Sun Dance

An annual Plains Aboriginal culture ceremony given at midsummer when bands and tribes congregated at a predetermined location. The Sun Dance was forbidden under the INDIAN ACT of 1885, but this ban was generally ignored and dropped from the Indian Act of 1951. The ceremony was arranged by an individual either as a request for supernatural aid or in response to a vision. Among the BLACKFOOT and SARCEE, women took the initiative. Following four days of preliminary ritual, the Sun Dance lasted another four days and focused on erecting the sacred dance pole and sacred lodge. On the final day several dances took place. The Sun-Gaze Dances symbolized capture, torture, captivity and escape, and involved self-torture. Dancers enjoyed prestige from that time on. The Sun Dance was an emotional experience and an opportunity to renew kinship ties, arrange marriages and exchange property.

Author RENÉ R. GADACZ

Suggested Reading
Fred Voget, The Shoshoni-Crow Sun Dance (1984); Robert Lowie, The Sun Dance of the Crow Indians (1978); J. Jorgensen, The Sun Dance Religion (1972).

Links to Other Sites
Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge
The website for the Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge, which features Canada's largest essay writing competition for Aboriginal youth (ages 14-29) and a companion program for those who prefer to work through painting, drawing and photography. See their guidelines, teacher resources, profiles of winners, and more. From the Historica-Dominion Institute.

Four Directions Teachings
Elders and traditional teachers representing the Blackfoot, Cree, Ojibwe, Mohawk, and Mi’kmaq share teachings about their history and culture. Animated graphics visualize each of the oral teachings. This website also provides biographies of participants, transcripts, and an extensive array of learning resources for students and their teachers. In English with French subtitles.

Native Dance
A superb multimedia website dedicated to native dance traditions from coast to coast in Canada. Features audio and video clips, in-depth interviews and articles for students, the image research database for scholars, downloadable resource kits for teachers, and more. Produced by Carleton University and The Sumner Group Inc., with the assistance of many other organizations and contributors.

Canada’s First Nations
This extensive multimedia website profiles the history, culture, and language of Canada's First Nations peoples. Also examines the impact of European contact on First Nations communities. A joint project of the University of Calgary and Red Deer College.