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The circle appears overand over in the culture ofthe Lakota
Sioux. They believe that life is
a sacred circle in which all things are
connected—nature, animals, and humans.
Sometimes Lakota Sioux refer to the circle as
the Sacred Hoop. When Lakota Sioux
perform the hoop dance they are doing
the dance of life, seeking harmony
and balance in all things.
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Welcome to Cuesheet,
one of a series of
performance guides
published by the
Education Department
of the John F. Kennedy
Center for the
Performing Arts,
Washington, D.C. This
Cuesheet is designed to
be used before and
after attending a
performance by the
Lakota Sioux Indian
Dance Theatre. You may
use Cuesheet alone or
with others. Some of the
suggested activities in it
will be more interesting
if they are done with
classmates, friends, or
family members.
nWhat’s inCuesheet?The Lakota Sioux: A Rich
History, page 2
Spirits and Myths,
page 5
Dances and the Circle
of Life, page 6
The Lakota Sioux
Indian Dance
Theatre, page 8
Looking and
Listening, page 9
Family, Community,
and Nature’s Cycle,
page 10
The Buffalo: A Valued
Friend, page 12
You May Want To...,
page 12
The Lakota Sioux: A Rich HistoryNative Americans once lived
throughout what is now the United States. In1492, when Columbus
arrived in the Americas, there were about twomillion Native
Americans living in 300 tribes.
According to scientists, the ancestors of Native Americanscame
to North America from Siberia at least 20,000
years ago. During the Ice Age, the sea level dropped, causing a
landbridge to appear at the Bering Strait. Hunting buffalo and
woollymammoth, they crossed the bridge. Native Americans believe
theirancestors always lived on this continent.
Large numbers of Native Americans lived on the Great Plains.The
Siouxmigrated there in the 1600s.They had lived along the
Mississippi River asfarmers and hunters in places that today are
the states of Minnesota,Wisconsin, and Iowa.When they were defeated
by their American Indianenemies and when white settlers seized
their land, the Sioux hadto leave their farms and hunting grounds
and
wander in search of a new home. Eventually, theyreached the
Great Plains and learned to leadnomadic lives, moving from placeto
place in search of food.Farming, forests, and lakeswere forgotten
as theSioux learned tolive in an“ocean ofgrass”.
The GreatPlains covermore than 1,500,000square miles. Theterrain
of theGreat Plains varies.It has vastgrasslands. It alsohas some
ruggedhills, such as theBlack Hills, whichare the sacredceremonial
groundsof the Sioux.
2
Columbus madea mistake when hecalled the nativesof North
America“los Indios.” Hebelieved that bysailing west fromEurope far
enoughhe would arrivesomewhere in Asia.Like otherEuropeans, he
didnot know that theAmericas existed.Because hethought he
wassailing in the IndianOcean when helanded at SanSalvador Island
inthe BahamaIslands, he calledthe people he met“los Indios.”
Pho
tos cover &
pag
e 2:Natio
nal A
nth
rolo
po
gical A
rchives,Sm
ithso
nian
Institu
tion
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3
The Sioux were one of the 30 tribes that lived on the Great
Plains.Theysoon became fierce warriors and buffalo hunters. From
1830 until 1870,the Sioux were the most powerful Plains
Indians.
Unfortunately, contact with white settlersbrought the Sioux
great misery. Settlers
took the Sioux land and built fencesaround it to keep out other
settlers and to prevent the
Sioux from reclaiming it. TheUnited States Government
made treaties withNative Americansguaranteeing their ownership
ofland. Unfortunately, all those
treaties were broken bythe Government. Many Sioux died of
diseases like smallpox andmeasles, which the settlers brought with
them and to which the Sioux werenot immune. Many Sioux died in
battles with army troops sent tocontrol them. Like other Native
Americans, they were forced to livein poverty on reservations.
For the Sioux, the final devastating massacre of their people
occurredin 1890 at the Battle of Wounded Knee, when almost 250 men,
women,and children were killed by United States soldiers. The
Lakota Sioux believethat the sacred circle of life was broken for
them at thatbattle, and it is only in recent times that the circle
is becoming whole again.
