Sun Dance

Native Americans and those who take part in the dance, believe that their bodies are truly the only thing that belongs to them as a person. The dancers give of their bodies to say thanks to the creator and to ask for blessings for their people.

The dancers are said to have entered the world of the spirits once the dance starts. They go without food or water for four days and when the dance is over they return to the world of the living.

I will not go into much of the details of setting up the dance since it is sacred. I can say that the dances usually take place in the summer months.

An entire village springs up around the dance grounds. The family of the dancers are there to support their dancers. Many things take place in the camp while the dancers are resting, but once the dance starts the dancers are keep separate from the rest of the villages, There are “helpers” that go between the dancers and the villagers letting each group know how the other is doing.

The atmosphere of the dance ground is really hard to describe to anyone who has never been to one. It is like being in a different world, a world of peace and tranquility. Many wonderful things happen, people are healed, grudges are put aside. Friends are made. Children play and sometimes so do adults.

There was a time when the American Government outlaw the dance as well as many other Native ceremonies. During that time, the dances continued, underground, in “far away places”. When the dance went public again, many dances were restricted to Natives only and some still are today.

There are many dances and many “medicine people” that run them. No two dances are exactly alike but all carry the same meaning to the people who attend them.