DOCSLIB.ORG

An Ethnohistorical Documentation of the 1999 Buffalo Walk and the Cultural Significance of Yellowstone Buffalo to the Lakota Sioux and Nez Perce Peoples

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
An Ethnohistorical Documentation of the 1999 Buffalo Walk and the Cultural Significance of Yellowstone Buffalo to the Lakota Sioux and Nez Perce Peoples University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 2007 My Brother the Buffalo: An Ethnohistorical Documentation of the 1999 Buffalo Walk and the Cultural Significance of ellowstY one Buffalo to the Lakota Sioux and Nez Perce Peoples Sarah Anne Tarka The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Tarka, Sarah Anne, "My Brother the Buffalo: An Ethnohistorical Documentation of the 1999 Buffalo Walk and the Cultural Significance of ellowstY one Buffalo to the Lakota Sioux and Nez Perce Peoples" (2007). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 692. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/692 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MY BROTHER THE BUFFALO: AN ETHNOHISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION OF THE 1999 BUFFALO WALK AND THE CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF YELLOWSTONE BUFFALO TO THE LAKOTA SIOUX AND NEZ PERCE PEOPLES By Sarah Anne Tarka Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, The University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 2005 Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, The University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 2005 Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology, Cultural Heritage Option The University of Montana Missoula, MT Summer 2007 Approved by: Dr. David A. Strobel, Dean Graduate School Dr. Richard Sattler, Chair Department of Anthropology Dr. Kelly Dixon Department of Anthropology Dr. Dan Flores Department of History Tarka, Sarah, M.A., July 2007 Anthropology My Brother the Buffalo: An Ethnohistorical Documentation of the 1999 Buffalo Walk and the Cultural Significance of Yellowstone Buffalo to the Lakota Sioux and Nez Perce Peoples Chairperson: Dr. Richard Sattler This study was prepared for the National Park Service to serve as documentation of the cultural significance of Yellowstone buffalo to two American Indian cultural groups, the Nez Perce and the Lakota Sioux, and of the 1999 Buffalo Walk and accompanying ceremony that took place within the boundary of the park. Both Lakota Sioux and Nez Perce peoples had leadership roles in the Buffalo Walk, which was a benchmark event in the history of the park and of Yellowstone buffalo management. Participants in the Buffalo Walk walked and rode more than 500 miles from Rapid City, South Dakota to the north gate of the park to honor and attract attention to the situation faced by the Yellowstone buffalo herd. This study documents the involvement of Lakota Sioux and Nez Perce peoples in this important event in park history and provides context for this involvement through the discussion of the historic and contemporary significance of Yellowstone buffalo to the cultures of these two groups. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was made possible through the generous support of the following organizations: § Yellowstone National Park § Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystems Study Unit (RM­CESU) § The Henry P. Kendall Foundation’s Transboundary Research Award (Environmental Studies Program, University of Montana) Special thanks are due to Dr. Richard Sattler, Dr. Kelly Dixon, Dr. Dan Flores, and Linda McLean of the University of Montana, Yellowstone National Park staff Rosemary Sucec and Katie White, Harold Housely of the Yellowstone Heritage and Research Center, Christine Whitacre of the RM­CESU, and all of the cultural consultants who shared their knowledge and memories for this project. Without the contributions of these organizations and individuals, this project would not have been possible. Thank you. iii PREFACE The following research is part of a joint effort between Yellowstone National Park, a unit of the National Park Service, and the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystems Study Unit (RM­CESU) undertaken as my Master’s thesis at the University of Montana. The purpose of this research as put forth in the scope of work by Yellowstone National Park is to document the cultural significance of Yellowstone buffalo to two American Indian groups traditionally associated with the park, and to compile existing data on the 1999 Buffalo Walk in which a group of American Indians walked and rode more than 500 miles from Rapid City, South Dakota to Yellowstone National Park to honor and attract attention to the situation faced by Yellowstone buffalo. Although this is one of many works dedicated to the issue of buffalo management at Yellowstone, this study approaches buffalo management from the viewpoint that Yellowstone’s buffalo are not only a treasured natural resource as the world’s last continuously free­roaming herd, but also an important cultural resource to several American Indian tribes. Please note that this paper does not claim to be a representation of the official position of the National Park Service, nor do I claim to speak for any American Indian group. Rather, I hope that the findings of this project compiled from archival sources and interviews will provide useful information for park managers involved in the management and interpretation of Yellowstone buffalo, information that will shed light on the profound significance that Yellowstone buffalo hold for native groups to this day. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .........................................................................................iii PREFACE.....................................................................................................................iv LIST OF FIGURES.....................................................................................................vii I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................1 Cultural Significance................................................................................1 Need for the Study ...................................................................................2 Integrating Natural and Cultural Resource Management...........................3 II. METHODS ........................................................................................................5 Ethnohistorical Method & Qualitative Data..............................................5 Data Collection ........................................................................................6 Archival Research & Contemporary Literature Search .............................7 Ethnographic Interviews...........................................................................7 Data Analysis Methods........................................................................... 10 III. BACKGROUND & HISTORY ....................................................................... 11 Yellowstone Buffalo .............................................................................. 11 Brucellosis ............................................................................................. 14 National Parks as Former American Indian Land.................................... 17 Seeking Tribal Input............................................................................... 21 Related Studies....................................................................................... 24 IV. THE LAKOTA SIOUX ................................................................................... 27 The Significance of Buffalo to the Lakota Sioux .................................... 27 Historical Background............................................................................ 28 Lakota Territory..................................................................................... 32 Lakota Buffalo Hunts ............................................................................. 34 Lakota Spirituality.................................................................................. 37 Lakota Ceremonies................................................................................. 41 Keeping Traditions Alive ....................................................................... 47 V. THE NEZ PERCE ........................................................................................... 49 The Significance of Buffalo to the Nez Perce ......................................... 49 Historical Background............................................................................ 50 Horse Culture......................................................................................... 56 Nez Perce Buffalo Hunts ........................................................................ 57 Nez Perce Spirituality............................................................................. 60 A Continuation of Tradition ................................................................... 63 v VI. THE 1999 BUFFALO WALK......................................................................... 70 Tatanka Oyate Mani............................................................................... 70 Existing Documentation ......................................................................... 74 The Buffalo Walk, Day by Day .............................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Makȟóčhe Wašté, the Beautiful Country: an Indigenous
    MAKȞÓČHE WAŠTÉ, THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY: AN INDIGENOUS LANDSCAPE PERSPECTIVE A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Science By Dakota Wind Goodhouse In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS Major Department: History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies October 2019 Fargo, North Dakota North Dakota State University Graduate School Title MAKȞÓČHE WAŠTÉ, THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY: AN INDIGENOUS LANDSCAPE PERSPECTIVE By Dakota Wind Goodhouse The Supervisory Committee certifies that this disquisition complies with North Dakota State University’s regulations and meets the accepted standards for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: Thomas D. Isern Chair John K. Cox Kelly Sassi Clifford Canku Approved: 10/21/2019 Mark Harvey Date Department Chair ABSTRACT The Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires; “Great Sioux Nation”) occupied an area from the woodlands to the Great Plains. The landscape and the wind influenced their language and culture in a way that suggests a long occupation. Major landmarks like Ȟesápa (Black Hills), Matȟó Thípila (Bear Lodge; “Devils Tower”), Pahá Makȟáska (White Earth Butte; White Butte, ND), and Oǧúǧa Owápi (Images Burned Into The Stone; Jeffers Petroglyphs, MN) were woven into the cultural identity of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ. The pictographic record, traditional song, and oral tradition recall events like first contact with the horse at the Čhaŋsáŋsaŋ Ožáte (White Birch Fork), or the James River-Missouri River confluence in C.E. 1692. The historical pictographic record, oral tradition, and occupation will be examined in this paper to support the idea that Očhéthi Šakówiŋ have a cultural occupation of the Great Plains that long predates the European record.