THE NAMES bywhich we knowNative Americantribes were given tothem
by whiteexplorers andsettlers. TheChippewa calledthe
Sioux“Nadewisue” (nay-day-wee-soo), theword for “littlesnake,”
meaning“enemy.” Frenchexplorers haddifficulty sayingthe name
andshortened it to“Sioux.” The Siouxare composed ofthree
principallanguage groupsliving in differentparts of the
GreatPlains: Lakota,Dakota, andNakota. They allmean “the
people.”
RESERVATIONSare places setaside by federaland stategovernments
forIndians to live on.There are about300 reservationslocated in
34states.
THERE ARE MANYfascinatingdetails concerning the
Battle of Wounded
Knee. Research and
explain what role the
Ghost Dance played in
the battle, why the
battle happened, and
what its results were.
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4
THE NAMES of manyplaces in the UnitedStates have American
Indian names. Some of
them are:
Potomac (River),
Manhattan,
Chicago,
Appalachia,
and Mississippi.
Identify places in the
city or state where you
live that have Indian
names. Find out
what the names
mean. Make a small
dictionary of them.
Part of theland takenillegally from theLakota Sioux is theBlack
Hills of SouthDakota, theirsacred ceremonialgrounds. The tribesued
the UnitedStates governmentfor the return ofthat part on whichno
one lives. In 1980the Governmentadmitted it waswrong and offeredto
pay millions ofdollars to the tribe.The Sioux refusedthe money
andappealed the ruling.They want onlytheir sacred landreturned. By
1994no decision hadbeen reached.
The SacredPipe is the holiestof all objects for
the Sioux. The
wooden stem and
pipestone bowl
represent the
American Indian’s
body. The tobacco
in the bowl
represents all living
green things. The
smoke that comes
from the pipe rep-
resents the breath
of the people, and
it carries prayers to
Wakan Tanka, the
Creator.
Prayer to the Buffalo
Today, Lakota Sioux continue to live on reservations in North
andSouth Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Montana. Some live
inCanada. However, many Lakota Sioux live, as other Americans do,in
urban communities throughout the country. Today,
there are about 1,900,000 Native Americans
living in the United States.
Since 1924, when Indians were recognized as American citizens,
theirlives have gradually improved. But their strugglegoes on. New
homes and roads are beingbuilt on reservations.There are newand
better schools. Over 30 tribalcolleges and universitiesthroughout
thecountry offerprograms whichinclude the studyof Native American
heritage.
More and more AmericanIndians are claiming
their civil rights. TheAmerican Indian Movement (AIM)and other
reservation-basedorganizations have helped to bringabout change.
“Self-determination,”by which Indians decide how theywill use the
natural resources onthe reservations and make otherdecisions for
themselves, hasbecome important.
The Sioux are sharing more andmore of the pride they feel
abouttheir heritage. Sioux legends andhistories have been collected
andpublished. Old skills are usedagain.The Lakota Sioux IndianDance
Theatre shares an ancientculture through rituals, songs, anddances
presented to audiencesthroughout the world.
SOME FAMOUSLakota Siouxleaders were Chief
Sitting Bull, Chief Red
Cloud, Chief Black Elk,
Chief Crazy Horse, and
Chief Spotted Tail. Find
out why they are
remembered. Alone or
with others, make a
booklet in which you
include their
biographies and
pictures. Donate your
booklet to the school
library or media center.
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THE SIOUX regardthe eagle as themost powerful ofbirds. They
alsobelieve that it hasimportantreligioussignifi-cance.Becauseit
can fly highenough to disappearbehind the clouds,the Sioux
believethe eaglecommunicatesprayers to thegreat spirit, WakanTanka.
The mostsacred featherscome from theeagle. Eaglefeathers are usedin
war bonnets, andas part of dancecostumes.
Spirits and MythsSpiritsThe Sioux pray to the Great Spirit,
WakanTanka, who created the sacred circle of life onearth.They
believe Wakan Tankagave power to all things.
