Dakota Religion

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The Dakota have endured decades of assimilation policies under the United States government designed to strip them of their identity and integrate them into the dominant society. These experiences have left an impression on Dakota culture as we see it today. Many Dakota who grew up in the mid-20^th century describe a feeling of shame in their heritage during that time period. This was partly due to the fact that it was illegal for Native Americans to practice their ceremonies until the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978. Because spirituality is central to Dakota identity, the revival of their ceremonies has helped many to renew their pride in being Dakota (Larsen 2008).

Traditionally, Dakota religion was inseparable from other aspects of life. Spirituality was tied into the land they lived on, the way they hunted and harvested, and the way they related to people. Today many of the important elements are still there; others are not as strong as they used to be. Ultimately, the Dakota live in the context of a society that is radically different from their traditional society.

Values

Core to Dakota spirituality is the concept of wakan, meaning holy, sacred, mysterious (Wilson 2005). Wakantanka (literally "Great Mystery"), or God, is the Creator of life (Siems 2003). Every form of life, including what Westerners would categorize as animate and inanimate, has a spirit and is wakan. Thus life itself is sacred. Since life is sacred, respecting and nurturing life is core to Dakota spirituality and generosity is a basic value of their culture. Families sponsor a giveaway (ituh'an) in honor of a person who has gone through a major life transition or has achieved a special accomplishment. At a giveaway relatives honor the individual by distributing gifts in his or her name. The family gives as many gifts as possible with special care for the aged, the poor, and people who have travelled a great distance (Wilson 2005). The purpose of the giveaway is not only to distribute gifts; it is a chance for people in the community to get together and bond as family (Gibbon 2003). They often take place at a powwow.

The Dakota may also host a feast to honor a relative. Because feeding people directly nurtures life, it is the role of women, the givers of life. Caring for people in this way brings honor to women. When preparing the food, the women think good thoughts with positive intentions toward the people they will be feeding. The traditional way is to offer a small portion of food to the spirits before eating. They may also set out food for the spirit of a lost relative. Sharing food with the spirits is a way of strengthening relationships with them. Families often hold a last feast (ahake wotapi) and a giveaway one year after the death of a loved one (Wilson 2005).

Honoring elders is important to Dakota culture. For example, at powwows the elders are served meals first and are given special seating areas (PIIC 2007). The Dakota show this kind of respect to all the ancestors regardless of how much time passes. This is why several of the bands are working on getting back the remains of their ancestors that have been dug up by archeologists so they can be properly buried (LSIC 2007).

Dakota religion emphasizes developing a positive relationship with the spirits (Wilson 2005). The pipe (Chanupa) is one way the Dakota nurture their relationship with the spirit world through prayer. The pipe was brought to the Dakota nation by the White Buffalo Calf Woman. To make these pipes they use a sacred red pipestone that can only be found in southwestern Minnesota (LFIC 2007). When praying with the pipe or in any ceremony, those who speak Dakota always use their native language because it was give to the Dakota by Wakantanka. There are spiritual concepts in the language that do not easily translate into English (Wilson 2005).

Ceremonies

Some well-known Dakota ceremonies include the sweat lodge (inipi), the Sun Dance, and the vision quest (hambleciya) (Gibbon 2003). The sweat lodge is a purification ritual that is done before other ceremonies and can also be done alone. The Sun Dance is a way of giving thanks and praying to Wakantanka. Though the Sun Dance was not originally practiced by the Dakota it is now the major communal ceremony on Dakota reservations. The vision quest is a right-of-passage for young men, who go out alone to be with Wakantanka and the spirits and pray. This is one way to receive the help and guidance of the spirits. As they do this, they have guidance and support from their elders.

The Hunka ceremony, or making of relatives, is an important part of local history. The Hunka ceremony can be used to adopt a person into the family or as a way to establish alliances between nations that were once enemies. A special kind of blue paint was used for this ceremony that can only be found along the Blue Earth River near Mankato, Minnesota. Hence the name Mankato, originally Mahkato, meaning "Blue Earth" in Dakota. For the Dakota the color blue represents pure spirit because it is the color of the sky. Using the blue paint establishes a spiritual relationship between people (LeBeau 2007).

