Sun Dance
The most sacred ceremony of the Plains Indians — a prayer of sacrifice and renewal.
✦ Why It Matters
The Sun Dance is a sacred ceremony practiced by numerous Plains Indian nations (Lakota, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and others). It is a communal prayer of gratitude and sacrifice, expressing the interconnectedness of all life and asking for healing and abundance for the whole community.
✦ How It Is Observed
Strict protocol varies by nation and is largely sacred and private. Generally involves days of fasting and prayer, dancing around a sacred cottonwood tree, drumming and singing, vision quests, and offerings. The Sun Dance is not a spectator event — it is a sacred covenant.
✦ Sacred Text
“Mitakuye Oyasin — All my relations. All things are connected. The earth, the sky, the water, the stone — we are all relatives. What we do to one, we do to all.”
— Lakota oral tradition ↗