Hum 130 Final

The Native American people have many tradition and ceremonies that they follow Story Telling, medicine wheels and shields, making of relations and rite of passage ceremonies, smudging, naming ceremonies, sweat lodges, purification, pipe ceremony, and ghost dance. The most sacred being the sundance which is a yearlong ceremony that takes much preparation and sacrifice. Before a person chooses to sundance they begin with a vision quest. I was taught that people on a spiritual path believe that we are put on this earth for a special reason, but that reason is not always clear to us. Wanting to know what we need to accomplish in life for our highest benefit, and in turn, the benefit of the world. The vision quest can reveal our life’s purpose, but it is a perpetual journey into the center of your being that one should only embark upon with sincerity. Vision quests are carried out in many different ways and are usually revealed to someone in a dream. The involve prayer preparation that could last for years, give away and fasting with prayer while at one with creation.

The sun dance is the predominant tribal ceremony of Great Plains Indians, although it is practiced by numerous tribes today as a prayer for life, world renewal and thanksgiving. On a personal level, someone may dance to pray for a relative or friend, or to determine their place in the universe, while on a larger scale, the sun dance serves the tribe and the earth. Native people believe that unless the sun dance is performed each year, the earth will lose touch with the creative power of the universe, thereby losing its ability to regenerate (Fools Crow).

The sun dance consists of various elements. There is the ritual of the sacred pipe, the purification ceremony, monthly prayer ceremonies, and a yearly ritual. The sun dance chief offers the prayers from the sacred pipe to the four directions, as well as the earth and sky, on a daily basis. The purification ceremony is performed before the sun dance for...