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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 15 page overview of this sacred reflection of Lakota culture. The author points out that the Sun Dance is intertwined with such cultural elements as the Sacred Pipe, Lakota oral history, and even the most simplistic aspects of their ceremonial lives. The Sun Dance, after all is a circular ceremony and one with no beginning and no end. Although the Dancers of the Sun Dance gather and actually dance only at specific times, the Sun Dance interlaces all aspects of traditional Lakota culture. The author emphasizes that only the traditional Lakota people understand the full degree to which the Sun Dance interlaces their culture. Only the traditional Lakota, therefore can understand the full meaning of this ceremony and many, in fact, contend that the truths of the Sun Dance are sacred and should not be shared with non-Indians. Consequently, this paper attempts to provide a respectful yet informative overview of a very complex aspect of Lakota life while not intruding upon the sacred nature of that life. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
Page Count:
11 pages (~225 words per page)
File: AM2_PPnaSunD.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
The Sun Dance is
just one reflection of the complex spirituality which characterizes the Lakota Sioux. Intertwined with the Dance and the spirituality as a whole is the Sacred Pipe, Lakota oral history,
and even the most simplistic of their ceremonial lives. The Sun Dance, after all is a circular ceremony and one with no beginning and no end. Although the
Dancers of the Sun Dance gather and actually dance only at specific times, the Sun Dance interlaces all aspects of traditional Lakota culture. The purpose of this paper is
to provide a respectful overview of the Sun Dance from the perspective of an outsider. As is rightfully so, only the traditional Lakota people understand the full degree to
which the Sun Dance interlaces their culture. Only the traditional Lakota, therefore can understand the full meaning of this ceremony.
This paper is in no way intended as an intrusion on that sacred right, only as an overview for those who are interested in one of the most symbolic of
all Lakota ceremonies and in the way the Lakotas forced interaction with the U.S. government and the non-Indians that invaded their land at an early point in history has served
to impact the manner in which this ceremony is perceived and practiced. The Lakota view the Sun Dance as something which belongs to them and as something in which
non-Indians should not become involved. Examples of this sentiment can be found not only in contemporary times but also throughout Lakota interaction with non-Indians. In 1911, in an
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