Page 39 - Sun Dance News Today

The life of gifted Yankton Sioux writer, musician, and activist Zitkala-Ša proved a bicultural journey that would defy her times and gender.

In 2024, the U.S. Mint American Women Quarters™ Program will enter its third year of a four-year series that aims to recognize the valuable role of women in American history. The Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) has already reviewed reverse designs for the five 2024 quarters honoring Patsy

The Lakota call it the tree of life, due to the star, and use its branches in their Sun Dance ceremony. Dakota Native Americans tell a story of a little star who wanted to hear the sounds and songs of humans and hid in the cottonwood so as not to disturb the people as they worked.

Leonard Peltier has been in federal prison since 1977 for his suspected involvement in a 1975 shootout that left two FBI agents dead.

Leonard Peltier has been in federal prison since 1977 for his suspected involvement in a 1975 shootout that left two FBI agents dead.

Leonard Peltier has been in federal prison since 1977 for his suspected involvement in a 1975 shootout that left two FBI agents dead.

North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding number seven is about native identity. It states, "Individual and communal identity is defined and supported by shared native languages, kinship systems, Tiospaye, clan structures, traditional teachings, values, sacred laws, and ceremonies. A continuum of tribal identity, unique to each individual, ranges from assimilated to traditional lifestyle. There is no generic American Indian."

North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding number seven is about native identity. It states, "Individual and communal identity is defined and supported by shared native languages, kinship systems, Tiospaye, clan structures, traditional teachings, values, sacred laws, and ceremonies. A continuum of tribal identity, unique to each individual, ranges from assimilated to traditional lifestyle. There is no generic American Indian."

Indigenous practitioners say contemplative activities like yoga and meditation can be powerful tools for healing. Some are working to protect the wellness industry's use of smudging from cultural appropriation, while also respecting that the practice of meditation originated outside Turtle Island.

The late Pope Benedict XVI's concern for the liturgy and his concern for the earth flowed from the same source: God's creative work and our response to it.