    [Show full text]
  • Dakota, Nakota, Lakota Life (Worksheets)
    Dakota, Nakota, Lakota Life South Dakota State Historical Society Education Kit Dakota, Nakota, Lakota Life (Worksheets) Background Information: About 8.3% of South Dakotans hold dual citizenship. Most of the 64,000 American Indians living in South Dakota are members of the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota Nation (also known as the 1 Great Sioux Nation) as well as Americans. Lakota histories are passed from generation to generation through storytelling. One story tells about the Lakota coming to the plains to live and becoming Oceti Sakowin, the Seven Council Fires. The story begins when the Lakota lived in a land by a large lake where they ate fish and were warm and happy. A man appeared, and told them to travel northward. The Lakota obeyed, and began the journey north. On their way they got cold, and the sun was too weak to cook their food. Two young men had a vision, and following its instructions, they gathered dry grasses and struck two flint stones together, creating a spark and making fire. There were seven groups of relatives traveling together. Each group took some of the fire, and used it to build their own fire, around which they would gather. 2 As a result, they became known as the Seven Council Fires, or Oceti Sakowin. During the mid-17th century, nearly all the Sioux people lived near Mille Lacs, Minnesota.3 Pressured by the Chippewas, they moved west out of northern Minnesota in clan groups by the early 18th century.4 The three tribes spoke the same general language, but each developed dialects or variations, which also became their known name.
    [Show full text]
  • Crow and Cheyenne Women| Some Differences in Their Roles As Related to Tribal History
    University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1969 Crow and Cheyenne women| Some differences in their roles as related to tribal history Carole Ann Clark The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Clark, Carole Ann, "Crow and Cheyenne women| Some differences in their roles as related to tribal history" (1969). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 1946. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/1946 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COPYRIGHT ACT OF 1976 THIS IS AN UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT IN WHICH COPYRIGHT SUB­ SISTS. ANY FURTHER REPRINTING OF ITS CONTENTS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE AUTHOR. IVIANSFIELD LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA DATE : U-- - ~ CROW AND CHEYENNE WOMEN r SOME DIFFERENCES IN THEIR ROLES AS RELATED TO TRIBAL HISTORY by Carole Ann Clark B.A., University of Montana, 1?66 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 1969 Approved by Chairman, Board of iicaminers L, 'Graduate 'School UMI Number: EP35023 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted.
    [Show full text]
  • Aloes Are Gone” Or “Return: Buffalo”? – the Rela Alo”?
    The Relationship of the Buffalo to Indigenous Expression 65 “THE BUFFALOES ARE GONE” OR “RETURN: BUFFALO”? – THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE BUFFALO TO INDIGENOUS CREATIVE EXPRESSION TTTasha Hubbarddd University of Calgary [email protected] Abstract / Résumé While the depletion of the Buffalo has been understood as a contribut- ing factor in the subjugation of plains Indigenous people, what has had less attention is the attack on the integral relationship between the Buf- falo and Indigenous people. This relationship, like other relationships between the natural world and Indigenous people, brings together ani- mal and human into a symbiotic relationship that incorporates respect, survival, spirituality and cultural expression. By replacing the value of stories about the Buffalo, we can reinstate this animal and others as sites of learning, which can then result in a revitalization of creativity and literary expression. Bien que l’épuisement des populations de bisons soit compris comme un facteur contributif de la subjugation des peuples autochtones des plaines, l’attaque sur les liens profonds qui unissent le bison et les peuples autochtones n’a pas bénéficié de la même attention. Comme tous les autres liens entre le monde naturel et les Autochtones, les liens entre le bison et les Autochtones créent une relation symbiotique entre l’animal et l’humain qui intègre le respect, la survie, la spiritualité et l’expression culturelle. En réaffirmant la valeur des histoires au sujet du bison, nous pouvons rétablir cet animal et d’autres comme des sites d’apprentissage qui peuvent ensuite se traduire par une revitalisation de la créativité et de l’expression littéraire.
