As I think about going to Sundance this year, I think about the mythical realities behind the experience itself. All of the stories about the foundational beliefs behind Sundance, are intertwined through magical realistic stories, such as the story of the sacred pipe, and how it came to the Lakota people. SHORT VERSION OF THE ORAL TRADITION: WHITE BUFFALO CALF WOMAN One day, two men were hunting. As they looked down from the butte in which they were crouched and awaiting the sight of game, a beautiful maiden appeared from nowhere just below them. They could see her perfectly. She wore a white buffalo calfskin dress, ornated like they had never seen. Her attraction to the men was instantaneous; but one man immediately knew she was wakan (holy) and pushed away any impure thoughts. The other man was quickly overcome by her beauty, and he thought unholy thoughts. Thus, he perished right on the spot. The woman gave the remaining hun...
Native American author, fictional and academic. Thoughts, philosophies, and interpretations from a Native Lakota Sioux Woman's Perspective.