Manataka American Indian Council
Oklahoma
Sundance
By Jerry
Matlock
It was near the time of the Spring Equinox of 2000 when I first saw and heard him. He was speaking at Gulpha Gorge at a ceremony sponsored by the Manataka American Indian Council. I had seen the ad in the Hot Springs newspaper announcing that the Native American would be there. For many years, I had felt a calling from the spiritual ways of the First People but my experience had been limited to books and personal searching. However, there was an undeniable call from that path. I felt I should go to Gulpha Gorge.
It was a
beautiful Saturday afternoon with a blue sky and sunshine. My
friends and I made our way through the campground to a gathering of
people. There, by the creek, encircled around a fire, was a
large number of people of all ages and races. Hawks flew
overhead and crows glided over the path of the stream and all
around. Lee Standing Bear Moore hosted the ceremony on behalf
of the other Elders of Manataka. He announced a man who
blessed the four directions and explained the importance of
reverence to the Creator and Creation. There was a pipe
ceremony and this man was asked to speak. I liked him from the
beginning. He had a very pervasive presence. He spoke of
many things that afternoon including how he never had an alcohol or
drug problem and about the importance of family. He said, "As
a white man, I have failed. But as an Indian I have
succeeded. I have crossed many mountain ranges." He
later told me that this meant he had gone through and accomplished
several levels of priesthood through holy ceremonies. I
remember most his clarity and lack of 'civilized confusion' that so
many people carry in their hearts, minds, and souls. He had a
clarity and peace of spirit that inspired me immediately. I
left the ceremony happy and with a feeling of renewal.
I
picked up his flyer that Sunday and I wrote him a letter. I
just wanted to express thanks for his participation in the ceremony
and wanted to discuss my long time interest in Native American
spirituality. My information had come through the books of
Wallace Black Elk, Rolling Thunder, John Fire Lame Deer, Frank Fools
Crow, and others. I also had the good fortune to have a close
friend introduce me to Native American interests and provide a
constant source of inspiration in learning about these
things.
I received an answer to my letter. He responded
to the points of interest I cited and encouraged me to continue on
my path even if I needed to find a home in a conventional style
church. A few weeks later, I wrote again concerning spiritual
interests and the First Peoples' spirituality. After a few
weeks, I received another response. By this time, I had become
familiar with the Cherokee Longhouse in Hot Springs and had been
volunteering some there. There was a new fire burning and I
was excited about all I was learning and experiencing. He had
written an invitation to come to a small town in southern Oklahoma
near the Texas border to attend a Sundance, the most sacred ceremony
of the Cheyenne, Lakota, and other plains Indians. He was to
be a guest and provide some services for the 12-day ceremony.
He was asking me to come and participate in whatever way I felt
comfortable, even if it meant just observing. I felt honored
and overwhelmed at the invitation. He suggested I could camp
with him if I wished. There was no way I was going to
refuse. I wanted to learn and was being given a chance to
begin.
The Sundance is a dance of renewal of the Earth and
Cosmos. It is the beginning of the new year for many Native
Americans. He said, "All the combined prayers of the Sun
dancers and supporters go back to the Creator. All the
Energy of the Cosmos comes down and becomes concentrated in the
dance arbor." The four days of purification were to start on
June 12. Sun dancing would continue through the 19. I
arrived on June 13 and met the Sundance Priest and sponsor and the
rest of the camp. I found a place to put my tent and was
setting up when a van pulled up. I recognized him when he got
out of the passenger side. We had not actually met at Gulpha
Gorge. We had only spoken through letters. I spoke to
him to confirm, and he immediately came over. There was that
warm, open clarity again. He introduced me to his daughter-in-law
and we all unloaded his tent and supplies. He had a way of
making you feel instantly at ease. Having never been to a
Sundance, I was in new territory but this man had a way of
dissolving the apprehension I was feeling.
The next seven
days are days I will never forget as long as I live. I
experienced many incredible things, some very personal and
challenging. I cannot write about all of them but the Sundance
was a life changing experience.
There was much activity and
responsibility. We attended the sweat lodge and had the
privilege of being led by Star Boy. I still remember him
saying, "Every breath is a prayer." It reminded me of Wallace
Black Elk's idea of 'Walk Pray' - continual communion with
Creator. Out of respect for the Sundance ceremony, Star Boy
did not dance as a Sun dancer because he arrived too late to begin
purification.
Everyone was kind, friendly, and willing to
help those of us who were new. Our campsite was very busy with
visitors. Lots of people wanted to meet and talk with
him. He was always generous in sharing his spirit and
friendship with anyone who came to talk. He spoke of the
Creator and the Grandfathers, the Mah Dah (tree spirits) and the Ho
Ho Nah (stone people.) He honored me by adopting me into his
family. He said, "Now you're my nephew. Now call me
uncle."
