honorable mention
Mark Vitaris
Photo © Mark Vitaris
title
Bear's Lodge
About 150 miles south and east of the Little Bighorn battlefield, in Montana, the igneous 'stock' that is Bear's Lodge rises from the surrounding grassland and Ponderosa pine. Like Paha Sapa, Bear's Lodge is a scared place to Native Americans of the northern prairie that has grown from legend.
Most Native tribes perform some form of ceremonial worship to the Sun. In the shadow of this ancient tower, the Lakota have performed the Sun Dance numerous times, usually near a full moon. In June 1876, two weeks before the battle of Greasy Grass, one such ceremony, held along Rosebud Creek in Montana, was led by Sitting Bull. There he offered prayer to the Great Spirit, Wakan Tanka, and slashed his arms and body 100 times in a sign of sacrifice. During this ceremony, Sitting Bull had a vision of blue coat soldiers falling from the sky, upside down like grasshoppers into the Lakota camp.
The Sun Dance and all other religious and cultural practices by Natives were outlawed once the reservation system was in place. These bans were meant to force assimilation and "civilize the savages." The bans remained in effect for over 100 years in the United States and for approximately 75 years in Canada. Looking back today, through the eyes of a society that embraces religious and cultural diversity, I bow my head in shame at the actions of our predecessors.
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entry description
Bear's Lodge and Falling SoldiersAbout 150 miles south and east of the Little Bighorn battlefield, in Montana, the igneous 'stock' that is Bear's Lodge rises from the surrounding grassland and Ponderosa pine. Like Paha Sapa, Bear's Lodge is a scared place to Native Americans of the northern prairie that has grown from legend.
Most Native tribes perform some form of ceremonial worship to the Sun. In the shadow of this ancient tower, the Lakota have performed the Sun Dance numerous times, usually near a full moon. In June 1876, two weeks before the battle of Greasy Grass, one such ceremony, held along Rosebud Creek in Montana, was led by Sitting Bull. There he offered prayer to the Great Spirit, Wakan Tanka, and slashed his arms and body 100 times in a sign of sacrifice. During this ceremony, Sitting Bull had a vision of blue coat soldiers falling from the sky, upside down like grasshoppers into the Lakota camp.
The Sun Dance and all other religious and cultural practices by Natives were outlawed once the reservation system was in place. These bans were meant to force assimilation and "civilize the savages." The bans remained in effect for over 100 years in the United States and for approximately 75 years in Canada. Looking back today, through the eyes of a society that embraces religious and cultural diversity, I bow my head in shame at the actions of our predecessors.
back to gallery