Native Americans believe that specialpowers were given to many
differentanimal spirits, such as the eagle, deer, hawk,and buffalo.
Many times animalspirits were called uponduring visionquests.
A boyaround 12years ofage was carefully prepared by tribal
elders anda medicine man to go on the first of many visionquests.
He would go to a quiet and lonely place tofast, taking with him the
sacred pipe.Through thevision quest he hoped to receive a message
fromWakan Tanka and to gain wisdomand strength to help him be agood
memberof thetribe,and tounderstand his place in the circle of life.
If the boy had a vision, he told it tothe medicine man, who
interpreted it for him.
MythsMyths are traditional stories passed along through oral
tradition. Somemyths explain how things came to exist. Some myths
tell about gods andheroes. Some myths tell why people and animals
behave the way they do.Different groups of people tell different
myths, but many of them aresimilar throughout the world.
Lakota Sioux myths teach that humans are a tiny partof a large
and mysterious universe. They also helpexplain the sacred circle of
life. Prayer, expressed through ritual andceremony, is the way to
make sure that life on earth is good.
Among the responsibilities of the wise men of the tribe was to
bekeepers of tribal memories, including myths.They were also
responsible forpassing on how to perform rituals and
ceremonies.
5
Eagle Dance
MEDICINE MEN arepeople who havereceived specialhealing power
fromWakan Tanka.They are thespiritual leaders ofthe tribe.
READ SOME NativeAmerican creationmyths, for example
“The White Buffalo Calf
Woman.” Choose one
that interests you most
and do one of the
following to retell it: n
draw a set of sequential
pictures n record it on
audiotape and share it
with your friends and
family n act it out by
yourself or with others
n create a dance that
expresses its meaning.
FIND OUT MOREabout the impor-tance of feathers to the
Lakota Sioux. What is a
“coup”? Why was
counting coups
important to warriors?
Make a set of drawings
showing how feathers
were worn by the Sioux
to show their bravery
and accomplishments in
battle.
WRITE A POEMthat expressesthe respect Lakota
Sioux feel for the eagle.
Pho
tos b
y Sakari Viika
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Dances and theCircle of LifeDance is a central part of the life
of the LakotaSioux people.They dance to express their beliefin
spirits, nature, and the relationship of all thingsto one
another.They dance to share traditions.They dance to honor
people.They dance in pow-wows to celebrate their culture. And they
danceto enjoy themselves.
Native American dancers
dance in honor of Wakan
Tanka, the Great Spirit. Whenthey dance to express their
beliefs, to sharetraditions, or to honor people, all the members
ofthe tribe are part of the dance. Even the peoplestanding around
the circle in which the dancesare performed are part of it. Mothers
may holdbabies, people may chat and gossip, buteveryone helps the
dancers by praying andshouting approval and applauding. In that
way,all the members of the tribe
participate in the dance.
When the dancers perform in front ofaudiences in theaters,
things are different.Thedancers are sharing their traditions with
andtelling about their history to nontribal audiences.Since they
perform on a stage rather than in the sacred circle on their
reservations, anarrator explains the dances
so that the audience will understand them.Whendances are
performed for other Lakota Sioux,everyone understands their meaning
becausethey have grown up participating in them.
At the performance of theLakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre, the
narratorwill explain the meaning of each dance. He willalso discuss
important ideas about the historyand beliefs of the Lakota
Sioux.The dancers willsometimes sing while they dance. Somemembers
will play the flute and drum.There aremany kinds of dances
performed by the LakotaSioux Indian Dance Theatre. A few of them
aredescribed on these pages.
6
The Women’s Traditional Dance honorswomen, who represent Mother
Earth. In Lakota Sioux tradition,women are admired as the bringers
of peace and harmony.
The Women’sShawl Dancerequires dancers toimprovise move-ment to
unusuallyfast drum beats.Important in thedance are thewomen’s
fringedshawls and beadedleggings and moc-casins.The womenmove their
arms toimitate eagles’wings.The Women’sShawl Dance is not
atraditional dance. Itwas invented in the1940s and ’50s.
