sun dance
Sacred tribal gathering
Sun dance is a sacred ceremonial practice among various Plains Indigenous peoples of North America, traditionally held during summer.
The multi-day ritual involves fasting, prayer, and dancing, sometimes including piercing of the skin as a form of sacrifice.
The ceremony honors spiritual renewal and community bonds: The sun dance was central to Lakota religious life.
Western Sioux people
- SiouxPlains Indigenous nation
- CheyennePlains tribe or state capital
- ArapahoNative Plains nation
- Plains tribesIndigenous groups of grasslands
piercing · vision quest · fasting · prayer · drummers · singers · medicine man · sweat lodge
Giving up something precious
- renewalMaking current again
- prayerAddress to deity
- blessingPrayer seeking divine favor
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
visions · sacred · holy · thanksgiving · intercession · healing · community prayer · life force
Custom passed through generations
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- Native AmericanOriginal inhabitants of America
- First NationsCanada's non-Inuit indigenous peoples
reservation · elders · oral history · cultural preservation · revival · repatriation · religious freedom · resistance
Spiritual or physical regeneration
- regenerationBiological self-repair process
- seasonal cycleRecurring annual pattern
- solsticeDay of maximum tilt
- community healingCollective emotional recovery process
restoration · revitalization · life cycle · gratitude · continuity · new beginnings
Lakota
Western Sioux people
Plains tribes · piercing · vision quest · fasting · prayer · drummers · singers · medicine man · sweat lodge · sacred pipe
sacrifice
Giving up something precious
ancestors · visions · sacred · holy · thanksgiving · intercession · healing · community prayer · life force
tradition
Custom passed through generations
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- Native AmericanOriginal inhabitants of America
First Nations · reservation · elders · oral history · cultural preservation · revival · repatriation · religious freedom · resistance · identity
rebirth
Spiritual or physical regeneration
- regenerationBiological self-repair process
- seasonal cycleRecurring annual pattern
- solsticeDay of maximum tilt
community healing · restoration · revitalization · life cycle · gratitude · continuity · new beginnings
- ritual dancescorroboree, barong, dervish, jingle dress, grand entry
- star worshipsolar deities, lunar deities, Ra, Helios, Selene
- American folklorePaul Bunyan, tall tales, folk heroes, John Henry, folk narratives
- dancesballet, waltz, tango, salsa, hula
- ceremonieswedding ceremony, wedding, weddings, graduation, graduations
- ritualsritual, rite, ceremony, sacrament, blessing
sun dancesocial dance
Partnered recreational movement
powwow · square dance · ballroom dance · line dance · disco