The Dakota Indian Religion. a Study of Conflict in Values

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The Dakota Indian Religion. a Study of Conflict in Values DOCUMENT RESUME RC 005 778 ED 056 822 Malan, Vernon D.; Jesser, ClintonJ. AUTHOR Study of Conflict in TITLE The Dakota Indian Religion. A Values. INSTITUTION south Dakota State Coll., Brookings. SPONS AGENCY Department of Agriculture,Washington, D.C. REPORT NO Bull-473 PUB DATE Feb 59 NOTE 64p. MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29 EDRS PRICE Cultural Background; DESCFIPTORS *American Indians; Christianity; *Culture Conflict; Moral Values;*Personality Development; 0.uestionnaires;*Religious Differences; Research; Reservations (Indian);*Social Values; Socioeconomic Influences IDENTIFIERS South Dakota ABSTRACT It was the purpose ofthis study to describe and analyze the differences invalue systems of the DakotaIndians and Western Civilization, and tosuggest a probableexplanation for the religious practices of present-day(1958) Pine Ridge Reservation result of the conflict invalues between residents (28 Families) as a based on the the 2 societies. The methodused to accomplish this was assumption that the Pine RidgeIndians would express theirprimary of questions based onideas commonly values in response to a series culture. In held in either the traditionalDakota or modern American this attempt to describe thevalue system of the DakotaIndians and to suggest an explanationfor reservation religiouspractices, a traditicnal Dakota values tothe modern shift was noted from the Dakota values of Western Civilization.This study revealed that the Indians had, to a large extent,lost the old system of socialvalues which gave purpose and directionto their live _ons to this state of affairs varied witheach individual ,orn to rejection of all Dakotavalues maintenance of traditional values of positions and full acceptance ofnon-Indian values. The assumption at either extreme mayprovide a relatively stablepersonality adjustment, but the individual whovacillates between the 2 value systems is likely to searchfor some sources of meaningin group-approved and recognition-givingactivities, such as are available in marginal religions. (LS) 4B ii'fjr4 .7.7;:: Feb, 1959 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. RITAL SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION V-4 THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO- DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OFI ORGANIZATION ORIG- SOUTH DAKOTA STATE COLLEGE, BROOKINGb INATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPIN- IONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY Introductici REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDU- CATION POSITION OR POLICY Traditiona] Myths an Ceremoit Emotic N91 THE DAKOTA Practic_ 0\110 Ceren1 010 AStudy o7 LNDIAN RELIGION Purpose Values ir '44171 ft>"/ P --:// Cener_ /-, ., V./47'°47i- '''''''/ // Integr %A /,//9-/..';1. ''' 'V7./'/. ..: V/ ' '776>V.- /" />,,'.7 .4...../- // // . Cour& ///7/,/.../////:, ',V,/%.,//'.2//./,,/-.Z/VW. ./,,, . /-'.../0-' Social; // Kinsh :'///V z,''',.. / /-/ ,/%.'/' / ''.'7': .4; -'. V . Wisdc .- /...// ' ' -- / , .,/V Values .-.././;:e'%.,/ 'Vi'?: Vl/ /7 V The Z # The .,!,//i'- .i",... ',, . Phasc- ,.....V, ',. ,/,;. j, <-'/V', Ris Cii /'-',;,". ' Fa ..z.cc.,;/1,;(<4,,,;:;:-,1::' Margin .4://, ' ..; Thou 2>'* '/- i''' - The ! :,*-0..-2, . / .',/,-.;;;;%:.:"'':'/ ./,A:°?;:- Pew. / ';,//7 , Yuw: 4- : // ,.,.' lf Conter -;,.-..,,,,,,P-' vv';::- Rehi Acce Implicati ,,- Append: ,-,,47/."---,//7-z.,...,,,),,,,,-;.5,, - ,----.71;,-.r..-----;:,-.--":;,-,'::;-: Appendi: -- --/-, Appendi Liters tui A9- U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEP REPRO- DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVLO FROM ConEents THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG- INATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPIN- 3 IONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY Introduction .. 4 REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDU- Religion CATION POSITION OR POLICY. Traditional Dakota Indian 4 Myths and Legends 8 Ceremonial Religion 8 Emotional Responses 14 Practices and Beliefs 17 [(TA Ceremony- and Ritual - . 21 Values A Study of Dakota 29 E Li GI ON Purpose of the Study .23 _____ Values in Dakota Society _____________________ 28 Generosity 24 ;7--;:.,,,/ 'z -,,,z.; Integrity 25 Courage -,r'< ., 06 Sociability 26 Kinship 28 z ."/-,/., ..,,,/,,,,,,, Self-control 29 4;., Wisdom : ": ;:,- -,...-2,,,..%/4- ,,,,,,,,: -..: i" Values in Western Civilization ,,,.- / The Technic-Order 31 /// '' .j- r The. Moral Order e, Phases of Culture Contact 32 Rising Action ( 1700-1851) %. ;.. ''';;'./ /..4", ,/,, / 'I vs'. ;C.!, ./..1, Crisis ( 1851-1878) "'" z / , / ''J;;. 38 ..*>; Falling Action ( 1878 topresent) 42 Marginal Religious Practices 42 Religions Theory of Transitional 44 The Ghost Dance 47 Peyote Cult 49 _____ Yuwipi Cult _____ _50 Contemporary Values inTwo Pine RidgeCommtinities _______ 52 ______ __________________ Religious Participation 5:3 and Western Value Systems ______ Acceptance of Dakota 58 i-,../.