He is known as Ish Hit Mit Ends, Rising Sun, as a
Northern Cheyenne. He is a sacred Arrow Priest, Lizardman,
Whitetail Deerman, Bald Eagleman, and Sundance Priest. The
sponsor and Sundance Priest had asked him to bless the Sacred Tree
on the day when the Tree was to be adorned with prayer ties and
erected in the center of the Sundance arena. About
seventy-five people were in attendance. On the Tree blessing
day, we attached the prayer ties we had made to the Sacred Tree and
Ish Hit Mit Ends Rising Sun performed the blessing for the
Tree. It was a pipe blessing with song. When he finished
the blessing, he came over to where a few of us were standing.
We were all preparing to raise the Tree in the center. What he
said next became clear only on the last day of the Sundance.
Rising Sun said, "Now, on the last day of dancing, Grandpaw Thunder
will be here. The sky will be covered with thunder and
lightning." Several of us heard him say this though he did not
make a general announcement to everyone. There was so much
going on at the time, I didn't think much about it.
The Sun dancing began after the four days of
purification. Many of us danced under the arbor to support the
Sun dancers who had been fasting from food and water from the
beginning of purification. Each day was full of experiences
and learning. We had sweat lodge in the early morning, Sun
dancing all day, and sweat lodge again at night. So many
things happened. We all became family and we all became
community.
The last day of the Dance was the piercing
day. When we started dancing the sky was clear and
sunny. As the drumming, singing, dancing, and the emotion
intensified, two hawks flew from the nearby woods and circled above
the Sundance arena. The Spirit of the place was strong and
everyone seemed to be aware of the specialness of this day. As
we danced, a large cloud was forming in the southwest. It grew
larger as the ceremony continued. The Sun dancers were pierced
in the chest and tied there by ropes, which were attached to the
upper part of the Sacred Tree.
Hawks flew overhead.
The Sundancers made their way again to the Tree and danced back out,
ropes attached, then a third time to the Tree and back out.
Spirit was high, all of us one song, one prayer, one Dance. On
the fourth approach, the Sundancers were to break free from the
Tree. They danced in and back out. With a single motion,
they all pulled back and broke free at the same
time.
It began
raining and thunder rumbled across the field. Lightning
flashed in the sky. The drum pounded and the singers
sang. The Sundancers began dancing up to the Tree and back out
to the perimeter of the circle. The rain had been coming
down for some time now.
The sky grew
dark. Thunder rang out. Lightning flashed. Immediately, the
cloud covered sky opened up and the sun shone through on the dancers
and the arbor and remained. The rain stopped and this
incredible river of energy, spirit, emotion, and love moved through
the place. It was total joy.
Everyone was
smiling and amazed. Grandpaw Thunder had indeed made his appearance
as Ish Hit Mit Ends had said he would on this last and most
important day of the Sundance. Had I not seen and experienced
this myself, it would seem beyond belief. It did go beyond
belief, into the realm of experience. And there we
were!
No drugs or alcohol were permitted on the
premises. We were encouraged to keep from having ill thoughts
since all these things would contaminate the Sacred nature of the
ceremony. The Sun dancers had made vows to the Creator and as
supporters we had to do our part to uphold the event, the dancers,
and ourselves. One man could not complete the entire
Sundance. He had to withdraw after the first two days of
dancing.
The women present had an extremely important role in
the ceremony. Women have the feminine creative principle,
which is important for renewal, rebirth, and regeneration. The
woman is the bearer of creation and new life, the main theme of the
Sundance. Women and children are Sacred and Holy. Many
women were crying tears of joy for the Sun dancers as they
danced.
After the Sundance, there was a Giveaway and a
wonderful feast with all manner of food. That evening, the
field was peaceful and quiet. Flute songs and drum songs
quietly drifted through the air. The Sundance was over and we
had been blessed with renewal. A condition of spiritual
elation followed for many weeks. I am thankful for having been
a part of this event.
SUN
DANCING: A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY ON THE RED ROAD
By Michael Hull
A powerful story of one man's redemption through the Lakota Sun Dance ceremony. Written by the only white man to be confirmed as a Sundance Chief by traditional Lakota elders. Includes forewords by prominent Lakota spiritual leaders Leonard Crow Dog, Charles Chipps, Mary Thunder, and Jamie Sams. The Sun Dance is the largest and most important ceremony in the Lakota spiritual tradition, the one that ensures the life of the people for another year. In 1988 Michael Hull was extended an invitation to join in a Sun Dance by Lakota elder Leonard Crow Dog-- a controversial action because Hull is white. This was the beginning of a spiritual journey that increasingly interwove the life of the author with the people, process, and elements of Lakota spirituality. On this journey on the Red Road, Michael Hull confronted firsthand the transformational power of Lakota spiritual practice and the deep ambivalence many Indians had about opening their ceremonies to a white man. Sun Dancing presents a profound look at the elements of traditional Lakota ceremonial practice and the ways in which ceremony is regarded as life-giving by the Lakota. Through his commitment to following the Red Road, Michael Hull gradually won acceptance in a community that has rejected other attempts by white America to absorb its spiritual practices, leading to the extraordinary step of his confirmation as a Sun Dance Chief by Leonard Crow Dog and other Lakota spiritual leaders. Sun Dancing is a bridge which can take the reader into a deeper understanding of life and our human roles as we shape the new way of being that is offered humankind at the end of this century. Inner Traditions International, November 2000, Soft Cover, 232pp. $20.95
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