THE BLACKFOOT SUN-DANCE. 231 



THE BLACKFOOT SUN-DANCE. 



BY REV. JOHN M LEAN, M.A., BLOOD RESERVE, ALBERTA. 



The most important sacred festival of the Blackfeet is the Sun- 

 Dance. In the native language it is called Okan, a word whose 

 meanin-T: is now entirely lost. It is known amongst the white people 

 as the Medicine-Dance or Sun-Dance. This arises fi-om the fa,ct that 

 Natos, the sun, when combined with other words is also translated 

 medicine, referring to the spiritual ceremonies of the medical priest- 

 hood. In the native religion of the Indians its true signification is 

 holy or divine. As examples of these distinctions we have, Natos- 

 aumuqka, medicine-runner, Natoapsinaksin, the divine book, the 

 sun-book, the Bible, Natcyetcistcikwe, the holy day — the sun-day 

 — the Sabbath. 



As these Indians have borrowed some of their ceremonies from the 

 Sioiix Indians, and the natives of Yucatan still hold the religious 

 festival of the Sun-Dance, it may have happened that in the dim past 

 they adopted this festival and modified it to sviit themselves. A 

 festival of nearly similar impoi't is celebrated amongst the Crees 

 named the Thirst-Dance. The records of tradition state that an old 

 woman had a sick child which she loved tendeily. In her anxiety 

 for its recovery, she prayed incessantly to Natos for help in her dis- 

 ti-ess. One evening as she slept, Natos appeared to her in a dream, 

 and told her that if she would build a Sun-lodge and make saci'ifices 

 to him, the child would get well. She awoke, and told her people of 

 the wonderful vision, the lodge was erected, the festival was held, 

 and the child recovered. Since that period, the Sun-Dance has been 

 annually held. The time for the celebration of this festival is when 

 the wild-fruit is ripe, at the end of July or early in August. Seven 

 days is the length of time it is generally held, although this is some- 

 times shortened. The object of this festival is twofold, namely: 

 military and religious. It is chiefly a sacred assembly, and con- 

 stitutes a part of their native religious system. A virtuous woman 



