of 75 year old Henry Crow dog for the four-day religious observance of the Ancients Sundance ceremonies, the pipe sweat lodge and flesh offering growing evidence, but at this time their secondary and attention to the all-powerful Sundance, there are 40 male dancers if your 16 females are Cheyenne and Chippewa as well as in the arena no food or water is allowed in the great spirit for a vision to mold and guide their lives. In the middle of the second day the pain of hunger and thirst was evident in the faces of a few dancers, but no one's stop clenching Eagle bone whistles in their teeth. They move through the raising their outstretched hands to the son. They rotated in groups periodically dancing to each of the four winds directions counting of the drum from the sidelines. Because there are so many dancers this year. It was decided to spread the piercing ritual over the last 3 days to accommodate everyone. Hundreds of onlookers watch from the shade provided by the canopy of pine needle held up by long poles, which is around the arena in a circular path way in the center of a poplar tree cutting. Johnson from solid colored flags are drink from the trunk and branches. They flow in the summer. They breathe chords are tied to that tree the other end for the chest or back of the first answer key Frank fools Crow the traditional Lakota and had that man come to the tree in the center of the Arena. The other is whistled and danced and play seagull feathers flying from the Run braided hair ringlets of sage on their heads and around their ankles and the drums beat on. Took a knife from his medicine bag and cut into the answer the phone with fans and the cord from the poplar tree as this was going on the medicine man, lame deer walk behind the dancer brushing him with a eagle feather to purify it. Turn the dancer was let go back and 40 dance needs kicking High cord tightening and loosening. But whistleblowing from his mouth the drums from the sidelines pounding louder into the tree touching the tree away from the tree tightly. He danced his skin pulled inches from his bare chest in a cone shape to the Todd Court he danced and then finally it Another dancer was pierced and this man began to dance the cord came loose from the bone in his skin. He was brought back to the tree then. Underground the top of the American flag which way there. The cord was reattached strongly this time. She was chess pie. How much do dancers requested two chords to incisions One Man shows to be cut twice on his back. He was not tied to the poplar tree at the center instead. Heavy buffalo head which was rope to the double bone incisions in a V shape form in his back round and round you went the weight of the buffalo head gradually pulling the back and then she fool Pro quickly applying the Indian Roots medicine in Quick Pass under the dancers long black hair at back with a new wounds bleed down is bare skin. At the end of each of the four days in the ritual all the sun dancers dancing place in front of the old man at the drum on the south side of the arena for selected them to come forward between the two white flags with stick from the ground by the drum for of the drummers are chosen to walk out for a presentation of for pipes one held by each of the sun dancers white the Four Winds like the four races of man, like the four corners of the earth before dancers. I'll stretch their hand holding for pipes in passing four times to a passageway between the flags. Drummers the old man or men like George Eagle in a World War 1 veteran and also a veteran of 22 sundance's and this day is partly a personal tribute to him approach the for Old Men. The drummer's receive the pipes of the prayer offering they touch them but they do not take them the dancers Retreat them except the pipes for the final prayer to the great spirit the four dancers return to the whole group and smoke around the dance is over for the day and night to sweat lodges and also Smoke restaurant bring from the arms of many. Dance this year and then the long night powwows in another separate Arena where all can participate music song and speakers must anyone forget the words of the hunkpapa Sioux Chief Sitting Bull if a man loses something and then goes back to look for it. He will find it. Are croutons Paradise on the rosebud Indian Reservation? This is Kevin mckernan.

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