    [Show full text]
  • North American Indians: an Annotated Resource Guide for the Elementary Teacher
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 085 156 RC 007 505 AUTHOR Anderson, Sue Ellen, Comp.; And Others TITLE North American Indians: An Annotated Resource Guide for the Elementary Teacher. INSTITUTION Arizona State Univ., Tempe. Indian Education Center. PUB DATE 72 NOTE 119p. AVAILABLE FROMCenter for Indian Education, Farmer College of Education, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281 ($2.00) EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$6.58 DESCRIPTORS *American Indians; *Annotated Bibliographies; Art Activities; Childrens Books; *Culture; *Elementary School Teachers; History; Languages; Music; Poetry; Reservations (Indian) ; *Resource Materials; Tribes ABSTRACT The annotated bibliography for elementary teachers contains approximately 600 listings of resources about American .Indians. The resources, which range from 1926-1972 (some are not dated), include materials prepared by Indians and non-Indians for Indian and/or non-Indian children. Sections in the bibliography are: Books for Children -- Indians of North America; Books for Children -- Indians of Arizona; Teacher Resource Books (art activities, poetry, and songs); Films; Filmstrips; Slides; Periodicals; and Records. Slides are listed by subject area. Other sources for materials are also given. (KM) U 1 OE PAIIMAtle OF HEWN 11"% EDUCATION& WELPAlte NAtiONAL INStitUtt OF tDUCAtION tin( ..Aklet F.,At Pitt'. eler 0, A, At(I ()r4 V '..t pr10,0N nu Omni...JA' WOu A. PP FA nitnp404, f 00 NONI (r , lir Pkir 4, Orr A, 4A. .04A. .r re A..04 Pro, no no, r NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS An Annotated Resource Guide for the ELEMENTARY TEACHER I I fin " fit FILMED FROM BEST AVAILABLE COPY CENTER FOR INDIAN EDUCATION College of EdOcotion Arizorio State University.: Tempe,,.monoJ COMPILED AND EDITED BY Sue Ellen Anderson Teacher, Phiteriver Elementary School Whiteriver, Arizona Vicki C.
    [Show full text]
  • The Lakota Sun Dance: a Composite View and Analysis
    Copyright © 1976 by the South Dakota State Historical Society. All Rights Reserved. The Lakota Sun Dance: A Composite View and Analysis MICHAEL E.N4EL0DY The Lakota Sun Dance is the archetypal expression of western Sioux religious belief. In a sense, the dance is the public, ritualized manifestation of an understanding of reality that was shared among the group as a whole. In the context of a cosmological society, the dance represents the people's participation in the life of the cosmos itself. In this, the Sun Dance is similar to the rituals of other cosmological societies such as the Mesopotamian New Year's Festival.' The literature on the old form of the Sun Dance varies greatly in quality. Surprisingly, there are only four major accounts of the ritual. Anthropologists seem to have been preoccupied by questions regarding diffusion. There are, however, a plethora of short articles that typically record eyewitness experiences. Besides these works there are only derivative narratives, usually based upon the work of only one of the major commentators.^ 1. This article is based upon my dissertation, "The Sacred Hoop: The Way of the Chiiicahua Apache and Teton Lakota" (Ph.D. diss.. University of Notre Dame, 1976). Much of the information in this article was acquired on a research grant provided by the dean of the College of Aits and Letters, Professor Frederick Crosson, and the chairman of the Department of Government, George Brinkley. The cosmos is a whole in that the gods are included within its bounds, there is no concept of transcendence; see Henri Frankfort, et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Pine Ridge Area Service Organizations Directory
    Pine Ridge Area Service Organizations Directory History, Profiles and Rotary Requests Thiwahe Zani Okičhiya Ichaȟwičhayapi Raising Healthy Families Together Pine Ridge Area Social Services Organizations Assisted By Oglala Sioux Tribe Health Administration Pine Ridge, South Dakota and Omniciye Multicultural Rotary Club A Satellite club of Rapid City Rushmore Rotary Rapid City, South Dakota June 2018 ! Thiwahe Zani Okičhiya Ichaȟwičhayapi Raising Healthy Families Together is an informal network of social service organizations providing services to the residents of the Oglala Lakota Nation on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. It was founded in 2015. It has an email base of 40 + members. It meets four times a year to share information between members. A member organization gives a presentation of his/her organization and every participant provides an update of any staff changes and what their organization is doing. There is also a shared calendar for the next three months of events engaging social service agencies. This Pine Ridge Area Social Services Organizations Rotary Directory was originated by Angie Sam, TANF Director. Her intern, Maretta Afraid of Bear, collected the initial data and Robyn Whirlwind Horse assisted with data entry in 2016/17. Dr. Craig Howe, Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS) and Tom Allen, Oglala Lakota College, provided historical and contemporary Tribal information. On behalf of Omniciye Multi- Cultural Rotary Club; Bev Warne, Kibbe Conti, Gloria Eastman and Tom Katus were members of the initial visiting team. Terri Hunter wrote the chapter on Lakota History, Dee Katus edited the data, Tom Katus, provided over all management to the project, and Linda Peterson provided final editing and electronic publishing.
