skip to main |
skip to sidebar
The Lakota Indian tribe worshiped a god whose name was Wakan Tanka. The Dakota tribes spiritual leaders were people called Shamans. Shaman is a synonym for medicine man. Shamans are the keepers and interpreters of tribal lore and can sometimes be the chief of the tribes. The Dakota religion was a form of peyotism, which is the religion of Native American religion. Wakan Tanka was also referred to as The Great Spirit or The Great Mysterious. Wakan Tanka is roughly translated to god grandfather. It was believe that The Great Spirit was the "master of life."
By Joe Manion
Sacrifice was, and still is, a very important aspect in many cultures. This was also true for the Dakota Indian tribe. Each year, the Dakota Indians would host The Sun Dance. It was a four daylong sacrifice of the mind, body, and spirit. Its purpose was to hold the community, bring healing, and keep the community alive. During the four-day span in the 100-degree heat, more than 200 dancers took part. At the beginning of The Sun Dance, each dancer received two cuts on their chest by being pierced with wooden pegs. Some dancers were also pierced in the back and forearm. After that, each dancer was connected to a cotton wood tree by a long rope. Within the four days, the dancers’ wanted to have the pegs tear out of their skin before they gave up. If the pegs were too deep for the rope to pull out, they were hanged by their skin until they came out. Many dancers passed out and had visions because they had to suffer with out food and water until the end of the ceremony. Although The Sun Dance was a brutal and gruesome sacrifice, the Dakota believed that it was a sign of respect towards the gods. By Shannon Kennedy
To the Native Americans, one of the most important parts of their lives was the rituals they performed. Each tribe's set of rituals was different, especially the Dakota Indian's. A couple of their main rituals they perform are the Vision Quests and the Ghost Keeping Ceremony. Going on a Vision Quest happens to Dakota girls who are coming of age. When the girl is ready, she receives a sign. Then she either has a choice to go out into the woods or stay at home. If she chooses to go out, the girl would stay out in the woods for days and accept the dreams she was given. This ritual decides whether a girl is a medicine woman or a dreamer. There is a similar ceremony for men but they cannot decline their sign. The Ghost Keeping Ceremony is one of the seven sacred rites given to the Dakota by White Buffalo Calf Woman. This ceremony purifies the soul and makes sure that it reaches the Great Father when it is ritually released. It also reminds the living of death when performed. The ritual involves having a ghost bundle which contains a lock of the dead's hair with sweet grass to consecrate it. The bundle is kept in the lodge of the family for a period of time called the grieving period. The lost soul is then ritually mourned by friends and family one last time before its release. As soon as the bundle is taken out of the lodge, the soul is released. These rituals have kept the spirit of the Dakota alive. They will always be a reminder to us of how the rituals used to be and how amazing each one can be. By Kata Rolf
The average, modern day funeral in the United States costs around 6,000 dollars. Over 100 years ago however, the Dakota Sioux’s Funeral and Burial customs differed very much from modern day rituals. A very common practice for the Sioux was to place the body on a scaffold-like platform raised about seven to eight feet from the ground: this was to protect the body from being dug up by predatory animals and eaten. Many buckets and packages are hung from the platform containing food for the deceased one on his/her “journey”. Also placed on the platform were the dead one’s weapons or belongings such as medicine bundles, tobacco and pipes, or eagle feathers as a sign of distinction. The actual body was wrapped tightly in animal skins and the face was painted with symbols if he was a warrior. Once these tasks were completed, the departed could travel on their final journey to the “happy hunting grounds” where he/she would come to rest with the ‘Great Spirit’ for eternity.
By Andrew Nyberg
