Witnessing the Lakota Sun Dance Given by Jack Thom "Walking Eagle"

A couple of details about the sun dance, it's held at the peak of summer so it is very hot. I was one of the few white people, but one of them was an actual dancer, and so this was a people who judge the heart.

The celebration and joy I felt was not totally unlike the [religion removed] conventions my parents dragged me to. But, the presentation here at the sundance wasa not just rote words and scribery.

The Natives aligned with the dance are good folk, and they will fight to the death to defend this land. I wish the dance were understood more than it is now. And how it came about, and that it may have been so, that the story of white buffalo calf woman, which jack surely believed, was true. And that the gift of the sun dance was a special thing she brought to Americans.

When you see a man with a gnarly ass scar on his pectoral muscle, show some respect, because even if he did not make it to the end of the dance --some do not they step off, well, at least he got that eagle claw dug into him, and he stared at the angels and asked them to forgive.

You dance in a circle like a dervish to enter the outer spectator ring of the dance. This is where Jack and all the children dancing behind him, danced along the circle, around the sundancers. Well, I was sitting there in a chair, but when Jack came around the circle for the last time, and the drummers were just bang bang bang and singing and I knew, something special was gona happen.

I stood up slowly as if possessed the spirit moved me to the edge of the circle. I turned my head to stare at him with this smile, I knew shit was going down, and as Jack danced to the point right in front of me, in agony, pulling these buffalo heads, WWHAMMO the cords broke, and he slammed into the ground and I mean chest first like the most amazing self destroying leader of men. Immediately when this happened all the assembled people flocked to him, gently pressing past me, carrying him to the sweat and medicine spot. ...I swear it was downright religious, I had this feeling he was doing it for me. That I was meant to see this and to tell you. I have never seen a man suffer in the name of prayer, as did he.

The other aspect that sticks with me is the down right friendliness of these people. Kuruk, as I recall is their actual tribe tho the sundance is absorbed by many tribes.

An interesting Indian story along these lines as to the sun dance relates to famous Texan and Federal Judge (the only Indian chief to become such) Quanah Parker. He was Comanche and as you may know they have their own lodge ritual, which is more introspective, you go into a cave and take peyote and walk the half circle in the cave. ...Quanah parker's mom was a little Irish girl who'd been taken in by his dather Peta Nacona, and she bore him Quanah. The story goes that Some chief I forget his name but he was the one who somewhat 'proselytized' if you will, the sun dance as a thing for all Indians to do, in the name of prayer and good will to the spirits. It is not so well known that Quanah Parker did accomplish the dance. Also he had traveled to meet his mom's irish ancestors in Texas and when he returned he said "The Jesus road is good."

What I am describing here is that some roads have never seen the 'cross', a roman implement. But those roads do lead to God.

Jack"Walking Eagle"you had the right soul state and mind-set to have a good understanding and experience.
When it comes to the soul, it has no race, no color but is grouped by levels of closness to the Creator.We have no church buildings, organizations, professional preachers, each person seeks within not without of themselves, often in the solitude of nature, but praying WITH the trees and rocks, not TO them, LOL

The other facet of our spirituality is suffering. This life is not Paradise. Even Jesus suffered "for the people" long before the Catholic Missionaries were up north we understood that burning off of Karma suffering for the people and later adding and with Jesus if you were Christian. It strengthens and enobles the soul.

The Ojibway version of the Sun Dance is called the thirsty dance and as a woman Pipe Carrier, I felt drawn to the area where the women were allowed to participate with "flesh offerings and I had a needle and razor blade with and they rubbed my arm with sage and lifted the skin to take 12 small slices off each arm and again patted with my sage. Ive done this many times for my family and tribe and have NO scars! We all then supported our men also with prayer, hidden in the privacy of a small enclosure.

There is a book called "He walked the Americas" that describes a bearded Jesus in white robes who appeared to 100s of Native people healing them. And the writings of Mary of agreda who described her bilocation to teach the Navajo area people,she spoke Navajo and they told the astonished
missionaries about it and before Guadalupe, White Buffalo Calf Women appeared to two Lakota and had them build the 28 pole teaching teepee and taught them the 7 sacred ways: includes Pipe, Fasting/vision quest, offering suffering for the people etc.