The Lakota tribe Essay

Introduction

It’s fascinating to learn about the long past of the Lakota people. They are a subset of the Native Americans who live in the Great Plains of North America. A conglomeration of seven Sioux clans is known as the Lakota. The past of Native Americans is largely based on the customs of the Lakota people. The tribe was significant primarily due to a number of characteristics that made up its culture, such as warfare, ethnoastronomy, storytelling, the tribe’s four core values, and the importance of the buffalo. These significant elements of the Lakota people’s past are examined in this essay.

Warfare

Warfare has been a central aspect of the Lakota tribe’s history. The gold rush of the 1840s saw white travelers and traders bring alien diseases to the Lakota people as well as increase the hunting for buffalo for the fur trade. This led to the emergence of battles and hostilities between emigrants and the traders. To bring an end to the hostilities, the US and many tribes entered into a series of treaties that were referred to as Fort Laramie Treaty. These treaties were entered into in order to ensure peace existed between white Americans and tribes that resided on the Rocky Mountains, among them the Lakota people. However, the hunger of white traders for buffalo fur led to the violations of all the treaties made between the tribes and the US. As a result, numerous battles occurred, and the tribes became victorious in most of them. The Battle of the Little Bighorn that occurred in 1876 was among the famous ones.

Aftermath of Gold Discovery

After the discovery of gold in the land of Native Americans, tensions had been rising between the government and the tribes. The leaders of the tribes on the Great Plains, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, resisted strongly the efforts of the government to reserve their people. After the discovery of gold in the Black Hills in 1875, the US Army violated the previous treaties that had been entered into and instead invaded the region. When 600 men of the US Army decided to draw near the camp of American natives, they were attacked, and all of them died. This is referred to date as the Battle of the Little Bighorn. A famous warrior that helped the Lakota tribe win the battle was Gall. He fought many other battles alongside Sitting Bull who was his mentor. As seen, warfare forms a big part of the history of the Lakota people. Warriors and leaders, some of whom have been mentioned above were greatly respected by the people.

Ethnoastronomy

The Sun Dance was a significant ceremony for the Lakota people as it was considered a time of renewal for people, tribe, and earth. The dance was held annually, and the timing was according to the population of buffalo at the time of the year. In order for the ceremony to continue, it was necessary to create a vertical connection to the sun. This was done by erecting a big cottonwood tree at the center of the large circular arena. The ceremony kicked off at sunrise and participants faced the sun as they danced. The ceremony took place over a course of four days. The Sun Dance was an important event for the Lakota people as it helped put the tribe in harmony with the cosmos.

Another aspect of Ethnoastronomy in the history of Lakota tribe is Winter Counts. Prior to contact with Europeans, there was no calendrical notation system in place for the Lakota people. However, they recorded ideographically the passing of winters. The year for the people, therefore, began with first snowfall and ended with spring’s thawing. As such, there was a winter count keeper who would mark each passing winter with pictographs arranged in horizontal or spiral rows on buffalo skin. Each of the pictographs on the buffalo skin represented one year of the tribe’s history. The winter counts also used to record astronomical events including lunar and solar eclipses, comets, and meteors. Individuals of the Lakota tribe also recorded specific events of their personal lives in the winter count. Therefore, winter counts helped the Lakota people keep their record of history.

Artifacts of the tribe depict celestial imagery inscribed on them. This shows how astronomy was important for the Lakota people. Many ghost shirts worn during the Ghost Dance often contained images showing comets, stars, suns, and moons. In addition, the shields of the Lakota people contained celestial designs showing the sun, Pole Star, Little Dipper, morning star, among others. Therefore, astronomy had a significant place in the history of the Lakota people.

Storytelling

Story telling has always played a vital role in shaping the culture not only for the Lakota people but also for other tribes around the world. Similar to many Native American tribes, the continuation of values and traditional systems for the Lakota tribe relied mainly on storytelling. Through passing down ways of life, history, and information, from one generation to another, younger members of the tribe were able to connect with the ways of their ancestors. This ensured important traditions and rituals were maintained, and Lakota people led their lives as their ancestors did.

