“May the day come to see thee.”
6. Wacinhe wakanyan
Taninyan wahinawape.
With a crown of glory,
I come forth.
This is the language of the sun as it rises in glory.
7. Mahipiya sua, kode,
Mini yain hwo.
This is sung by the singers when the man is almost dying of thirst. The
brave man pays no attention to it.
The following is from the pen of Major General Curtis, dated Fort Sully,
June 2, 1866:
“The whole of the three thousand Sioux camped about us gave
me early information of their design to have the annual sun
dance at this time and place, the season of the year—the trees
in full leaf—having now arrived, and they wished me to inform
Colonel Recor, the commander of the soldiers, that however
boisterous their demonstrations might be, they would all be
peaceable and of a pious character.
On yesterday, June 1, the dancing was delayed at intervals to
allow tortures to be inflicted. Two or three men stood over the
devotee with needle and knife, very quietly performing penance,
according to the customs of all these sacerdotal rites, as
follows; First, they cut the arms in several places by striking
an awl in the skin, raising it and cutting out about half an
inch; this is done on both arms, and sometimes on the breast
and back. Then wooden setons (sticks about the thickness of a
common lead pencil) are inserted through a hole in the skin and
flesh. Then cords or ropes are attached to these sticks by one
end, and to the pole at the other end, the victim pulling on
the ropes till the seton sticks tear out the flesh and skin. I
saw one with two setons thus attached to his breast, pulling
till it seemed to draw the skin out three inches, and finally
requiring nearly his whole might to tear out the seton.
One, painted black, had four ropes attached at once. The
pulling out is done in the dance, the pulling carried on in the
time of the music by jerk, jerk, jerk, and the eye, head, and
front all facing the sun in the form of supplication. One had
four setons attached to four dry buffalo head bones. These were
all strung and suspended to his flesh by ropes that raised each
head some three feet off the ground. He danced hard to tear
them out, but they would not break the skin. One came off the
stick accidentally, but it was again fastened. Finally, these
heavy weights (each at least twenty five pounds weight,) not
tearing out by their own weight or motion, the devotee gave
a comrade a horse to take hold of the rope and tear out the
setons. While these were being thus tortured, their female
relations came in and had pieces cut out of their arms to show
their appreciation of the valor and devotion of their kinsmen.
Still, as soon as the victim could be prepared, the music was
renewed, and the dismal dance went on, victims’ bodies now
mingled with blood, paint, and setons.
There being several steamboats and many soldiers here, a crowd
of spectators rather embarrassed the performers, so they
concluded the performance at twelve o’clock, having only danced
twenty-four hours instead of forty-eight, as they usually do.
All the devotees gave away all their ponies and other valuables
to their friends, had their wounds carefully dressed by
attendant medical men, and sat down to an abundant feast of dog
soup and buffalo meat.
So ended this most barbarous and painful exhibition of savage
idolatry. The picture is still deeply impressed on my senses,
but I cannot give half the horror of the scene, either by pen
or pencil.”
The object of these rites is to obtain the favor of the god to whom they
relate.
In these divinities which have been mentioned, and innumerable others
like them, as various as the wildest imaginations, maddened by passion,
can create, or their circumstances and felt wants demand, the Dakotas
find all that they desire of a religious nature. These divinities
communicate with mortals through the medium of