The Hoop Dance celebrates the way oflife of all Native
Americans. One legend says thatthe hoop dance is about the sacred
circle of life.When a person does the hoop dance he isacknowledging
the sacred circle and all the thingsthat are connected within
it.
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7
The Buffalo Dance honorsthe animal that gave the Lakota Sioux
food,shelter, and other means of survival. This dancewas originally
performed by members of theBuffalo Society, all of whom had dreamed
of thebuffalo in their vision quests.
The Sneak Up Dance reenacts abattle. The dancers depict warriors
stalking theirenemies.
The Grass Dance is also called The Grass Flattening Dance.The
dancersflatten a grassy area where a special event takes place. In
the past, those whoperformed the dance were admired because when
they danced they cleansed andpurified the circle in which they
danced.The movement, in combination with thesweetgrass on the
dancers’ leggings, are an offering to the Earth Mother and to
theGreat Spirit. Today, dancers wear yarn on their leggings instead
of sweetgrass.
The Round Dance is one of the most significant dances in which
menand women dance together. It is related to the hoop of the
nation and the sacredcircle. The Round Dance is a friendship dance
for all people to join in to completethe sacred circle of life and
to help keep all things on earth in balance.
The Eagle Dance is a prayer to the Great Spirit. Thedancer asks
for a blessing on the people as he imitates thesoaring of the
eagle, a symbol of the Great Spirit. The whis-tle imitates the
eagle’s cry.
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8
The Lakota SiouxIndian DanceTheatreThe Lakota Sioux Indian Dance
Theatre,produced by The Solaris Lakota Project, tours
withapproximately 12 to 15 American Indians whoperform dances,
songs, and
ceremonies that have been part
of their culture for centuries.
The Dance Theatre shares its work by travelingthroughout the
world.The members of the com-pany are eager for everyone to see
thebeauty of their culture.
The Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatrewas founded on the Rosebud
Reservationin South Dakota in 1978. Henry Smith, theartistic
director, worked closely with Siouxleaders, who helped him decide
what dancesto perform and how to present them for bothIndian and
nontribal audiences. Mr. Smith isnot an American Indian, but he has
been sodevoted to learning about and sharing theculture through the
dance of the Lakota Siouxthat he has been adopted by some tribal
families.He became interested in Lakota Sioux dancetraditions when
he was teaching dance in a schoolon a South Dakota reservation.
The narrator is a respected
elder and storyteller. Sometimes thenarration is provided by
Albert White Hat, whohelped make the film “Dances With
Wolves.”Sometimes it is provided by Lance White Magpie,a descendant
of Chief Crazy Horse, or by MarianOne Star, a consultant on tribal
customs.
The musicians in the company are GabeDesRosiers, the lead singer
of Northern Wind, agroup that performs at many powwows, and
BrianAkipo, a traditional flute player. Lead dancers areMarian One
Star, Jessie Spotted Tail, Grace HerMany Horses, Leon Thompson,
Lance WhiteMagpie, and Lillian and Ron Good Eagle.
Narrator
Above: Grass Dance.Right: Men’sTraditional Dance.
Pho
tos b
y Sakari Viika
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Looking andListeningAttending a performance by the Lakota
SiouxIndian Dance Theatre will be interesting andenjoyable for
everyone if you
remember...' the dances allow us to experience some-
thing about the Lakota Sioux way of life.' the dances are about
such things as the
sacred hoop, the buffalo, and the eagle.' that the Lakota Sioux
believe that dance is an
important part of the sacred circle of life.' dance must be
watched closely in order to
see the patterns of movement.
watch...' how the dancers use the space of the stage:
one place or many; close together or farapart.
' how the dancers’ movements are usuallyclose to the ground.
' how the dancers start and stop exactly onthe beat.
' how the dancers show energy: fast, slow;calm, exciting.
' for objects such as eagle feather fans andhorse dance
sticks.
listen...' how the drum
beats fit the dances.' for the one
special time in eachdance when four beats
are sounded loudly andthe dancers turn four
times. (The four beatsrepresent the four
directions of the compass,which are part of the sacred
circle of life.) ' for rhythms.' for singing.
