Sun Dance

E57389
Indigenous cultural practice ceremonial ritual religious ceremony

The Sun Dance is a central Plains Indigenous ceremonial ritual involving days of dancing, fasting, prayer, and often physical sacrifice to seek spiritual renewal and communal harmony.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (5)

Surface form Occurrences
Sun Dance ceremony 2
Omaha Sacred Pole ceremony 1
Sun Dance (historical) 1

Statements (56)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Indigenous cultural practice ⓘ
ceremonial ritual ⓘ
religious ceremony ⓘ
category First Nations ceremonies ⓘ
Native American religion ⓘ
Plains Indigenous ceremonies ⓘ
centralSymbol buffalo ⓘ
sun ⓘ
tree of life ⓘ
culturalRegion Great Plains ⓘ
surface form: North American Great Plains
duration several days ⓘ
hasActivity communal feasting at conclusion ⓘ
dancing ⓘ
drumming ⓘ
erection of a central pole ⓘ
fasting ⓘ
prayer ⓘ
ritual smoking of the pipe ⓘ
singing ⓘ
hasPurpose communal harmony ⓘ
prayer for the people ⓘ
seeking visions ⓘ
spiritual renewal ⓘ
thanksgiving to spiritual powers ⓘ
hasReligiousFunction fulfilling sacred obligations ⓘ
making vows to spiritual powers ⓘ
hasSacredObject buffalo skulls ⓘ
central cottonwood pole ⓘ
sacred pipe ⓘ
hasSacredSpace Sun Dance lodge ⓘ
hasSocialFunction redistribution of resources ⓘ
renewing kinship bonds ⓘ
strengthening tribal identity ⓘ
historicallySuppressedBy Canadian federal government (Ottawa) ⓘ
surface form: Canadian government

United States government ⓘ
involvesFastingFrom food ⓘ
water ⓘ
legalStatusInUnitedStates protected as religious freedom in late 20th century ⓘ
mayInclude physical sacrifice ⓘ
piercing of the skin ⓘ
tethering dancers to a central pole ⓘ
performedDuring often near the summer solstice ⓘ
summer ⓘ
practicedBy Arapaho people ⓘ
surface form: Arapaho

Blackfoot ⓘ
surface form: Blackfoot Confederacy

Cheyenne ⓘ
Crow ⓘ
Dakota ⓘ
Kiowa people ⓘ
surface form: Kiowa

Lakota ⓘ
Nakota ⓘ
religiousTradition Plains Indians ⓘ
surface form: Plains Indigenous peoples
requires authorization by traditional spiritual leaders ⓘ
suppressionPeriod early 20th century ⓘ
late 19th century ⓘ
transmission oral tradition ⓘ

Referenced by (10)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Crow → ceremony → Sun Dance ⓘ
Omaha people → culturalPractice → Sun Dance ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sun Dance (historically)
Pawnee → culturalPractice → Sun Dance ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sun Dance (historical)
Ute people → culturalPractice → Sun Dance ⓘ
Blackfoot → culturalTrait → Sun Dance ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sun Dance ceremony
Omaha people → notableCeremony → Sun Dance ⓘ
this entity surface form: Omaha Sacred Pole ceremony
Leslie Spier → notableWork → Sun Dance ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Sun Dance of the Plains Indians
Cheyenne → religion → Sun Dance ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sun Dance ceremony