    [Show full text]
  • The American Indian in the American Film
    THE AMERICAN INDIAN IN THE AMERICAN FILM Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in American Studies in the University of Canterbury by Michael J. Brathwaite 1981 ABSTRACT This thesis is a chronological examination of the ways in which American Indians have been portrayed in American 1 f.ilms and the factors influencing these portrayals. B eginning with the literary precedents, the effects of three wars and other social upheavals and changes are considered. In addition t-0 being the first objective detailed examination of the subj�ct in English, it is the first work to cover the last decade. It concludes that because of psychological factors it is unlikely that film-makers are - capable of advancing far beyond the basic stereotypes, and that the failure of Indians to appreciate this has repeatedly caused ill-feeling between themselves and the film-makers, making the latter abandon their attempts at a fair treatment of the Indians. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface iii Chapter I: The Background of the Problem c.1630 to c.1900. 1 Chapter II: The Birth of the Cinema and Its Aftermath: 1889 to 1939. 21 Chapter III: World War II and Its Effects: 1940 to 1955. 42 Chapter IV: Assimilation of Separatism?: 1953 to 1965. 65 Chapter V: The Accuracy Question. 80 Chapter VI: Catch-22: 1965 to 1972. 105 Chapter VII: Back to the Beginning: 1973 to 1981. 136 Chapter VIII: Conclusion. 153 Bibliography 156 iii PREFACE The aim of this the.sis is to examine the ways in which the American Indians have been portrayed in American films, the influences on their portrayals, and whether or not they have changed.
    [Show full text]
  • THE WALTER STANLEY CAMPBELL COLLECTION Inventory and Index
    THE WALTER STANLEY CAMPBELL COLLECTION Inventory and Index Revised and edited by Kristina L. Southwell Associates of the Western History Collections Norman, Oklahoma 2001 Boxes 104 through 121 of this collection are available online at the University of Oklahoma Libraries website. THE COVER Michelle Corona-Allen of the University of Oklahoma Communication Services designed the cover of this book. The three photographs feature images closely associated with Walter Stanley Campbell and his research on Native American history and culture. From left to right, the first photograph shows a ledger drawing by Sioux chief White Bull that depicts him capturing two horses from a camp in 1876. The second image is of Walter Stanley Campbell talking with White Bull in the early 1930s. Campbell’s oral interviews of prominent Indians during 1928-1932 formed the basis of some of his most respected books on Indian history. The third photograph is of another White Bull ledger drawing in which he is shown taking horses from General Terry’s advancing column at the Little Big Horn River, Montana, 1876. Of this act, White Bull stated, “This made my name known, taken from those coming below, soldiers and Crows were camped there.” Available from University of Oklahoma Western History Collections 630 Parrington Oval, Room 452 Norman, Oklahoma 73019 No state-appropriated funds were used to publish this guide. It was published entirely with funds provided by the Associates of the Western History Collections and other private donors. The Associates of the Western History Collections is a support group dedicated to helping the Western History Collections maintain its national and international reputation for research excellence.
