Sun Dance
E57389
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.
All labels observed (6)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Sun Dance canonical | 23 |
| Sun Dance ceremony | 7 |
| Omaha Sacred Pole ceremony | 1 |
| Sun Dance (historical) | 1 |
| Sun Dance (historically) | 1 |
| The Sun Dance of the Plains Indians | 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 (34)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Omaha Sacred Pole ceremony
this entity surface form:
Sun Dance (historically)
this entity surface form:
Sun Dance (historical)
this entity surface form:
Sun Dance ceremony
this entity surface form:
The Sun Dance of the Plains Indians
this entity surface form:
Sun Dance ceremony
this entity surface form:
Sun Dance ceremony
this entity surface form:
Sun Dance ceremony
this entity surface form:
Sun Dance ceremony