One major influential and famous story of the Lakota people is the White Buffalo Calf Woman. The story has different versions as when it was retold it, adapted to new settings and people. For Native Americans, it is a symbol of world harmony and rebirth when a white buffalo is born. It is the belief of many members of the tribe that the White Buffalo Calf Woman was the source of the Sacred Pipe, Vision Quest, Sun Dance, and other significant rituals for the Lakota people.

It is clear that the White Buffalo Calf Woman formed an integral part of the Lakota people. However, it is important to note that there are other stories on history, healing, creation, humor, and so on. The stories provided information for those present at the time, who would, in turn, pass them to future generations. The art of storytelling was thus a part of the Lakota culture. Despite not having skills of writing, the Lakota people still managed to have important aspects of their traditions passed from one generation to another.

Four Values

The first of the four values was generosity, which was also referred to as Wacantognaka in Lakota. This value encouraged members of the tribe to contribute to the welfare of the people through giving freely and sharing. The sharing and giving did not only apply to possessions and material things. Showing compassion, kindness, and sympathy were a big part of the Lakota people. It was the belief of the Lakota people that when one gives without expecting anything in return, he or she will be happy. An old important Lakota saying goes like “What you give away, you keep; what you keep you lose”.

Kinship, which was also referred to as Wotitakuye encouraged members of the tribe to live in belonging and harmony. Harmony, relations, and belonging were thus regarded as the true wealth. Family was held highly among the Lakota people and was considered measure one’s wealth. This was because family was considered to be there for one in both bad and good times. According to the tribe, one’s family extended to the whole of the Lakota people. Therefore, wherever one travels, he or she was welcomed like a close family member.

Fortitude, also known as Wacintaka in Lakota encouraged the tribe’s members to face challenges with confidence and courage. Believing in oneself allowed the Lakota people to face dangers and challenges presented by life. A child growing up in the Lakota tribe was able to learn and embrace self-control. Skilled members of the tribe were viewed as role models whom children would look up to.

Wisdom or Woksape in Lakota was also considered as an important value. Wisdom was something every member of the tribe sought after throughout his or her life. Wisdom, for Lakota people, involved living and understanding spiritual beliefs and values upon which the culture is founded. It was also important that after understanding the spiritual beliefs and values, wisdom involved sharing it with others. Wisdom, along with the other three values characterized the way of life for the Lakota people. It is important to note that these features are still encouraged even in today’s societies.

The Significance of the Buffalo

The buffalo was considered the soul and heart of the people. Buffalo was at the core of Lakota’s culture. The tribe and the buffalo nation were physically and spiritually connected. As herds of buffalo moved around the plains in North America, they were followed by the Lakota tribe. Therefore, the very existence of the Lakota people was centered on the migration of the herds.

There are attributes of the buffalo that made them a fascinating creature to the Lakota people. One of these values is bravery. Buffaloes are brave and afraid of nothing. Such traits were reflected by warriors of the tribe in battles. In Addition, members of the buffalo herds moved and grazed as families. The same applies to the members of the Lakota tribe.

The buffalo was regarded as a gift from the Great Spirit because it sustained life. For the tribe, everything came from buffalo. Shelter and clothing were made from buffalo hides, the meat was used as food, and the bones became toys, weapons, and tools. It is clear that the history of the Lakota people cannot be written without the mention of the buffalo.

Conclusion

The history of the Lakota tribe is rich and relevant in today’s life. The practices of the Lakota people contribute to a great extent to the richness of Native American history. There a lot of information and values that the current generation can learn from the lives and practices of the Lakota people. Practices such as storytelling are relevant in today’s society. The four values of kinship, generosity, wisdom, and fortitude are still encouraged today. Therefore, the aspects of their culture discussed above make the Lakota people important part of history.

Bibliography

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Carkeek-Cheney, Roberta. Sioux Winter Count: A 131-Year Calendar of Events. Happy Camp: Naturegraph Publishers, Inc , 1998.

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