Jon Horton - Drag that soapbox over here
Drag that soapbox over here, Bub, I have something I want to say.
Remember last year when I wrote about the White Buffalo Calf Woman, and how she appeared to the Sioux right here in Jackson Hole? According to the legend, she predicted that the sacred hoop of the Native American people would be broken and they would suffer terribly. She also said when she returned the hoop, or circle, of the people (the wholeness) would be repaired. As part of that prediction she said that when their sacred hoop was being repaired the white people's hoop would be broken. Has the cycle of shootings in our schools, the latest in Columbine, indicate that there may be some truth in that story? I think it does. This generation we call X is the direct result of our materialism and the profound neglect of our children's spiritual well-being. Chew on that one for while.
The reason I'm writing about this is that I was over in the Black Hills last week and had something strange happen to me: I have a friend and mentor, Willie LeClair, who is a Shoshone Indian and a lecturer on Native American traditions. He was giving a talk at Devil's Tower and asked me to come over and spend a couple of days with him and his family. I drove over and, while looking for his camp site, saw a vehicle with "Sacred Hoop - 500 Mile Run" painted on it.
Now, I knew that the young people of the Oglala Sioux had been running this loop from Bear Butte, near Sturgis, South Dakota, to what we call Devil's Tower and back to Bear Butte. This is the 16th year of the race (the sacred number four, times four) and it was considered a particularly significant event for the Oglala people.
The Sioux legend goes something like this: The Great Spirit told the animals to run in a circle until they shed their blood and that sacrificial effort created the Black Hills. Later the ikce wicasa or "common man" was given the intellect and responsibility to care for the land and the animals which sanctified the land by spilling their blood on the track that circles the sacred Black Hills.
Subsequently, young men of the Lakota Nation were trained to carry messages across the vast plains to neighboring nations. Also, running games were the most enjoyed sport in the life of the young Lakota people. So this Sacred Hoop run, which follows the same path of the animals long ago, has been a part of the people's traditions for centuries upon centuries.
So anyway, I go to a little cafe and get a cheeseburger then exit the place to see that the runners are going by. I go back into the cafe and snag a pack of cigarettes, that being the only form of tobacco readily available, and run back to give it to one of the runners, a young girl, with a "Thank you" thrown in for good measure.
Odd behavior, you say? Well yes, but tobacco is considered sacred in the Native American cultures and it was my way of showing respect for what the kids were doing. You see, the solstice is the time of the Sun Dance which is their equivalent of the Christian Eastertide. The young people run the 500 miles, in relays, to support the offerings that the men are making in the Sun Dance-three days of dancing from sunrise to sunset with no water or food. Also, the Sioux give of their bodies by having pieces of flesh cut from them, and other mortifications reminiscent of the Catholic Penitent tradition.
So, I get the idea that the race might be a good subject for a column and I go down the next morning to talk to the leaders, to see if I can get some info on the run. While I'm talking to Ted Standing Soldier, one of the elders of the Grey Eagle Society named Elaine Quiver, asks me to join her and a committee which are having a meeting with Charles Cartwright, the U.S. Park Service Superintendent of Devil's Tower National Monument. The purpose of the meeting is to petition the U.S. Government to remove the Devil's name from the tower because it is considered sacred by all the plains tribes. They suggested it be re-named Mato Tipi which means Bear Lodge.
It seems that Mrs. Quiver knew that I carry a pipe and, so, am part of the circle of the Sioux nation, because I show respect for their traditions. She wants me to write about the event. So there I am sitting with the Oglalas on one side of the table, across from the representatives of the U.S. Government. Man, I tell you being included in the circle of the Lakota Nation made the hair stand straight up on the back of my neck!
Now, I don't know how you believe, but I'm convinced that I was supposed to be there just as that young girl ran by with the staff in her hand. It was also no accident that I was the only writer present, the only one who could send the word out of what the people are trying to do, and raise a little support for them in their endeavors.
First, there is no real reason that the Devil's name can't be removed from the tower. The Sioux would like it called Mato Tipi but other plains peoples know it by other names, such as Grey Horn Butte. Why not call it Wyoming Tower, Wyoming being a Native American name for a "wide open space"?
Also, if you follow the any of the faiths descended from Abraham (that's the Jews, the Christians, and the Muslims, for those of you who play all weekend instead of going to temple, church or mosque) you should be interested in supporting this cause-getting the Devil's name dropped wherever possible. Remember Columbine.
If you have any suggestions, send them to me, or to Mr. Cartwright at P.O. Box 10 Devils Tower, WY 82714.
Also, if you can see your way clear to sending a ten-dollar bill to the Oglala people, to support the Sacred Hoop runners, the address is: Oglala Sioux Tribe, Box H, Pine Ridge SD 57770. Send it in care of Mr. Joseph Swift Bird or Mrs. Elaine Quiver.
Thanks. And Bub, you can slide that soapbox back over there in the corner where it was before.
-Jon Horton
Other pages you might find helpful:
Willie LeClair Website
Shoshone lecturer: storytelling, spirituality and dance.
network of Travel Guides