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• 1 media/Lakota Chiefs.jpg 2021-03-22T14:38:22-07:00 Lakota Religion 16 image_header 2021-04-28T11:14:59-07:00 The Lakota are a Native American tribe originally from Minnesota. During the late 1700's the Lakota moved west, living in North and South Dakota, as well as parts of Wyoming, Nebraska, and Montana. Today, their reservations sit in South Dakota. Lakota religion, like that of all Native American tribes, is complex and heavily based on nature. The Lakota were originally from Wisconsin and Minnesota, but adopted a nomadic lifestyle and expanded into North Dakota and South Dakota, as well as Montana, Wyoming, and Nebraska. This change in lifestyle from sedentary to semi-monadic began in the early 1700’s when the Lakota were first introduced to horses. This dramatically changed their lifestyle and allowed them to become one of the major powers of the plains by the 1800’s. Like other tribes, the Lakota believed that everything in this world contains a spirit. Every rock, every tree, and every animal contained a spirit. The Lakota believed in Wakan Tanka, the supreme god often translated to the Great Spirit. One of the most important traditions in Lakota religion is the Seven Sacred Rites. These rites for the basis of their religion practices and some are still practiced today even after decades of being banned. The rites are meant to impart the seven Lakota values, prayer, respect, compassion, honesty, generosity, humility, and wisdom, on those who participate in the rights. The rite Wiwanyang Wacipi, better known as the Sun Dance is the next rite. The Sun Dance is considered the most important of all the Lakota rites. The dance is held in the summer and participants fast for four days prior to the dance. During the dance itself, dancers pierce their chest with throngs connected to a pole and dance around the pole, praying for strength for their people and the healing of those who are sick. The rite is meant to symbolize the course of a man’s life.