-,,,--:,.::-;:.;:,:Arz,,i,-;-,0/,---. 4' Implications of Study /-, .. Appendix I __ 61 Appendix II 61 Appendix HI 62 .-,., Literature Cited _ '-'--7-4-' 2 1 2 II. Traditionalt About 250 years ago,the 1 Dakota Indiansarrived on Great Plains afterbeim,' driven the MinneArtawoodlands b Chippewas. Theygradrially Ion The DakotaIndian Religion west of the MissouriRiver, alth( they moved throughoutthe n AStudy of Conflict inValues ern plainsin pursuitof NI While in Miimesota,they had agriculturalists, but upon acy Vernon D. Malan andClinton J. jesser' horses they changedfrom an a an way ofiife to that of the rum hunter. The Tetonstraveledin bands, all united bykinship: 1 I. Introduction Sans Arc, Blackfoot,Minnect Two Kettle,flunkpapa, and t Those living on thePine llidg ervation today arcdescended have exertedis designed toprovide a systematic Religious beliefs religiousback- ly from the Oglalaand Brule substantial influence onthe valuesanalysiaofthe, perThd ietweal Indians, In earlierground of the Datc of the Dakota ,ids, and 1650 :heTeton Pakor folkloreinfusedare some ofthe iny,11,, ad 1.4 traits wh daysreligious and ritual quired most of the every area oftheir daily lives. Whenand the beliefs, practices, consider typicalof plaias introduced Chris-which dominated.Dakota thinking Sold the missionaries with culturekinship bands, tianity to the tribes onthe Great/at the timeof initial contact ciety, Sun Dance,geometri began tothe Christian missionaries.In Part and travo Plains, important changes changes in Da- rative art. horse take place. Valueswhich conflictedIII the subsequent and econorniedependence, were inter-kota values arediscussed and ana- these trait with customary beliefs perspective and bulfalo,2 All of posed, but many ofthe traditionallysed in historical bound together intheir life In somein terms of thevalue conflicts which in th valueswere retained. the contact of which they symbolized cases,accommodation ofconflictinghave resulted from circle, the stagefor their in marginalthese two differentculture patterns. to dose values was attempted from a study of drama. Any attempt religious activitieswbieh combinedStatistical evidence Tetons which failsto cons old and newtwo communities onthe Pine Ridge culture oin elements of both the to support unity of their religions. In other cases,the con-Reservation is presented completely accurate. insurmountable,the cultural conflictthesis. Implica- half of flicts appeared suggested in During the first and some individualssought escapetions of the study are century theDakota Indians or succumbedto apathy. Part IV. tensive contactswith rais A study of the presentday values 'Associate Rural Sociologistand Gradw frontiersmen, government requires some un- ate Assistant.mpectively, South Dakota exolorers; of these (people Asricultural Faveriment travelers, and derstanding of theirtraditional reli- State College. these people recordedthei gion. 'thin, Part IIof this bulleidn Station. sions anddescriptions of t 3 3 Dakota IndianReligion II. Traditional used the Tetonway of life.These accounts are About 250 years ago, in this section,describing the tradi- DakotaIndiansarrived on the the Dakotas,hut beina; driven fromtional religion of in Great Plains afterwoodlands by theare modifiedand systematized the Minnesota accordance with morerecent an- gradually located This Chippewas. They thropologicalinvestigations. west of theMissouri River,althoughdescription serves asbackground they movedthroughout the north- of culturalvalues buffalo.data for the study ern plainsM pursuit of which will follow.It is fromthis While in Minnesota,they had been and practicesthat acquiringmatrix of beliefs agriculturalists, but upon the values of theDakota Indians horses they changedfrom an agrari- and whichprovided the mountedwere derived an wayof lifeto that of sacred sanctionsfor their value sys- hunter. tem.3 The Tetonstraveled in seven bands, all unitedby kinship: Brule, Sans Arc,Blackfoot, Mirmeconjou,Myths andLegends Hunkpapa, and Oglala. , - Two Kettle, ries_ aickgr( ;ior Those living onthe pine -Ridge d main-no) of 1.0.0n valm lez., a systematic erva . bedisoovered in thestories Oglala and Brulebands.tem can eligiousback- ly fnink the told by thegrandfathers to tbeir Here During the periodbetween 1700 traditi, vial a indians. Teton Dakotas ac-grandchildren.These tis and legends, and 1.850 the myths and legendsof the olde:,en- quired most ofthe traits which we ate tices, and ritual of plains Indianeration wem used toindoct )alsota thinking consider typical generation witi_ culturekinship bands,Soldier So-the younger 'al contact with deco-basic values ofDakota societ ciety, SunDance, geometric Dak a df=.- onaries. In Part horse and travois,tipi,way inwhich the young changes in Da- rative art, dependence, on therived moral lessonsfrom
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