9
Round Dance
CREATE A DANCEthat expressessomething you are
grateful for. Choose
music that goes well
with your dance.
Practice the dance.
Perform it for class-
mates, friends, or your
family. Explain to
them what you are
grateful for and why.
IMAGINE that youare a dance critic fora newspaper or
magazine. Write a
200-word review of
the Lakota Sioux
Indian Dance Theatre.
Tell what dances were
performed and what
they mean. Offer your
opinion about how
well they were
performed and how
they made you feel.
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10
Family, Community, and Nature’s CycleFamily StructureMembers of
the traditional Lakota Sioux tribe lived in close-knit families.The
work of both men and women was necessary to the survival of the
family. However, they had different responsibilities.Men fought
and hunted.They were responsiblefor the ceremonies and rituals.
They alsoprepared young men for their vision quests.
Women raised the children and taughtthem the Four Great Virtues
of Life.
Women also grew crops, made tepeesand clothing, and cared for
the sick.
Families passed on
tribal beliefs and
skills for survival.
In this way, Lakota Sioux madesure that the circle of life
wouldcontinue.
The four mostimportanthumanqualities forthe LakotaSioux
werebraveryandfortitude,generosityandwisdom.Thesewere calledthe
Four GreatVirtues of Life.Each virtue isconnected to theothers. All
familymembers strivedfor worthiness ineach virtue.
CommunityThe Lakota Sioux community was made up of groups of
manyfamilies. Each group was an extended familyof fathers, mothers,
sisters, brothers, grandparents, cousins, uncles,and aunts. Men and
women had different jobs, but they worked
together for everyone’s benefit.
Lakota Doll, 1880.Denver Art Museum
WHAT ARE FOURIMPORTANTVIRTUES you want to
develop? Draw a
shield divided into
four sections. Write
one quality in each
section. Then draw a
picture for each
quality that explains
what the quality
means to you.
Natio
nal A
nth
rolo
po
gical A
rchives,Sm
ithso
nian
Institu
tion
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11
Nature’sCycleTo NativeAmericans, theseasons were
part of the
great circle of
life. The Sioux did nottell time by the sun, as we
do, but by the moon.Theynamed the changing moons to
describe seasonal activities.Spring began in our month of April
and was
known as “Moon of the Birth of Buffalo Calves.” In the spring,
families lefttheir winter camps and began gathering food and
hunting, though theyallowed the buffalo to fatten until fall.
Summer began in our month of June, which was known as “MoonWhen
Strawberries Are Ripe.” At the beginning of summer, men went
onvision quests to seek personal guardian spirits. Also in the
summer, all theSioux tribes met and arranged their tepees in
circles. For four days theypurified themselves. For the next four
days they celebrated the sacred SunDance ceremony.
Fall began in our month of August, which was known as
“TheHarvest Moon.” It was the most important hunting season of the
year. Themen killed enough buffalo for the meat to last through the
long, frozen
winter. The women made pemmican from the meat.Winter began in
our month of November, which was
known as “The Winter Moon.” As the snow began to fall,families
settled into winter campsites. Men and boys repairedtools while
women and girls sewed, decorated clothing, andmade dolls. At night,
stories were told around the tepeefire. Soon it would be spring,
and the circle of seasonswould begin again.
Tepee: the dwellingof the LakotaSioux. Tepees werealways placed
in acircle. The wordtepee comes fromthe Sioux words “ti,”meaning
“dwelling,”and “pi,” meaning“used for.”
Pemmican ispreserved deermeat that hasbeen flattenedand mixed
withtallow (fat) anddried chokecherries. It issomewhat similar
tomodern-day “beef-jerky.”
MAKE A WALLCALENDARusing the Lakota
Sioux names of the
moons of the year.
Illustrate what the
names mean. Mark
your birthday and the
birthdays of your
family and friends.
