The Native American Sundance is a dance ceremony which is done by several different Native American tribes. Many of the sun dance features have a lot in common with a little of their own creations thrown into the mix. These ceremonies include singing, dancing, and drumming. They also have visions, they fast, and sometimes torture themselves.

Te sun dance mix was the most important dance of the Plains Indians in the 19th century. It was a very religious dance that these tribes took very seriously. The ceremony was held once a year usually around the time of Summer Solstice. It would last from 4 to 8 days and started at the sunset of the final day of solstice and ended on a sunset. The ceremony was to celebrate regeneration which was the continuation of existence between life and death. They believed there was no end to life but only cycles of life. They believed that all of nature is intertwined and all are dependent on each other.

The ritual was the celebration of the regeneration of not only family members and friends, but also the rebirth of the living Earth, and all of it’s inhabitants. The most renowned priest would be the one who made the best Lodge. This priest would be in charge of the ceremony. They would build a teepee and the priest would instruct the others on what to get to build it with, as well as how to build it. Men were chosen to look for a tree with a fork in the top and this would be the first and center pole. Then a special person was chosen to cut the tree. This person had to be well qualified for the task. The men then treated the log as an enemy. They then put items such as brush, buffalo hide, and long straws with tobacco, plus other religious offerings, in a bundle and placed it in the fork of the pole.

The oldest woman of the camp then led a group of nicely dressed maidens to the pole and they strip the branches from the tree. The next morning the armed warriors charge the sun pole. They attack the pole as if to kill it. After it is dead they cut it down and take it to the spot where the lodge will be built. There is much more to this ceremony but this will give you an idea about it. It was a very serious thing for the Native Americans.

These tribes flourished in the 18th and 19 centuries with the help of the great buffalo herds and great soil. The tribes which were included as Plains tribes were the Arapaho, Arikara, Asbinboine, Cheynne, Crow, Gros, Ventre, Hidutsa, Sioux, Plains Cree, Plains Ojibway, Sarasi, Omaha, Ponca, Ute, Shoshone, Kiowa, and Blackfoot.