This is a two-part blog. Part 1 is a description of what I saw, and Part 2 is my reaction. There are no photographs because cameras are not permitted on the ritual grounds.
Sundance. I still don’t know quite what to think of this. A bit of an explanation about WHY these people do this… the quick and dirty version is essentially that they have ‘big things’ they are praying for, and that by fasting, dancing, singing and piercing for these four days, they are ‘proving’ their devotion to the Lord. The bundles they leave attached to the center pole may be physical things they need to lay down before the Lord, or just representative of things in their lives that they believe are preventing their prayers from being heard and/or answered. The concept of physically laying down one’s burdens at the Cross is one thing. But the leaving of tobacco leaves at the base of the birch pole? To me, that reeks of offerings to a god other than Jehovah. I know that while I was in the lodge, in the midst of all this, I could feel…something. It was akin to the ‘high’ I get from attending a stadium concert. But as for being in the presence of the Lord, I can’t say for sure that He is what I was feeling. It didn’t set well with me, but I do make the disclaimer that I was an observer whose blonde hair clearly marked me as an outsider, and as such, I may not yet be privy to other information.
My gut reaction to the whole thing is that Christianity is a convenient overlay to the native practices, and that salvation is just a word to many of the Dancers. My history lessons tell me that many cultures have done this before. I am reminded of the story of St. Patrick, the young missionary who spread the story of the gospel to the Irish. The Celts had many pagan practices that slid into Christian practices, some of which still exist today. One example is really just about timing. Samhain, a Celtic holiday, falls on the first of November and marks the beginning of winter, and the Celtic New Year. In many churches, this day has since become All Saints Day, a day to honor the Christian Saints.
I feel that those changes took hundreds of years though. I just don’t feel the blending here, or the desire to blend. Native Americans and white men have a long and complicated history seemingly marked by constantly redefining lines, politically and geographically.
Perhaps I am wrong about what I saw today. In the coming days, I will get to know some of these people better, and perhaps I will have an opportunity to talk to one of the Dancers and get their perspective.