    [Show full text]
  • Dreams and Dust in the Black Hills: Race, Place, and National Identity in America's "Land of Promise" Elaine Marie Nelson
    University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository History ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 8-19-2011 Dreams and Dust in the Black Hills: Race, Place, and National Identity in America's "Land of Promise" Elaine Marie Nelson Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hist_etds Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Nelson, Elaine Marie. "Dreams and Dust in the Black Hills: Race, Place, and National Identity in America's "Land of Promise"." (2011). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hist_etds/58 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in History ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. i ii ©2011, Elaine Marie Nelson iii DEDICATION I wish to dedicate this to my parents—and their parents—for instilling in me a deep affection for family, tradition, history, and home. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I do not remember our first family vacation. My sisters and I were so used to packing up and hitting the road in the family station wagon (later a minivan), that our childhood trips blur together. Oftentimes we visited our paternal grandparents in Sidney, Nebraska, or our maternal grandparents in Lincoln, Nebraska. But on special occasions we would take lengthy road trips that ended with destinations in the Appalachian Mountains, the Gulf of Mexico, Yellowstone National Park, and Myrtle Beach. As an ―East River‖ South Dakotan, driving six hours west to visit the Black Hills was hardly as exciting as going to the beach.
    [Show full text]
  • Vol. Xvi, Part Vii
    ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN. MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY VOL. XVI, PART VII THE SUN DANCE OF THE PLAINS INDIANS: ITS DEVELOP- MENT AND DIFFUSION BY LESLIE SPIER NENV YORK PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES 1921 THE SUN DANCE OF THE PLAINS INDIANS: ITS DEVELOP- MENT AND DIFFUSION. BY LESLIE SPIER. 451 PREFACE. Most Plains tribes had the sun dance: in fact, it was performed by all the typical tribes except the Comanche. Since the dance has not been held for years by some tribes, viz., Dakota, Gros Ventre, Sutaio, Arikara, Hidatsa, Crow, and Kiowa, the data available for a comparative study vary widely in value. The chief sources of information outside of this volume are the accounts by G. A. Dorsey for the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ponca; Kroeber for the Arapaho and Gros Ventre; Curtis for the Arikara; and Lowie and Curtis for the Assiniboin. There is no published informa- tion for the Fort Hall Shoshoni, Bannock, Kutenai, or Sutaio. So far as I am aware there has been no general discussion of the sun dance. Hutton Webster in his "Secret Societies" considers it, without giving proof, an initiation ceremony. It is the aim of the present study to reconstruct the history of the sun dance and to investigate the char- acter of the factors that determined its development. By a discussion of the distribution of traits-regalia, behavior, ideas of organization, and explanatory myths-it will be shown that the ceremony among all the tribes has grown chiefly by intertribal borrowing. It will be demon- strated further that the center of development has been in the central Plains among the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Oglala, and that the original nucleus of sun dance rites probably received its first specific character at the hands of the Arapaho and Cheyenne, or of this couple and the Village tribes.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mandan and Hidatsa Establish Missouri Valley Villages
    The North Dakota Studies Newspaper Issue One Native Peoples, First Encounter, Fur Trade 1780-1850 THE MANDAN AND HIDATSA ESTABLISH MISSOURI VALLEY VILLAGES The Mandan and Hidatsa Villages through oral tradition, began with The Year of 1730 Charred Body who lived in the Sky. He heard the bellowing of buffalo, and looking through a Over hundreds of years the Mandan people made hole in the heavens, discovered their way from the eastern woodlands of the the earth below. Liking what he Ohio River Valley to the valley of the Missouri saw, he descended to earth in the River. Divided into five bands, the Nuptadi, form of an arrow. He erected 13 the Mananar, the Nuitadi, the Istope, and the earthlodges and brought down 13 Awikaxa, the Mandan have established nine large young couples who founded the well-fortified villages along the banks of the original families. Sacred arrows Knife, Heart, and Missouri rivers. Some reports have the power to protect the tell us that the Mandan reached their present sites people from evil. as early as the year 900. Not long after the Awatixa arrived Numbering in the neighborhood of 9,000, the on the Missouri, the Awaxawi, Mandan are a Siouan-speaking people who Siouan-speaking eastern neighbors, owe their origins to First Creator and Lone left for the Missouri Valley. The Man. These two powerful spirits, the Mandan Awaxawi origin account begins believe, created the Missouri River Valley and the with the creation of the earth Hidatsa village. animals, plants, and people who live there. First by Lone Man and First Creator Creator made the hills, woods, springs, buffalo, who competed with each other deer, and antelope on the south side of the to see who could make the best Valley.
    [Show full text]