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.

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.

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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.”

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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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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

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.