Lauren Dietz

Tina Katsanos

April 7th, 2017

LBST 2102

The Northern Arapaho Sun Dance

 The Northern Arapaho Tribe is one of the four groups of Arapaho who

originally resided near the base of the Arkansas and Platte Rivers on the

Great Plains, which are now Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Nebraska.

Unfortunately, the U.S. government forced the Southern Arapaho to

Oklahoma and later the Treaty of 1868 pushed out the Northern Arapaho and

placed them with the Shoshone in western Wyoming where they live today,

on the Wind River Reservation. With many rituals, taboos and beliefs, I have

chosen to focus in on The Sun Dance, a beautiful and empowering ritual that

involves The Great Spirit above.

 The Sun Dance extends over a seven-day period with the last four

days involving the actual dancing during the last two summer months, July

and August (CEH). Although by the name, The Sun Dance, one might think

this ritual would involve dancing, praying or singing to the sun gods for

clearer weather or a stop to an endless rain cycle, the participants of the

dance focus their energy centering around a time of prayer and sacrifice for

healing of a single member of their family or for multiple members of

families within the tribe. Participants of the dance will not eat or drink

anything during this time, as it is a beautiful time for solemn gratitude,

prayer and forgiveness. A prayer is said before the ceremony from an elder

who prays for not only healing for any individual but that everyone in the

tribe follows the righteous way that is in approval of the one above. He also

prays for prosperous vegetables such as corn and that the agriculture will be

blessed. This is a time for asking The Great Spirit (one who is understood to

be the creator, all-mysterious, all-powerful one above) for many good deeds

on the entire tribe and the many children to come in the future. Fertility,

health, prosperous agriculture, peace, love and many more attributes that

bring together a great society are all danced over, sang over and prayed

over throughout this blissful ceremony. To me, this ritual falls under a

Therapeutic ritual, as the main basis of the ritual is to seek to produce a

change in the state of human health. The Sun Dance involves praying for

healing within the tribe, whether it is disease, sickness, or even a broken

limb, seeking to produce a change in the state of human health as listed in

the definition of a therapeutic ritual. However, based on a reading we

discussed in class that offered insight into the different types of rituals

among different indigenous people, there is another type that also has very

close similarities; technological. The technological ritual, seeks to produce a

change in nature so that humans benefit in some way. Because of this, I had

a hard time classifying the Sun Dance as just a therapeutic ritual. The Sun

Dance also involves praying for all of the crops whether presently being

tended to or in the future to be very fertile and prosperous in order to feed

the tribe and keep them healthy. Not only does the Sun Dance seek healing

for the sick but it also involves other attributes mentioned above. With that

being said, one could argue it would fall into both categories. However, I

have decided that the main basis of the ritual is to ask for healing to any sick

peoples in the tribe and therefore deciding on the therapeutic type of ritual.
 The Sun Dance also includes to using of many ritual objects such as

the Flat Pipe. This is known as the tribal medicine of the Arapaho, and has

a numerous amount of uses, holding it very sacred to the Arapaho peoples.

This supernatural power from the flat-pipe is sought and applied by the

Indian not only to the purpose of healing the sick but also to obtain control of

natural forces, success in hunting, good luck, strength, long life, and safety

and victory in the hour of battle (Carter, G. John). The flat-pipe is held within

the sun dance lodge where members of the dance come to worship, give

sacrifices and pray over it. Sacrifices of food and cloth are brought and the

cloth gets laid on top of the pipe. Members can indulge in the food that is

brought as a way of being peaceful with the pipe. The flat-pipe is often called

the creator. Whoever holds possession of the pipe is seen as a higher

standing individual within the tribe. People fast with the pipe, take it on life

and spiritual journeys, pray to the pipe and even hold it to find comfort in

anything that is pressing. The pipe is a very sacred ritual object not only

because it is used within the Sun Dance ritual but also because it is widely

respected within the tribe as an item that holds all powers, the Creator.
 Being as the Sun Dance is one of the most sacred of rituals within the

Northern Arapaho tribe, it is not a tourist event. Although outsiders are

welcomed, they are only welcomed if they respect the tribes rules.

Photographs and videos are not allowed during the ritual along with any

notes or drawings depicting what goes on during the ritual. Many members

from other Native American tribes also attend the event and come from all

over (CEH). The Sun Dance is one of the most beautiful, sacred and

powerful rituals among the Arapaho people and is to be kept as such. It is

currently held each year at the Wind River Reservation in western Wyoming.

Works Cited:

"Dance & Music." Dance & Music. University of Colorado, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.

PublicationsoftheFieldColumbianMuseum.AnthropologicalSeries,Vol.4,THEARAPAHO
SUNDANCE;THECEREMONYOFTHEOFFERINGSLODGE(June,1903),pp.i,iii,vxii,
1228

Carter, John G. "The Northern Arapaho Flat Pipe and the Ceremony of Covering the
Pipe." Smithsonian Institution, n.d. Web.