The “Sun Dance” was a ritual of the Indians of the Northern Plains. It was a horrible ritual, in which men were suspended by ropes from a pole-these ropes were secured by wooden stakes-which were thrust into the muscles of the men’s backs and cheeks. According to the account I read (from “Son Of The Morning Star”), it was a test of a warrior’s bravery and resolve-if a man fainted or cried out, he was cut down and lived in a state of degradation for the rest of his life (the account I read says that he was treated as “less than a woman”. This was also portrayed in the Ricard Harris movie (“A Man Called Horse”).
My question: no one was made to accept this torture-Sitting Bull himself never underwent it-and he became chief of his tribe.
My questions:
-did most of the men who chose to undergo the ritual die? (infections from the deep muscle cuts would probably be common).
-those who refused the test-were they ever regarded as weak?
-finally, it seems (to me) that the ritual was probably a way to control those warriors who were hyper aggressive-it was a way for the tribes to keep these very macho types from getting the tribes into unneeded conflicts.
At any rate, when was the last time the ritual was performed?
I think you might be mistaken about the intent behind this ritual (that is still performed today by many Plains tribes).
Here is a page on the Sun Dance from a Sioux perspective, explaining how it’s misunderstood. The links at the bottom are pretty informative, especially this one.
I was invited to a Sun Dance held by the Northern Cheyenne but I left before the ceremony began. I was told by the Cheyenne woman who invited me that Sun Dances are sometimes held by people who want to give thanks to the Creator for overcoming a great personal struggle, such as beating an addiction – either their own struggle or on behalf of someone in their family.
And how does it manage to do that? (I think this is not a mainstream theory as to the purpose of this ritual.)
Explanations for severe manhood rituals (record of which exists for human tribes around the globe) typically include the need for warriors to be able to behave properly in battle and to honorably endure the torture that can be expected when captured by an enemy.
The national Park Service Disagrees (Scroll down about halfway)
Also note that Sitting Bull fainted.
These were people that were quite skilled at treating wounds. They were not about to let their best warriors die.
From your own OP, participation was voluntary.
Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and others were peace-makers; virtually all of their battles were defensive.
This may be true for the Kiowa, but the Sun Dance is indeed still performed today, like I mentioned in my post. They are not usually open to the public, however.
:smack:
…of a willingness to make a number of statements of fact about a ceremony of which you have no understanding.
The ceremony is focused, not on the participants, but on the people. Each dancer has at least one significant prayer that he or she carries into the arbor. The focus is on these prayers. There is no torture, where the gift is given freely. Depending on how the prayer goes, there may be no pain whatsoever.
While some dancers approach this ceremony in an egoic, macho way, it is not the rule. over time, as these men become elders, they become the most compassionate, caring and down to earth people you could ever hope to meet.
Men who fail to hold their prayers who don’t make it through the ceremony are not held in contempt (any more than are women, which your post would suggest is true as well.) They are prayed for…and their brothers try to lift them back up to where they can return to the dance.
A dancer does what his vision calls for. He or she may or may not pierce. Men may or may not pull skulls around the arbor. May give other flesh offerings during the dance. It is all respected. It is a gift to the people of renewal.
Ceremonies are held all over the country each summer. My guess is that fewer men die in these ceremonies than die training for football season in the summer heat. There are helpers in the ceremony who watch over the dancers to see how they are holding up. When a piercing is done natural methods are used to staunch the bleeding, and to cleanse any bacteria.
It is a beautiful and caring ceremony.
Hetchetu.
Mitakuye Oyasin.
I would echo what Sings1961 has said. I have never known anyone to die from or at Sun Dance.