There are common aspects of the ceremonies that are shared across all Dakota communities, but specific ceremonial practices or stories may be shared by a community or a family. For instance, some use four as a sacred number in reference to the four sacred directions, others use the number seven, which refers to the four directions plus the directions above, below, and within. Dakota spirituality is highly experiential and personal. A lot of Dakota people are members of different sects of Christianity. Some combine Christianity with traditional Dakota religion (Gibbon 2003). A small percentage of Dakota are members of the Native American Church (Stewart 1979). Similar to the mainstream population, there are Dakota people who practice no religion at all.

Medicine Men

Wicasa wakan (medicine men) are people who have been given the power to heal through their relationship with spiritual beings. The power does not belong to the person who administers the treatment. It is more like the spirits are working through him. The spirits help the medicine person diagnose and treat physical and spiritual illness. Their role is important because the same illness may require different treatment for different people (Wilson 2005).

A medicine person does not choose his own role. He is chosen by the spirits and comes from a specific family lineage. His life is hard because he cannot deny any request for treatment and he never charges for his services. The people take care of the medicine men through reciprocal generosity (Wilson 2005).

Neoshamanism

Certain aspects of Dakota religion have been mixed with other cultural practices as part of a movement known as "New Age," "Neo-shamanism," or "primitivism." This is different from the way some Dakota combine elements of traditional spirituality with Christianity. Bringing together traditional and modern culture is a way of adapting to a new society and new challenges the Dakota face in today's world. It is a way of keeping their identity alive in a new context. In contrast, the use of elements of Dakota religion such as the sweat lodge or the image of the medicine man by non-Dakota has created a warped image of Dakota religion in mainstream society (Kehoe 1994).

As early as the mid-19^th century white doctors were able to profit from claims of being trained in "Indian" herbal medicine. Today it is not hard to find white "shamans" who claim to be students of a Native teacher. In this way people are able to profit from sweat lodges and ceremonies that a real medicine man could never charge for. These false portrayals have created a popular image of Indians as wise teachers who hold mystical secrets of enlightenment. These kind of cultural appropriations are profoundly disrespectful. In reality New Age mysticism has little to do with Dakota religion, which is rooted in the Dakota heritage and practiced by real people with flaws and strengths (Kehoe 1994).

Links

The content of this page was carefully researched, but the authors are not experts on Dakota culture.

If you are Dakota, your feedback is much appreciated.

Bibliography

Gibbon, Guy

    2003  The Sioux: The Dakota and Lakota Nations. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Kehoe, Alice B.

    1994[1990]  Primal Gaia: Primitivists and Plastic Medicine Men. In The Invented Indian: Cultural Fictions and Government Policies. James A. Clifton, ed. Pp. 193-210.

New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

Larsen, David

2008  My Life Changes with the Advent of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. Presentation at the

      Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Mankato, MN, October 12.

LeBeau, Sebastian

    2007  Untitled Lecture. Minnesota State University, Mankato, September 19.

Little Feather Interpretive Center

    2007  Frequently Asked Questions. Electronic document: http://littlefeathercenter.50megs.com/FAQ.html, accessed November 16, 2008.

Lower Sioux Indian Community

2007  Tribal Historical Preservation Office. Electronic document, http://www.lowersioux.com/dhistoricalpreservation.html, accessed November 6, 2008.

Prairie Island Indian Community

2007  Powwow Etiquette. Electronic document, http://www.prairieisland.org/powwow_etiquette.htm, accessed November 6, 2008.

Siems, Monica

    1998  How Do You Say "God" in Dakota? Epistemological Problems with the Christianization of Native Americans. Numen 45(2):163-182.

Stewart, Omer C.

    1979  Anthropological Theory and the History of Peyotism. Ethnohistory 26(3):277-281.

Wilson, Waziyatawin Angela

    2005  Remember This! Dakota Decolonization and the Eli Taylor Narratives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Written by: Melissa Lorentz and Louis Peters, 2008.