“A beautiful tepee is like a good mother.She hugs her childrento
her and protects them from heat and cold,snow and rain.”—Sioux
proverb
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12
You may wantto read...Brown, Dee. WoundedKnee, An Indian
Historyof the American West.Adapted for YoungReaders by Amy
Ehrlichfrom Dee Brown’s BuryMy Heart at WoundedKnee. New York:
HenryHolt & Co., 1974.
Campbell, Maria. Peopleof the Buffalo: How thePlains Indians
Lived.Buffalo, New York: Fire-fly Books, Ltd., 1992.
Erdoes, Richard. NativeAmericans: The Sioux.New York: Sterling
Pub-lishing Company, 1982.
Hassrick, Royal B. TheSioux: Life and Customsof a Warrior
Society.Norman, Oklahoma:University of OklahomaPress, 1967.
Josephy, Jr., Alvin M. 500Nations, An IllustratedHistory of
North Ameri-can Indians. New York:Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
MacDonald, Fiona.Plains Indians. Haup-pauge, New York:
Barron’s EducationalSeries, Inc., 1993.
Taylor, Colin. The PlainsIndian. New York:Crescent Books,
1994.
Weatherford, Jack.Indian Givers. New York:Ballantine Books,
1988.
Wolfson, Evelyn. TheTeton Sioux: People ofthe Plains.
Brookfield,Connecticut: The Mill-brook Press, 1992.
You may wantto see...Last Stand at Little BigHorn. “PBS: The
Ameri-can Experience” (60minutes), WGBH Educa-tional
Foundation(Boston) and Thirteen/WNET, 1992.
Live and Remember (WoKiksuye), 1987; Fulfillingthe Vision (Oyate
Igluki-nipi), 1992; Come to theCenter and Dance (Coka-ta Upo),
1994; (30 min-utes each), availablefrom Solaris Lakota Project, 264
West 19thStreet, New York, NY,10011.
James D.Wolfensohn, ChairmanLawrence J.Wilker, President
Derek E. Gordon, Associate Managing Director, Education
Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre
Executive Editors: Lynne Silverstein and John C.Carr.
Contributing Writers: John C. Carr, SherillBerryman-Miller, and
Cynthia Word. Design: Paul
Dupree Communications. Special Thanks to: Henry Smith,artistic
director, Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre; Marian OneStar, Lakota
Sioux cultural consultant and Lakota Sioux IndianDance Theatre
member; Dr. Arnie Beauvais, Dean of Education andTribal Studies,
Sinte Gleska University, Rosebud Reservation, SouthDakota; and
Janet Starke.
Cuesheet is funded in part through the support of the
U.S.Department of Education, The Kennedy Center Corporate Fund,
andThe Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. ©1995 The John
F.Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The Buffalo: A Valued FriendMillions of buffalo roamed free on
the Great Plains before the white settlersmoved west. The lives of
the Lakota Sioux revolved around the hunt of thebuffalo.They
honored the animal’s spirit and used all of its parts for
theirsurvival.
Between one and two hundred uses were
found for the buffalo’s body parts. The Sioux madetepees,
blankets, clothes, ropes, shoes, and drumheads from buffalo
skins.They made containers, such as cups and dishes, and gun-powder
horns.Bones were used for needles. Because the Sioux did not make
pottery, theyused dried buffalo stomachs to store water and as
containers in which tocook. Before the Sioux had horses, they
disguised themselves in buffaloskins that still had the heads
attached when theyhunted the buffalo.Women kept count of thebuffalo
hides they prepared by carving small dotson the handles of the
scrapers with which theydid their work.
Some say there were as many as 12 millionbuffalo when settlers
and gold prospectors arrivedon the Great Plains.They destroyed the
grass thebuffalo ate.They turned many parts of the Great Plains
into grazing andfarm land.Worst of all, they killed millions of
buffalo for sport.By1889, only 540 were still alive. Today, 15,000
buffalo livein protected areas. Some others live in national parks.
Several thousand areraised on private ranches and are sold for
food.
FIND OUT MOREabout ways theSioux used the parts
of the buffalo. Make
an illustrated chart
showing the uses and
share it with your
classmates.