Native American Culture Sun Dance Summer Solstice
From ancient times, the Sun has had special meanings for a number of cultures; therefore, summer solstice has been a time of celebration for them as well. Native American cultures are no different. Traditionally, they have always had a relationship with nature and felt a connection between themselves and living things. Because of the unity they felt, Native Americans created ceremonies to show their appreciation for the living world around them, particularly the source of life, the Sun. During the summer solstice, many Native American tribes have Sun Dances to represent rejuvenation and serves to bring the community together.
According to the Native American topics website, the Sun Dance is a ceremony that features dancing, singing, drumming, vision quests, fasting and sometimes self-mutilation. The ceremony, held at the time of the summer solstice, was an important observation for the Plains Indians in the 19th century. The ceremony lasted from four to eight days starting at the sunset of the final day of preparation and ending at sunset. It illustrated the continuity between life and death, demonstrating that there is no ending after death. It shows that they were a part of a great cycle of death and rebirth, thus giving everything on Earth equal footing. Although the actual ceremony varied from tribe to tribe, many of the general rites were practiced.
For bison-hunting Plains Indians during the 18th and 19th century, the Sun Dance was a celebration of the renewal and rebirth of the participants and their relatives and the regeneration of the Earth and all the things on it. Thus, the sacrifice of the bison was a means of unifying all living beings. The bison play such a prominent role because they are the source of food, shelter and clothing for many of the tribes. Thus, Native Americans are resolving conflict with the wise animal that sacrifices himself for their well-being. Many modern-day Native Americans still practice this aspect of the ceremony.
The renowned priest orchestrated the ceremony and instructed the participants on building the preparatory tepee and directed other tribesman of the necessary items for its construction. They had to find an appropriate tree with a fork, cut it down as if it were a fallen enemy, and bundle the fork. The Sioux tribe's bundle consisted of brush, buffalo hide, long straws containing tobacco and other religious offerings, according to Native American topics.
The oldest woman of the camp leads an elaborately dressed group of maidens to the tree in order to stripe off the branches. The following morning, when the sun is over the eastern horizon, armed warriors storm the sun-pole, symbolically killing it with gunshots and arrows. Once dead, it is cut and erected in the Sun Dance Lodge and placed firmly in the ground. Prior to raising the sun-pole, a fresh buffalo head is attached to the pole. This act represents the center of the world and the connection between heaven and Earth.
In addition to the buffalo, other animals are significant parts of the Sun Dance ceremony. The eagle, representing the link between man and spirit, is a sacred animal in Plains Indians culture. The eagle serves as a messenger and symbolizes a number of human traits, such as wisdom. During the Sun Dance, the eagle is the mediator between man and spirit. There are many other practices entailed the ceremonies that are sacred to the Plains Indians.
The Sun ceremonies are particularly special to Native cultures now because, at one time, they were outlawed by the United States government as they thought the practices were barbaric. The government would only allow striped down versions of the ceremony on the 4th of July. Some tribes tried to hold clandestine ceremonies that underscored the original meaning of the celebration. The Plains Indians were finally allowed to celebrate the Sun Dance during Jimmy Carter's presidency in the late 1970s. So, because of the many years of oppression by the government, the summer solstice and the Sun Dance celebrations that encompass it are more sacred than ever to many tribes.
Sources:
http://www.aaanativearts.com/article1151.html
