Sioux: The Past and Present of the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota
Fact Finders AMERICAN INDIAN LIFE The Sioux The Past and Present of the Dakota Lakota and Nakota by Donna Janell Bowman Consultant Brett Barker PhD Associate Professor of History University of Wisconsin Marathon County CAPSTONE PRESS a capstone imprint
Celebrating with Dance Tust outside a large circular area drummers bang a large rawhide drum Their drumbeats are strong and rhythmic like the heartbeat of their ancestors The ground has already been blessed It is their way of thanking the Creator for another wacipi _ a powwow While the drummers drum they sing in their native language They sing vocables too powerful sounds that express emotion A man carries an eagle feather staff into the arena It represents the native people Behind him an honor guard of Sioux military veterans carries American state tribal and veterans flags The Grand Entry has begun Hundreds of dancers from the Great Sioux Nation stream into the arena Each one dances in step with the drum Powwows are a time for Sioux and other native tribes to gather and celebrate life It is a time to reconnect with friends and to honor their rich culture vocable word made up of sounds without regard to meaning 4
EAGLE FEATHERS The eagle is the most loved animal of the Great Spirit according to American Indian legend It is the bravest and strongest of all birds Eagles and their feathers have long been considered sacred The dark and light feathers represent daylight and darkness summer and winter peace and war life and death Throughout history eagle feathers have been awarded for acts of bravery Grand Entry during a powwow on the Pine Ridge Reservation
